Hands up – still attached pleased – to everyone who involuntarily exclaimed, "Oh my GOD!" frequently over the course of this episode. Let's break down all the jolts to the system:
Tig's alive! It turns out that August is a) surprisingly scrupulous about the whole "We'll kill Traeger once Clay's done" thing, b) using the whole hand-over-your-brother thing as a loyalty test for Jax, and c) fond of the long play, as he tells Jax that handing over the gun business will cancel out Tig's "debt" to the Pope organization. Jax goes along with this.
Unser gets attacked! He gets carved up by some masked neo-Nazi types, which provides a handy little caper-of-the-week structure wherein we see that Rat is actually kind of a badass and should really be patched in at this point. The other side effect of the attack: As Tara is busy illegally treating Unser for the swastika that's been carved in his stomach, he worriedly asks Gemma what would have happened if the boys had been there. Gemma snaps back, "Nobody touches my kids! They're fine!" The look Tara gives Gemma right there suggests bad things in the episodes ahead. Speaking of Abel, Thomas and the women who love them …
Wendy's kind of a crafty schemer! She has lunch with Gemma where she spills the news about Tara persisting in guardianship and begins to make the case that Tara's become mentally unstable so Gemma needs to be on her guard. And I was all, "Oh, no, WENDY" until! Until! We see a meeting where it turns out Wendy and Tara are scheming together. And Unser catches them together! And quickly twigs to how Tara doesn't want anyone to know she's talking to Wendy! And even helps Tara divert Gemma from knowing Wendy's in a conference room with her! That. Is. HUGE. Like overuse-of-exclamation-points huge!
But the big shockers …
Filthy Phil and V-Lin are dead! DEAD! Galen does not taking kindly to Jax dictating terms of the gun trade to him, so he decides to teach Jax a lesson by dropping off the KG-9s that Jax has repeatedly said he didn't want, then killing both Filthy Phil and V-Lin. Worse, he has his guys cut them into small pieces, and leaves their hands on their cuts. (To be honest, I was expecting this to be Tig's fate.)
RIP, Otto. Toric tries to scare Clay straight by showing him a shackled, weeping Otto in the infirmary. When Clay asks for a moment to hug his brother, he slips him a shiv and whispers, "No more." Otto nods. Toric comes in later to try to persuade Otto to roll over on Clay, and hands him a pad of paper to write something. Otto obliges with, "Your sister's blood tasted as good as her pussy." This goads Toric into attacking Otto … who then shivs him with the weapon Clay passed him earlier. When guards come in, Otto slits Toric's throat, then dies in a hail of gunfire.
When you think about it, this is really Otto's final F-U to Redwood. Even though Clay wasn't a brother anymore, there's no way the shiv's not going to be traced back to him, and from there, the wrath of the law is going to come down on the club. I can't say the club doesn't deserve it.
Also, Roosevelt is kind of the badass of the episode, because it does not take him more than a minute to figure out that Toric's set up Nero for the murder of Erin-the-escort. Still, after Nero's let go, he has a think about where his recent decisions have led him and he tells Gemma he needs some space from the club. He tells her, "I hope it doesn't come to this, but if I had to cut ties, I want you with me." Although Gemma mouths, "I love you too," it's obvious that she identifies so closely with the club, she now sees Nero as a situation that needs to be managed.
Speaking of managing, I need to calm down and get my pulse out of the red zone. Your discussion question until the recap goes up: We're definitely moving into Act II of the season's story arc. So who is the most screwed in the wake of this episode? Smartasses saying, "Filthy Phil and V-Lin" need not answer.
Lisa Schmeiser is an Oakland-adjacent reporter, editor and blogger. She regularly tweets here, blathers about comics here, and posts the oddball personal piece of writing here.
This episode starts with poor, cancer-riddled Unser waking up in obvious pain and getting ready to face the day with some medicinal marijuana. But his breakfast dank is interrupted by some masked jerk stores breaking open his door and dragging him out by his ankles, the better to punch him in the face.
