We start off with a detailed review of the finale of Season 6 on Sons of Anarchy. Then we look at next season and uncover some themes and plots twists. Heavy episode and I can’t say there was anything nice about it – a series of tragedies and more tragedy in the making….
Jax is sitting in a graveyard writing in his journal. In a voice over Jax explains that he is terrified a great deal of the time, afraid of what he has done,what his doing, and what he might have to do. It’s not a,crippling fear in fact it’s just the opposite, he thrives on it, he craves it. He has tremendous remorse for the acts of violence he has committed, what brings him the most sorrow is he has learned to justify this behavior. Jax then brings up the death of Opie’s and how losing his best friend caused him to lose his moral center. I can agree with that, Jax definitely switched into revenge mode after Opie’s death. However, Jax is on slippery slope, it’s one thing to commit violent acts it’s another to feel that each and everyone is justifiable. In fact I can think of several that aren’t, one stands out in particular and it involves Juice.
During this there are scenes of Wendy packing her bags for rehab, she picks up a picture of Abel and looks at it. Gemma cleaning Jax’s house. Tara’s feeding Thomas while Abel watches cartoons, which I think combined with Tara’s choices up to this point give us the image for this weeks title “A Mother’s Work.” We also see Tig, Chibs, and Juice helping Bobby get up and out of the cabin. Some guy, the one from his office last week hands Nero a seriously large wad of cash.
Back to Jax in the graveyard. He finishes by saying that everything he does is for his sons. He puts the pencil and the journal in the pocket of his jacket. Bows his head for a minute, and it’s then and only them we see that he isn’t siting in just any graveyard he is sitting in the one Opie’s buried in. Jax stands up and leaves and we get a shot of Opie’s headstone.
Jax hits a white bird while riding down the road on his bike.
Meanwhile the DA along with Roosevelt and the DA’s right hand man are all wondering why Tara never showed and where she is. I think that’s probably code for dead in a ditch in legal eagle terms. Number two wants to know if Roosevelt and the DA really think Jax would kill Tara fort ironing him in. Roosevelt and the DA exchange a look and in what has to be the bitch move of the night the DA says lets find out and gets up to go find Jax no doubt. What am I saying? They know exactly where Jax is.
Back over at the ice cream shoppe, which has a jäger shot machine in it might I add, Chuckie is carrying a box to the counter, Gemma is smoking when Bobby, Tig, Juice, and Chibs show up. Gemma opens the door for them, she gives Bobby and Chibs a hug and a kiss, Tig kind if gets a half hug and Juice gets completely ignored. Tig runs over to get his ugly white dog from one of the ups who was watching it for him. They all go to head upstairs, Gemma pulls Juice aside and ask for a minute of his time. I don’t know what it is about him but he is so sexy,and I don’t usually find guys with head tattoos attractive. Gemma tells the ice cream shoppe waitress to run to a sandwich shop and get food for the guys. Chuckie tells her he can make better sandwiches. Ice cream shoppe waitress grabs him and tells him to go with her and she will introduce her to her friend “knee pads Nina”. Chuckie wants to know why they call her knee pads. Juice shakes his head as they head out he door.
Gemma ask Juice where he is at working off the damage. Juice tells her not as good as her, she reeks of bleach. Gemma explains that’s because Tara is a shitty cleaner. I I’ve seen the inside of their house and I have to agree. Gemma as him again if he is ok. Juice tells her he is sorry about Diosa, he just lost track of what he took. Gemma says bullshit, that he isn’t a guy he loses track, that he knew exactly what he was doing. Gemma wants to know if he wants to die. Juice tells her he doesn’t want to die but that he isn’t sure about how to live either. Juice ask her if she is going to tell Jax. Gemma tells him no. Juice ask if Nero happened to pass on any over sharing he may have done when he was hopped up. Gemma tells him it’s ok Nero already knew he was gay. Gemma then tells him not to worry that he didn’t say anything, and that Nero won’t either. Gemma tells him vulnerability is a liability and to trust her because she knows. Jax walks in right then. Pours himself a cup of coffee.
