Monday, January 17, 2011

Son's of Anarchy

We send our heartfelt congratulations out to Katey Sagal for winning the Golden Globe for best actress in a dramatic roll in Son's of Anarchy. We all knew she was doing an amazing job and now everyone knows. Congrats!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Son's of Anarchy, Season Three, Finale

Well boys and girls this season concluded answering most of our questions plus there appeared to be a happy ending. The writers managed to pull another rabbit out of their hat giving us a nice twist in the end. Leaving us to wonder what next season will bring. Until that time I know Tuesday nights have now gone flat. We all have to give the cast a standing ovation for treating us to some great acting. Our helmets are off to Charlie, Ron, and Katie. They are all givens we expect nothing but the best from them and thankfully they have delivered every time.

There were a few standouts throughout the season and Michael Ornstein gets huge praise for his roll as the sick little twisted masturbator we’ve all come to love. He plays the part almost too well. In one of the final scenes where Juice played by Theo Rossi finds out Jax has turned rat the emotion on his face was eerily real and very well done. Tig played oh so well by Kim Coates, our resident sick bastard knocks it out of the park in every episode from the more serious scenes to the moments of levity. Opie played by Ryan Hurst has really stretched since the show first aired making him a real favorite. However the singular standout for me was given to us by Tommy Flanagan who plays Chibs. His raw talent looms large in Jimmy O’s final scene. The hatred and sheer determination expressed by this actor was award winning. I could go on and on but I’ll stop giving you the highlights.

Momma Gemma true to her character will do anything to protect her son from agent Stahl who she believes will screw Jax in the end. Call it a mother’s intuition. Gemma turns her self in only to find she has been exonerated of the crime. Of course for fleeing she gets to wear a stylish ankle bracelet for a few months. Gemma knows in her bones this is going to go bad and boy was she right.

Remember the Russians have Jimmy O and Jax needs him alive to make the deal with Stahl. Clay and Bobby talk to Otto at the prison asking him to reach out to the one Russian contact on the inside that can make things happen. This is where the people making this show rocked it for me. They brought in the most infamous and very real outlaw biker tossing him into the mix. Sitting across from Otto is none other than Hell’s Angel legend Sonny Barger playing Lenny; SAMCRO’s link to the Russian mob. Loved it!

Using the counterfeit dough with a few hundred thousand Jax managed to have the Fed’s add to the pile they head out. It’s clear there is a plan in play but until the end we just don’t know quite what that is. We do know Jax and Tara are OK and that made us all feel better. Opie asked Lila to marry him of course she accepted. Maybe now she’ll burn that stupid ass hat. Gemma is under house arrest and Unser has packed in his life as a cop knowing he hasn’t long to live. He apparently weighed his decisions siding with the Son’s not that it was any real surprise. Stahl is working her own plan to her climb back to the top without so much a shedding a tear over her newly departed love interest. Wow! Ice cold bitch to the max.

So here they are at the meet with the Russians the fake cash passes muster and they toss Jimmy O into the clubs black van then ride away. Remember agent Stahl is only a few miles away as part of her deal with Jax. Tara’s car is roadside they stop placing Jimmy into the car with Tara and a prospect and off she goes. As expected here come the Russians who have discovered the deception and the chase is on. Stahl set up a road block letting the club through with the exception of the van holding her reward. The Fed’s presence dissuades the Russians from coming any further. Stahl quickly finds out she has been duped and meets Jax nearby just minutes later. He tells her that she can have Jimmy but first she must sign those papers that reduce the gun charges as well as the clubs jail time. If Jax signs he’s a rat and we all know what happens to rats. However with Stahls insistence ax signs!

The next thing we see is Stahl arriving with her minions at the clubhouse. She demands Jimmy O. Everyone but Jax appears amazed that she knew where Jimmy was. He’s instantly taken into custody. Just as Gemma suspected agent Stahl signs the paper reducing their charges in front of everyone. Thus exposes Jax deal in front of the club. Everyone is clearly devastated the words rat and dead somehow seem to go together. The emotions are running high as the club members are loaded into the Federal van. Tara and Lila are left not understanding the total impact where Gemma understands it all to well. Her beloved son is a dead man and worse yet the man she loves more than life will most likely be the one who kills him. It’s a heart wrenching moment.

