ACHTUNG, BABIES: The Irish are not too keen on doing business with the cartel, thus making them the sanest bunch of criminals in this show's universe. Clay attempts to use the transitive property to persuade the Irish Kings to come around (“You trust me, I trust Galindo …”) and, thus arguing that if a=b and b=c, then clearly, a=c and the Irish are fated to deal with the drug cartel. Since even Irish terrorists do not argue with basic mathematical premises, they graciously concede to a meeting. (Which Juice now knows the location and time of. And which he passes along to the Feds per his agreement with Potter.) Jax then decides that the club will use the Irish as an excuse for getting out of the drug-muling business – oh, sure, they'll still pass along enough heavy weaponry to kill every man, woman and child in Sonora, but drugs? That is a step too far. He also tells Clay that Opie is plainly not fit for leading the club, and Bobby Elvis should get the gavel, with Chibs as the VP and the Sergeant's patch going to Happy.
Jax then heads out for an Irish errand with Chibs, Tig and Happy, possibly the oddest combination of bikers ever. The errand: scaring the bejeesus out of some people who are running the stateside branch of the IRA's baby-brokering business. The Sons are not down with this, and take out their feelings of ill will on the people who have been warehousing adorable, white infants in the modest suburban home, as opposed to beating the crap out of the Irish Kings.
HAIRY POTTER AND THE ONE-EYED FELON: The AUSA leans on Roosevelt to provide backup for the pending Irish/Galindo meet. He also swings by the city clerk office to pick up plans for Charming Heights, and has Juice picked up to keep him off the street. After these errands, he gets Lenny's privileges restored, then seals the deal with Big Otto.
Per the agreement, Otto then gets to have a sit-down with Bobby Elvis. He hands over a letter – a litany of all the things Otto did for the club while incarcerated – and concludes, "I only asked for one thing from SAMCRO. To take care of Luann … you didn't. And now you're going to feel that."
Bobby feels it most immediately by getting arrested.
TARA KNOWLES, VICTIM! Although Gemma tells Tara not to let Jax know that Wendy's back and itching to spend quality time with Abel, Tara has the good sense to buck this show's comprehensive "Let's not tell people what they ought to know" policy and tip Jax off to Wendy's recent visit. She also has the rare good sense to let Jax know that Gemma's pushing the no-communication policy, and Jax finally pulls on the big-boy pants and promises "I will deal with my ex-wife and my mother, okay?" One can only hope he'll also deal with his stepfather, who has given the go-ahead for Romeo and his henchmen to finish the job on Tara.
Jax's idea of dealing with Wendy is to tell Wendy to stay away. Wendy tells him to cram it sideways, pointing out that she is currently the most stable adult in Abel's life, and as an ex-junkie turned success story, judges are likely to give her all sorts of custody.
Meanwhile, Clay pays Tara a hospital visit and makes a simple offer: Give Clay the John Teller letters and he'll do all he can to ease the Teller/Knowles family's departure from Charming; withhold the letters and "I'm not sure you ever make it out of Charming."
Then Jax deals with his mom, laying it all out: "I don't give a shit what anybody wants, including you. We're packing up our boys and we're getting out of Charming." Cue the awkward silence between Gemma and Tara.
WHAT THE HELL, GEMMA? For all her big talk about how Clay's going to go down at the hand of a Son, the battered motorcycle matriarch spends much of the episode trying to keep Opie from killing Clay. What's more, she tells Clay that Opie's gunning for him. (Even Clay is all, "Woman? The hell? I … don't get you.")
IN WHICH SCHLEPROCK FINALLY SNAPS: We don't see Opie much in this episode, but what we do see is heartbreaking. He hunts for truth from Gemma, and gets a handful of lies first thing in the morning, then he visits Donna's grave, then he watches his father burn at the local crematorium after hours.
Opie then informs Jax of who killed Piney, demanding to know, “Did you know? Did you know?” Jax did not, and begs Opie to take the issue to the club table. Opie is all, "Shut it, He With One Foot Out The Door," then takes off on his bike. Jax then takes off on a wild chase – involving a hearse and a stolen bike – to try to get to Clay before Opie does. He does not succeed: Opie gets to the clubhouse, bursts through the doors of the church and plugs Clay a few times.
Will Clay live? We'll have to tune in week.
Morning comes to Charming, and Gemma is sitting alone at her table, feigning an interest in a plate full of breakfast. And at this point in the season, honestly, you sort of have to wonder why anyone in Charming even bothers to get out of bed. Nevertheless, the fact that Gemma had the routine of making a full breakfast -- and that she continues to stick to the ritual even as the person she did it for is busy sulking in his tent like Achilles -- is a nice little window into the unconscious behaviors that underpin the queen of scheming.
Or maybe the set decorator got bored. Who knows? The upshot is that Opie pounds on Gemma's door, and before she answers it, she discreetly pulls her ladygun out of her bag. When Opie says, "It's Ope," Gemma puts back the gun and opens the door.