Jax sees the DA and Roosevelt outside. Gemma says are you kidding me I’m about to go cat-fight on a colored girl. Wow. Jax says mom not today. The DA would like to talk to Jax. Jax gives Gemma a kiss on the cheek. Gemma gets her purse to leave. The DA addresses her as Mrs. Teller. Gemma tells her to suck her white crack. Roosevelt quickly covers her mouth which I assume is to hide the smile he undoubtedly has. Jax ask her what she wants. She turns to Roosevelt and says she would like to talk to Mr. Teller alone. Roosevelt leaves…pissed. Jax’s boys head upstairs to. She wants to know if Jax knows where Tara is. Jax tells her she went on a little retreat with the boys. He ask her why she cares. The DA tells him she had a meeting with her and that she missed it. Jax tells her when he sees Tara he will let her know. The DA suggest that everyday what he is crashes into he is. Couldn’t have said it better myself. She also knows that he and Tara love each other very much. She wants him to step up and not let his family pay the price for his mistakes. She is telling him that as a flawed mother that made a lot of mistakes. With that it becomes clear that C.C.H Pounder will be sticking around for the final season. I often wonder if she honestly is trying to make Jax be a better man or is just out to get him. I guess only time will tell.
Jax is having a meeting with seven of his company, four of which are relevant. I love that wooden table that they use. Jax tells them that Tara had a meeting with the DA but never showed. They want to know what Tara has. Jax reminds them that Tara has seen a lot. Bobby ask if he thinks she is running. Jax says no she wouldn’t do that with the boys especially since Abel has to be close to his doctors. Bobby says that means she is out there trying to decide what to do. Tig says they need to find her first, when he sees the look on Jax face he says to remind her the club is depending on her. Nice try Tig. Juice wants to know what happens if they can’t convince her. Everyone just gets real quiet. Jax says then they do what they have to do. Chibs covers his mouth, Tig looks down. Bobby says they will make that call when they know more but right now they just need to know where she is. Jax is trying to think of places to look, ironically it’s Chibs. Tig and Juice that come up with ideas. Someone knocks on the door, it’s Chuckie to tell,Jax Marcus is there to see him.
Jax and Marcus hug he offers his condolences for Clay. Jax is like ummm….yeah… whatever. Marcus tell him he is concerned about him getting out of the gun business. Jax tells him to not be so shocked he knew it was coming. Marcus is upset that he gave the take over to August. Jax explains that August is the man. Jax says he will call August about Marcus’s guns. Marcus says he wants them today and he wants Jax there. Marcus tells him about something he has going on in Stockton. Marcus offers this as a rebuttal don’t be shocked, you knew it was coming. Marcus tells him he will pick up the guns at the boneyard and to be sure to call him. Marcus leaves Jax watching as he walks away. The guy with Jax ask if there is a problem in taco nation. Jax tells him to get him King Nero.
Tara is still in the hotel room with the boys. She gets her cell phone and calls Mitch. Mitch wants to know if she is okay and what happened. She tells him she needed sometime to think. Mitch tells her the deal is still on the table. Tara tells him she is ready. Mitch tells her he has to bring her in this time. Tara tells him not till she sees the paperwork. Mitch agrees. Tara tells him she will see him later. She goes back in the hotel room. Abel ask if it was daddy she was talking to. Tara tells him no. She starts explaining in a around and about way what is going to happen. Abel gets in the bed with Thomas and starts talking to him. Tara looks on with a smile and tears in her eyes.
Bobby and Juice are in a van watching Mitch. Bobby says lets play follow the lawyer. Juice tells him he would rather play lets run over the lawyer. Bobby tells him it’s still early.
Over at the boneyard everyone is present and accounted for by which I mean the usual suspects so something is definitely going to go wrong, how can it not? Jax and Nero do some bs chit chatting for a minute. Jax finally decides to deliver the one two punch and ask Nero how long he knew the Mayans were all,up,in Stockton’s business. Nero says he kinky found out yesterday. Jax isn’t so sure about that. Nero decides to deliver his own one two punch, he ask if he believes in Karma and if he ever wonders if all heinous things that happen to his kids mothers are because of a heinous thing he did to another child’s mother. Jax feigns stupidity. Nero tells him not to lie twice, he then delivers the knock out punch by telling him he knows exactly what he had Juice do. Nero tells him crap like that doesn’t just go away, it comes back, and when it does it makes you pay. Hmmmmmmm …….. Gemma, Tara, both mothers, I think I see where this is going.