Aw but here comes the twist! In all the confusion we didn’t see hide nor hair of Piney, Opie and Chibs who we now see riding in a big yellow school bus with Piney at the wheel. Meanwhile Unser after cleaning out his things at the office yet still using his Charming police cruiser bleats the siren encouraging agent Stahl and her black suited drones to pull over. The ruse is that he has information of a possible attack coming her way. Stahl reacts sending the second car away with all her agents in it to check things out. Unser my now favorite cop if there can be such a thing; suddenly pulls his six-shooter, pointing it at none other than our favorite love to hate lady Fed. Wow I think I really love this old man. Then to her shock and surprise up rolls a big yellow school bus.

Jimmy O is dragged from the car fittingly by Chibs who will get to release his years of hatred on the man that not only disfigured him but stole his family. Jimmy O dies very bloody and Flanagan gives an award winning performance in doing do. Our Opie boy forces agent Stahl back into her sedan while he slides in behind her. As much as Ally Walker has made us all hate her character it shows us what a talented lady she really is. In her final scene before Opie calmly lets the bullets fly she shows us one last time that she is a really good actress. Hell for a millisecond I almost felt sorry for the bitch. Opie too makes the scene more than real summoning all his courage to avenge the death of Donna.

Before they flee the scene Chibs make the IRA sign with Jimmy O’s blood on the rear wind shield laying the blame at the feet of the Irish. Lastly the folder with Jax deal inside is removed. In the last bit of the season finale dumb and dumber the two remaining prospects are following behind the van taking the Son’s to jail. The bikes pull along side the van beeping their horns as if to signal something. The Son’s in chains respond by bursting into jovial laughter and that’s when we know that the club knew all along what Jax was doing and the risk they were all taking but for once a SOA plan went off without a hitch.

In the final scene the prospects delver a letter Jax wrote one to his mother and one to Tara. Gemma reads hers and only then understood that the club knew all along what Jax was doing. Of course they didn’t tell her because everyone knows Gemma can’t keep a damn secret. Before Tara’s note reached her she finds the letters that Molly placed in Jax bag before he left Ireland. As she begins reading the letter in John Tellers words he makes a startling claim that if he dies it will be at the hands of who else but Gemma and his best friend Clay. Tara is naturally shocked. Maybe we haven’t heard the last from the ever vocal ever dead John Teller after all!

Yup you guessed it they slam dunked the ending allowing for a new chapter to unfold in the lives of everything SAMCRO. Maybe they will have a little more fun next season. Maybe they'll go on a run and kick up their heals they haven't done that for a long time. Season Three gets six shots out of six. Until then I will be impatiently waiting for next season...

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

The Son's of Anarchy, Season three, Episode Twelve

Well folks another season has flown by with only the final episode to answer any remaining questions and to leave us with a few new ones. Let’s hope this season’s ending is as powerful as last years. So here is what we know our Charming Son’s arrived safely from Ireland with baby Abel in tow. With that said everything is hardly coming up roses. Let’s see Tara has been kidnapped by Alvarez who is half crazed and filled with vengeance. Not a good place for our girl. Jimmy O is back in the USA protected by the Russian mob that is willing for a price to get him out of the country. Hail is the man behind the real estate takeover that caused Lumpys death and in another backhanded move helped cause the demise of the Charming Police Department. Meanwhile our favorite back stabbing agent has been laying the ground work to throw her lady love under the bus.

At the table Clay hands out duties and announces some harsh realities. They are definitely going to jail for some period of time over the gun beef. They understand that is a given. The problem is that leaves the charter and Charming vulnerable. Clay needs bodies to follow his orders knowing he can run their business from inside the can no sweat. They need at least six additional bodies to handle everything locally while they are away. A vote on Kosic switching charters goes nowhere with Tig still the hold out. Clay’s not happy.

Later Kosic talks to Tig to see if they can ever get past the roadblock. Tig confesses that he just can’t let it go. The it? The love of a woman or so we thought tugs at our heart strings. Kosic appears to understand but reminds Tig he loved her too. Tig sits on the swing mooning over a photo of what we believe is his one time lady love. You bleed for the guy thinking wow Tig was actually in love once. Yet Kosic somehow screwed it up. Bazinga! We are all played. The photo is of Tig and what else a dog! That’s right man’s best friend a four legged bit of fluff causing all the bad blood we’ve witnessed in past episodes. I laughed my ass off it was so damn funny.

