Shit Flooded Ya'll

 

 So, shit flooded last night. It's still raining. First, I explored the backyard. Ordinarily the black dog would be all over this because, he's a lab and he loves water but he was uncertain this morning...

So rather than play in the water, he decided it would be a good idea to drink it. Meanwhile, the Yellow Dog decided it was time to run through our new pool like there was no tomorrow. 

The Black Dog was still such a ninny that, he wouldn't leave me alone long enough to take a picture of how deep the water in our backyard actually is. So yes, my leg is in the picture somewhere and the water comes to mid-calf. 

Elsewhere in the neighborhood, the lunatics who take care of their lawn as if it were a putting green were not immune to flooding overnight. See that line? That's a debris line, marking how high the flood waters came up onto their front yard.

Here's a side street, overflowing drainage ditch with water spilling out into the street.

This is from the street next to ours. It flooded out completely last night. See that nasty black line on the political sign? That's another debris line. Yes, the water came up that high.

 Ah, good times.

Hey Kayteadee, Where's the Sons of Anarchy Recap?

So, I have a big deadline. And shit is actually happening with my dissertation -- but in a good way. And I have 75 papers to grade. And my backyard is flooding. My point is that the recap is coming but it will be delayed. I promise, it's coming....probably some time over the weekend.

But until then, just let me say: I AM NOT HAPPY WITH YOU JACKSON TELLER. NO ONE TALKS TO TARA LIKE THAT. SO STEP OFF WITH YOUR ACCURATE YET ANNOYING WHITE SNEAKS, YOU LITTLE PUNK.

You can count on the recap being very Jax-centric. Because, apparently it's Jax's world and the rest of us just need to do as we're told. Grrr

Also, also. I had a conversation with my father-in-law about the accents because he's from Dublin and has a good ear for those things, and he is Sons fan. I kind of love that in the past he has referred to the IRA shit and the people involved as "those idiots with bombs in the north" Anywho, the conversation went like this:

Kayteadee: I have to ask. How do you feel about the accents on Sons of Anarchy?

FiL Dee:  Pretty authentic but even I wish they provided subtitles. 

There. Feel better now?

Sons of Anarchy, Season 3, Episode 3, Caregiver Recap

Previously on As the Harley Rumbles, the use baby oil was invoked as the humane thing to do, Cammie Hayes made it back home only to face the most severe consequence for his actions, SAMCRO started getting a sense what the Mayans were up to, and none of us could understand the Irish accents.

I'm particularly long-winded on this recap, so go to the bathroom, pop some popcorn, and tuck in. Overall, Caregiver was about fidelity. By fidelity, I mean loyalty and tests of loyalty. Caregiver opens with SAMCRO engaged in business with the Grim Bastards and they seem to be loyal to each other in a genuine way that serves their mutual self interests. In contrast Luke and his IRA connections are testing the old loyalty John Teller established for the MC in the gun running business. The whole soldier versus army line that Luke feeds SAMCRO makes it perfectly clear that the IRA's loyalty is to its own cause and not SAMCRO. But fidelity cuts both ways.

In the aftermath of the drive-by, the loyalty of the town of Charming to SAMCRO is in question. Now that the violence of the MC has spilled over in the town, can you blame them? The Deputy Chief of Police gets killed, a kid gets shot, and that is to say nothing about the damage done to Chuckie. Oswald has to cut SAMCRO loose because of his political ambitions and it seems like they temporarily part ways in an amicable way. I wonder how long that will hold. With Oswald's land in jeopardy for development if he has to forfeit it if the Sons jump bail.

Let's deal with Jax and his fidelity issues. We know Jax does shit without thinking and can be selfish and immature. He knows he does shit without thinking about the consequences. In spite of that, I generally root for Jax.  In the first episode of season 3, Piney tells Jax that he's loyal, he's good, and he wants the right things. That was true before Caregiver.  But after Caregiver? Not so much. All of that about being loyal, good, and wanting the right things seems to be falling away. Is it Jax's showing the true nature of his character? Or is this what having a missing child does to a person? So far his loyalty to himself seems to be winning out over his loyalty to anything or anyone else.