Marcus finally shows up and whines about Jax killing the Chinese. Chibs starts throwing his weight around and points out this is about guns. Marcus reluctantly gets on board and shakes hands with August’s men after dirty looks are exchanged. Eventually they make a deal. Nero is helping move the guns for Marcus. Jax having had enough of Nero for the day leaves. Some of Marcus’s guys decide to take out August’s guys much to Nero’s disgust. Marcus tells him he is just trying to put food on the table. Well then in that case I guess this is what Jax would call justifiable.
Jax is in a little store looking for Tara. Charley has no idea. One of his guys comes in and tells him Bobby called and that they are watching the lawyer who is waiting for someone near a park. Jax ask what park and when he finds out he realizes that’s where he can find Tara. Jax takes off. Tig and Chibs stay behind and Charley tells them that he heard on his CB that four black guys got gunned down.
Nero is talking to Marcus about the killing of August’s men and tells him he can’t be a part of that. Marcus knows he is with Gemma and tells him no one is trying to force his hand.
Juice and Bobby see Tara pull up. She gets the kids out of the car. Mitch sits at a bench with her in he shade to go over the papers. Mitch tells her its everything the DA promised her. She tells him what hotel she is staying at and then ask for some time for Abel to play in the park. Bobby turns to Juice and says it looks like she is staying.
Unser knocks at Gemma’s door and ask if she has heard anything about Tara. Gemma tells him the boys are out looking for her and so is that bitch DA. Gemma offers him some coffee. Unser wants to know what happens if Tara is running. Gemma says Jax will find her and do what has to be done. Unser ask if Wendy is ready. Gemma tells him almost and thanks him for taking her. Unser ask is she is heading to see the pimp. Gemma says yes. Gemma walks over to him and gives him a kiss on the cheek. He ask what that’s for. Gemma tells him she loves him. Unser says he is very lovable. Wendy comes in and says she doesn’t want to leave till she knows Abel is ok. Unser tells her she needs to get clean. Gemma tells her she will see her on family day. Wendy says that’s terrifying that they are her family. Gemma says yes we are, gets up gives her a kiss and tell Unser she will be at Diosa. Wendy sits down and Unser gets her some coffee. Wendy ask about his wife. Unser tells her she split. Wendy calls her a bitch. Unser toast to the bitches he hate. Wendy ask why he stays in Charming. Unser says because it’s the only place where someone still loves him. Unser ask Wendy if she still loves Jax. Wendy tells him no that they never should have been married that they were just two drinking buddies who had really great sex. Gemma was driving the wedding train because she wanted grandkids. Wendy tells him that Jax always had a really great heart and that she felt safe with him but that she is afraid all that’s gone. Unser tells her he knows.
Tara is holding Thomas and watching Abel playing, he comes running and goes right past her to Jax. Jax picks him up, he holds him for a minute and then Bobby takes him to play. Jax walks over to Tara and goes to take Thomas, at first she doesn’t want to give him up but she does. Jax holds Thomas for a second and kisses his cheek. Jax calmly, quietly, and somewhat coldly tells Tara to sit down. Jax hands Thomas over to Juice. Jax sits down on the other side of the bench. Tara doesn’t want Jax to hurt her in front of the kids. Jax doesn’t want to. Tara tells him that’s all there is there is no other way. She has sacrificed everything for him, she has tried to see what he sees the way he sees it but she can’t all she can see is how it’s turned him into a monster. Jax tells her he never forced his life on her that she came back to him. She says that was her mistake. Tara tells him his sons will suffer with this. She breaks down. Tara wants to say goodbye for he takes her. Jax grabs her hand he tells her he isn’t going to hurt her or them and she doesn’t have to run anymore.