Jax checks in with agent Stahl who is pushing for more information about the Irish shot callers than he’s willing to give. He won’t play ball without Tara’s safe return. Gemma is still worried about the deal her son made with the nasty agent and has an idea of her own. Everyone hit the ground running trying to untangle a web that will lead to harmony in Charming and in their own lives. Opie wearing that stupid fucking hat seeks momma Gemma’s advice about love and marriage. He wonders if Lila is the right girl and Gemma assures him that she is. You see yesterday’s slut becomes tomorrows old lady. At least they got that part right.

Gemma kidnaps agent Stahl at gun point threatening her. She assures her that she will retract her statement pointing the finger back at Stahl if she fucks with her son. You could almost see the wheels turning. Stahl’s girlfriend saw the whole thing wanting to turn Gemma in but in typical Stahl fashion she talks her way out of it. Man the handwriting is on the wall and later the script doesn’t let me down.

Marcus the Mayan king is worried about Salazar spilling his guts to the cops about the nice little heroin trade he and his boys have in play. Clay intended to smooth things out with him telling him they need Salazar alive. Sadly Marcus is not playing he doesn’t care what they need if he finds him first Salazar is a dead man. Bobby picked up Salazar’s aunt who only speaks Spanish leaving him in the dark. Marcus gets her to talk using the persuasion of his Beretta. Following the lead she gave they learn his girlfriend is dead along with the driver of the car Salazar jacked. Salazar with Tara locked in the trunk of the new ride watches Hail waiting for the right moment.

Salazar barges into Hails office with Tara bound and scared to death. Now he has two bargaining chips. When all is said and done the not so smart Chicano wants Jax and a getaway van. After listening to Salazar make his big speech about who he’s going to do what to Jax acts. Hail stabs Salazar and the chase is on. The Mayan’s want him dead. Unser needs him alive to prove Hail is dirty but Jax has plans of his own and none of which end with Salazar breathing. Go Jackson!

In all the ciaos and confusion of the moment Agent Stahl makes her move. She point blank shoots her lesbian girlfriend in the neck with some little throwaway handgun she just happens to have stashed on her person. Let’s face it the girlfriend can’t stay stupid forever she’s seen and heard too much. What’s a dirty agent to do? Stahl fires some wild shots barking into her radio about some Mayans that shot her partner. The girlfriend dies a little more slowly than Stahl would have liked but in the meantime she wipes the gun clean and tosses it away.

Later we listen as agent Stahl makes her statement to internal affairs. She tells them that her partner made a dying confession weaving a web that points the death of Cameron Hayes son onto her partner taking the blame off Gemma. TaDa! Our favorite mother is off the hook. Better yet Jax gets to see the ultrasound of the newest little Teller and he and Tara are set. Sadly Unser is out of a job but is welcomed back into the fold with the Son’s. Hail will now be a shoe in for Mayor unless Tara might have learned a thing or two while she was with Salazar one can only hope.

The Son’s never seem to have a chance for any down time there is so much going on in every episode. We know that Jax has got to deliver Jimmy O to save the club from future legal fallout especially since Stahl kept her end in regard to his mother. The problem lies with the club wanting to turn him over to the Irish well that and Jax turning rat even if he means it in a good way. If the club finds out as the previews allude to then our prince of all things SOA could just as easily be the dead prince and Gemma couldn’t do anything to stop it or could she? I think the writers need to pencil in a run next season. The SOA and their families all deserve a break. Besides it would give the world a peek at how bikers decompress.

I can’t say more than I love the twists and turns the ups and downs and the laughs thrown in for good measure. I give this episode five out of six shots. I can’t wait for the finale. No that’s not true once this is over what will I do on Tuesday night which because of The Son’s of Anarchy has become the best night on television.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Son's of Anarchy, Season Three, Episode Eleven

Still in Ireland our boys are told by the slimy priest that baby Abel has been adopted out. With some exchange back and forth our group races off to the nunnery to extract some information. The nuns lie as nuns often do and Jax appears to be resigned to the loss. It seems the priest’s words from his father are still echoing in his head. Ah, but grandma Gemma is having no part of any of that bullshit. Faking a pain she quickly relieves the guard of his pistol then turns the table. Beckoning the nun to hand over another child Gemma angrily points the gun at the crying baby. She demands to know Abel’s whereabouts. The terrified nun not understanding the bluff spills her guts. Mama Gemma saves the day.