What makes me think this? It's becoming clear that Jax is talking a good game about tracking down Abel but that hasn't translated into action. Jax tells everyone that he is going to find Abel but if it were so important to him, would he still be sitting around the bar having drinks with Opie in the club house? Would he really let a 3 day old lead to Vancouver grow cold? Would any father with a missing kid sit around drinking and bitching about his girlfriend instead of following down every lead? He says that he's motivated, all fired up to find Abel but his actions don't reflect that. He gets petulant with Luke the Irish guy but it just gets turned into a lot of pacing and sulking. He wants to do the right thing--find his son--but in classic Jax mode, he hasn't been working hard enough to DO the right thing. 

Is he worried about his kid? Is he wondering who is taking care of kid? If the kid is well cared for? Nope -- or if he is thinking those things, it isn't showing. He's worried about Tara wanting to take a leave of absence and what her know-everything old lady status means for the longevity of their relationship. Alert: Jax is questioning the longevity of his relationship with Tara. Cue Ima. What Jax would have done if Juice hadn't opened that email from SAMBEL just then. I'm not one of these huge Jax/Tara obsessed people but Jax being good and loyal doesn't really jibe with wanting to nail a porn star while you're going through some shit with your girlfriend and your kid has been abducted. See Jax being loyal to himself makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?

Tara, in spite of her general dumbassery for cutting Amelia loose (Note: I find it hard to believe that Tara is really that stupid. She's been to the school of WWGD and taught by the mistress herself), has proven that if she's in for a penny with SAMCRO by being loyal to the club, then she's in it for a fucking pound. I'm starting to think that Tara is more loyal to club than Jax is because Jax is only loyal to himself. Did she not draw the line no truth/to pussy? Did she run away from the conversation with Jax about taking a leave of absence? Is she apologetic for defending the club and Gemma to Hospital Bitchface? Nope. She's all in, baby. Not without a barfing her guts out. More so than Jax has been with his petulant wavering. The only time we see Tara remotely waver is when she's barfing her guts out after the Guatemalan Hottie is killed/accidentally stabs her self.      

Speaking of Tig's Guatemalan Hottie, the swift, efficiently way that Tig and Gemma decided to call the cleaner shouldn't have been surprising. Gemma had already done the logical heavy lifting to kill her: foreigner with no friends or family that the system wouldn't care about. Easy-peasey. 

We haven't had a lot of information about the sexual fidelity between Gemma and John Teller but this week we got a pretty good idea. It seems as if Maureen and JT had a relationship. The good Father Ashby reminded Maureen that John Teller's family was in Charming. Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?  Huuuuuuuuuuuuuh? His cruelty in pointing this out suggested there was something more than a simple fling between Marueen and JT. Could there be something more? Like a love child? Well, meet Trinity. A little simple math would put her around 18 or 19. Right around the time John Teller returned to Charming from Belfast. She could totally be Jax's half-sister, couldn't she? If this is true, do you think Gemma knows? 

And finally Opie and his fidelity to Lyla. Obviously Opie has an old school notion of fidelity, meaning no one sticks their dick in my woman except for me. Lyla's notion of fidelity is somewhat different. She sees sex as a financial transaction while her heart is loyal to Opie. It nearly broke my heart when Opie told Lyla that he didn't want her to end up sad. (Brilliant acting by Ryan Hurst) But what did Opie mean? Sad like him? Sad like Donna was? But this little bit of dialogue is telling about the depths of Opie and Lyla's relationship and it's fucking funny:

Jax:  Looks like you guys are working things out

Opie: I can never tell. Every time I try to talk to her we end up naked

Bobby: Just marry her. That'll stop it.

I just have one question: Why have we not seen any of this Opie nakedness? Whhhhhhyyyyyy? Anyways, I'm totallty Team Lyla at this point. She's might be a porn star, but she's a porn star with heart who calls Piney Pop and picks up the kids from school. But the lack of not talking about things is taking its toll on Opie. He loses his shit at the Chinese porn party. Who thought it would be a good idea for him to be there in the first place?

