Well, I'm going to be up until 2 AM trying to calm down after an episode that changes ev-er-y-thing.
"The only thing I lost that matters is you:" So it turns out that Bobby Elvis brokered a deal with Clay: Confess to the ding-dang nomad foolishness and leave the club, and in return, Bobby will blackball the "Let's kill Clay!" vote. This comes to pass, Clay is stripped of his patch and punched a few times by Jax, then spends the rest of the episode plotting a comeback: He's picking up the Real IRA business that Jax is putting down, wooing Tig away from the club (maybe) and conducting a real charm offensive on Gemma. (And oh my goodness, it's a testament to how good Ron Perlman and Katey Sagal are that I'm a little giddy at the idea of Clay and Gemma getting back together. I know.)
Oh, please, please let this be the prelude to an epic Justified/Sons of Anarchy crossover: So Donal Logue's character, Lee Toric, is a former U.S. marshall. Which means that when he decides to get to the bottom of his sister's murder, the legal slip-n-slide Tara did to get out of trouble in re: the "How in the hell did Otto get a stabbing implement?" inquiry is not going to fly with this guy. Also, he is very likely unhinged, on account of the shot we get of him sitting in a hotel room with a satchel full of pills, a bed full of firearms, and Antonin Artaud's Watchfiends and Rack Screams, which has been described as "a torrent of speech from the other side of sanity and the occult." The occult! I would not put it past this show to introduce Satan as a supporting character in season six. Quite possibly played by Lindsay Lohan.
"You can't stay in uniform and not play the game:" Although the entire episode seemed to be devoted to the many, many people whose lives Jax Teller has screwed up either accidentally or on purpose, the second-saddest victim of the episode was Nero, who has resumed his thug life with only a small side dish of self-loathing for not walking away when he had the chance. (And he may not even get Gemma as a consolation prize…) Nero bails out the club when things go gaft agley with the Irish (more on that below) and tells Jax as he hands over the money that he's had the nut for his uncle's spread for over a year; he just couldn't bring himself to leave and now he never will. Jax decides to ignore the huge neon sign reading, "YOUNG MAN, TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR LIFE, I'M A LOT LIKE YOU."
It's all fun and games until the Irish start shooting: The Irish may be the people allegedly impervious to psychotherapy but the dudes in the cartel are immune to logical thought. Since Lin can't deliver BFGs in a timely-enough fashion to suit Romeo, he presses Jax to make one last pickup from the Irish. Since there's no Clay there, Galen gleefully sets about being an obstinate prick, but his plan to deny Jax the guns backfires when the cartel comes in at the worst possible moment and decides they want the guns now-now-now-now. One shootout later, they have the guns. In retaliation, the Irish kidnap Wendy, since things worked out so well for them the last time they kidnapped someone associated with SAMCRO. (Strategic thinking like this is why is how Northern Ireland remains a part of the U.K., I'm guessing.) The MC gets her back with Nero's money …
… But Wendy finds out about Abel's abduction and hits the roof, observing that Jax and Tara learned nothing about how parenting and law-breaking don't exactly mix. Wendy decides she's going to sue for custody before the idiot Irish decide another abduction's in order for St. Stephen's Day or whatever. Tara does not take this well, but Jax promises, "I'm going to give you a beautiful life" and proceeds to take Wendy off the table by breaking into her apartment and injecting her with heroin, thereby taking away her sobriety and her job and her life, really. JAX: NOW THE WORST. Even Tig thinks so! I bet that job offer from Clay is looking fairly alluring now.
Lisa Schmeiser is now trying to imagine an episode in which both Boyd Crowder and Venus Van Dam can appear. Send your best plot bunnies to her via Twitter.
"There will be days when you're forced to make decisions that affect the lives of everyone you love -- choices that will change you forever. You reach an age where you realize that being a man isn't about respect or strength. It's about being aware of all the things you touch. Children face inward, wallow in their own selfish needs. Men face out, take action on the needs of others. I'm at that place, boys. I'm staring one of those decisions in the face. It looks back at me with historical eyes and it calls me a coward, a killer, a fraud. It wants me to crack and run from the service of my fate like a broken boy. Today, I will not do that. Today, I will be the man my father tried to be. I will make you proud."
The preceding monologue -- which shows Jax writing as Thomas plays in his crib; Tara staring at the wall and wondering if she should maybe bang her head against it; Gemma helping Clay on with his shirt and cut; the SAMCRO boys riding to the clubhouse -- is delivered by Jax. And you know, given how self-serving and patently deluded it is, it sort of makes one wonder if perhaps Jax should not be taking the sophomoric scribblings of his father as infallible gospel.