Now here is where it goes off the rails for me. Although I will admit last nights episode was far improved over last weeks it had one long terrible moment where I thought “oh no the writers have lost their train of thought”. It was the scene where Jax goes to the location given by the nuns to find little Abel. He tracks the unsuspecting adoptive parents who are holding his son in obviously loving arms. He watches as they stroll willy nilly through the mall fawning over one another and baby Abel. OMG! The frigging scene went on and on and on I thought it would never end. There was time to hit the head, have a snack and take a call before it finally ended. Jax stood there taking it all in somber faced deciding his son was better off where he was than with him. Mind you the acting was great. No it wasn’t a teary moment it was an angry moment because I found myself wanting to slap the crap out of the little prince.

Fortunately it gets better. In the next scene when he comes back empty handed he asks to speak to his mother alone. He is teary eyed and resigned to the loss. Thankfully if the writers lost sight of the character they had written Jax to be they have not done so where Gemma is concerned. Hearing his words in disbelief she snatches him up slapping his oh so handsome face as any mother should when her grown son has lost his mind. As a last resort to bring her son back to reality she tells him Tara’s secret the one she promised to keep. I told you Gemma would use it to her advantage. Check and mate well played.

Jax is reeling from the shocking news that he has another child on the way! Moments later the priest arrives with Karrie Ann and Chibs daughter due to a threat by Jimmy O. When Clay arrives the priest learns that the second twin was tortured and murdered by Jimmy O and company. The priest suddenly realizes it was all a smokescreen which would allow Jimmy to go after baby Abel. During this epiphany he explains that Jimmy needs the baby to assure him safe passage out of the country.

The chase is on as Clay, Bobby, Opie and Jax head back to the hotel to find the baby. As expected the baby is gone and the adoptive parents lay dead in their hotel room murdered by Jimmy and his goon. Jax is still wigging out and the scene in the hotel room where he moves the woman’s body placing her nearer to her husband although touching I found not the least believable. It should have been left on the cutting room floor. Later we discover at a meeting with the IRA that Jimmy will receive protection in the US provided by the Russian mob. The IRA are willing to guarantee his safe passage out of Ireland if he gives little Abel back on the condition that the Son’s kill Jimmy O as soon as possible. In return the Son’s will be in the number one spot with the IRA which would be very profitable for the Redwood Originals. It’s agreed call it a done deal. The arrangements are made and just like that Jimmy O hands over the baby in trade for the priest. I didn’t see that coming. Naturally Jax is concerned believing the priest will be killed in the process I just love an outlaw with a heart. Boo frigging Hoo. After all the grief this priest gone wrong has created the church won’t feel a thing.

Back home in Charming they have plenty of deep shit to call their very own. Salazar has Tara and her boss. They’ve made the call announcing the Mayan president’s death but need more time to get the money. Agent Stahl jumps back into the mix offering to provide the cash to bait Salazar. Remember Stahl hasn’t talked to Jax lately but is intent on their deal; the one that no one knows about. Also in the dark is her ATF rug munching girlfriend who better wake up before she gets fed to the fishes.

On top of it all the Charming city council has unanimously voted to shut down the Charming police department and opt for the county Sheriffs to handle their policing business. It looks like Unser is out of a job. At the clubhouse once again sharing information with the Son’s Unser realizes he was duped. He understands all too well that Hail is at the heart of the matter and shares that with the remaining Son’s. Telling them Hail was part of the group buying up the properties where Lumpys gym was located. He also informs them that poor Lumpy passed last night. Between them they determine that the Mayans had nothing to do with it and that Salazar acted out of revenge or did he? If they can catch him Unser wants to flip him hoping he’ll give up Hail.

While Salazar is off waiting to pick up the money Tara comes up with a plan of her own. Breaking the bathroom mirror muffled by a towel she hangs onto a jagged piece of glass. When his girlfriend storms the bathroom gun in hand after finding out the club brought the cops in on the money drop she’s pissed. Tara leaps at her strikes the unsuspecting Latin Chiquita severing an artery in her neck. Tara retrieves the dying woman’s gun when Salazar rolls in. Not wanting his woman to die he agrees to let Tara’s boss go if Tara stays to help his lady love. Naturally he agrees loading the woman into his car along with Tara. In the end Chiquita dies and Salazar wigs out. It looks like he’s about to kill Tara in a fit of rage.