We then go directly from that ugly sight to a considerably more attractive one: Jax, shirtless, waiting for a bottle to warm up. It’s sweet that he’s taking the morning shift. He hears footsteps approaching the door and when he looks out the peephole, and whoever it is that he sees is enough to give him pause. Jax opens the door, attempts to act casual with his greeting, "You’re up early, brother," and fails miserably. And why, you might ask? Because the guy who’s up with sun is Tig.
Anyway, Tig does not look too pleased to be up and about, and he silently walks in. Jax closes the door behind him and we see him giving Tig a fearful, angry look. Is Tig here because he’s bright enough to realize that piece of paper in Auggie’s hand is one I gave him? Did he just kill August Marks and make another mess to clean up? Is he doing to kill me? But it’s not like Jax can actually ask any of this, so he tries to feign sleepy-father-of-a-baby confusion and listens to Tig’s tale:
”I got quite, quite the surprise at the port, man. Listen. August March showed up with a few of Pope’s guys. Shit, I thought it was all going down.” (Cut to Jax feigning goggle-eyed surprise. He is a terrible reactive liar. It’s interesting that he can only lie convincingly when he’s controlling the narrative). Jax asks, "What happened?" "He was there looking for you. Clay’s in gen pop, I guess he made some kind of deal. August needs to talk to you about it. First thing this morning. Power tower," Tig says.
Thomas has not forgotten he has a bottle coming and begins complaining to the management that there is no bottle in his mouth RIGHT NOW. Management (better known as Tara) comes shuffling in. Tig says apologetically, "Morning," and Tara replies, "Yes, it is." As Tig heads out the door, he stops and says thoughtfully to Jax, "You know, the prospects? They never showed up with that truck last night. I waited, like, three hours." Jax claims that he forgot to tell the prospects and, oh, he’s so sorry. Again, he is a terrible liar when he’s not manipulating the situation. Tig gives Jax an unnervingly sharp look and asks, "Am I good with you, Jax?" Jax lies, unconvincingly, that they are, the two hug is out, and Tig leaves. But he shoots Jax another skeptical look and oh my gosh, I hope this is the beginning of the end and Tig maybe goes back to his bike, rides around the corner and texts Bobby all, "If you are starting a nomad charter and need another warm body, I know someone who might be interested. P.S. Their name rhymes with 'Big Begger.'"
Roosevelt’s popped by Diosa nice and early, and Lyla’s acting as hostess that morning. She looks a sight better than she used to, but it’s still alarming enough where Roosevelt delicately inquires, "Do you mind if I ask you what happened?" Lyla says, "It was an accident," because yes, the placement of those cigarette burns certainly was random. Roosevelt then talks to Nero and breaks the news that they’ve found Erin Byrne (a.k.a. Erin the Escord) and they’re serving a warrant for his vehicle. There is no warrant for Nero, but he heads down to the station in the spirit of helpfulness. As he heads out the door, Lyla says she’ll call Gemma. "No, you won’t," says Nero.
As all the guys head out to the cruiser, they see Toric waiting outside, leaning against whatever sedan he’s rented for the duration of the Vendetta 2013 tour. Roosevelt calls out, "I don’t think they’re open yet." Toric calls back, "That’s okay. I like to watch." He grins and grins, and you can see Roosevelt filing away that face for later.
Jax meets up with August and politely inquires all, “What the hell? Is this a loyalty test?" August says, "If it was, you passed." Nice non-answer, Auggie. He then updates Jax on the Clay situation (Clay has protection but he had to earn it, and he did by offing a "peckerwood shot caller" within clear sight of skinheads) and does a sorry-not-sorry about the Neo-Nazi wrath that’s about to rain down on the MC. Also, August wants to know if there’s a chance that SAMCRO might hand "Marks, Inc." the gun business. Do that, and Tig gets to live. (Well, until he dies in whatever shocking/stupid/inevitable fashion Kurt Sutter’s dreamed up). Jax shakes on that deal. Not because he’s terribly fond of Tig, mind you, but because he wants out of guns that badly.