Odds and Ends:

• So the gun charges are still in play. For the price that SAMCRO is paying per hour, you'd think they'd challenge Charming's motion to revoke their bail based on double jeopardy. Moreover, why isn't their lawyer filing a motion to dismiss if the state's case has fallen apart? Just sayin.
• A nice bit of continuity from season-to-season: the Sons are still running handguns in bedrolls for the IRA. 
• Stephen King was brilliantly creepy and hilarious as the cleaner. From the 80's music to taking the gilded praying hands to feeling up the then-dead Amelia (and you know Tig was jealous). everything. It was a perfect mix of good writing and credible stunt casting that fit with the plot.
• Why does Jacob Hale dress like Rodney Dangerfield? Cheap suit, loose tie, slightly sweaty. 
• Katey Sagal + Hal Holbrook = Amazing. 
• Gemma's stupid bitch line. Referring to herself. 
• Cherry! But why was she wearing a lederhosen/diaper thing?
• How does Gemma's BlackBerry still have a charge? 
• Still needs more Juice.

Just like last week, the screen caps come courtesy of Bobby Elvis' Bake Sale 

What did ya'll think of this week's episode? Also: GEMMA STILL DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT ABEL. ZOMG. HOW LONG ARE THEY GOING TO DRAG THIS OUT?

  

Sons of Anarchy, Season 3, Episode 3, Caregiver Preview

What do we have in store this week for Sons of Anarchy, entitled Caregiver? Well, for once the official official synopsis from the FX website is not irritatingly vague this week. It is as follows:

To secure weapons and raise money for Abel's search, the club exploits its porn connections to entertain Henry Lin's clients, which doesn't sit well with Opie. Jax's decisions to search for Abel in Canada gets derailed. When Gemma's dad goes MIA, her prisoner makes plans to do the same. 

It seems as if we're about to get some more insight on that bit of foreshadowing about tensions in Opie and Lyla's relationship. Is the Opester really okay with his old lady being a porn star? Are there boundaries like no coke and no anal? I guess we'll find out.

Now, on to the preview that has seemingly nothing to do with the synopsis.

It looks like we're going to spend a good bit of time at what @TVKel calls the "Gemma Annex" in Nate Madoc's house. I wonder if everyone is going to converge at the Gemma Annex because of Nate's disappearance. Don't forget that Stephen King makes a guest appearance to... ahem... clean up a particular situation. Maybe it's Tig's Guatemalan Hottie. Maybe it's someone who was found at the wrong end of Nate Madoc's rifle. Your guess is as good as mine. If this photo is any indication, shit isn't going to be pretty (BTW, I got this from Daemon's TV you can see this pic and a few others from the episode here.)

While you're wasting time at work on Tuesday anticipating Caregiver, you can check out some of my favorite reviews of Oiled, including Alan Sepinwall's review that includes some good thoughts on the hospital administrator, Mo Ryan's review breaks it down by location, and Kel Kendrick has a great breakdown of the Tarjaxa dynamics. Finally, The Crow Blogger has a brand-spanking new post up about mothers, sons, and Sons of Anarchy, and the Watchers of Anarchy and Girl of Mayhem are podcasting their hearts out and recapping the episodes in audio format

Also, is Gemma finally going to find out about Abel during this episode? What do you think her reaction might be?

Sons of Anarchy and Irish Accents

If you're anything like me, you had some problems understanding some of the Irish accents on Sons of Anarchy this week. I'm particularly annoyed since half of my family members actually have strong Irish accents. Anyways, rather than renting a Intermission every week to fine tune your ears to get all of the dialogue, I've transcribed three of the conversations from Oiled. They're not perfect, not exact, but they should help a bit. More after the jump.