The show ends with a phone call from Tigs to Jax telling him about Tara’s kidnapping. The look on his face is priceless then the scene goes dark leaving us trying to figure it all out. Several good things happened but most importantly John Teller’s voice finally went silent in Jackson Tellers head. Hallelujah! It took three seasons to put that to bed. We can only hope that the love letters that Maureen placed in Jax backpack before they left won’t stir all the shit up again.

I love it when a good plot comes together as this one did tonight barring the one very long unnecessary scene. I give this episode five shots out of six and can’t wait for next week.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Son's of Anarchy, Season Three, Episode Ten

The predictable answers finally arrived last night putting an end to the Irish rat squad and a forty year friendship. This surprising information leaves the Belfast SOA in turmoil over losing two of their own. While Maureen drowns her sorrows in the whiskey bottle; her daughter is going to resolve her own sadness in Jax arms. Not so fast! Buzzed momma’s to the rescue! Not only do they stop the perverted coupling but they are forced to air Daddy’s dirty laundry. Jax deals with it somewhat better than Trinity but that was no shocker.

At a sit down with the morally corrupt priest and his Irish Army cronies the Son’s are informed that they the army will be dealing with Jimmy O’Phelan. The SOA’s services are no longer needed. End of story. However the despicable priest still has Jax son. Now this should be a no brainer hand the kid over and the Redwood Originals go home. The priest wants a private meeting later to resolve the issue with Jax.

Meanwhile back home the vengeful Salazar is demanding 250K from the Son’s. In addition he expects them to murder the president of the Mayan’s for him. Remember the only Son’s left in Charming are Piney, Tig and Kozik accompanied by Sleepy and Dopey the remaining prospects. The plan they come up with is to fake Marcus Alvarez death and borrow the money he is rumored to have in his safe. In a stalemate on Alvarez front porch they learn he doesn’t have a dime. However with a baby in arms it’s obvious he’s a family man. This forces him to agree to the rest of their plan. His cooperation is limited to playing possum for a maximum of twenty-four hours and not a minute more. With the clubs treasury broke as usual and no one around them in possession of any personal wealth it looks like Tara and her boss may go the way of the dodo. Will the fact that Clay left these three to think for themselves insure Tara’s early demise along with the newest baby Teller-Morrow? I think not but we’ll have to wait and see.

There’s not a whole lot going on in this episode. Its not as jam packed as the episodes usually are. In spite of that when it bounces back to Ireland we find Jax ready to have it out with the hypocritical priest. Sadly this is where the story falls apart for me. The priest explains to Jax his long dead father the infamous John Teller; founder of all things SAMCRO; more than twenty years before made him promise to save his son from the life he was living. Obviously the priest didn’t make a single move in that direction being he’d never had any contact with John Tellers son before now. I guess the priest was referring to his club life and not the adulterous, bastard making, fornicator he apparently was! He sells Jax a bill of goods that he is protecting the child from the life he would surely have with him. With that said and the lines read it continues to fall off the rails for me. You see I don’t care who you are or how fucked up other people may think your life is; your child is your child. Most parents would walk through hell and back bare footed for them hardcore bikers included. No sanctimonious priest would ever be able to persuade you differently. That shit just didn’t work.

AH, but we see our boy Jax folding, falling back into his daddy’s bullshit deep inside his head leaving us to wonder if the priests words are resonating too loudly or if he’s had those thoughts him self. After all he’s just stabbed the priest pet goon and threatened a priest to gain access to Abel’s whereabouts. We’re not talking about a choirboy to say the least. I can hear it bouncing around in his head like a Beebe in a boxcar. But I call bullshit on that too! Remember Abel is Gemma’s only grandchild. I can’t wait to see what happens when Jax tells his mother what the priest told him. When she hears the ridiculous ideas the priest has shoved in her sons head look out. I guess then we might even feel a little sorry for the priest if momma Gemma gets a hold of him. His god may give him absolution but not before she snips off his balls with a blunt pair of scissors!