Gemma has pulled into Teller-Morrow for the day and notices that Unser’s trailer is open but he’s nowhere around. Chuckie -- who rides an ice-blue vespa and has a lovely white silk scarf fluttering behind him -- rolls up right as Gemma goes into the garage and discovers Unser strung up in the garage. He’s got a swatstika carved into his stomach. Chuckie is dispatched to get Jax, and while I’m sure we’re all appalled at Unser’s condition, let’s all take a minute to imagine the visual of Chuckie put-put-putting up to Jax, then attempting to tail him back to T-M.
OK, so Jax is on the scene, and I presume Chucky is several miles behind him. Tara is also on the scene, stitching up Unser as the rest of the core SAMCRO guys watch. Jax gets the 411 from Gemma, then Unser tells him who did this (three guys in masks, but they had swatstikas tattooed on their necks). Jax promises, "We’re going to find who did this." "And then what?" Unser asks. Tara looks up all, Yes. Do elaborate. All of your plans work out so well, and there are never unintended consequences. Jax doesn’t reply. He just thanks Tara, orders Phil and V-Lin to head to the gun warehouse to keep an eye on things, then heads out to deal with a few bikers who have just rolled up from the lovely, if occasionally flammable, San Bernardino county.
We meet Packer (played by the always delightful Robert Patrick, and if Packer meets up with Barofsky, my season will be made) who heads up the San 'Dino chapter. He peels off to talk to Jax as everyone else heads inside to convene a symposium on Neo-Nazis and the problems they present to your garden-variety racist bikers. So, remember how Jax has been trying to get out of the gun business and the Irish are being all Alex Forrest "I won’t let you ignore me!" about it and Jax is trying to tell him that the San ‘Dino chapter is champing at the bit to get more guns in the hands of more schoolchildren from troubled backgrounds? Well, San 'Dino begs to differ. Jax tells him, "That’s a big problem for us," and Packer makes sympathetic noises, but his guys think it’s a bad play.
Before Jax can begin lying about why getting in bed with a bunch of over-the-hill psychopaths is absolutely the best thing any motorcycle club could hope to do, Chuckie interrupts with news that Diosa’s got a job opening for a gullible brunette who does out-calls. Jax has the look of a man who keenly regrets getting up in the morning.
Tara is finishing up on Unser and she tells him he needs both a tetanus shot and a course of antibiotics at the hospital. Gemma drawls that one of the prospects will bring him by St. Sooner Or Later They’re Going to Notice Dr. Knowles Still Has a Full Set of Tools, and Tara sighs before using small words to explain to Gemma that she’s already off the reservation, medically speaking. So let’s not compound Tara’s legal problems by linking her to a guy who comes in with medically-treated wounds and no explanation for who sewed him up. Unser senses that Gemma is about to argue this point and jumps in with, "I’ll get Chucky," and it’s all settled.
Then Unser sits up and says agitatedly, "Gemma! What if I had the boys this morning? You bring them by, drop them sometimes." Cut to Tara looking both appalled and thoughtful that someone else finally sees the risk the boys are under. Unser persists, "What if I had Abel or the baby when these assholes showed?" Gemma looks like she wants to pretend the possibility doesn’t exist: "But you didn’t." "This time!," Unser says, continuing, "I mean, these aren’t crazy hypotheticals I’m spinning here. There’s kids in the mix now –" " My kids," Gemma says. THAT gets Tara’s attention. Gemma notices, perhaps because Tara looks like she’s trying to set her mother-in-law on fire with the power of her mind, and amends, "My grandchildren."
Then Gemma’s saved by a phone call. It’s Wendy, and she’s calling to let Gemma know that Tara’s lawyer’s been calling and pressing about guardianship, and Tara’s amending her will. I am not lying when I tell that that the first time I saw this scene, I involuntarily exclaimed, "Oh my God, Tara is so screwed."
Gemma, of course, doesn’t see Wendy delivering this news in the same light as I did. The girls agree to meet for a gab session over lunch at Gemma’s.
Meanwhile, inside church, the bikers are not thrilled to learn that a) Clay is alive on the inside, and b) the actions that Clay’s taken to earn his life are likely the reason the Nazis are all worked up right now. Well, that and realizing that California demographics have already trended in such a way where we’re a majority-minority state. Anyway, the upshot to this scene is that we’re going to see Darby this episode, because while he’s left the racist cult for looooooooooove (he married a Mexican girl!) he’s probably horribly aware of what the local skinheads are up to.