Sons of Anarchy, Season 3, Episode 2 Oiled, Recap

I should begin the recap of Sons of Anarchy by saying something smart about what the show meant and then try to tie it all together but I just can't. Because... well... Tig was fucking awesome in Oiled. Let's engage in a bit of Tigapalooza  because I need to get it out my system before I can focus on the rest of the episode. I think that bottles of baby oil will become a sort of shorthand among fans of Sons of Anarchy much like skateboards are now. No Vaseline by the great warrior poet Ice Cube certainly takes on new meaning in light of this week's episode of Sons of Anarchy. Anyways... on to the Electric Tigaloo:

Oh, Tig, you creepy fuck. I've missed you. It seemed like you were so consumed by guilt about killing Donna that you might never get your mojo back. But boy howdy, did you ever. Was it the way you turned the Hummels around in the curio cabinet so they weren't staring at you? It was good start and a nice bit of art imitating life. Was it the short, pink, flowery satin robe that set off your curly locks so well? Perhaps. Was it the light reflecting off the bottle of baby oil that made your blue eyes sparkle? Maybe. Was it the fact that Little Tig is so big that the "humane" thing is to lube your joint up before you bump uglies with the help? Yeap. That's it. And the way you got your mojo back was so... animalistic. It's as if you've had a similar experience with a different species of mammal before. And even though you got shot by Gemma's dad, you still handled it with panache. (I'm putting a picture of Tig naked going to town on Amelia after the jump for those of you who haven't had the image burned into your memory.)

Okay, my dear three readers, on with the rest of the recap. Previously on as the Harley Rumbles, Gemma was reunited with her dad, Jax was sad/angry/naked, Tara grew a pair, Clay was awesome, and Hale was offed. 


First, let's start with Gemma because I gave her reunion with her father a short shrift in the last recap. How lovely is it that Nate Madoc is excited to see his daughter? The joy is truly touching. And the heartbreak of Nate not recognizing Gemma and her calm, gentle way of reminding her father that she is indeed his daughter. is so genuine that I can't make fun of it. But in the midst of all of this heartbreak and separation, Gemma is clinging to her family--her father and by pre-paid phone Clay, Jax and Tara. If Gemma only knew that there was only a fleeting sense of family left to cling to back at home... Meanwhile, she's go the Guatemalan Hottie to contend with. I'm still thinking that she is a plant. Nate with dementia, house that is about to be sold, nursing home bed waiting... the trio smacks of Stahl's handiwork.

Second, SAMCRO is trying to track down Cameron Hayes and Abel while trying to seek some form of retribution for the drive-by. But in all the elaborate plot points that bring the Sons in the (unpaid) employ of the bounty hunter and the fucking fantastic mellon-in-the-sand scene to get information about the motivations of the Mayans, they basically are rendered impotent. Not wanting another "Bloody 1992," they let the president of the Calaveras go in an effort to persuade Alvarez not to kill them/encroach on their territory. They can't get good information about Cameron out of any of their regular channels and obviously Jimmy O isn't forthcoming.

Third, Jax and Tara. Where do I even begin? Jax was teasing Gemma in Oiled because she runs everything, much like her mother. However, Jax doesn't respond favorably when Tara takes matters into her own hands, living out the What Would Gemma Do principle. He's not a fan of the beat down she gave to the Hospital Bitchface (who, I like much more after seeing her integrity swing both ways) nor does he like the idea of Tara taking a leave of absence from St Rednecks. Is Tara changing too much for Jax? Does he have too many Oedipal issues to find Tara's adoption of the WWGD philosophy acceptable? Does he love Tara because she is separate from the MC? Who the hell knows. But it's clear that Tara knows that Jax is wavering and she isn't falling in line or buying his line of bullshit. Bravo, Tara.