Opie is taken aback by Gemma's face, although not nearly so floridly as Jax or so deeply as Tig. Gemma reads his reaction and seems genuinely embarrassed by this vivid reminder that she's just an old lady. Opie comes inside and studies Gemma's face intently; he's confirming what Unser told him and it's rattling his world view vis a vis the club and everything it's based on. Gemma, however, believes Opie's merely shocked because he's got an XY chromosome set and a Charming zip code and should therefore regard her as the inviolate queen of San Joaquin. Anyway, Opie keeps his visit short and to the point: "I want to know why [he hurt you]." Gemma vaguely says, "Heat with the club. When that hits a point same time as family shit, that's just a bad combination." Opie would like to know more about this family shit, but Gemma shuts him down by claiming it all points to past history. And you know, technically, she's correct: It all boils down to that pot she stirred over JT's old letters.
Opie is terribly still as he asks, "So what happens now? You and Clay?" Gemma defensively says, "I do what I always do. I take care of my family." Opie gives Gemma another look, perhaps figuring out where she stands on his scales of guilty v. innocent, and leaves without another word. Gemma sits back at her table, rattled. Who can blame her? Even when he's not smoldering with murderous rage, Opie's an intimidating cat.
In front of the gun barn at the Coke-K Corral. Clay is leaning against his bike. Tig is to his left, looking as if he'd rather be anywhere else, up to and including lingerie shopping with Margeaux-with-an-X. Anyhoodle, the Irish Kings pull up and there is much manly greeting, and then Jax finally rolls in. Clay is busy assuring a skeptical Galen and Rourke that this whole deal with the cartel is under control, really it is, when Jax bustles over to apologize for being late. Galen says snottily, "Guess you had more pressing business?" and Jax replies, "The mother of my son in the hospital." Brogan smilingly apologizes for Tara's misfortune. We cut to Clay, who is fuming over how people totally can't let go a botched hit job. Galen is quick on his feet, though, and points out that "unfortunate events such as yours -- this is why this cartel deal worries us." Everyone studiously avoids looking at Clay, which is too bad because I would love to see the expression on his face.
Once inside, Galen persists in hammering on how this cartel deal is really just bad news all the way around, and Jax is in the unenviable position of having to defend it. It is the biker equivalent of a middle manager having to defend his idiot supervisor's dumbest decisions at a company board meeting. Anyway, the Irish belabor the whole "cartels = bad" point with a little bonus racism thrown in on the side and a cheap shot about Tara's health, and Clay decides that really, it's in nobody's best interest to keep harping on how the cartel monkeyshines nearly killed Tara. But rather than point out that he is the one who made that call, Clay breaks out a lesson from Algebra I: The transitive property. He says, "Look. You trust me. I trust Galindo. We're talking about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity here." We cut to Bobby Elvis, who is openly rooting for the Irish to walk away. Jax jumps in to make another sales pitch, but it's Chibs who finally seals the deal by pointing out that big guns fired in Mexico rarely will make a bunch of Irish terrorists look bad in Ireland. (He does not add, "Besides, you all need no help in looking bad, you terrorists.")
Anyway, the camera focuses on Juice listening intently as Galen and Clay agree to meet on the Indian reservation at 3 p.m. tomorrow. Then we zip to the war room, where Potter is chillaxing on an inversion table as all the other besuited Feds look busy in the background. Suddenly, Potter's laconic demeanor makes so much more sense. Have y'all ever tried one of those inversion tables? You will emerge from the experience floating on a cloud of I-don't-care. Anyway, Potter orders the suits to deal with the Corrections Department in order to get Lenny the Pimp his privileges, as time is of the essence on this deal. Before Grad (the suit) can give Potter too much pushback, a lady Fed comes over and hands Potter a Post-it bearing the transcription of a text. Why she couldn't flash the phone is a mystery, but the upshot is that Juice has just delivered the date and time of the meet to the Feds, per his agreement. Potter sits upright, brandishes his cigarette like a magic wand and announces in pop-eyed excitement, "Juan Carlos just locked down our Irish-cartel gun meet." The Feds are not similarly jazzed.
We cut to Juice in the bathroom, clicking a button on his phone. Here's hoping the club's intelligence officer has the brains to erase the texts he's sending. Oh, wait -- I'm talking about Juice. Anyway, he's staring at himself in the mirror with a mixture of resolve and self-loathing, and outside the door, his best father figure calls, "We're heading out the door, Juicy!" One more glare in the mirror and Juice catches up to the graybeards, many of whom are vaguely optimistic that they may not be killed at the hands of the cartel after all. Chibs says cheerily, "Shite's in the rearview now, boys!" and flings his arm around Juice's neck. Oh, Chibs. When the Feds snag you thanks to Juice's information, it's going to be so tragic.