Then Chibs asks for some one-on-one time with the club president. Chibs wants the real scoop on the Irish and this whole ridiculous, convoluted mess, and Jax says, "The Irish are never going to let us walk away unless we give The Cause another pipeline. Cihbs warns, "You’re making decisions -- big decisions -- without bringing them here. That’s not how this works." Jax gives him a sardonic smile and then says, "How this works. Look at this goddamn charter. We have become the whipping boy for the IRA and the cartel. We’ve dwindled to six guys, while RICO and this psycho marshal just circle us, waiting for us to make the bad move. Brother, nothing here works. I’m trying to change that. I’m trying to give us a future. And yes, if that means stepping outside the lines or making a couple of calls on the fly, then that is exactly what I am going to do!"
Chibs is not moved by Jax’s bold declarations on the burdens of leadership and snaps, "You know who you sound like? The guy who used to sit in that seat.” Jax refrains from rolling his eyes and says, "Everything I do in this club is for this club. I’m not Clay. I never will be." He flounces out, leaving Chibs to think, "No, you might actually be worse."
And now we go to Toric revising history by telling Patterson that he "chatted [Erin] up at Diosa. She seemed willing to talk. Someone wanted her quiet." He also throws some shade at Roosevelt, which doesn’t go over well with Patterson, and she’s even less impressed when Toric admits that Clay still hasn’t signed any affidavit. Either Toric gets her agreement signed by the end of day or he’s no longer working for the DA.
Cut to Roosevelt and Nero having a bit of a chat about whether or not Nero’s into killing his employees, and Nero leans forward to say, "Sheriff, I was a junkie thug pimp for a lot of years. I’ve served my time. What I do now, I give these girls a safer place to do what they’re going to do anyhow." Roosevelt gives Nero a look suggesting that he’s not impressed with Nero’s attempts to provide the working girls of Stockton with a modern-day Hull House. He ushers Nero out of his office with, "Call it what you want, but you make money off the low self-esteem of broken women." Nero volleys back with, "I guess we all kid ourselves about the service we provide." And that is when Roosevelt is all, "OH-KAY. Someone is staying until my CSU team finishes going through their truck. Enjoy the taxpayer-funded coffee, pimp."
But then Nero demonstrates that he’s got a working brain. He asks, "You working with a marshal? Some marshal came, day before yesterday, came into Diosa and started talking with my girls. Erin, too. He left a card." Roosevelt is piqued now: "Toric." Nero confirms it was Toric. He also adds that, "Yesterday, he roughed up a couple of my homeboys, asking questions about me and my crew … where the wrong answers get your teeth smashed in." Roosevelt says that Toric is certainly not working on his investigation, and Nero says, "Maybe someone should tell him that."
Across town, Gemma’s having a lunch of fish a la Wendy, as in her fishing expedition for information has led to Wendy’s lurid tale of "Something has happened with [Tara], Gemma. I don’t know if it’s the hand, or having gotten arrested, but … I know she’s been through some awful shit, but she scares me … like she’s completely disconnected. She’s just so hell-bent on getting these boys out of Charming that she’s not even thinking about how bad it could hurt them. I’m worried." Gemma looks legitimately concerned at the notion of a desperate, unhinged Tara, then says with her God’s Righteous Mother face that, "Mmm-mmm, those boys aren’t going anywhere." Wendy sighs, “I hope not. You better be careful, because she knows you’re her biggest obstacle." Gemma rolls her eyes, but before she can say something dismissive about Tara, Lyla comes by to drop the dime on Nero, since she’s just that unconcerned about going against the direct wishes of her boss.
SAMCRO visits Darby and asks for the 411 on crazy local white power guys who might have it in for the club on account of Clay’s actions in the joint. Darby demurs with, "That’s not my life anymore. I’m married and doing the Jesus thing." Jax sniggers, but behind him, Juice is looking pretty thoughtful. He’s probably thinking that being the disciple of a radical Jewish man during Roman rule was still a cushier gig than the one he’s currently got. Eventually, Darby sighs that one of the old gang, Eddie Garber, just finished a dime at SanWa and is back trying to re-establish a street gang in the area. When Garber’s not trying to work on his street gang idea, he likes to relax on his six acres of off-grid land just adjacent to Oswald’s spread.