Anyway. Jax stops writing and we establish that it's going to be a big day, on account of there being a meeting with Galen in the afternoon. On the way into the church, Bobby Elvis stops Jax and says, "There's something we've got to handle: bringing Clay to the table." Jax: "Buh-wuh?" (I'm paraphrasing.) Bobby continues: Clay will admit what he did with the nomads, then the club can decide what to do with him. Jax: "Buh-wuh?" (Again, paraphrasing.)
Cut to Clay conveniently blaming Frankie Diamonds for masterminding Clay's attempted return to power. Jax is looking at Clay in a manner which suggests he's thinking, "My mutant ability to set people on fire with my mind can kick in at any moment now." Bobby prods Clay along and the deposed president spins a story that can basically be summed up as: Look, nobody takes retirement well. Clay says, "I never wanted anybody to get hurt--" "But they did. You hurt a lot of people," Tig says, and it is painfully obvious he's not limiting the scope of his remarks to Clay's home-invasion scheme. Clay finishes up by saying that he originally wanted to pull off the coup because he didn't think Jax could handle leadership, but he was wrong: Jax is a much better leader than Clay ever was. He then takes his leave and says he'll be waiting in the garage.
In a hushed voice, Jax calls for the first vote: "All in favor of Clay losing his patch." It is unanimous, as it has to be. The second vote: "As far as the mayhem goes, let's hear pros and cons." (How cowardly to refer to murdering your erstwhile "brother" as "mayhem.") Chibs speaks, "He's a traitor. I ain't buying this 'humble for the good of the club' bullshit. He's done." Nobody else pipes up, so Jax brings the vote: "All in favor of Clay Morrow meeting Mr. Mayhem." Chibs unhesitatingly votes yes; Tig looks long and hard at Jax as though reminding himself why he has to vote yes, then rasps his yea vote. Happy is committed. Phil is for it. Juice looks like a manga heroine, his eyes are so big and round and shiny with tears, but he votes yes. And then Bobby blackballs the vote.
Jax is silent as he bangs the gavel. Chibs groans, "I'll go get 'im." But no -- Jax is going to Clay.
Once he's out in the garage, he throws Clay through a table and attempts to strangle him. Jax then proceeds to beat the bejeesus out of Clay -- it takes Chibs, Tig and Juice to pull him back in -- as Gemma and Unser watch, both unsurprised.
Jax is then in his office. Bobby comes in and Jax correctly alleges, "You made a deal with him behind my back." Bobby throws down Clay's cut and explains, "We couldn't prove shit. We both know that. And there's no way you would... could let Clay sit at this table. Me either. The shit he's done, he needed to go away. If I didn't make this deal, you would have killed him as soon as we finished this deal with Galen, and you would have done it behind the club's back." Jax looks at Bobby all, "...And this is, oh what is the word I'm searching for? Wrong? That's it! This is wrong somehow?" Bobby continues, "Do that once, time it becomes a little easier. Before you know it, this thing we have is pointless." And you know, I appreciate his logic on account of being able to point to Clay and say, "Exhibit A -- see how Clay's picked off three of the First Nine," except... see how Clay's already picked off three of the First Nine. This thing is already pointless; the real tragedy of the show is how committed these guys are because they don't have a better option.
Bobby claims he did this so that Jax wouldn't turn into Clay, but the spoiled boy-king shoutily inquires (shinquires? Inshouts?) "How is letting Clay walk the right thing?" Bobby only replies, "I know you see it as a betrayal. I took that risk because I love you. And this club needs you. We're broken." Jax grits, "I've had a hard time feeling any love or brotherhood since Opie died." Bobby whispers, "You just lost your way a bit, brother." Jax begs to differ: "I found it, finally. Opie was right. [tearily] The gavel corrupts. You can't sit in this chair without being a savage... You don't know shit. You counsel from fear. You want me moving in comfortable, cozy circles and I can't do that. You should go."
Gemma's trying to swab away at the mincemeat that is Clay's left temple -- and by the by, he was just beaten up by a young man in his physical prime and he still looks less awful than Gemma did after Clay got done with her last season -- and she sounds surprisingly loving as she tells her "baby" to get to the hospital for stitches. Clay asks Unser and Gemma to give him a moment alone, and after they do, Clay breaks down into racking sobs.