At St. Get Better Security Already, Gemma's come in to visit Tara. This is the first Tara's seen of Gemma's Clay-sponsored facelift and her reaction is surprisingly muted: "What happened to you?" "Fell down some stairs," Gemma says wryly, which is a pretty elegant way of telegraphing exactly who did this to her and what she thinks of the whole situation. Anyway, the two bond over their mutual antipathy toward Wendy, and Gemma reassures Tara that Wendy won't be getting to know Abel, on account of "I set her straight." It's Gemma's way of being a help. Also, she says, "Jax doesn't need another problem. You keep him clear of it." Tara snots, "Why? Are you afraid it'll give us another reason to run from Charming?" Gemma replies, "I'm afraid it's another thing that will break his heart." Which makes no sense. Exactly how is Jax's heart going to be broken if his older son's biological mother wants visitation? Jax is still Abel's parent, no matter what; it's Tara who's vulnerable here. Tara snaps, "I can take care of his heart."
Speaking of the tender-hearted biker, here he comes now, with a friendly cuff for Filthy Phil and a kiss for his mama. (Also: Filthy Phil is my kind of guy, as he's a comics reader.) Gemma asks Jax if he has connected with Opie, and as Jax shakes his head, he asks, "Was Piney with him?" Gemma, instantly on the alert, asks, "No. Why?" Jax explains, "[Opie] went to the cabin last night to bring [Piney] home." Gemma blinks hard before gulping, "Oh. No. He was alone." Jax takes off and Gemma collars Phil, instructing the prospect to track down Opie. Filthy Phil says, "Yes, ma'am -- Gemma." She rolls her eyes at the ma'am, and I love how even as the whole Piney situation is about to go tits up, Gemma's still got time for a bit of feminine vanity.
Inside the hospital room, we learn that Tara's release is contingent on the hospital head-shrinker deeming her "stable enough." Jax asks, "You want to tell me what happened?" and Tara gives him a sideways look as she says, "Wendy?" Jax looks profoundly baffled and asks what Tara's talking about. Tara fills him in: "Your ex-wife came by, pushing to get back to Abel." (Telling word choice there, Tara.) Jax sighs and apologizes -- something he does a lot of with Tara -- and Tara reiterates, "Those are my boys." Jax nods, "I know. I promise, she will not get near Abel." Tara then says, "Gemma didn't want me to tell you. She's afraid it'll push us further away." Jax sighs and promises, "I will deal with my ex-wife and my mother. Okay?" Tara nods. Jax leaves. Tara watches him go with a contemplative look. Is she thinking about how she's just played Jax as skillfully as Gemma usually does? Or is she thinking that her step is to use the materials from her splint to build a time machine, go back a few years, and avoid dating Agent Kohn so she can avoid the whole mess her life has become since she was compelled to flee Chicago?
After Jax leaves, he tells poor Filthy Phil that he needs to go track down Wendy. Phil says, "Gemma wanted me to find --" but Jax interrupts, "I don't give a shit what Gemma wanted!"
Up at Piney's cabin, Skeeter -- remember him from Season One? Burnt some Mexican hookers in exchange for a night of passion with a crow-eater? -- is dragging Piney's not-tiny corpse toward the meat wagon and telling Unser that he'll be burning Piney after working hours, so Opie's welcome to swing by and say so long to his dad any time after 6 p.m.
Back at Teller Morrow Motors, Juice is about to take off, and he tells Jax he's headed to his weed shop. While it would be nice to think that Juice is going to spend the afternoon in a THC-sponsored haze, it's highly unlikely. Nevertheless, off he goes, and Jax tells Clay and Bobby Elvis they need to have a chat. Inside the garage, Jax says, "After this deal goes down tomorrow, we put a ticking clock on the blow. Tell Romeo we'll still run his guns, but he's got to find someone else to mule. We'll blame it on the Irish, tell Galindo they're going to bail if we keep trucking powder." Clay protests in favor of maintaining the status quo, and Jax is all, "Tough cookies, old man. We're still making a crapload of money, and I'm bolting with it." Cut to Bobby Elvis trying not to giggle with glee at Jax moving to undo Clay's cartel deal. Then Jax turns to his stepfather and says, "You were right. Ope ain't fit to lead. When you step down, gavel should go to Bobby. Chibs is your VP. If Tig ain't going to carry it, I think the sergeant's patch should go to Happy." Bobby shakes his head as he asks Jax, "You really going to do this?" Jax replies, "I love this club, Bobby, but I love my family more. I gotta put some distance between the two." Jax then says that he wants to close out the cartel business before he leaves, as he doesn't want his exit pulling focus from the club's presumed esprit de corps. Honestly, at this point, I am not sure anyone in the club would be surprised. Jax is the same guy who was threatening to go nomad a few years ago, after all.
Anyway, it's time to put this episode's self-contained plots into motion: Bobby Elvis is heading up to Stockton to see Otto, per Otto's request, and Galen wants "backup" for some sordid little business of the Irish Kings, so Clay is dispatching Jax, Chibs, Tig and Happy for the job; Clay is off to a meeting with Romeo.