The SAMCRO boys conference away from Darby. Happy says they should do recon, and Tig offers a surprisingly cogent plan: "This Garber guy doesn’t know who we are. We just roll up, act like we’re interested in the cause, suss out who and how many". Because Jax has to head out with Chibs and deal with the Irish, he has to delegate. He looks back and forth between Rat and Chibs, and begins laughing. "You two, you’re father and son. They love that shit." Tig protests, "Really? You think I look old enough to be his old man?" Juice replies, "If you wash that black shoe polish out of your hair." "That, coming from a guy who’s had a faux-hawk since the ninth grade?" Even Rat gets into the action with, "Come on, Dad. We can do this." Tig looks at him and says, "My old man used to rape me. I’m just saying." That effectively ends the conversation, although Juice does murmur back, "Now it all makes sense."
Jax and Chibs use the good gangster/bad gangster routine to persuade Darby to show Juice, Tig and Rat where Garber’s compound is, and tells Tig emphatically, "You play it safe." I will be honest, part of me suspected that Jax sent Tig and Juice out to check out the scene because the likelihood of them getting killed was substantial and then he’d be free of two problem bikers. But this? Either Jax is a very good liar or he’s really good at compartmentalizing.
So Tig and Rat head to Gerber’s place, which confirms every stereotype possible about bigot yahoos. When Gerber comes out of the house to demand to know who they are, Tig amiably shouts that he’s Al Whiteman ("Really? White man?" Rat whispers) and he’s here with his son George, to look for Eddie Gerber because he and the boy, they sure do like hanging out with racists. Gerber Junior wants to know where they got that information, and Rat says, "Some friends at Stockton State. I just got out." Tig slings an arm around Rat and says, "I’m proud of you, boy. Proud of you." Then he repeats the request to talk. Gerber is not really keen on Tig & Rat yet and asks, “Now why would we want to talk to you?"
Tig pulls away from Rat and all amiability is gone. He says quietly, "Well, about a month ago, I watched a bunch of n***ers burn my daughter alive. And I can still smell her flesh." That is a tad too sincere for Gerber pere et fils, so it’s a good thing Rat fatuously adds, "We earn big and hate deep." For some reason, that works where Tig’s moment of total honesty didn’t.
But alas and lack, a few of Gerber’s pals found Juice and Darby along the main road and have brought them here. Within minutes, it’s all turned into a cluster and only Rat’s quick thinking -- he takes Gerber hostage -- gets all four of the recurrent-episode characters out alive.
I’m sure it will surprise none of you that Jax’s meet-up with Galen goes about as well. Jax refuses to take the KG-9s for delivery and Galen’s right-hand man Connor says, "You don’t have to take them. Just pay for them." Galen takes the news of Sam Dino voting down the guns by shrugging, "The Kings had their heart on doubling their business. You’ll have to pick up the burden now. The cause demands it. Greater good." Jax refrains from pointing out that the Real IRA is a nonstarter even in Northern Ireland, and just asks, "You know why my old man wanted out?" "Don’t know, don’t care. A lifetime ago," Galen says. Jax says, "Yes. And nothing’s changed. JT realized there’s nothing more dangerous than a gangster who thinks he’s got God in his pocket. The cause may have been the greater good at one point, but for people like you and Jimmy O, it’s just killing people with Catholic bullets to line your own pockets."
And that is when Galen loses it and swings at Jax. The two men are soon pulled apart. Jax says, "We are done with this game. I will let you know if and when we need more guns. Until then, hands off of my club." Galen just laughs, "Aye. Hands off." So you know this isn’t going to be the end of it.
Back in Charming, Nero’s relaxing in the squad room when Gemma descends like a force of nature. She demands to know why he didn’t call her and then shouts at Roosevelt, "Hey! What kind of bullshit is this?" "That’s why," Nero says to nobody in particular. Gemma insists to Roosevelt that Nero’s been with her nearly every night. "So I hear," Roosevelt says. Gemma presses, "He had nothing to do with that murder." Roosevelt gives her a look and says, "You know, this is the second guy in the past two weeks depending on you for an alibi?" OH SNAP.
