Episode Report Card Sobell: B- | 3 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT "Well, THAT Went Better Than Expected."
By Sobell | Season 3 | Episode 13 | Aired on 11.30.2010
Jax heads to his bike, and Clay says, "I love you, son." Jax gives him a long look and replies, "I love you too." Then everyone's off and running.
We cut to Jimmy in the car with the Russians, and Jimmy's beginning to realize something's not right. When the SUV he's in pulls into the clearing where SAMCRO is waiting, Jimmy realizes what's going on. He turns and says, "Victor, after all I've done for you? The money? The guns? Don't do this." Victor's thinking, "You didn't really do $2 million for me, did you?"
And now, the meeting. Jax hands over two duffel bags worth of cash and three nameless Russian goons go through it to make sure it's all good. Tig nervously eyes the big bag of guns in the front seat while they do it. We zip over to a country road where Stahl is waiting impatiently. She stomps over to her agents and tells them, "Five more minutes and we move in." And in those few minutes: the Russians decide everything's good, Jimmy's marched over ("Clay, Jackson, nothing really to say, yeah?"), and Bobby Elvis walks him to the van while Clay shakes hands and concludes the business transaction. Everyone goes their separate ways.
We see Tara waiting at the bottom of a hill, and when the bikes come down, she looks a little anxious. As well she should: the van stops and we find out that her job in all this is to drive Jimmy O away in the trunk of her car. I suppose the whole "Do no harm" thing is not even a factor outside the O.R. anymore. Jax is nervous as all get out about her doing this, which is sort of sweet, in a "Sorry I made you an accessory" sort of way.
Meanwhile, guess who's just discovered that they're holding a lot of fake currency? Oh, some goons are in serious trouble now!
SAMCRO has been waiting for Victor to pick up on this, so they take off once they spot the SUVs ripping down the road. There's a rolling gun battle in which nobody's hit, and then everyone's going hellbent for leather right through the ATF roadblock. Correction: the bikes go through the roadblock, while the van and the SUVs stay behind. The Russians turn around and peel off, and Stahl clomps over to the van. She orders an APB on the Russians so she can recover the $250,000 in taxpayer monies -- and for that I, an American taxpayer, thank you -- then peers inside the van, fully expecting to see Jimmy O and getting a big backseat full of nothing instead.
Cut to Jax waiting by the side of the road somewhere else and smoking a cigarette. Stahl comes over and demands to know where Jimmy is. Jax shrugs, "He's warm and cozy ... I'm just keeping us both honest: you get Jimmy and my sworn statement when my club gets free of hard time." Stahl whips out a blue folder; it's her recommendation that the weapons charges be reduced from 15 years to three years with parole in half that time. All it needs is her signature -- which she'll plant on the paper once she gets Jax's signature on his statement about the gunrunning operation. Jax asks, "If I sign this, what's to stop you from getting the IRA and letting us rot in prison for 15 years?" Stahl laughs and replies, "What's to stop you from delivering this to your lawyer and killing Jimmy? It's your turn for a show of good faith." Jax sighs and signs the statement. He glares at her and says, "I'm officially a rat. Your turn." Stahl declines to sign. She says, "Where's Jimmy?" Jax pleads, "Don't do this," and Stahl lies that once she sees that Jimmy's alive, she'll sign the deal. "There is no play here," she concludes, and she does not choke on that whopper of a lie thanks to the narrative powers of suspension of disbelief. Jax spits out, "Follow me," and off they go.