Meanwhile, on the law-abiding side of town, Hale the Lesser is busy gloating about how Charming Heights is a go while Roosevelt politely listens and wonders if there's a legal way to stuff a ball gag into the mayor's slimy yap. Hale the Lesser then requests that Roosevelt show up at the night's city council meeting to lend a patina of civic approval to the final Charming Heights ratification, but his spiel is cut off mid-appeal as he senses someone behind him. Sure enough, Potter is staring at him through Roosevelt's window with a thoroughly unsettling look. It is the civil servant equivalent of standing in front of the window at the Monterey Bay Aquarium's open water tank and turning around to discover that the great white shark has been hanging over your shoulder with a lively look of interest. (Trust me. Been there, done that.)
Potter comes in and says impassively, "Sorry. You look engaged." Roosevelt, who has just decided what the lesser of two evils is, tells Hale the Lesser he'll be at the council meeting. Hale leaves, and Lincoln closes the door. Roosevelt exposits that tomorrow is the big meeting to push through Charming Heights, and Potter exclaims, "Really? Hale found his investors." Roosevelt says shortly, "I guess he did. So what do you need?" "Cooperation! The RICO sting is happening tomorrow afternoon. Wahewa reservation. I've already secured state police, but I could use local backup as well," Potter says. Roosevelt looks briefly dismayed and surprised before resuming an impassive expression and saying, "Juice came through?" Potter confirms it, and as Roosevelt uses his coffee cup as another way to shield his expression, Potter notes, "You seem disappointed." Roosevelt doesn't deign to rely. He just confirms his force will be at the Wahewa rez, and Potter folds himself into a chair, leans forward, and says, "I couldn't have done this without your help, you know." Roosevelt gives Potter a sarcastic smile and says, "Yeah, well, I'm all about the help, you know." Potter lets that one go and asks where the city clerk's office is, as "I'd like to get the details on Mayor Quimby's housing proposal." First off: Great Simpsons reference. Second off: Ten bucks says that Potter's going to stir up Gemma about Charming Heights. I just want to know why. Potter will say only, "I'm the most curious of fellows."
Clay is meeting with Romeo and passing along the Irish's misgivings, saying, "They have their concerns." Romeo replies, "I find that large stacks of cash have a very tranquil effect on people." Yeah, right up to the moment they realize what they have to do to earn and keep that money, no doubt. Clay sighs that they're going to need a little diplomacy, and Luis says quietly, "We're very persuasive." Clay says drily, "Yeah, I noticed." Clay then opens the rounds for Kill My Daughter-in-Law, Part II. Romeo turns down Clay's request to do the honors, then says, "You're too close. We'll finish it this time. Let us know when she's released. We'll make it look like an accident. No mistakes this time." Luis exchanges meaningful looks with a bald henchman, and Clay shrugs resignedly, "Yeah, I'll let you know." Oooh, I can't wait to see what tale he spins trying to cover his ass the time someone decides to go after Tara Knowles, Victim! (Although, at this point, she should know better, so perhaps we should start referring to her as Tara Knowles: Volunteer!)
Up at Piney's cabin. Gemma comes barreling in, demanding to know where the flyblown mountain of biker meat has gotten off to, and Unser quips, "Turns out he wasn't dead. Got up and walked away." Gemma gets huffy and demands to know what happened with Opie. Unser says, "I knew he was coming and I followed him ... wasn't really sure until I got here. Saw the pain in the boy's face." Gemma asks what Unser told Opie, and Unser says, "Clay killed his old man. I didn't tell him why. There's enough bad blood for motive." Gemma says wildly, "After Donna, he'll kill Clay!" "My intent, Gemma," Unser says with perfect no-duh delivery. Anyway, Gemma is not taking this well. She wants Unser to stop Opie from killing Clay. Unser gives her an Are you KIDDING, woman? look, and Gemma pleads, "I am protecting what it took me 20 goddamn years to build." And this is why couples should always take the time to cultivate separate hobbies, no matter how good the marriage is. Overinvestment in each other's extracurriculars never ends well.
Anyway, here's a takeaway from that scene, and continuing from last week: Unser's voice is getting more tremulous and thready. I'm not sure if he's about to go join the police department invisible or if this is him being all traumatized from the high drama of the last week or so, but it's worth noting that he's not carrying himself or expressing himself with the same vigor.
Meanwhile, outside the delightfully named Clear Passages, Juice is being picked up by Grad and the rest of the suits from the war room.
Bobby's entering a small room in Stockton and boy, is it throwing him that a) it's not the usual place where he visits Otto, and b) Otto's not there. The guard's all, "Whatever, hairball. Sit down and wait." Bobby does.