Say! Guess which crime fighting team just found all sorts of evidence in Nero’s truck? Roosevelt looks at his deputy Cane and he asks, "Does he look like a guy who knows that his truck was covered in incriminating evidence?" Roosevelt and Cane watch Nero and Gemma smiling together, and Cane shrugs that Nero’s an OG and therefore good at covering up evidence. Roosevelt shows why he’s po-lice with, "This wasn’t evidence being covered up. This was meant to be found." Cane shows why he’s not management material when he asks Roosevelt to explain. Roosevelt replies, "I need the file of retired marshal Lee Toric. Everything that he’s got."
Clay is alone with his thoughts in solitary when Toric is buzzed in. The ex-marshal grins down at him and Clay rolls his eyes before dryly inquiring, "Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed you?" Toric begins laughing and says, "First Jax frames you. Then he apparently made some kind of deal to keep you alive. You obviously had to earn that. Was the stay of execution because you didn’t rat? Was it some kind of reward? A last minute remorse reprieve? Because we both know it’s just a matter of time before black – and now white – slits your throat."Clay remains impassive.
Toric continues to press his case and Clay is supremely indifferent, even when Toric is stomping on his arthritic fingers and saying, "Every day you don’t sign that affidavit, you’re going to wish you were dead." Clay says only, “I’ve known guys like you my whole life. You don’t hate me because I’m bad. You hate me because I’m familiar." Toric spits, "Guilty!" and then removes his foot, commenting, "Looks like your arthritis is flaring up. We’ve got to get you to the infirmary. There’s someone there I want you to see. I’ll make you an appointment."
Man, I like Donal Logue and think he’s an actor of tremendous and subtle talents, but at this point, Toric’s spun so far toward cartoon villainy, there’s no way to play him as truly frightening. The most terrifying monsters on this TV show are the ones who retain plausibly human emotions, not the ones who are malicious quip machines manipulating circumstances in their favor at every turn.
Back at T-M, Jax is surprised to see that Darby’s at his clubhouse and he learns that everything went Juice-shaped at the Gerber compound. As if that weren’t enough, his phone chirps and it’s Filthy Phil (remember how he was dispatched to the gun storehouse back in Act One of this episode?) and the Irish are there with a gun delivery. Jax is furious: "Tell them to wait. We’re on our way." He leaves Rat to keep Darby company (what must those two have to talk about, one wonders?) and then decides everyone else will head out to the warehouse ASAP.
We zip to the warehouse, where Connors is asking Filthy Phil what Jax said. "He wants 'em to wait," replies the man-mountain. As Galen comes over, Phil says, "Jax says he’s on his way." Galen replies by shooting Phil once in the forehead. Connors follows that up with a bullet through V-Lin’s skull. (The first time I saw this scene, I shouted, "Oh my GOD!” I am glad I was alone in the house and did not startle anyone at 10-something at night). But…OH MY GOD! FILTHY PHIL IS DEAD, Y’ALL! And if Galen’s “Get the saw” order is any indication, terrible things are about to happen to their bodies.
Yep…terrible things. When the club rolls up and opens the barn door, the first things they see are two cuts resting on the ground, and a severed pair of hands atop each. "Hands off," indeed, Galen. The pile of body parts in a corner stuns all these hardened killers into silence.
Back at the sheriff’s office, Roosevelt looks through Toric’s file, growing increasingly alarmed and displeased with every page he reads. Then he heads out to Gemma and Nero. With a much warmer expression, he says, "We’re done here for now. But I’m going to need to keep your truck for a little while longer. Just stay available." Roosevelt turns to Gemma and says, "Tell Jax I need to talk to him." Gemma says, adding, "He’s a big boy. He doesn’t listen to his mommy anymore." Roosevelt fixes her with a look and says, "I find that hard to believe." OH SNAP TWO: SNAP MORE!
Also, anyone think that Gemma’s spiteful refusal to pass along any message will come back to bite the club in the ass at some point?