This episode didn’t wow me the way the others have. I think the trip to Ireland has made SAMCRO look like a pack of buffoons foiled at every turn. Yea there’s been a shit load of violence but whether they are back home or away they are running around like cartoon characters that never seem to want to step on the wrong toes. If we believe everything we’ve seen thus far whether they come home with Abel or not Gemma will be going to prison for life and the majority of the club will do some kind of time over the previous gun beef. If Jax doesn’t turn O’Phelan over to agent Stahl the SOA world as we know it is all but dead. If Jax punks out and leaves his kid behind based on his daddies flawed philosophies what can I say it all goes to hell so whether or not Tara lives or dies in the scheme of things won’t really matter because they’ve written the show into a corner ending it as badly as the Soprano’s.

There are just three more episodes of this season and I can only hope they return to the high quality level of everything that aired prior to last night. I give this three out of six shots because I found this episode to be very disappointing and besides Opie had that stupid hat on again making it worse!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Son's of Anarchy, Season Three, Episode Nine

We all send a big thank you to Dish Network for paying up so that SOA fans can enjoy the rest of the season. I also would like to send along my personal thank you to the writers and producers of the show for finally and hopefully forever striping Opie of that terrible hat. The man has a nice head of hair. I say let it hang down!

As we left off last week our boys are still in Ireland hunting baby Abel. They have discovered that priest Ashby has him squirreled away for safety’s sake. Naturally this isn’t sitting well with the family. The whole thing reeks as in smells bad and I think there’s more to this story. Jax reaches out to our favorite love to hate, gay agent Stahl for info on the revered priest. Unfortunately his hopes are dashed when he learns Ashby has managed to remain squeaky clean all these years. It appears there’s nothing in the win column there. He moves on requesting info on O’Neil the SOA, Belfast rat. O’Neil has made our boys suspicious since Jimmy handed the phone over to him a few episodes back. It seems strange to me that they continue to follow both he and McGee around the Irish countryside like a pack of blind mice.

As the Charming pack is separated from the Belfast bunch at a police blockade; everything should have become more suspect. I guess their American street smarts were dulled on the long plane ride over. Falling for that crap once but twice? Surprise! They make it through continuing to follow the weapons delivery to the army. It is there they hope to meet up with Jimmy O where they plan to get to the bottom of things. Jax appears to be the only member trying to keep his eye on the ball. Or in this case the wandering rat O’Neil. Juice and Happy are dispensed to keep an eye on him and fail miserably at the task.

It’s all hands on deck loading the weapons cache into the truck. When suddenly the barn doors are slammed shut by the army brats. Quickly they chain and padlock it before making a clean getaway on Jimmy’s instruction of course. The loaded truck has been secretly armed with explosives. It appears even our dodgy McGee doesn’t appear to know what’s about to happen next. With that said our boys quickly do the math realizing the truck is going to blow. What they don’t know is who is holding the detonator? It wasn’t a stretch or even a surprise that this prick wouldn’t mind blowing up his Irish brothers. When the fiery blast sub side’s although the concussion is still ringing in everyone’s ears the Redwood Originals are thankfully intact. However five of their Irish brothers including Chibs nephew did not fare so well.

Back in Belfast our other villain Jimmy O along with his dim witted henchman storm into Maureen Ashby’s house with guns drawn. The priests bodyguard left behind to protect Fiona and the girls is dispensed with quickly with a silenced bullet to the head. In a tricky turn of events well planed and equally well executed. Trinity working downstairs hears the commotion upstairs. She races up the back stairs gun in hand. She fires wildly at the henchman. This allows her quick thinking mom to stab Jimmy O while our girl Gemma retrieves his gun. There is a momentary standoff as the henchman points his gun at Gemma. However she wins the stalemate and Fiona takes position of his gun.

It’s easy to see that Gemma is bent on answers and then murder. This man has cost her, her grandson and in her mind he needs to die. Shock registers on her face when Fiona places the gun to her head. Remember Gemma once described her as the one woman that she was afraid of well now we know why. Fiona assures her that her actions are for her own good and just as I began to question her loyalty... She vividly explains to Jimmy O what will happen to him if he comes near her or her daughter ever again. Whether he believes that or not is entirely another matter. Moments later Gemma slugs Fiona who returns the favor quenching Gemma’s anger. Then Fiona quietly explains that Jimmy O has grown so enmeshed in the violence that whoever killed him their entire family would be hunted down and all of them would be wiped out.