Cut to a swanky neighborhood. As Jax, Chibs, Happy and Tig walk up to the big, big house they're about to enter, Jax asks for the 411 and Galen says, "Our American colleagues have put profit before protocol. We're just here to enforce decency." Jax is none too thrilled that they're the enforcers, but that's the gig. Once inside the house, the four bikers take in the parlor. Jax notices a woman carrying a baby upstairs. After Chibs asks, "What the hell is this place?" Jax decides it's time for a look-see.
He walks upstairs and right into an American goon who asks what Jax is doing. Right behind the goon is a young woman, wearing an empire-waist sweater and crying. Uh-oh. Jax asks if the girl is okay, and the goon tells Jax he better go downstairs. Jax says, "I'm not talking to you," and promptly sends the goon to the floor. The woman runs by, crying, and Jax heads into the nearest room, which is filled with babies in little pink gowns and beanies.
The girl runs through the parlor and out of the house, and Tig stop aimlessly beating on a piano's keys to play peanut gallery: "That ain't good." Upstairs, Jax continues down the hall and discovers that each room is packed with healthy white babies, some in blue outfits, some in pink. The rest of the bikers come up and Chibs looks in the bedroom and asks, "Jesus Christ, what the hell is this, Jackie?" "It's another goddamn baby factory," Jax seethes.
(Nota bene: There are regulations for how long babies can work shifts: until age 6 months, babies can only "work" 20 minutes a day, while children aged 6-24 months can work two hours per day. So I'm hoping the decision to have many babies of standing age featured in the nursery was driven by logistics and not meant to reflect some sort of situation where kids were raised in black market orphinariums for months at a time. Although, really, is it reasonable to expect anyone who traffics in babies to be all, "Oh my gosh, we're not giving these children the dedicated attention they need?")
Anyway, the bikers are outraged and fisticuffs ensue. The babies all watch and yowl as the bikers deliver beatdowns to all the in-house baby traffickers. A small yet amusing detail: Happy is utterly silent as he punches his opponent; all the other bikers are shouting and grunting. Galen comes up the stairs and looks taken aback at how brutal his rented brute squad can be.
Cut to the aftermath, where Clay is on the scene and wearing an expression like Is it possible for me to get through ONE DAY without someone f***ing up? No? Jax is unrepentant about the violence, snotting, "You didn't tell us we'd be dealing with the U.S. half of your black market baby ring." Galen claims it's "Catholic placement for unwanted children," but you'll note that those kids were all white and healthy, and those are the ones that cost a hell of a lot more to adopt than kids who are non-Caucasian or have special needs. Jax snaps, "Call whatever you want, you're selling babies for cash!" and Clay wades into the dispute before it can turn into a symposium on the ethics of human trafficking. Tig then distracts Jax by handing the phone; Filthy Phil is on the other line.
Clay heads over and apologizes to Galen for the particularly blunt enforcement, explaining, "[Jax] almost lost his son to your Belfast house. Long story. Kellan, keeping some twisted promise to JT." Galen shrugs, "I didn't know." Clay continues, all reason, "So you understand why this pushes his button." Galen replies, "Aye, but the boy's got too many buttons ... he's hotheaded and unstable. Throw him into the mix with Mexicans? I have no faith it doesn't turn bloody." Sweet fancy Moses, but the Irish Kings are a big bunch of negative ninnies. They should just call themselves the Irish Control Freaks and have done with it. Anyway, Clay promises to keep Jax off the cartel and asks if Galen needs anything else at his American baby warehouse. Galen replies, "American Irish. Greedy bastards. Offering children to the highest bidder -- some of them to Protestant families." And that was when I decided I'm pro-Galindo. Say what you will about a murderous cabal of drugrunners who use beheadings as an incentive program -- at least they're honest about their motivation (cash money, and lots of it) instead of cloaking their thuggery in religious fanaticism.
After Galen leaves, Jax fumes, "They should have told us." Clay says easily, "You're right. Just stay clear of these guys." Jax assures him it won't be a problem. Clay asks if Jax is off to see Tara, and Jax shrugs, "Later. I gotta bounce someone's head off 12 steps."
At Stockton, we see Big Otto poring over the agreement and Potter helpfully narrates, "Lenny gets full visitation, yard privileges two days a week. Warden signed off ... [so I] need your signature verifying everything you told us about your illegal activities with the Sons of Anarchy is accurate and true." Otto flips through the thick document, then signs. For one moment, Potter looks as if he can barely contain his glee, but he soon resumes his usual bemused countenance and thanks Otto, then lets him know that once the paperwork is filed, Otto will meet with Bobby in an adjoining room. He adds, "Hopefully, this will give you a little closure as well." Otto looks at him and snarks, "Yeah. I'm completely at peace."