Fourth, and finally, the intrigue that is happening on two fronts. The Mayans are encroaching on Charming, by way of patching over the Calaveras to fulfill their end of the deal they struck with Zobelle and LOAN. There might be serious implications for that for SAMCRO and Charming down the road. On the Irish front, there's a shit-ton of intrigue and subterfuge going on. Father Kellan Ashby has got to be one of the scariest priests I've ever seen and this is coming from a non-practicing Catholic. He's the intermediary between Jimmy O and the Council (let's hope we get some more insight into the Council in future episodes).  Ashby carries out the sacraments and oversees the elimination of Cammie Hayes. Btw, how fucking horrific was that scene? I don't know if it was good acting or good makeup but Jaayysus, you could see veins in his face and shit. Anyways... there seem to be tensions between the old world and new world way of doing things, as evidenced by the tension between Ashby and Jimmy O. And there is the whole thing about pushing SAMCRO out that was mentioned but not elaborated on. And we have no idea how SAMBELL fits in with the council--perhaps through Maureen because of the SOA tattoo on her arm? It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Odds and Ends

• When is Gemma going to find out about Abel, goddamnit? How long can this go on?
• So was Jax just charged with obstructing justice for attacking the guy at Half-Sack's wake? And not assault? Clay said that there were still assualt charges pending. Is that what he was referring to? Or was he talking about the season 2 raid on Zobelle's dinner of the faithful? Either my brain isn't working properly, there is a continuity/clarity issue, or Unser has some amazing pull to protect Jax from aggravated assault charges.
• Precious was... well... not precious but decidedly awesome. I'd clock Bobby-Elivs too for telling me that the check's in the mail when I haven't received a dime in child support in 6 months. 
• Opie's moment of reticence in the porn shop was pure acting brilliance. (Perhaps he could have picked up some lube for Tig while he was in the store? Just a thought.) The sorority swing that Luanne directed is on the shelves and reminded Opie that Lyla's career of choice is banging other guys. On film.   
• Jacob Hale disdained Unser as Chief of Charming PD last season and wanted him gone. All of a sudden he wants to protect Charming and wants to keep the sheriff out? This seems suspect to me. I wonder if Jacob got his application in to LOAN before Zobelle fled the country. It would fit in well with the Mayans cutting and packaging heroin in Lodi, wouldn't it? 
• What reason would Jimmy O have for not divulging Abel's whereabouts? 
• I love the African American MC from Lodi.
• There hasn't been enough Juice. Seriously. 

Just like last week, the screen caps come courtesy of Bobby Elvis' Bake Sale so go over there and check out the treasure trove of pics from Sons of Anarchy episodes--especially if you like Chibs, Opie, or Kozik.

Naked (NSFW) pictures of Tig after the break.

What did you think of the episode? The comments section awaits...

Eeeeeewwwwww

I'll have the Sons of Anarchy episode recap done tonight. Until then, take a cue from Tig and lube up... because it's the humane thing to do. 

Sons of Anarchy, Season 3, Episode 2 Oiled, Preview

What do we have to look forward to tomorrow on Sons of Anarchy? Plenty, by the look of things. 

Let's start with the official synopsis of Oiled from FX:

To get intel on Abel's whereabouts, Jax and the club help a bounty hunter track down a skip. They also press a source for answers about the attack at Half-Sack's wake--the MC way. Meanwhile, Gemma deals with her father's dementia.

The promotional pictures for Oiled show the boys of SAMCRO stern and pensive. You can check out more images from the episode over at Spoiler TV--there are lots of Jax, Chibs and Clay.  It looks like there will be at least one conversation in church. It appears that the Clay's tutelage of Jax continues.

So I imagine we'll get plenty of SAMCRO taking care of business in this episode. There's a lot of things going on that they need to avenge, namely Abel's kidnapping, the drive-by at Half-Sack's wake, and Stahl's set up of Gemma. My guess is that we'll get a plenty of the first two and Stahl will be put on hold for the time being. From the preview video, it looks like we'll get the some scenes with the Mayans. Is the head in the sand related to the Mayans or Abel? I don't know but I'm almost embarrassed at how excited I am to see how that scene plays out. The clip makes me even more suspect about Amelia, the caregiver residing with Gemma's pops. She's up to something.

