Sons of Anarchy, Season 3, Episode 5, Turning and Turning Recap

Previously on Sons of Anarchy As the Harley Rumbles, Jax was a shit, Gemma FINALLY found out about Abel, and Piney was awesome. During Turning and Turning, things certainly didn't get any better for anyone in or connected to SAMCRO.

I don't know about ya'll but this season fills me with a sense of uneasiness. With every episode and every plot point, I feel a growing sense of uncertainty for the characters that I love and what terrible thing might happen to them in every scene. And I'm okay with it. Although, it does make me feel like an idiot to have gotten so excited all day Tuesday only to feel like my heart has been ripped out at 11:00 pm that night. Why is Sons of Anarchy shaping up the way it has? I've boiled it down to this: either Kurt Sutter wants us to feel the same uncertainty that the characters are feeling or he wants to see if we'll follow the characters into the abyss of violence, anger and manipulation to see what things look like on the other side. Either way, I'm in. Now, on to the recap! In many ways, Turning and Turning was all about secrets--keeping secrets, revealing secrets, and creating new secrets.

We open at St. Rednecks where Gemma is recovering from her not-heart attack while simultaneously in custody because of her not-surrender to the ATF. And wouldn't you know it, the Beautiful Queen of Bikers is pissed that everyone lied to her about The Kid for trying to protect themselves from her wrath. But now that everyone finally knows that Sweet Baby Abel is in Belfast thank God because that only took 5 bloody episodes, what stones might get unturned when Jax shows up? Gemma and Clay looked more than concerned, didn't they? What secret are the keeping from Jax? I'm guessing that Trinity will be the tip of the iceberg. 

Gemma and Tara have a moment and it's not a happy one nor is it badass. It's painful and cruel. The first time I watched it, I thought OMFGWTF how could Gemma do that to Tara. But, when I watched the scene a second time, I read Gemma's "Nothing you could have done about that? What if it was your baby? Your flesh and blood?" as cruel, yes but also coming from a deep well of pain that Gemma has from being away from her family and being lied to. Perhaps in their closeness, Gemma felt that she could lash out at Tara because the good doctor is in it for the long haul. After all, Gemma did say that Tara being pregnant was good for now but didn't elaborate because she couldn't influence Jax chained to a hospital bed. (Ut-oh. I think I'm a Gemma apologist.) 

I think when Tara broke down and started crying, Gemma knew why she didn't take a bullet or do more to stop old Cammie Hayes. Pregnant. Yeap. Pregnant. Tara isn't going to be able to keep that secret for very long, is she? I can't really decided whether Tara got herself knocked up on purpose or not. Condoms break and the pill is only 99% effective. However, Tara is a smart girl so she knows the formula for getting pregnant (knocked up = ovulation + hot sexy times with jax - birth control). I'm not convinced either way. What about ya'll? There's a poll up at the top right hand side of the page, now go cast your vote.  

Yay! Finally! Juice gets some screen time...
only to get his cut stolen and the shit beat out of him.

Meanwhile, Bobby-Elvis, Juice, Tig go out to sell their accumulated roids at Lumpy's Boxing Club where there seems to be some crafty developer at work buying up old parcels so he can put in a Pottery Barn, Starbucks, Williams Sonoma, and Banana Republic. Things are not good, yo. The enemy is battering the walls of Castle Elsinore. And then shit gets worse when the boys go to sell Adderall to the Chicken Man when Juice gets jacked by the Calaveras. (Psssst. Hey, hook a sister up and sell that it me! It's a performance enhancing drug in academia. I shit you not.)

At least the picture of Chuckie is nice. He looks happy, no?

Their solution? Infiltrate Mayan Janatorial Supply/Meth Cuttery of Doom with the help of Chuckie. Yay! I love Chuckie but why did he have to get beaten up in the process? I prefer my Chuckie happy and serving coffee and banana bread at the Crow's Nest. Or masturbating in front of customers at Teller-Morrow Automotive. Anyways, the Mayans are building up resources and facilities to run their dugs in right through Charming. Not. Good. Not good at all.

Finally, over at ATF Bitchface's bland condo, Jax shows up with a present and a deal. He wants reduced gun charges for SAMCRO, a walk for Gemma, and The Kid back in exchange for his delivery of Jimmy O and his signed statement about Jimmy's involvement in the gun trade. I never knew snitch would suit Jax so well. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. I mean, what could go wrong when you rat out a business partner, all the while keeping it a secret from your Outlaw MC? I mean, there is nothing that could possibly go wrong with that deal. Because Sons of Anarchy never plays up the consequences of its characters bad decisions. Nope. Never, ever, ever.