Jax has ambushed Wendy at her counseling facility or whatever, and he asks Wendy to stay away: "Abel doesn't even know who you are, Wendy. Telling him just confuses shit." Wendy rebuts, "It's not my fault that you didn't tell him the truth, Jax." And I get that this series is all about the ridiculous consequences that bloom from the lies and half-truths people tell, but here? Not even. It has apparently not occurred to either of these simpletons that you don't tell a toddler how his ex-junkie mother signed over custody because a toddler can not understand the situation, not because the adults love lying to everyone they know. Anyway, Wendy self-righteously says that "secrets ruin kids, Jax!" and hoo boy, I really hope we get to see her first court-ordered visitation with Abel where she lays out her truths on the toddler and he promptly melts down in fear and confusion. Because then Jax can say, "So tell me again how secrets ruin kids?"
So Jax asks Wendy to stay away, and Wendy replies, "Or what? What are you going to do -- break my arm? Punch my face in?" Jax defensively says he had nothing to do with either of those injuries. Wendy scoffs, "You are a felon on release. And as frightening as this notion may be, I'm probably the most stable adult in Abel's life. Block me out, and I will pursue custody." Oh, she's so full of it: if she were really concerned about Abel being buffeted hither and yon by unstable adults, she'd have already hired a lawyer and launched custody proceedings. Jax does not point this out, but instead trots out the tired "Who'd give the time of day to a tweaker?" trope. Wendy points out, "Ex-junkie. Who turned her life around. Judges love a good comeback story. I ain't going anywhere." Jax smiles humorlessly and says, "That's okay. I am."
SIDEBAR: Even if Tara decides to pack up the boys and move to Portland, presumably to hop on the Providence payroll and (one hopes) make a full recovery, isn't a condition of Jax's release that he's not allowed to leave the state? So what's he going to do, hang out in Klamath and just drive over the border occasionally? This whole "I'm getting out of Charming after one last job!" plan has more holes than a pair of fishnets. Even if it does provide Jax with lots of flouncy little exit lines for the various pains in the ass he handles.
Clay slouches through the halls of St. Turn It Over To The Bikers Already, and dismisses Filthy Phil with "Go grab a snack -- you look famished." (I have to say: the actor playing Filthy Phil is quite possibly descended from the Titans of myth and legend. He makes Ron Perlman -- who is not a small-boned man -- look daintier than Johnny Weir. Have we seen him to Opie? Or does that not happen because if you stand the two side-by-side, the sun is blocked out and the Earth descends into another ice age?) Anyway, Clay informs Phil he'll stay with Tara. He heads into her hospital room, then closes and locks the door. Tara, who is sleeping, looks especially vulnerable to the man standing in the shadows.
Meanwhile, Gemma is trying to raise Opie on his mobile. He, however, is not taking calls because it would get in the way of him staring at Donna's tombstone. She's got one of those fancy picture ones, and I can only assume that whomever selected the photo was mad with grief, because in it, Donna looks like she's just eaten a lemon. (Also, I am reminded that one of the things I never fully bought about Season One was Donna as a working-class mom; Sprague Grayden has the kind of bone structure that suggests a woman who was enrolled in Smith in utero, not one born to a lumber prole in a California flyspeck town.) We get a beautiful shot of Opie standing perfectly still, regret written all over his face as he stares at Donna's stern face.
Back at the hospital, Gemma stomps off after not being able to raise Opie, and runs straight into Filthy Phil. "Where you going?" she demands, and Phil laconically answers, "Grab a soda. Clay's with Tara." "He's alone with her?" Gemma says, alarmed, and Phil nods. Gemma flies down the hall.
Tara comes awake to the sight of Clay staring down at her. Unsurprisingly, she gasps and jumps, then asks where Jax is. Clay -- who looks as if he's enjoying scaring the hell out of Tara -- mentions that Jax is otherwise occupied, but he wanted Clay to come by and check up on her. Tara neutrally thanks him. With barbs in every line, Clay says, "Sure. We gotta get you better, ready to go. You and Jax got yourself a plan, put all this violence behind. It's a smart move. I'd hate to see something get in the way of that ... I could make sure that this plan happens. Push some doors wide open, see that nobody gets in your way." Tara is sitting up on full alert now, and she neutrally asks, "Even Gemma." Clay promises, "I'll stop her. Make sure she won't run at you." Tara replies, "Yeah, I saw how you slowed her down," and the thing I love about Maggie Siff's line readings is how she can imbue even the most innocuous of lines with dry scorn. Clay rolls his eyes, then gets down to business: "There's only one thing that could get in the way of that escape dream. Those letters." Tara's honestly surprised Clay knows about them, and quickly figures out that Gemma told him. Clay almost looks sincere as he says, "She thought you were going to show them to Jax, create a shitstorm. But you're a smart girl, Tara. You know what happens if Jax reads those letters. It's the reason why he doesn't have them already. Complicates your departure."
One note about this scene and how it's shot: Clay has the light from a window shining on his face, while Tara's in the shadows. It is exquisite staging, because it shows how, in this scene, Clay is being completely honest about what his motivations are and Tara is clinging to the notion that she's justified in lying (by omission) to Jax. I am wondering if this scene is meant to illustrate one more step on Tara's road to becoming the generation's Gemma, choosing to keep some secrets in the dark because of her need to keep her family intact.