Another look at the clip reveals that SAMCRO is going to deal with the porn business. Paging Ima. I wonder if this could be the despicable, deliberate thing that Kurt Sutter was referring to in the pre-show live chat last week. I don't know about ya'll but it would almost be worth having Jax and Ima hook up to see how Tara would set the bitch straight.

Do you think Gemma will find out about Abel during Oiled? Will we see more of the characters that inhabit the SAMBEL universe? Your guess is as good as mine. A closing thought about the meaning of the title. Gears get oiled and so do guns. And so do the ta-tas of porn stars. What do you all think the title might refer to? The comments section awaits... 

Recap: Sons of Anarchy, Episode 3.01, SO

Well, I certainly didn't see that coming. Sweet baby Abel, I've been trying to wrap my brain around the closing scene of the premiere of Sons of Anarchy all day long. Let's put a pin in that for a hot minute. I'll start my recap of Sons of Anarchy, Episode 3.01, entitled SO, just as soon as I'm done clipping my acrylic nails over an old newspaper.  

Needless to say, there are spoilers abound... 

Sons of Anarchy often deals with the consequences of the choices that its characters make and SO was no exception to that overarching theme. In the season premiere, we saw the consequences play themselves out in terms of the loneliness of our favorite characters, the disarray of SAMCRO after The Kid was abducted, and the violence the Sons family was subjected to during the drive-by.

Photo Courtesy of Bobby Elvis' Bake Sale

First, loneliness and isolation separated Jax, Tara, Gemma from each other and the club--both physically and emotionally. Hell, even Piney was lonely--he misses John Teller. Like a lot ya'll. Jax is in isolation in The Kid's nursery, cut off from Tara, his mother, and the MC. I nearly cried when Opie pried him off the floor (no really, it was as if Jax's ass had grown roots into the carpet) and carried him to the shower. The new Jax is limp and helpless until after the funeral. And isn't amazing how physically separate Jax is in this episode? He's on the dock by himself, crouching in the dirt by himself, and riding by himself. I think the only time we've seen Jax this alone is when he was spending quality time with Dead Daddy Teller's Burnt Book of Biker Wisdom. 

Meanwhile, rather than be consumed by her loneliness, Tara acts by awesomely trashing the joint in a fit of rage and tells ATF Bitchface that "I don't need a boy to handle my shit" (talk about living the WWGD principle). Completely motivated by the fear of losing Jax and her very serious life in Charming, Tara tells the Prince of Charming, "We don't know who we are until we're connected to someone else. We're just better human beings when we're with the person we're supposed to be with. I wasn't supposed to leave. I belong here." How's that for some heavy shit? And was it just me or was there some lingering doubt in Jax's eyes?

Meanwhile, meanwhile, what does Gemma do to escape her isolation in the sticks while being on the lam? She nearly cuts a guy's dick off while trying to steal his car... which she needed reading glasses to hot wire, of course. I mean what else would Gemma do? She's the valet, shit-head! To add insult to injury, she declares it's just a flesh wound. Paging the Black Knight.    

Second, SAMCRO is in disarray at the start of the episode. While the guys swarm Jax when they get a lead on Cameron Hayes, there is a certain awkwardness to their presence in the house. They ride funny and they seem undecided at the dock. Is it the situation? Is it seeing Jax completely undone? I don't know. But the only one who knows how to handle the situation is Clay and the value of his leadership (however flawed) becomes immediately apparent. He plays the outsider card and lays blame on Agent Bitchface for the death of Half-Sack, The Kid's abduction, and Gemma's run from the law. Clay reassures Tara. (WTF? I don't even know? Who is this Clay Morrow and what have you done with King Clueless? I love this Clay. LOVE HIM). Even better, he tells Stahl:

Anything happens to my grandson. Anything. And I promise you that I'm going to shove a gun barrell up that bony ass of yours and I'm going to blow that black heart out.

Clay pulled shit together most effectively when he told Jax to man up. Act now. You're going to find the kid. Make the hard decision to do something, regardless of The Kid's fate. Which leads me to... 

