New lines have been drawn in ink and coke on Sons of Anarchy. SAMCRO has made a slight turn back towards the civil war that plagued the club in Season 2. However, instead of son (Jax, Charlie Hunnam) versus Father (Clay, Ron Perlman), we’ll be seeing family versus friend and club.
Is Gemma’s (Katey Sagal) concern over Jax’s loyalty still an issue? Hell yes. She’s freaked out over the letters she has discovered written from John to Maureen Ashby. Now, she knows that Abel got those letters from Tara (Maggie Siff). Surprisingly, Tara is still playing the part of the loving stepdaughter to be. She may know a lot more about John Teller’s past and sordid death than she lets on, but she’s decided to hold off on the sharing the information until she knows the complete truth. Yes, Tara may still be a thorn in Jax’s side, but she’s playing the game smarter now. Instead of running to Jax with the letters from Maureen, she’s strategically amassing information to prove that John Teller was killed by Clay and Gemma. Most likely, she will use the information as leverage against Gemma when Jax tries to leave the club.
Jax leave the club?! Say it ain’t so!
Everyone wants to know how SAMCRO got the stones to rebel against the Russians, especially Roosevelt (Rockmond Dunbar) and Asst. US District Attorney Linc Potter (Ray McKinnon). Now, we know. Danny Trejo has made his debut in Charming as Romeo, ex-Mexican military employed by the Galindo Cartel.
“I need bigger…RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades)…50-caliber machine guns… long range sniper rifles.” – Romeo
Trejo’s debut spells disaster for SAMCRO now that Clay has climbed into bed with Romeo. And, he’s made the move without the club’s vote. In past seasons, he’d bring along Tig (Kim Coates) for rogue dealings like this. Now, he’s taking Jax. This was a well-planned move for Clay. He knows that the club was split when he went against his stepson. Jax had a united team with Opie (Ryan Hurst) and Chibs (Tommy Flanagan). Bobby (Mark Boone Junior) was always the voice of reason, while Piney (William Lucking) represented the old guard. So it’s a smart move for Clay. He figures with Jax on board, he’ll easily swing more club votes.
Typically, Jax wouldn’t be on board for one of Clay’s “extra” moneymaking hustles. I love organized crime dramas where drugs become a hang-up in an organization that murders people regularly. It’s like, “Sorry, coke will bring too much heat on us, we’ll just stick to killing several people and dumping their bodies in public while dealing in military grade weapons.”
I digress. Jax called Clay out on the partnership with the cartel, knowing that the partnership isn’t about the club. Clay wants fast money.
“This is about you cashing out,” Jax says accusingly.
“I gave my whole life for this club, I don’t wanna walk away with nothing,” Clay responds.
“If I do this, I’m out when you’re out,” Jax finishes. He also asks that Clay vote in Opie as head of the club when they leave. Speaking of Opie, he’s looking a lot more biker-ish these days. He’s grown out his hair and beard.
So, there we have it. SAMCRO will be ruined by Clay’s greed. But, who could blame him. Romeo handed him a wicked load of cash (500K to be exact) and it dropped jaws across the Sons’ clubhouse meeting room. Now the Sons must vote on whether or not they will do coke runs for the cartel.
“It’s a god damn cartel. There is no short term.” – Piney (aka the voice of truth and pragmatism)
Regarding Bobby’s friendship with Clay, the club consigliere states, “I love this club more.” Bobby also later explains to Tig that they are now both on the outer circle so we may see a new alliance form with Clay and Jax versus Tig and Bobby.
Creator Kurt Sutter made a great move in episode 2, “Booster.” Right away, he had the Russians retaliate for the stolen guns by kidnapping Opie and Jax. What made this a great scene was seeing Romeo show up to save the day. Basically, the club is now indebted to the Cartel for saving the lives of two of its best members. It was a little strange to see SAMCRO show up without their cuts, but they’re under orders from Roosevelt to not where their leather in public.
As for Tara, we now know that she’s moved on from surgery into Neonatal-Perinatal medicine. She’s focused on babies, now that she’s raising two. It also feels slightly related to the children in Jax’s family (Abel had health problems as well as Jax’s brother Thomas who had a heart defect).
There’s a lot going on in this season of Sons of Anarchy and it’s definitely kicked into high speed faster than Season 3. I’m excited and anxious for everything that’s happening. Roosevelt has initiated his own war with the Sons, bashing the club after making a Spike Lee Do the Right Thing reference: “Why are there no brothers on the wall?” He’s taken an axe to the club smashing their wall of greats and even attacking the club table under the pretense of fire code violations and electrical problems. Tara decided to bring SAMCRO some good cheer after seeing the club in ruins. She’s officially announced her engagement to the crew. Clay seems cool with it (though we did see Tara a little recalcitrant to accept a kiss from him), but Gemma has her doubts.
Now, it’s time for SAMCRO to move into a new future, one riddled with coke. What are your thoughts on SAMCRO’s new direction? Let us know in the comments below.