Meanwhile, at the hospital daycare, Tara's dropping off her boys while Lowen waits (and grins) in the doorway. The two women head down the hall -- and oh my gosh, either Maggie Siff is related to leprechauns or Robin Weigert is descended from a race of giants because there is one hell of a height difference there -- and Lowen asks if Tara's done any estate planning. Tara admits she has not, and not that I expect any outlaw MC to have an HR department in place to set up old ladies with a 401(k) and life insurance, but you would think that a woman like Tara would realize the need to effing plan ahead for the day when Tig kills her by mistake. But she has not and now, Tara is freaking as she realizes that not only does she not have any plan for who would raise her kids in the event of her death, there is nobody in her life whom she could trust to take the kids.
Back at the MC, August (Pope's bald second-in-command) has just called. Pope would like a meeting in re: Charming Heights. I cackle in anticipation, because I sure do dig Pope's freaky brand of menacing mentorship.
And now, Tara is talking with a suit -- or rather, Tara is saying with Lowen tells her to -- as the penal system conducts its desultory investigation into why Otto Delaney had a big stabby cross in the first place. "Must have been a miraculous manifestation of a holy symbol" never comes up, disappointingly enough. Tara admits she didn't read the paperwork she signed, so it never occurred to her she couldn't bring anything to Otto. "So you thought it was okay to bring a violent felon something he could use as a weapon?" the opposing lawyer asks in a gloriously condescending deadpan. Lowen tags in: "Doctor Knowles brought a desperate man something to pray with. He was in restraints when she put the crucifix around his neck. Yes, it was naïve, but she had no idea it was something he would do." The opposing counsel's eye roll suffices for "So nobody in the club ever told the doctor what a murderous nutbag Otto was? Riiiiiiight." Tara does say, honestly, "I had no idea what he was capable of."
Meeting time with Pope! Jax makes some small talk: "Where do you land in the Pope organizational chart, Augie?" August says he's an advisor and confidante. Jax says, "No title? 'V.P. of Special Deeds?' 'Heir to the Blood Throne?'" August says, "I've been with Mr. Pope since I was 17, if that tells you anything." Jax shrugs, "It tells me you're loyal. Or patient." Then he heads over to Pope, who is approving of Charming Heights. "Hale is a shitty mayor but he's a good developer," Jax says. "We can't all be all things," Pope smiles. Although he is pretty much there himself, as apparently he's omnipotent, what with knowing all about the cartel hijinks and Clay's exit.
Jax digs himself into deeper business with Pope -- another 20 kilos of coke out to Reno to cover the cost of the Chinese guns -- and Pope smiles, "You're good at this, Jackson. You sure you want to get out of the drug business?" Jax claims that he's sure. He then says, "Can I ask your advice on something? You make big decisions every day, take advice from people you trust. You ever choose to go against that? Do something everyone tells you is a bad idea? ...The club voted to take Clay's patch. I wanted to take more." Pope whispers, "Shit," then says jauntily, "Democracy is overrated. Revenge is never about the greater good. It's a visceral need that has to be satisfied, or the strong lose focus." Pope should know. Jax asks how he can scratch that itch without wrecking SAMCRO. Pope tells Jax, "Step away from the need to feel it. It's not about the process, it's about the result." "Payback by proxy," Jax says, and hands up, all of you who suspect this is how he'll weasel out of handing over Tig. Now, hands up, all of you who suspect August is going to meet a Sutterian end as Jax's way to exact revenge on Pope for the Opie thing. Now, those of you with both hands up, wave them in the air like you just don't care!
(Speaking of Tig, Pope would like him delivered ASAP. Jax says he's on it, but since we all know Jax is a lying liar who lies and there seems to be a one-actor-in-the-credits-death per season rule, I'm thinking Tig's okay.)
The club's moved on to Lin's warehouse for the grip-'n'-grin between the cartel and the Chinese. It's pretty much a good news/bad news situation: the Chinese do not hate the Mexicans on douchebag racist principle, but they also do not have a sufficient quantity of big f****** guns (BFGs) available for all the cartel's murdering needs, so SAMCRO will need to have the firearms-brokering equivalent of a one night stand with the Irish to make up the shortfall. Jax rolls his eyes at this because he was so hoping he'd never have to deal with Galen and the rest of the blarney crew again.