Third, the violence. And there was so much of it. I'm so sad to see Hale go. He really grew on me as a character and provided an interesting ethical dynamic for SAMCRO in Charming. I'm just going to trust Kurt Sutter that Hale's death will mean something, contribute to the forward momentum of the story. So in quick succession, Hale is killed while trying to stop the perpetrators of the drive-by after Half-Sack's funeral, Jax bashes in the skull of one of the shooters, and a kid is shot. The only sense I can make of it is this: no one is Charming is immune to the consequences of SAMCRO's outlaw choices. My working theory on who is responsible for the drive-by? The Mayans. They're going to want recompense for the highway showdown during the season 2 finale.    

Funny things, loose ends, and some questions:

• Chuckie lives another day to serve Bobby-Elivs' banana bread and coffee at the clubhouse!
• Damn, those boys can actually ride motorcycles. Loved the chase scene. 
• Fantastic close-up of John Teller's mug shot. Way to build in the mythology in a subtle way.
• Clay (to the forger): Thanks Mr. Magoo
• Tara and Jax mention what they did to Kohn. Twice. This has got to be foreshadowing. I wonder if finding Kohn's body is a way for Stahl to get her groove back?
• Charming votes Republican, just ask Hale's brother. BTW, did you catch those teeth? I guess I'm going to have to learn his name now. Or can I just call him Snaggle Tooth for the rest of the season? 
• Unser calls Gemma "our girl" when he's talking to Clay.
• Tig to caregiver: "My name is Tiggy." Uh... Tiggy? 
• Speaking of Tig... What's up with Kozik's desire to come back to Charming? 
• The super-top-secret code name for Gemma is "Love"
• What does Gemma read in the newspaper that makes her want to go home? I smell a rat....
• Cameron's old boat is named Dithreabhag which I think, loosely translated, means "He was here." Either that or it's something about double penetration. No, really.
• The hospital administrator is still lurking. Look out, Tara.  
• Half-Sack got patched in posthumously AND gets the SAMCRO coffin, which is always the tasteful choice for your internment needs. 
• The song playing during the opening montage of Sons of Anarchy SO is No Milk Today by Joshua James and The Forrest Rangers
• The song playing the at the end of SO is Dad's Gonna Kill Me by Richard Thompson 
• Jax leaves his SO ring on John Teller's grave while keeping the NS ring for himself. Did you know that the season 3 finale is titled NS? Get it SO (1) - NS (13)? Either Jax will be wearing both those rings at the end of the season or he'll wear neither of them.
• Jax. Naked. Shower. Again. But this time shot from above. I know you dirty bitches are out there trying to find screen cap of it for the spank bank.  So here you go....  Your picture of Jax naked in the shower. Sigh... this just makes me feel dirty

Photo Courtesy of Bobby Elvis' Bake Sale

What do ya'll think? I'm looking forward to seeing more of the supporting cast in the next episode. What did I miss? The comments section awaits....

All of the screen caps in this post are from Bobby Elivs' Bake Sale, a great site run by @amonmich. Go check out her excellent SOA caps and follow her on twitter while you're at it. 

Holy Shit! Where is the Recap?

Thank God. It's time to recap Sons of Anarchy again. I should have it done no later than Thursday. I can't stay up all night and recap this season because I have responsibilities and shit. (Read that as: I have to get up at an unholy hour on Wednesday mornings to go teach a bunch of students.) But I have started.  See....

Yes, I did write "LOVE CLAY" down there on the bottom of the right page. Whoooooeeeeeee. We're in for a great season, kids. 

On the Last Day of Bikermas the Internet Gave to Me....

28 hours. That's all the waiting that we have left. I swear this is better than Christmas Eve--feeling anxious and giddy yet? I certainly am. In fact between now and tomorrow night, I might even jump on the couch a little bit. Won't you? I mean, when you hear the theme song playing and the opening credits roll? You're going to squee just a little bit, aren't you? No? Well, then I just embarrassed the shit out of myself. Anyways, here's the news round up leading up to tomorrow's premiere of Sons of Anarchy.