Back at the warehouse, Chibs comes out to check on the brooding Jax and tells him that the Irish took all the guns except the KG-9s. I’ll say this for Galen: He’s elevated spite to an art form. Jax puts the club in lock down, and then decides that the thing they all need to do to clear their heads is gun down some ersatz Nazis. Chibs objects: "I think this club needs a breather." Jax tries to set him on fire with a look, and when that fails, he says, "We have two crates full of hacked-up members. What this club needs is to settle a score." I’m not sure why the director chose to focus on Tig watching Jax there, unless it’s to point out that he’s kind of a wild card since he knows in his bones that Jax has it in for him. I had honestly thought that Bobby Elvis would be the first club challenge to the presidency, but I’m wondering if Chibs is going to effect a coup instead. He seems to have backing.
It’s a silent ride home from the station for Gemma and Nero. Eventually, the silence gets to Gemma and she asks if Nero’s still mad she came to the police station. Nope, Nero’s thinking a little more "big picture"” if you will. He says, "Gotta put some distance here, Gemma … two months into my connection to SAMCRO and I’m neck deep in shit I spent ten years trying to get away from." Gemma immediately gets defensive and Nero says calmly, "It’s on me. My choice." But, he makes it clear, he doesn’t want to be part of anyone’s empire-building schemes and the headaches they bring. Gemma asks if that means he doesn’t want her (because the club, c’est Gemma). Nero reassures her, "You’re the thing I do want. I hope it doesn’t come to this, but if I have to cut ties, I would want you with me." As Nero says that, the car slows and Gemma fixes her gaze on the distance. Something tells me that Nero is going to learn the hard way that you can’t have Gemma without her club.
Toric brings Clay into the infirmary, where he beholds the scarred and bloody wreck that is Big Otto. Clay whispers, "Jesus Christ," sounding genuinely appalled. Toric says, "The side you can’t see looks worse. A glimpse into your future." Clay asks for a minute with Otto, and as he stands beside his former brother, Otto begins weeping. Clay apologizes. Otto continues to sob softly and Clay slips him his own shiv and whispers, "No more, brother." Otto only nods. Clay then lumbers out. Otto waits until their footfalls disappear, then positions the shiv in his hand.
Back at T-M, Jax and Nero meet up and generally downplay the awfulness of their respective days. After Nero takes off, Jax tells his mom what’s really going on ("The Irish. We’re on lock down. We lost Phil & V-Lin") and everyone looks very worried.
And now, the scene in which Toric laughingly informs Clay that he can look forward to being woken up with a rousing violation of his human rights every morning, since I guess this prison exclusively employs sodomy-happy sociopaths. Even the threat of never being able to sit comfortably again does not compel Clay to sign the affidavit.
We see a hand holding a notepad filled with small, tidy writing, but since that hand is weighed down with a knuckle-dusting cocktail ring, I know it’s Lowen’s. (Sidebar: I love how this character loves her big loud rings. It’s such an eloquent touch on her overall characterization). It turns out Wendy has basically written out her history with the club: she was a crow-eater for a year before she hooked up with Jax, and suddenly the need to take lots of drugs makes a lot more sense. Then the camera pulls back and we see Tara and Wendy sitting at the table while Margaret does the mom-sway with Thomas. Ahhhhh! Tara and Wendy united against Gemma! And working with Lowen and Margaret to make it happen!
What's striking about this whole tableau is how neatly it encapsulates one of the central themes of the series: The people who inhabit the power structures of the country versus those who have been pushed out. SAMCRO has always stood for alienation and exclusion from mainstream society, and the men who are in it are men like Jax: barely educated, few lucrative job skills, no social safety net beyond one another. And in this room … four women who may have come from that socio-economic background in some way but have since figured out that working within the systems of U.S. society give them a certain amount of power. And now they’re all banding together to exercise that power.
Also of note: we have seen that Gemma has a real problem with professional women. I don’t think it’s a class consciousness issue. I think it’s much more fundamental: Since Gemma knows on a fundamental level that any power she has is wholly dependent on whatever man she can manipulate, she is envious and resentful of women whose power isn’t rooted in that fear of dependency. An autonomous woman whose power comes from her own accomplishments is a direct rebuke to every decision Gemma’s ever made. And she knows it. Four professional women working against her both confirms her darkest suspicions and stokes her worst nightmares).