The thing is that Jax doesn't have very many options outside of striking this deal with Agent Bitchface. She's got Gemma cowed in a hospital bed, ready to cut a deal. The Sons are set to go away to jail for a while. And that's not to say that they won't go to jail anyways because they will. Sometimes the devil you know, is better than the devil you don't and Jax is trying to make the best of the situation. And the situation is dire. Shit just keeps getting worse and worse (see above: my growing uneasiness) Is this the right decision? Only time will tell. But whatever happens, you can bet that it's going to land on Jax -- good or bad. 

Bits and Pieces

• Stahl's line, "Hey, I'm in the room kids." was great. 
• "Who's Maureen Ashby?" asked Jax. Darlin, you better sit your ass down for what's about to come next. 
• I loved the way Clay cock blocked Unser when he came to pay Gemma a visit at the hospital. (Side note: it's a proud day when you need to search the Urban Dictionary to find out if it is cock block or cockblock)   
• Trinity is a brat. Must run in the family.
• Clay holding the mirror while Gemma plucks her eyebrows. As if we needed any more confirmation of who wears the pants in that relationship.
• How much sugar did Jax put in that cup of coffee? I was expecting the stir stick to stand straight up when he put it in the cup.
• I really want to see Chibs cut Jimmy O from ear to ear. Wouldn't that be poetic justice?
• Tara's request for a leave was denied. I am so loving what they are doing with Hospital Administrator Bitchface that I might have to make up a new nickname for her.
• What did Jax do with Luke's driver? Wouldn't he sound the alarm to Jimmy O in Belfast?
• CAN WE PLEASE JUST GO TO BELFAST ALREADY AND GET SWEET BABY ABEL?

As usual, the photos are from Bobby Elivs' Bake Sale so thanks to @amonmich for the images. 

Also, also: don't forget to vote in the Did Tara Get Pregnant on Purpose Poll at the top, right side of the page.

Sons of Anarchy 2.12 The Culling Recap

A quick programming note before the recap:  get your ass on Twitter and follow Kurt Sutter at @sutterink.  If he gets 5213 followers by Friday, he is going to give away some free SOA swag to 10 lucky fans.  

So previously on As the Harley Rumbles, we killed them all.  Wait.  No.  We didn’t because cooler heads prevailed.  Season Two's penultimate installment of Sons of Anarchy, The Culling effectively sets things up for a kill em’ all season finale.  Assuming that Hale doesn’t cock block SAMCRO’s vengeance again.  And HOLY SHIT I have some serious blood lust for Zobelle, Weston, Polly, and Edmund.  WTF is wrong with me?   Anyways, SAMCRO’s diabolical plan to eradicate Principal Zobelle and LOAN frames the major events of the episode:  AJ Weston’s flame out; the IRA gun deal switcheroo; Tara smacking a bitch up; and the tug-of-war between Hale and Unser.

Big kudos to Henry Rollins this week.  He had AJ Weston’s rage down cold.   Upon discovering that Zobelle had been supporting the Mayans and dealing drugs, he kills two civilians and the dorky guy from the League at the heroin packaging plant and then goes to confront Principal Zobelle himself.  His kids are taken away from him and he agrees to a Sharks v Jets rumble with SOA.  Boy, he may prefer to win over being fair but he really had the rug pulled out from under him many times over.  And anyone who can realistically argue that Jax Teller would beat AJ Weston in a fistfight is out of his/her fucking mind.  All of this is to say that we have finally seen the class and race divide play out as Kurt Sutter hinted it would earlier in the season. 

SAMCRO gets the guns it needs from Jimmy O and the IRA thanks to a nice little switcheroo to throw the ATF off their trail.  If that little weasel Edmund wasn’t shitting his pants when he saw those two dead rats in the gun crate he should be.  In this whole IRA morass, Chibs is still seething with hate for Jimmy O.  I don’t think this is going to die on the vine and we’ve already seen that Chibs is willing to go off the reservation to get revenge on his old IRA pal.  How much SAMCRO allows this remains to be seen.   