Clay wants the letters, and Tara says, "If you're so sure I'm not going to give the letters to Jax, why do you need them?" Clay grins and says, "Peace of mind. I want to be able to sleep at night. You can understand that. You give me the letters, I destroy them, you and Jax leave with the boys, everybody's happy. And safe." Tara asks, "And if I don't give them to you?" Clay says honestly, "I'm not sure you and Jax ever make it out of Charming."
Gemma continues sprinting -- in her heels, no less -- and runs right into Clay as he leaves Tara's room. He looks at Gemma, registers her expression, then says, "She's fine" as if he's wounded to the core by the very thought of Gemma suspecting otherwise. Gemma pauses, then calls Clay's name. He stops. She tells him, "Opie found Piney. He's certain you're the one who killed him." Clay wants to know how Opie came to that conclusion. Gemma shrugs, "Doesn't matter. Cold-bloodedness of how Piney went, history of you killing Donna. I'd watch your back. Opie will want a settled score." Clay looks at Gemma with a lot of love and regret, and nods in acceptance of what she's telling him. Gemma is cold and calm as she leans forward, takes Clay's face in her hands and says, "I love you, Clay." She kisses his cheek, then walks away. It feels like a good-bye. As Clay watches her go, he looks as it feels that way to him too.
Compartmentalizing away, Gemma's now gone into mother-hen mode, packing up Tara for departure. She digs, "What did Clay want?" Tara says, "He wants the letters. You didn't tell me he knew. Is that why this happened?" Gemma redirects: "I found that cover note. I panicked. I had to tell someone." We see Tara's shocked face; she finally realizes that Clay is somehow behind this, thanks to Gemma's big mouth. Aaaaand Jax enters right at that awkward moment. He seems elated that Tara's been released; she is not so much. Gemma goes to leave, and Jax stops her with, "You need to hear this." He takes Tara's hand and says, "I talked to Wendy. Did you really think I wasn't going to find out?" Gemma justifies her smothering with "The last thing you needed to worry about is what that ex-junkie wants." "I don't give a shit about what anybody wants -- including you," Jax says. He adds, "We're going. Tara has an offer from a hospital in Oregon. Day after tomorrow, we're packing up our boys and we're getting out of Charming." Gemma fumes in his general direction. After Jax leaves, Gemma spits out, "You have no idea what I've done to protect you and Jax." The lady with the broken arm replies, "Protect us from what? I just wanted him to know the truth." Gemma replies, "Is that what you wanted, sweetheart? Truth? 'Cause I got buckets of it. I can drown you in truth."
Enter Filthy Phil, who apologetically says, "Jax had to split. He told me to take Tara home." In perfect unison, both Tara and Gemma ask, "Where did he go?" Oh, foreshadowing. You are so subtle.
Clay enters the clubhouse. The only person present is Tig, who is getting the croweater interpretation of the ancient Hawaiian lomi-lomi massage technique. And let me tell you, that is the first thing in four years that has provided a compelling reason to join an outlaw MC. I would prospect in a hot minute if it meant I could eventually get massages on demand. ANYWAY. Clay asks where everyone is, and Tig looks over from his massage to say, "Chibs and Hap went home. Haven't seen Bobby or Juice. I think Jax finally tracked down Ope, and Miles and Kozik are dead." Clay sighs all, lord, save me, and says, "Thanks for the update." He says he got a bad vibe from his meet with the Mexicans and it felt wrong. Tig asks, "Wrong how?" Clay says, "Wrong like, I may need another guy with a gun?" Tig says, "Rat's in the garage. I'm sure Jax will be back soon." Ooooh, burn!
Then again, even if Tig and Clay were still buddies, what person in their right mind would walk away from lomi-lomi?
Meanwhile, Otto finally walks in to meet with Bobby Elvis. He opens by putting down a yellow legal pad; the first page is filled with careful, block print. Otto says shortly, "Read it. Out loud." Bobby pulls out his reading glasses and begins. "March 1997. Broke Giordano's collarbone, two ribs. Month in the hole. Five months added. August 1999. Shivved Winter Holder for being a rat. Two years added. What --?" Otto orders, "Keep reading." Bobby Elvis asks, "Why am I reading this, Otto?" Otto replies, "It's my list, brother. It's all the things I've done for the club inside. Including the thing that got me life. The thing that got me death. And I only asked for one thing from SAMCRO: Take care of Luann." Bobby says, "I know. And we did, Otto. I promise." Otto replies, "No, you didn't. And now you're going to feel that." Enter the feds to arrest Bobby. Potter waits in the door, watching Bobby unravel as he realizes that Otto ratted. As Bobby is hauled off, Otto says, "Time for you to start a list, Bobby." Potter looks at Otto for a moment, and he almost seems sympathetic. Or perhaps he's stopped to consider the human cost of his machinations. Who can tell with this cat?