At the end of another action packed day on the Emerald Isle Chibs has had enough solemnly vowing to kill Jimmy O. The club urges him to take the girls back to Charming but he refuses to remove his daughter from her homeland. We all know Jax can’t allow that to happen. He’s promised to ship him gift wrapped to agent Stahl. The plot just became a bit thicker. At three am we see Jax placing his arm around Trinity’s lovely shoulders. When out of the shadows steps momma Morrow the impact of the scene is not lost on her. It looks like the ladies better let the cat out of the bag before there are any more surprises.

Meanwhile back in Charming things aren’t much better. Tig and Piney quickly figure out the Mayan Intel is bogus in light of their chat with the X Nord Lord. Informing Sheriff Unser doesn’t yield them any joy but it does put a bee in his bonnet. Unser learns a bit more after talking to Oswald that some entity is buying up all the property around the gym. After a little digging, Unser gets his hands on the investors list and what do you want to bet that he finds Hail’s name there. Our favorite sheriff might just be feeling a little duped. Maybe the bad guys aren’t the one’s wearing leather after all.

Salazar much like the ever ready pain in the ass he has become will not fade away. He cleverly blackmails Hail into telling him where Jax ole lady works. It’s no surprise being the punk that he is Hail gives up Tara’s information. She is on her way to an abortion clinic in Modesto accompanied by her hospital supervisor. Her boss’s car is rear ended by Salazar and his well trained Akita of an old lady. Tara is clearly confused as questions about Jax are thrown out. Her boss is suspected of being an ole lady too. Salazar’s bitch checks for ink and finds some. I nearly fell off the couch. This tight ass biker hating straight laced bitch or so it seemed has a huge freaking back piece. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I never saw that coming. So maybe there is more to her disdain for all things SAMCRO than has yet to be revealed. Interesting!! We must wait until next week as we watch Salazar load the women back into the car speeding away.

As before I’m left with a number of questions bouncing around in my head but as is always the case I can’t wait for next week. You got it. This gets five out of six shots. Mostly for making our boys seem a lot more passive than we know they actually are.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Son's of Anarchy, Season Three, Episode Eight

Wow this episode was packed with more action than any episode we’ve seen. Our favorite Son’s make it across the pond to the Emerald Isle. Jimmy O has prepared a rousing welcome intended to send them packing. Paying off the local cops the club is rousted on some back road. This only increases Clay and Jax suspicions that there is a snake in the hen house. When all hope is seemingly lost and the cops are about to foil the search for baby Abel; Gemma in true mother hen fashion slams her foot down on the accelerator crashing her vehicle into the cop’s getaway truck. She runs it off the road ultimately saving the day. Jimmy’s Intel had not mentioned Gemma Teller-Morrow. Surprise, surprise!

Back home Tara bails Tig out of the local jail where his charges range from speeding to evading police and everything in-between. Unser informs him that his license has been suspended for two years. Without his license and his ability to ride his bike it looks like he will lose his right to vote in meetings. That could lead to his arch foe Kosic becoming a member of the Charming chapter after all. Interestingly we learn that the animosity between Tig and his rival is because of a woman. What you thought it was going to be something else? The only thing that makes a man hold that kind of a grudge is because of the fairer sex, plain and simple. Now we just need a few more details and the mystery will be solved.

We also lean that the Son’s are a prolific lot since both Tara and Lila are pregnant yet they plan to keep their men in the dark. Faced with uncertainty about their futures with the men they love they are both facing a tough situation. Lila seems to have cleared the path deciding to end the pregnancy. With Jax in the dark and far away and the memories of him constantly pushing her away may have finally driven Tara to the tipping point. It looks like there might not be another Teller baby after all.

With Clay’s promise to take care of the old boxing gym owner fresh in everyone’s mind; the remaining Son’s are forced to pony up. After a warning from Darby who for a minute seems like he’s crawled in bed with Hail. Just to recap Hail and his upstanding and important friends want all the property in that area for some special project regardless of who gets hurt. Don’t you just love the upstanding citizens of Charming? It makes one wonder if Sheriff Unser realizes who the bad guys really are but I digress. Wow! I didn’t see this coming. From the writer’s keyboard to Darby’s heart we all watched as it grew three sizes that day. Not only did his walk down memory lane at the old gym trigger memories of better days. It seems he grew a conscience while he was there which included returning Hails money flatly turning him down. A building like that defiantly should not be torn down it has magical powers if it could crack a nut as tough as Darby.

