Episode Report Card Sobell: B | 3 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Leavin' on a Cargo Plane
By Sobell | Season 3 | Episode 7 | Aired on 10.19.2010
w Gemma's choosing to look at the bright side, and backs away with, "I don't think Jax is ready for another baby. I walked in on him and that porn slut this morning. He's been trying to push me away. It worked. We're done." This new threat to Gemma's tribe galvanizes her, and she instantly starts making explanations for Jax's behavior: He blames himself for everything that happened to Abel (project much, Gemma?), he's terrified something bad might happen to Tara, etc. "He's lost, baby. You have to be the constant, ride it out," Gemma says. (Again: Project much, Gemma?) Tara protests that she's not so strong as Gemma, and because Gemma has the sense not to preen, "Well, nobody is," she changes tactics with "He wouldn't be doing this if he knew you were pregnant." Let's all pause for a moment and contemplate what Jax would be doing instead. Oh, man. Just ... no.Tara implores Gemma not to tell Jax about the baby, because if it's one thing every character on this show knows, it's that keeping secrets and obfuscating open communication never, ever has unintended consequences that blow up in your face later. Tara vaguely alludes to abortion -- "What happens to this baby is my decision. I'm serious, Gemma. No-one can know" -- and Gemma shares a bit of recently-become-relevant wisdom: "Secret babies are a bad idea." Tara pleads, and Gemma shrugs, "You want my silence? I need a favor." You sort of have to admire how deftly Gemma manipulates people to do her bidding.
Zip! We're in Belfast. Fiona has taken off the shades and she's not looking beaten up, but girlfriend is looking seriously haggard. She and Maureen are watching McGee tend to the young not-a-bomber. He comes over to tell them that "Burns we can deal with, but the eye? It's gone." The women react with dismay. Fiona explains that Jimmy O had the boy's older brother on Fiona-Watch, but "he let us go so we could help [the boy]. The lad fought us all the way here, didn't want to disobey Jimmy." Another SAMBEL member -- short, wiry halo of hair, giving off a vague Middle Earth vibe -- pops over to explain that there's still some first aid to be done, and he's off to Shire to pick up some more supplies. The bikers disperse and the ladies make small talk about their respective daughters: Trinny's road-tripping with Cherry and Kerianne is more or less catatonic on account of her effed-up home life.
Enter Father Kellan Ashby, who engulfs Kerianne in a paternal embrace, then heads over and does the same for Fiona. He then catches sight of McGee tending to the would-be bomber and explodes, "What in the name of Christ happened?" "Sharin' a grievance with the police service," McGee replies dryly. Behind Kellan, Fiona says bitterly, "Jimmy has them all convinced that folks are just fat Irish sheep moving with the loyal herd. They think every act of violence is their Republic duty." Sensing that now is not the time to debate the philosophical tenets of the Real IRA, Maureen hastily comes over and invites Fiona to wash up after a long night of carting around bleeding teenagers behind her husband/captor's back. Then Maureen lets Kellan know that SAMCRO's on its way. "Good. Clean the boy up. Let him go back to Jimmy. We can't stop him," Kellan says bitterly. (Over by the boy, McGee's making a big show of not eavesdropping.) Maureen drops her voice and asks, "What about Fi and Kerianne?" Kellan decides, "They're coming with me. I can keep them safe in the rectory." Maureen nervously points out that Jimmy will come looking for them, and Kellan replies simply, "I know." Given Kellan's ability to summon garrote-happy flunkies on command, I am not exactly worried for him.
Jax skulks into his own house and catches Tara in the act of packing a bag. He graciously tells her she doesn't have to leave yet, on account of his pending Irish road trip. Tara's not even paying attention to him. Now that Jax has what he wants -- an old lady pushed to the point of indifference -- he isn't happy he got it. So he tries apologizing for the awkward scene of the morning, and Tara refuses the apology with "It's what you wanted." (I love, love, love that she's got his number.) Still hoping for absolution, Jax follows Tara into the bedroom and says all sensitively, "I didn't want you to get hurt." Tara still can't be bothered to look at him as she packs, and she says, "Yes, you did. You think I'm responsible for what happened to Abel, and you hate me, and you just can't say it." Jax does not exactly refute the charges. Tara finally looks over -- he's got his eyes on the floor and is scuffing his toe against the carpet like a little boy -- and says, "Your mother thinks this is about protecting me." Grateful that his mommy set up this line of reasoning, Jax is all, "Why, yes, that IS why I needed to have extremely athletic sex with a porn starlet despite that moving conversation we had in 'Service' last year about how I'd never hurt you like that." Tara erupts, "You are so full of shit! You and I both know nothing's going to happen to me. You need a reason to feel good about bailing. Well, guess what? The prince doesn't always get his way." She stalks out of the house. Jax takes a moment to think about how this entire season has been one long exercise in him not getting his way, then follows after Tara. She pulls away before he's out the door. Neither of them notice Salazar staking out the house, or telling his old lady, "Now we know how to find [Jax Teller's old lady]." I sort of hope that these two continue to stake out Jax's place with no success whatsoever, because I hate the prospect of a self-fulfilling prophecy about Tara being in danger.
Back at the hospital, Murray knocks and asks for a bit of Gemma's time. This is going to be good -- both women are basically hyperfocused on doing things for a greater good, but they have radically different ideas of what constitutes that greater good. For the admin: "I need your help with Dr. Knowles." Gemma is not swayed by this appeal, but Murray continues, "You exert a strong influence over Tara. She needs encouragement to make the right decisions about her future." Gemma acidly asks, "And what decisions are those." Murray rolls her eyes before saying, "Her relationship with the club." "With my son," Gemma clarifies. Murray nods. Gemma gets haughty: "You have no idea who we are. All you got is an impression, corrupted by the opinions of others --" "I didn't come here to talk about you," Murray says icily. Gemma replies, "Attack my son, you make it about me." I am still parsing the conversation for anything that can be construed as an attack on Jax and ... not finding it. Neither is Murray. Gemma makes a plea for respecting the tenure of Jax and Tara's affection for one another, which sounds a lot like whistling past the graveyard given her conversation with Tara earlier in the episode. Murray smirks and walks off. I like that woman more and more with each episode: She's as much a strategist as Gemma, but I think she's got the advantage of being able to separate the personal from the professional in a way Gemma does not.
SAMCRO's packing up and taking off. Clay hands a cage with Gemma's cockatiel to one of the prospects and says by way of pet care instructions, "Anything happens to this bird, I'm going to stuff you in a cage, make you wear a beak and shit on newspapers." "That sounds fair," the prospect shrugs. For all we know, that's his idea of a well-spent weekend. Piney and Clay then dither over the itinerary like two old ladies about to board a Carnival Cruise to Cancun, and Jax announces he's going to take the truck so he can say goodbye to Gemma. "I'm going with," Tig announces. (What did I say earlier about how he injects himself into the Teller/Morrow nuclear family? Echoes of how Clay hung around John and Gemma maybe?) Clay's off to do his own thing for a bit, and tasks Bobby Elvis with getting the boys to the plane on time. Better him than Happy -- this way, everyone stands a chance of getting on that plane alive.