And now, Opie's watching Piney burn. Sensibly, Piney's in a cardboard box. (Well, it's sensible to me. There's no use in ponying up for a fancy container if it's going to be reduced to ashes. The real question is what Ope's going to store his dad's cremains in once the job is done.) Unser comes in to keep Opie company. He adds, "I need to talk to you about something," and Opie laconically replies, "Not really in the mood to talk to you right now." Just then, Jax comes in, sees Opie watching a body burn as he holds Piney's cut, and gasps, "Oh, my God. What happened?" Opie shrugs, "Found him at the cabin. Shotgun to the chest." Jax flings himself at Opie for what he clearly intends to be a consoling hug, but Opie is not in a hugging place. Jax asks, "You think it was the Mexicans?" Unser looks at Opie anxiously, and Opie turns his implacable gaze on Jax and drawls, "I'll fill you in. I just wanted to say good-bye. I know that he'd want you here." Unser decides his work is done, and leaves the two young men to their witnessing. Jax looks grief-stricken. Opie looks like he wants to burn the world down.
Once the burning is over, the two are outside by their bikes, and Jax asks Opie's back, "Want to tell me what happened to Piney?" With a click of the gun, Opie turns around and asks Jax at gunpoint if he'd like to explain, what with being Clay's boy and all. Jax is legitimately confused by the query, and Ope fills him in: "Clay killed my old man." For some reason, Jax has a hard time believing this. Mind you, he's seen Clay drop McGee to his death and he knows that Clay ordered Donna's hit, so why this is a surprise is a mystery, but there it is. Jax is somehow shocked that this happened. Opie shakily reminds us all, "He killed my wife, now my father. Did you know? Did you know?" Jax shouts that he didn't -- and in what is a series first, his vowels stay perfectly American the whole time. Then, because this is apparently the weekly scene in which Jax's brain takes a joyride while the rest of him is still operational, Jax tries to call the murder a "club issue" that needs to be worked out around the table. Opie asks, "What table? You're out, remember?" Then he shoots the front wheel of Jax's bike and heads out.
Cut a frantic sequence where Jax takes the hearse, tries to chase down Opie, crashes the hearse into another car, abandons the hearse, steals someone's motorcycle, then chases down Opie.
We take a break from the chase to watch Grad escort Bobby to his new cell. The noise of the door opening and shutting rouses Juice, who is curled up on the bunk in an adjoining cell. (I really hope that Juice left Chibs a note in the dispensary warning him not to go to the meet. It seems like the kind of last-minute reveal that would be likely on this show.)
Back to the chase, with a breathtaking shot of Opie flying along the street, hair streaking behind him, looking like a modern Viking about to sack and pillage Stockton. Meanwhile, Jax is sort of putt-putting along with his little backward baseball cap.
We cut to Tara awkwardly feeding Thomas with her left hand. She looks like she's about to open a vein. Who can blame her? Between in-laws who are trying to kill her, a biological mother who wants back in her son's life and a partner who ditches her for club business and lets her deal with the aftermath of his choices on her own, it's a pretty bleak situation. Filthy Phil silently hovers in another room.
More montage-ing: Gemma sits in a darkened kitchen, smoking alone. Clay sits at the head of the table and broods as he smokes. And then a motorcycle sputters to a stop. Clay listens, then relaxes with his cigar in one hand and his gun in the other, and a moment of silence stretches out...
...Until Opie kicks in the door with the same brute suddenness that Clay used when he waylaid Piney. Opie pins Clay to the table, tosses his piece, and trains his gun on Clay, ordering him, "Sit. You're going to die at the gavel." Clay asks, "I get to say anything here?" Opie asks, "My old man get to say anything before you blew a hole in his chest? SIT DOWN!" Clay says, "Someone's been lying to you, Ope." Opie shouts, "Having Donna killed -- that a lie?" Clay seems genuinely surprised that Opie's still hung up on that and says, "That score is settled." Opie screams, "No, it's not! You sit down! Sit. Down." Clay finally does. Clay sighs and resigns himself to being shot right as Jax comes in, pulls a gun on Opie and begs, "Put it down. Please -- don't make me kill you." Opie sobs a little at Jax's defense of Clay, then turns, grits his teeth and plugs Clay twice in the torso. The force of the bullets forces Clay back into the wall, and the episode ends with Jax staring at Opie in shock.
Perhaps Jax is shocked because he's just realized becoming the acting president of the club is going to spike his plans to blow town. Perhaps he's shocked because Opie followed through on something and that concept is alien to Jax. Who knows? We'll find out week. Oh, and Clay's fate. We'll probably find that out too.
Lisa Schmeiser is an Oakland-adjacent reporter and blogger. She spent far too much time on her Thanksgiving road trip blowing through many of the places name-checked on this show. Send your own anecdata about traversing the roads of San Joaquin county to her at lschmeiser@gmail.com, or follow her on Twitter.