With the threat of Darby’s return Tig orders prospect Peewee to stay the night in the gym to protect the owner who sleeps in the back. Now I hate to say I told you so but I did. When Tig hands over his pistol the kid nearly wet his pants. Later Hail bails Salazar out of the clink picking him second for the enforcer roll. Hail uses their mutual hatred for the Son’s along with the promise of some cash as bait. Late that night Salazar breaks in hefting an AK-47. He tares up the place while prospect Peewee watches from the safety of his hiding place. The old man is waylaid when Salazar swings the AK like a baseball bat knocking the old man out. Salazar shouts something about the Mayan’s hoping the blame will break the peace with the Son’s before running away. Peewee doesn’t stop to help the old man or to call for backup. Oh no. He returns his cutoff and Tigs gun leaving them in plain sight on the hood of the tow truck before riding like a bat out of hell back home to his mommy. His big adventure as an outlaw biker is over. No shit!

Meanwhile Chibs and his family are reunited making for a touching moment that won’t last for long. Gemma has now met the woman her first husband cheated with some twenty plus years ago. She also comes face to face with Jax pretty half sister Trinity. The two women agree to keep their dirty little secret buried not wanting to burden their children. Careful ladies they are people not mushrooms. They should not be fed shit and kept in the dark. From the heat pouring off Jax and Trinity it appears this quite possibly could be one very dangerous decision. If these two loving mothers are not careful this could end in an incestuous encounter. Truth or incest? Hm? Ladies you better let the cat out of the bag before you catch these two making one giant mistake.

On the journey to take Fiona and her daughter back to the safety of the church the group is fired upon. The car is sprayed with automatic weapon fire. Take note of how Jax protected his half sister covering her with his body. Fortunately there are no causalities. Unlike Opies ugly ass Rasta hat that seems to have finally and permanently departed. Hallelujah to that! The Son’s suspect Jimmy O. but their Irish brothers tell them differently. They learn a faction of the fighting men, fighting for the cause hate Jimmy O. It appears that they were more than likely dogging Fiona hence sending Jimmy O a warning message. The son’s have had a hell of a twenty-four hour period in the land of the leprechaun. In all of this Jimmy O is not having a good day either. He failed to have the Redwood Originals deported and Fiona and her daughter are finally out of his reach. He can longer use them as leverage with the club. I still want to know what the deal is with Chibs and Jimmy boy. It is clear our Irish gangster understand that the Son’s now know he lied about baby Abel. We watch as he angrily flings furniture all over the barroom as he feels the weight of his mistake.

King and Queen of all things Son’s rekindle their romance while Jax kicks the crap out of the suspected rat O’Neil, in a bare knuckles brawl. We didn’t get enough of Jax in action however I believe there is an upcoming rerun of Jax doing more to O’Neil than just bloodying his nose! I see another problem in the clubs future since it is obvious they don’t suspect McGee. Just like leaving Salazar alive in that dirty restroom this could prove to be a costly mistake. I can’t quite figure this McGee character out so far. All we know is that he’s weak and greedy. That doesn’t sound like anyone that would be elected to be a club president.

I was recently asked if the priest was a bad guy. Dah! He’s had his cousin killed in the name of the cause. He is the virtual consulary to the Irish resistance. That collar wields a lot of power in those parts. His agenda is simple really. Jimmy O’s grown too greedy and too powerful and in the priests eyes he’s got to go. I don't mean on vacation either unless heaven is a vacation destination. He appeals to Jax as they sit quietly talking inside the church. In his smooth soft spoken demeanor befitting a godly man he tells Jax he must kill Jimmy O. because then and only then can Jax have his son back. It was a not a shocking ending until you realize it was not the end. The next scene shows a young happy couple at the orphanage holding who else but baby Abel! Has the priest sanctioned the adoption of this baby? You tell me is he a bad priest? If the family finds out he might end up a very dead priest.

This was a really great episode which required watching a few times because there was so much going on. I give this one six shots out of six and only hope the remaining episodes are equally as good.