Next scene: the SAMCRO compound. Tara's just loitering, Clay and Gemma are leaning against Lowen's car, hugging, and Lowen (who is rocking the rebel JD look) is standing around and calculating how much money she's going to make just by hanging around. Jax pulls in, and then right on his tail, Stahl and an ATF van. Unsurprisingly, nobody's happy to see her. She, in turn, charms the crowd by asking for Jimmy O and promising, "I can have a dozen agents here inside 20 minutes and they'll shred this white trash shithole." Clay rolls his eyes, looks resigned, then orders Tig to go get Jimmy. He does, and as Jimmy's unfolded from Tara's trunk, un-blindfolded and released from his duct tape bonds, he quips, "Thank goodness for the American justice system." The ATF agents hustle him away
Yeah, well, the native Americans in the parking lot are not nearly so grateful for the aforementioned justice system. Number one on the non-fan list: Jax. Stahl tells everyone: "Your VP made a deal." Jax charges toward Stahl screaming, "Son of a bitch!" and everything gets a little chaotic: Clay acts confused ("What is she talking about?"), Gemma is rooted to her spot in horror, Tig is about to lay a world of hurt on Jax, and Bobby Elvis smacks Jax around while yelling, "You ratted? You ratted?" Jax protests that he had no choice, and nobody is buying it. Gemma pushes her way through the circle of men to plead, "It wasn't his fault, she made him do it --" but the guys force her back out again. Well, there's your visual metaphor for how gender relations work in SAMCRO's world. Clay promises Jax that he's a dead man. Cut to Tara looking horrified. As ATF agents hustle Jax into a holding van, he tells Stahl, "You just signed my death warrant." She says coolly, "I'm sorry, but you know what? Your mother was right. This could never have worked out. There's no trust. I had to make sure the prince had turned rat." Jax's reply: He spits on her shoes. Tara quickly hugs Jax. Gemma's just devastated. Lowen walks over and glares at Stahl. The ATF agent, in turn, signs the deal and tells Lowen that if the SAMCRO boys can keep their stabby impulses to themselves, they could see their three-year sentence reduced to 14 months. (And I guess this is how we'll find out which actors are on the outs with the Sons of Anarchy team next season -- they'll be the ones whose characters are serving the full three years.)
Anyway, everyone involved in the Operation: Get Jimmy O caper is loaded into the same van. How awkward for Jax. It gets even more so when the ATF agents decide to line up everyone who is not Jax on one side of the van and let the prince-turned-rat sit alone on the other.
Cut to a big yellow school bus chugging down the highway. Piney's at the wheel. Opie, Chibs and Kozik are sitting in separate seats. Hilariously, Chibs appears to be sucking on a Jameson Irish Whiskey juice box.
We cut to Unser taking off his badge and his official weapon and leaving them on the desk. He really, really looks to be in a lot of discomfort. Which is why it's worrisome that he pulls out a black pistol from his desk drawer, then walks out of the office that's all packed up.
The two prospects are following behind the ATF van containing the SAMCRO boys. We then see Unser following behind two ATF sedans -- Stahl's also contains Jimmy O -- and he flashes his lights to pull the sedans over. Stahl snarks at Unser, and he's appropriately aw-shucksy when he tells her he wanted to keep a bit of info off the police band: "I got an anonymous tip, probably bullshit, but they said four or five of Jimmy's guys are going to be waiting for you up at the Newton turnout. I can call the San Joaquin sheriffs and have them check it out --"
"Sheriffs are idiots. You guys check it out," Stahl orders, and the second sedan drives off, leaving her and Jimmy O alone with Unser. The minute the other law enforcement vehicle's gone, Unser's pulling out a joint and smoking it. Stahl is all, "Really?" and Unser grunts, "I'm stage three cancer, sweetheart. I ain't got that many perks left." He offers her a puff and Stahl declines. "You should really have some," Unser says as the schoolbus pulls up, and pulls a gun on her.
We see that the bus belongs to the Indian reservation -- thereby explaining that earlier bit of exposition -- and as Opie climbs off the bus and looms over Stahl, she says, "You've got to be shitting me! What the hell is going on here?" Opie doesn't answer, but merely walks her over to her car, a gun at her head. He takes off her sunglasses.
Meanwhile, Chibs has walked over, pulled Jimmy O out of the back of the car, and backed him against the bus. The two men give each other a long look: Chibs is breathing heavily, as if trying to realize that this moment is real and not the revenge fantasy he's carried for God knows how many years, while Jimmy seems to have an "Eh, you reap what you sow" resignation.