• The best deaths on Sons of Anarchy so far.
• Fancast's interview with Kurt Sutter on the challenges of Season 3 of Sons of Anarchy.
• The argument for watching Sons of Anarchy. Although if you are reading this blog, you no doubt already watch the show.  I just liked the article but be warned, it's long so make sure you go to the bathroom first. 
• The LA Times has a great rundown of the new characters we'll see this season.
• Collider's review of the premiere of Sons of Anarchy is favorable and it has a few juicy details that some spoiler wussies might find objectionable.  They've also got a great interview with Katey Sagal and Charlie Hunnam up, so check it out.   
• Alan Sepinwall's review of the premiere that is virtually spoiler neutral. 
• The New York Times review discusses the fear and violence in Charming.
• The Jacksonville Examiner has a good spoiler-free review of the premiere of Sons of Anarchy and provides some insights into how the different chapters of SAMCRO might (or might not) work together. 

That's all I've got for now. There's likely to be one more post before air time tomorrow. Yes, it's the Jax questionnaire. I need to get a glass of wine in me and fine tune the funny on it.

On the Fourth Day of Bikermas

Only four more days until SOA.  Can you even believe it? It's so close. Let's get down to business, because there was a shit-ton of news today. First off, there was a new clip from the first episode of season 3 of Sons of Anarchy entitled, SO.  It doesn't really reveal a lot--other than Jax being sullen around the guys.

  

The rest of the news in a hail of bullets:

• Mediaweek has a great video preview of the season with a fantastic Piney moment.
• Maggie Siff on the state of Tara and Jax's relationship for Season 3 of Sons of Anarchy.
• The LA Times has a great profile of Kurt Sutter. Sutter discusses Jax's character and how personal experience influences the show--including the doll phobia.  There's a minor spoiler about the profession of Stephen King's character so consider yourself warned. 
• Another LA Times interview with cast members Charlie Hunnam, Ryan Hurst, Kim Coates, Dayton Callie, Mark Boone Junior, and Theo Rossi. It's a great profile of the actors and how they've incorporated their motorcycles into their craft. The video is probably the best 5 minutes you'll spend online all day.     
• Flickcast has an interview with Ron Perlman. Seems as if they've banked some interviews from Comic-Con. 
• A small newspaper in Texas has a vague, non-spoilery preview of the premiere with a few hints as to what to expect.
• Photos of Tommy Flanagan and Ron Perlman at the SOA premiere.  They're buried in there so just advance to photo numbers 32 and 33.  Ya'll, do we need to discuss Tommy's hair? there's a certain Mickey Rourke thing going on there.  I just don't even know.     

6 Days Until SOA - The Reviews Are Coming, The Reviews Are Coming

Holy fucking shit! Two posts in two days!  And there are only 6 more days until Sons of Anarchy. I swear, this is better than Christmas. Or waiting for a box of new shoes from Zappos--and I really like shoes. A note on spoilers: I won't put any spoilers in the body of blog posts.  They'll either be under a cut with a warning or if I link to something spoilery in the body of a post, I'll be sure mention it so you won't be exposed to something without being aware of what you're clicking on.  Uh huh huh huh huh. I said exposed.  So here are the reviews:

• US Weekly rehashes the synopsis and says the premiere will end with a stunner. Yeah right, because Sons of Anarchy never has stunning endings.  
• Ken Tucker's review in Entertainment Weekly gives a vague, non-spoilery review of the first four episodes without really revealing much. You know, other than Tucker's concerns that SOA feels like it may be trying to do too many things.    

And there are a few interviews to catch up on

• TV Squad interviews the cast, including Charlie Hunnam, Maggie Siff, Katey Sagal, and Ron Perlman. Hunnam and Sagal discuss Gemma's history and tensions between Jax and Gemma. They talk about new characters, including Paula Malcolmson 
• Flickcast interviews Katey Sagal about Futurama and Sons of Anarchy and they posted an interview with Kurt Sutter yesterday.  

That's all I've got for now.  Enjoy!