Meanwhile, Tara's decided to begin her estate planning ASAP, and her first action item is to call in Wendy, apologize indirectly for how the last conversation went, and work around to sort of asking Wendy to be the guardian of her boys if something happens to her and Jax. She concludes by saying that Wendy's welcome to go visit Abel in daycare; Tara put her on the list. Wendy hugs her and heads out. On a totally shallow note, whomever did the hair and makeup for both women in this scene killed it -- both Wendy and Tara look healthy and well-groomed, and while it's obvious that this is a metaphor for how these women are taking control of their lives (contrasted to, say, Gemma or Carla), that doesn't make it less fun to look at.
Oh, Christ, it's the Irish. I love this show, y'all know that, but I am forever grateful for the fact that the most Irish-intensive storyline that ever took place coincided with the first six weeks of my daughter's life, and so those episodes have the entertaining, surreal quality of a fever dream. Now that I'm (slightly) better rested and have (a few more of) my faculties intact, I just find this Jmmy O-less crew so goddamned boring.
Not even the part in this scene where the cartel loses patience with Galen's horse puckey and just takes the guns they want can liven up my Irish-induced ennui. Ho hum, more alpha male posturing and gunplay, la di da.
Back the ranch, Juice is packing up Clay's stuff. Jax calls him and says, "You with Clay? Good. Listen up closely." We do not get to hear what is so important. (We'll probably find out week.)
Zip! We're watching Nero get back into the thug life, thanks to a briefing by the luckless Fiasco and his pal Arcadio, who is played by Dave Navarro. (I almost did not recognize him on account of how little eyeliner he was wearing; the man loves a smoky eye.) Nero looks troubled to discover how empires crumble in one's absence.
Zip! We're over at The Best Little Whorehouse in Charming, where Lyla appears to have moved seamlessly into the hostess/madam position as she's got the hair and makeup of a lady in control. Gemma comes in, asks about Nero, and heads back to the kitchen to complicate poor Nero's life further. Nero is not thrilled to see Gemma, especially since she's asking for a favor: Might the hooker-loving doctor Nero has on call be willing to look at Clay? "What'd you do to him?" Nero asks bitterly. Gemma says softly, "It's not me, it's Jax. Clay got drummed out of the club this morning. Jax gave him a going-away beatdown." Nero is a tad cynical about all this, wondering if Gemma is maybe lining up a new gangster partner with better prospects than her old one. Gemma's all, "..." because really, what can she say? Other than "I was told to whore myself out or never see my grandkids again." ANYWAY. Nero's all messed up inside, which is like catnip to Gemma, and then he asks if Gemma really meant it when she said she loved him. Her face goes soft when she says that she did, but before we can see some middle-aged face suckage, Lila interrupts and tells them everyone needs to go into the clubhouse for lockdown because once again, the Irish are on the warpath.
Juice has finished packing up Clay's place, and Clay asks him to let Happy know, "I'm taking out the ink tonight. We'll do it at T-M, so there's no doubt it's been done." He also hands over a satchel of "vintage club shit" for Juice, making a big deal of handing over a gun to Juice that Piney had given to him. "It's my way of saying thanks," Clay says. Juice just looks teary, as he so often does. Tig comes over right then and invites Clay over for lockdown. Clay goes to demur with, "Jax don't want me --" and Tig says, "I don't give a shit about that. You're not safe here. Let's go."
Jax has come to the hospital with Chibs to grab Tara and the boys for lockdown -- an Irish goon sneaking in behind him -- and on the way to Tara's office, he notices Wendy chatting with Abel by a vending machine. Jax skids to a halt in the hall and you can see the thought bubble reading, "What the actual f***?" floating over his head. He calls out to Abel -- who runs to him -- and barely manages to keep his temper in check when he tells Tara to buckle up for the conversation they're about to have outside. Jax heads back to daycare and Tara heads out past Chibs, who looks like he is not so keen on Jax's decision-making here. As Wendy walks out, she passes right by the Irish goon, who follows her.
In the parking lot, Chibs asks Jax, "You really want to do this now?" as tires squeal in the background. And whoops, guess who just got abducted? Jax speaks for us all with, "Shit."