ANYWAY, I’m super excited about learning that Wendy and Tara are working together to spin a story for Gemma. (And now I suspect that Tara’s not pregnant but having Margaret help build the "pregnancy" somehow. There is little Margaret would not do to help Tara escape SAMCRO). But oh man, my heart jumped into my throat when Unser opened the door and saw everything. And right as Tara tries to open a conversation with Unser, Gemma materializes. But to my great surprise, Unser keeps his mouth shut. He does say, "At some point, I’m going to ask a few questions." Tara looks regretful as she replies, "I know."
And now, a scene where Jax and his friends displace their angry feelings about Irish people by murdering a bunch of Neo-Nazis. On the plus side, they now have someplace to store all those KG-9s, since the former occupants of Gerber’s land are in no position to argue.
Back at the prison and Otto’s still in the infirmary. Toric comes in and asks the medic and the guard on duty to give him a moment alone with this highly volatile, known multiple murderers who happened to off his sister a scant few weeks ago. So of course, the prison staff skips on out.
Alone with his sister’s murderer, Toric negotiates. "I know how much pain I’ve caused you. Do you want it to stop? Me too." Then he lies about how Clay’s betrayed the club, so it’s okay for Otto to rat out Clay. Toric puts a legal pad and a pen in Otto’s hand and says, "Give me something. Just give me something I can use and I will make the time you have left here very comfortable." Otto nods. He manages to convey that he needs his right hand free. Toric gently puts on his glasses -- a gesture that seems almost obscene given what he’s engineered for Otto -- and Otto writes away.
Otto can’t resist getting the last word in. Toric gets a look at the paper, which reads: "Your sister’s blood tasted as good as her pussy" and pushes Otto in a rage. And THAT is when Otto shivs him in the stomach, repeatedly. Then he manages to get off the gurney and get his blade to Toric’s neck. A guard sees what’s going on and Toric shouts at him to get out. The guard does, but not before pulling the alarm. As Otto cradles the gut-wounded agent, Toric says, marveling, "Wow. I didn’t even see that coming."
Jax sits alone at the table, brooding attractively, when Chibs comes in to confirm that really, he’s doing all the boring responsible stuff that goes along with running a club. Tig’s also there, but not looking at Jax directly. Jax grunts and then goes back to brooding some more.
The music kicks in, so you know we’re on the home stretch for the episode. The first set piece in the ending montage: Otto slitting Toric’s throat, then dying in a hail of bullets. And you know what? About effin’ time. There was really nothing left to do with that character and while I realize Donal Logue’s departure has everything to do with his commitment to Vikings (where Travis Fimmel is playing what is essentially the medieval Jax Teller), Toric as the unchecked strategy-ninja quip machine was kind of a showy distraction. So good riddance to both characters!
Then it’s time for the biker-style burial of their two fallen brothers: they’ve soaked the cuts and crates are going with cremation, of a sort. The more unmarked graves these guys generate, the more I wonder about loved ones left behind. (I still think about poor Darveny’s older children, who will never know what happened to their mother. Truly, the actions of SAMCRO ripple out in all directions for years).
The montage switches to Nero gently tucking a sleeping Abel into bed while Gemma holds Thomas and tries to cling to the fantasy that this is her domestic life with her children and the father who loves them. Unfortunately, Nero’s tendency to look around and go, "What the hell is going on?" is a lot like JT’s, so who knows how much longer the fantasy will hold up?
Patterson comes into the prison to confirm that both Otto and Toric are dead. Well, she’s going to be thinking about new approaches to this gun case, eh?
As the music claims, "I’m sitting on top of the world," we see each face of the grim SAMCRO charter. Tig looks haunted (remember, it’s been only a month since Dawn burned in front of him, and there’s the smell of burning fles) but nobody seems to notice. Jax orders, "Bury 'em" and walks off as the musician insists one last time that he’s sitting on top of the world.
Lisa Schmeiser is an Oakland-adjacent reporter, editor and blogger. She regularly tweets here, blathers about comics here, and posts the oddball personal piece of writing here.