So Tara and Hospital Bitchface and the Throwdown at St Rednecks.  I’m having trouble putting my finger on this other than to say that What Would Tara Do is the new black.  On the surface this scene is so monumentally satisfying but it kinda makes me feel dirty for liking it so much and watching it 5 times.  Yes, the bitch did deserve to be put in her place.  OMG she called Gemma a BIKER HOAR?  WHAT?  But we have seen Tara want to draw a clear line between her personal and professional lives all season long.  Perhaps it was the “bitches gotta show respect because you’re an old lady healer” series of pep talks from Gemma.  Perhaps it is her tru luv for Jax.  Maybe, as a professional she was tired of being pushed around by a bureaucrat. 

Alan Sepinwal attributes Tara’s violent take on the situation as being akin to the Clay/Gemma way of taking care of business rather than the Jax/John Teller school.  I don’t know if I completely buy that because even Jax can justify violence to avenge Gemma’s rape and would do the same if it had been Tara.   I think that as Tara takes on a more central role as Jax’s old lady in the MC, her view of violence to protect the club and the SAMCRO family has changed from something that was abhorrent to something that is justifiable.   Which sort of works when you consider Kurt Sutter’s recent comments about Tara in at interview with Maureen Ryan suggest that Tara is coming from a place where she is repressing that dark side rather than embracing it. 

The push and pull between Hale and Unser really comes into full view.  Unser jumps in the SAMCRO pool with both feet while sending mixed signals to Hale.  “Do your job.  No wait.  Do as I say.”  Hale really is the touchstone for reality in this episode.  As much as we love SAMCRO, they are anti-heroes.  Hale seems to have a set of values that more closely resembles a real world version of right and wrong.   Even if he does thwart SAMCRO at every turn, depriving me of the vengeance that I am craving, damn it.  Unser's "not in Charming" policy doesn't seem to be working too well but it is of his own making by calling Hale acting Chief.  Hale breaks up the Sharks and Jets rumble by arresting Weston and then spares Zobelle and Polly by throwing them in the clink too.  I'm curious to see what the implications might be for Deputy Boy Scout Hale. Unser has nothing to lose and is living on borrowed time so I think he'll come out just fine in the wash.

Remainders

• Uh.  What the fuck happened to Special Agent Skinner Darby?
• Tig bit some dude’s nose off in the Sharks v Jets showdown. 
• Might we see Half-Sack get patched in soon?
• That kiss between Zobelle and Polly along with the whole “you smell of him…  is someone else’s odor staining your fingers” thing just squicked me out.    
• Is the whole Georgie thing and Luanne's murder just going to go unresolved this season?      

       

Sons of Anarchy 2.10 Balm Recap

(Note to self for future reference:  DO NOT, under any circumstances watch Glee before writing a recap ever again.  It makes you too fucking happy to snark).        

Previously on As the Harley Rumbles , our favorite residents of Charming were laying down their burdens—whether it was a gang rape, an ongoing MC power struggle, or remorse/guilt over the death of an old lady.  With those burdens set aside, Balm begins a healing for SAMCRO:  for Gemma, for Clay and Jax, for Opie, for Half-Sack, and perhaps for Tig.  Chibs—not so much.   And can I just say, how much I love Sons of Anarchy?  Every episode is fantastic because none of them fell like a throwaway.   Unlike another show I fangirl watch on HBO where there seem to be one or two throwaways per season.  Anyways….

So we open with Jax deciding to go nomad and telling no one aside from the members of the MC.  I suspect he knows it is a bad idea and is keen on how Tara and Queen Gertrude/Lady Macbeth Gemma will react to the news.  As Piney so aptly puts it, this decision is all about Jax reacting to the situation, not solving the problem of SAMCRO.  I think the Prince of Charming realizes it as the episode goes on but is either too proud or too conflicted to share his misgivings with anyone.  Everyone except for Clay gives him the opportunity to get out of the decision:  Piney, Opie, Bobby Elvis, and Juice (Juice nearly broke my heart with that family and hometown take a back row speech.  Even though he still had blood in his stool.  Uh, TMI dude.)  Hell, even Dead Daddy Teller’s Book of Biker Wisdom gives him an out when the disembodied ghost/voice said:

I found myself lost in my own club.  I trusted few.  Feared most.  Nomad offered escape and exile.  I didn’t know if leaving would cure or kill this thing we created.  I didn’t know if it was an act of strength or cowardice.  I didn’t know so I stayed.  I stayed because in the end because the only way I could hold this up was to suffer under the weight of it.