Tara enters her office and Lee Toric introduces himself. (Creepy! Delightfully so!) He says, "My family and I are out here for the funeral. I knew you were there when it happened. I just wanted to talk to you." Tara murmurs, "Of course. Please, sit down. What can I do to help?" Toric then says he just wants to fill in the blanks on what happened. Tara says, "He threw her into a wall and knocked her out. She was unconscious when he... he stabbed her in the throat. I'm sure she didn't feel anything." "And he did that with a cross?" Toric asks. Tara says, "Yes. She bled to death from puncture wounds. I wish I could have done more." Toric continues to ask questions, Why did Otto attack Pam Toric, how many times Tara had treated Otto, how well did Tara know Otto, how well did Jax know him? Tara asks, "Who are you?" and Toric says, "I already told you. I'm the guy who lost his little sister." He also happens to be a U.S. Marshall, and this was the point in the episode where I exclaimed involuntarily, "Please let there be a Justified crossover!"
Anyway, Toric is retired and now that Tara realizes the grieving relative has a huge background in legal loopholes and investigations, she is suddenly harder and colder. Toric tells her, "Tomorrow Otto tells his side to ISU. What do you think that's going to sound like? Maybe he tells them he murdered my sister to protect his MC from a pending RICO investigation, and maybe he tells them he got the murder weapon from the wife of the club president." Tara protests, "I had no idea what he was going to do with that crucifix." "I believe you," Lee says, but he's still got the wrath of God burning across his face. He adds, "I also believed my niece and nephew would grow up with a mother." He leaves.
As Toric walks out, it hits me: Otto is basically living out Pope's advice of exacting revenge by removing himself from the process. I wonder if that's hit Jax yet.
In the scene, Tara's recapping the last scene and freaking out, as she should, over the prospect of having an extremely skilled and motivated investigator digging into Otto's shenanigans. Tara knows she could be charged with conspiracy or murder, and now she's freaked out about who will take care of her kids if she and/or Jax have to go behind bars. (As Lowen seems to think they might, else she would not have suggested Tara figure out guardianship.) Jax is all, "You think that should be Wendy?" "Well, I know I don't want it to be your mother," Tara shoots back. (Yeah, Gemma's not seeing those boys again if Tara can help it.) Before Jax can spout platitudes about how he's got this all handled, Chibs summons him. Galen has called.
We get a great shot of the clubhouse filled with the SAMCRO extended family -- Lyla sassily playing pool -- and then Jax heads into church, where he's not too pleased to see Clay. Clay explains, "Galen reached out to me. He wants the guns or the money, or he's going to kill Wendy." Jax is all, "And this is a problem for me how?" and the adults in the room have to explain that Galen will then go after Abel again, since he obviously thinks that worked out well last time his crew tried it. Irish tactical thinking: It's why Northern Ireland still belongs to the U.K. But the club is taking this seriously and they need to scare up $475,000 in a hurry. Nero and his pool cue wander into church and he says, "Sorry. I couldn't help but overhear. I may have a solution..."
Jax orders everyone out, including Bobby, and makes a deal: The money as a down payment on a partnership between Nero's street crew and the Sons. They also have a little heart-to-heart. Nero admits he really wanted to stay in the game: "I could have bought my uncle's farm over a year ago. [The Best Little Whorehouse] was doing great. I wasn't ready to step away," and his lectures to Jax about getting out of the life were probably all projections of his own issues in re: the inability to step away from making mistakes even as he knows he shouldn't be doing something. Jax looks resigned as he says, "Now it's too late. But you knew that was going to happen." Nero looks rueful as he says, "I guess I did. You can't stay in uniform and not play the game, man."
Jax then rolls into his mom's office. She says, "That was brutal today." "I know. Not the way I wanted it to go. Sit down, please," he requests. And then we fade out, so who knows what Jax is about to request of Gemma.
Out at the barn where Tig and Clay are going to pick up Wendy, Clay thanks Tig for backing him up. "I did it for Jax," Tig says, then walks off. Clay calls, "You don't have to feel guilty. I know Bobby was the only 'no' vote." Tig turns around and says matter-of-factly, "I don't feel guilty. You earned it." Clay admits, "Yeah, I did." Then Clay fetches Wendy from Galen, they smack-talk Jax a little, and Clay gets to his point: Clay would love to remain in the gun-running business with the Real IRA, and he has plans to pick up an independent crew stateside and gradually rebuild his empire. He would, of course, kick back a percentage to SAMCRO, just to keep things drama-free. But first, might Galen help him get to Belfast for a two-month vacation? Galen smiles, "You're the only American I trust, Clay." There's a spot for him on a charter in Mendocino the day. Clay adds, "I'm hoping to bring Gemma." "As long as she doesn't pack like my wife, there'll be room," Galen grins, and both men chortle, then hug. You have to admire Clay taking steps to rebuild already. After Galen leaves, Clay renews his offer to Tig: Join me in an independent crew, as a way of making up for all the damage Clay's caused Tig in the past. Tig looks as if he might be considering it.