            While Jax is dealing the crazy ATF Bitch at his house who, mark my words will find Kohn’s body eventually, getting Piney into the shower, and getting Chibs out of the hospital, Clay is securing a pipeline for unmarked bullets from his new pal Ferdinand on the reservation.  Clay says "Oh, and BTW, Half-Sack eat this shroom and trip your ball and neuticle off in the Healing Mud Bath in fact maybe a good massage will make the bozack swelling go down some while Opie and I get confused about who Jax’s father is."  I’m no fan of Clay but I’ll give him this:  if SAMCRO is going to stay in the gun trade, this bullet and shroom deal was a savvy business decision, much like the deal he struck with Oswald.  And, OMG Clay isn’t wearing his sunglasses in this episode, or at least not as much as he usually does.  This has to be significant in some way.  I’m just not sure which way. 

            So meanwhile, meanwhile, meanwhile, Chibs gets out of the hospital whereupon learning that Caracara has been torched and Jax is going Nomad, he pays a visit to our IRA pals and with guns drawn we finally meet Jimmy O.  (Incredibly well played by Titus Welliver.  And he does a good accent too, although too much Dublin and too little Belfast, but that is being nitpicky.)  Jimmy O’Fallon fits in so well with the rest of the Sons of Anarchy villains—Principal Zobelle, ATF Bitch, and Agent Kohn—that it is no surprise that he creeps the fuck out of me.   He excommunicated Chibs from the IRA, took his wife and daughter and only left him with those nasty Joker scars in return.  Not to mention that he is threatening to have sex with Chibs’ daughter if he doesn’t cooperate in setting up a meeting with Clay.  No wonder Chibs is seething with anger and frustration.  Unfortunately that leads him to sell out the IRA to ATF Bitch.  This is not going to end well. 

            Oh hey before I forget!  Opie gets laid!   You know, on the floor because his marriage bed is problematic.  And… um….when did Opie get hot?  Oh right, it was the moment he took of that fucking hat.  Every time I see that hat I think it must smell.  Like sweat and funk and dirty hair.  And now that you’ve read this, you’ll think the same thing too.  You can thank me later—it’s a gift that keeps on giving. 

            I’d be remiss if I left out Tig and his own form of psychotropic healing out on the reservation.   Oh, dearest Tig.  You are tripping balls and saying Mass over the Native American handicrafts, replete with that lip lick/purse that is so fucking creepy/hilarious but is the same thing I do when I have my Dunkin Donuts coffee in the mornings.  And then…  did Tig anthropomorphize a doll…  thinking it was Donna or maybe Opie… and then apologize to it?   

            Now, on to Gemma.  I’m not the first to say it but I’m happy to add my voice to the chorus.  If Katey Sagal doesn’t get an Emmy, there will be blood.  Just. An. Amazing.  Performance.  The look on her face when she sees Clay tell Jax that he wants him to go Nomad was amazing.  I didn’t know you could convey fear, overwhelming sadness, loss, and frustration in one facial expression but darlin’ she did it.   Gemma tells Clay and Jax about the gang rape with Tara’s support, leaving out no detail.  In this moment we see the family come together—the only thing that Gemma believes in come together for her in the end.  I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again.  Gemma is the glue, it isn’t the MC.  (And, I swear, hand to God, that I was crying both times I watched this.  Maybe I’m a sucker or maybe I just primed the pump by watching soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan be reunited with their dogs.)  And we close with Jax taking his patches back.  THANK GOD.  THAT NOMAD SHIT WAS A BAD IDEA.  BTW, WHEN CAN WE SEE YOUR FINE ASS AGAIN?  Gemma healed Clay and Jax for now.  Let’s see how long it lasts. 

Remainders

• Tara is suspended from the hospital thanks to Hospital Admin Bitchface.
• Nooooooooooo, Piney! Nooooooooo!   Don’t do it!
• Sing along if you know the words:  ATF Bitch tells the weasel/smarmy IRA guy that she’ll spread a rumor that he is a rat and see how it plays out.  Paging Opie….
• I'm not believing Gemma's claim that John Teller offed himself.  
• ETA:  @Twisted_Shadow reminded me about Chucky the masturbator.  My theory:  he pulled Darby out of the fire and they are hiding out.  

Let’s roll out this time on the song at the end of the episode:  Mary by Patty Griffin.  It is lovely.  My favorite lyric: "You’re covered in treetops; You’re covered in birds, Who can sing a million songs, without any words."  There are a few versions out there on the interwebs and I’m partial to the version with Emmylou Harris and Shawn Colvin singing back up but this version has better sound quality doesn’t make me nauseated.     