Back at T-M, Wendy is letting Jax and Tara have it -- and with good reason -- over the revelation that the wee Abel was kidnapped on account of his father's jackass business practices. She points out, "You would think that with a close call like that, that it might have motivated you to get the hell out of this. But instead, no, what do you do? You knock her up, spit out another kid and throw your entire family against the chaos!" "And, [Tara]? How can you live like this? What is wrong with you?" Oh, Wendy. If only this episode was 190 minutes instead of merely 90. Then we could get into it. Jax is all, "Yeah, we're done." Wendy disabuses him of the notion that this messy chapter closes the book on any difficulties. "I wanted to do this the right way, sane and sober. But what's going on around here is far from sane, and I've got the proof. Abel being kidnapped, the shit that happened to me today -- I'm going to report it. And then, I'm going to come after my son." She stalks out and Jax immediately sets to doing damage control with Tara, who is spiraling into panic as she realizes how thoroughly hosed her little family is. Jax holds Tara close and promises, "I'm going to give you a beautiful life," but Tara looks skeptical about that.
Then Jax heads back to the clubhouse to set his plans in motion. Chibs gets Tig (who has been taking Wendy home) on the phone. He tells Unser to "earn his rent" by finding out everything he can about Toric. Then he confirms that Happy's ready to remove Clay's ink. Finally, he blows off Bobby's request to talk alone.
Clay's waiting for Gemma in her office. She totters in and sits to him on the couch, and Clay says, "You never asked me why I lost the patch." Gemma sighs and says, "I guess I didn't want to know." Clay figures that's fair enough, then hands over all the legal papers from the safe. Gemma asks, "Why?" Clay says, "I thought I wanted the club back. You know -- money, weight. I was wrong. The only thing I lost that matters is you, Gem. You're the only thing I want back." Gemma immediately says, "I don't know what to say to that." Clay then asks Gemma to accompany him to Ireland because nothing is more romantic than reconnecting with your battering spouse in the same city where your first husband's baby mama lives. Gemma looks as if she's actually considering it. Lord help me, Ron Perlman and Katey Sagal are so good and have such insane chemistry, I'm almost rooting for this.
They cuddle on the couch, and then there's a knock on the door, because it's time for the episode-ending musical montage Clay's club tattoos to be removed. Everyone watches as Happy inks them over -- well, almost everyone. Bobby watches Jax.
Gemma has decamped to Nero's place and she climbs him like a tree.
Tara is on her knees by her bed, praying. Well, it beats her other coping strategies, like waking up her baby.
Toric is sitting on the floor of his hotel room, reading Antonin Artaud's Watchfiends and Rack Screams which has been described as "a torrent of speech from the other side of sanity and the occult." Worth noting: the giant satchel of prescription medication he has on the valet, and all his firearms lovingly lay out on the bed. Three guesses as to whether this retirement was early and/or forced, and the first two don't count.
Jax peels off by himself, then meets up with Tig outside Wendy's apartment. Tig does not look as if he really wants to be there. Jax asks, "Jax, why are you doing this?" "Keeping life beautiful," Jax says.
He goes up to Wendy's apartment and says, "Look. I'm sorry. Everything you said has been ringing in my head. Can we talk? Please?" Once Wendy lets him in and mentions that her partner's in San Francisco (pro tip, writers: We don't call it Frisco), Jax brutally assaults Wendy, slams her against a wall and holds her by the throat as he growls, "Tomorrow, I call the rehab you work at. I tell them that you showed up at my kid's daycare, out of your mind, babbling about him being kidnapped by the IRA. That you were held hostage. And I tell them that you were high as shit and I'm afraid you're a danger to my child. Then I demand a drug test." Wendy sees that Jax has a needle in his hand, and she realizes what he's about to do. She begs, right up until Jax stabs her with the needle, then slides down the wall, sobbing as she nods out. Jax adds, perhaps unnecessarily, "You don't ever threaten my family again."
And off he goes, having ruined another life. Because that's what men do, if Jax's scribblings from the morning are any indication.
Lisa Schmeiser is now trying to imagine an episode in which both Boyd Crowder and Venus Van Damme can appear. Send your best plot bunnies to her via Twitter.