    

Sons of Anarchy 2.06 Falx Cerebri Recap

So previously on As the Harley Rumbles, SAMCRO was under attack by the Principal Zobelle and his menacing band of aging punk rock gods white supremacists.  As the title alludes, Falx Cerebri was all about divisions, or if I want to get high cotton about my take on it, the cleavages amongst our pals in Charming and the alliances they make. 

The tension between Clay and Jax continues to build throughout the episode.  With Piney conveniently/inconveniently away on a 4-day bender, Chibs in serious condition with a subdural hematoma, and Opie bitchfacing Jax (again) to back down and get in line, Jax is largely on his own in the MC.   Although, that isn’t an entirely fair statement – Jax also chooses to work on things from his end in what he perceives as his interest in protecting the club.  The obvious alliance is Clay, Unser, and it appears most of the members of the MC are hell-bent on spilling Zobelle’s pristine blood, although not in Charming.  So too is the alliance between Jax and Hale, although the extent to which Hale goes all in is astounding.  When Hale began to threaten his arm with a piece of glass in Impeccable Smokes to get Polly to cooperate, I was applauding.

Basically, this whole set of alliances that are set up around the Jax and Clay story line make me feel like Kurt Sutter is beating me over the head with a copy of Hamlet are based on an untenable either-or proposition.  Either the MC strikes, reacts, and goes for the jugular OR it sits back, looks at the chess board, and contemplates its navel lint.  As we see how Zobelle’s manipulation of SAMCRO’s raid on the Aryan membership drive dinner of the faithful plays out, it's pretty clear that neither of these approaches are working well.  Oh, and AJ Weston’s  Henry Rollins’ kid scares the shit out of me. 

Meanwhile, over in the girl’s bathroom, Gemma and Tara are working on an alliance of their own, courtesy of Smith & Wesson, some porn posters, and Ima’s sensible, 4-door, suburban mom Lexus.  By far, this was the most lol-larious scene of the episode.  These women enjoyed taking on some frustrations with firearms and it was a helluva lot of fun to watch.  I’m about as straight of a white girl as you can get, but even I thought Gemma teaching Tara to shoot was hot – I can’t imagine what that scene did for the boys in the viewing audience.  Anyways.  Back to the story.  Gemma, in spite of wanting to cut Hale and Unser’s big soft hearts out if they ever mention the verboten gang rape of yore, allies with our boys in brown:  Unser consoles her feelings of guilt; Gemma helps Hale with an ID on Polly.   There is also a gang-of-two alliance between Gemma and Jax that we see glimmers of after the explosion when Jax blows past Tara and is consoled by Gemma.  

_{(And I’d totally write more about the Jax and Gemma gang-of-two if it didn’t take me so long to recap a single freaking episode.  Also, another thing I'd love to write more about:  Dead Daddy John Teller's Burnt Book of Biker Wisdom.)} 

            And, is it just me or do Tara and Jax (Note to the wardrobe department:  please, just trim those split ends and tidy up Jax’s beard.  I’m so over the Jax looking like Jesus and/or Kurt Cobain ) seem to be very tenuously allied with each other or, for that matter, anyone in particular outside of Gemma and Hale?  

WTF Moment:  Oh.  Hai.  IRA guys.  Are you now in business with Zobelle?  Guess you guys really are in it all for the cause.

Second Runner Up:   Happy’s enthusiasm for beheading Zobelle in broad daylight.  Sheesh…this guy makes Tig look like a saint. 

Action Moment:  I know you are expecting me to say the raid but nope, nope, nope.  It is the faux failing breaks meets Unser and Hale’s Big Gulp of radioactive diet-cola flavored piss coming.  Love it.   

Get Over Yourself Moment:  This week’s award goes to Tara (hell, at least it wasn’t Opie AGAIN).  Usually, I reserve this part for scenes where I just have to roll my eyes at characters that do something implausible or annoyingly lacking self-awareness.  This week Tara was totally lacking self-awareness but in an incredibly satisfying character development/internal conflict sort of way. 

Tara’s jealousy gets the better of her when Gemma is more supportive/comforting to Jax after the bombing.  Tara’s green-eyed monster really shows through when she suggests that Gemma is to blame for the explosion.  And then later at the Old Lady’s Gun Show, Tara who was so concerned with things being normal downright relishes in threatening Ima with her .38 and then shooting up the girl’s car.  The tension in Tara, how much of the MC to let in, what is normal, and how she wrestles with it is so well written and even better played by Maggie Siff .  None of these characters are perfect.  All of them are flawed.   And we are starting to see more of these flaws play out as Tara’s character develops.