Nero goes in his office in Diosa and Gemma is there. She ask if he was in Stockton that whole time. Nero tells her yes. She ask Nero if he wants to come to Jax’s with her. Nero tells her no. Gemma ask him what’s going on. Nero tells her nothing. Gemma gets mad and goes to leave. Nero ask her if she would be willing to pack and leave with him and leave everything behind. Gemma says she can’t do that. Nero tells her he has to. Gemma ask him what he is talking about, then ask if he is dumping her. Nero doesn’t answer. Gemma calls him a son of a bitch, Nero grabs her she pushes him off and calls him a asshole and slams the office door behind her. Nero sits down and closes his eyes.
The DA knocks on Tara’s hotel room door. Tara opens it and when the DA comes in she sees Jax siting in a chair. Tara tells the DA they need to speak to her. The DA ask what this is about. Jax tells her he is turning himself in for the KG 9 that was used in the school shooting as long as Tara and the club are in the clear. Jax tells her he is going to the ice cream shoppe to spend sometime with his boys and he will turn himself in at six at his house. The DA leaves. Tara thanks Jax. Jax tells her he loves her, Tara tells him she loves him, they kiss, and then end up on the bed.
Jax is at the with Chibs and Bobby. Chibs tells him there has to be another way. Jax makes it clear that there isn’t. Jax thinks maybe this is what was supposed to happen. Bobby ask what he is getting charged with. Jax tells him possession and conspiracy. Bobby brings up parole violations and priors as a option. Jax tells him Tara’s lawyer thinks it will be twenty five years, parole in ten maybe seven if he is lucky. Jax says he is good with it. Jax says the club is in a good place. Bobby tells him he should tell the rest of the club. Jax tells him no picks up the gavel and tells Bobby he needs to tell the rest of the club. Bobby tells him he doesn’t want it. Jax tells Bobby him leading is what’s best for the club. Chibs is Bobby’s right hand man. Jax tells him to just keep moving the club towards legitimate stuff. Bobby and Chibs agree. Jax tells Bobby there is one more thing, Juice can’t be trusted. Bobby ask him why, Jax tells Chibs to bring him up to speed. Chibs tells Jax his family will be taken care of. Jax tells Chibs whatever Tara wants he is to support her. Chibs nods in agreement. Bobby says of course. Jax leaves to spend time with his sons.
Gemma is sitting at her table smoking and drinking. Someone starts knocking eventually Unser just opens the door and comes in. Unser ask her if she is ok that he has been calling and she didn’t answer. Gemma ask if he dropped off Wendy. Unser tells her yes. Gemma is drunk and high. Unser tells her that Tara must have made a deal because they are arresting Jax. Gemma gets up to leave but Unser won’t let her. She fakes needing her heart pills to get him out of her way. Soon as he is out of sight she grabs his keys and takes off.
Unser shows up at the ice cream shoppe and tells Jax that he needs to fill Gemma in on what’s going on. Jax says he has been trying to find her. Unser tells him that Gemma was in bad shape and took off in his truck. Juice offers to go look for her. Jax tells him ok and them follows him outside. Juice tells Jax he will miss him and hugs him. Jax makes sure Juice knows that he knows he told Nero. Jax looks him in the face then walks back in to the shoppe. Juice walks away.
Roosevelt brings Tara home and helps her with her bags. They see Unser’s truck in the driveway. Roosevelt puts her bags down and leaves to go sit outside and wait for the DA. Tara looks around and smiles. She hears a door and thinks it is Unser but we know it’s Gemma. Gemma looks at her for a second and then runs at her, she grabs her by the hair hits her with a iron and essentially starts beating the hell out of her. Gemma tries to drown her in the sink, when that doesn’t work she picks up a super sized knife and stabs her in the head with it repeatedly. I’m guessing the dialogue in Gemma’s head was something like this is for betraying my son, this is for trying to keep my grandkids away from me, this is for being a pain in my ass, this is for faking a miscarriage, this is for being glad Clay is dead. Gemma has a moment of clarity and kind of just looks at the bloody fork and thinks what did I just do. Roosevelt comes in just a tad bit late and Gemma tries to explain to him that Tara had to be killed because she turned on Jax. Roosevelt tells her she got it all wrong that Jax turned himself in. Gemma is shocked. Juice comes in and shoots Roosevelt, because one dead body on the kitchen floor wasn’t enough. Gemma just kind of looks lost. Juice helps her up. She is probably thinking a mothers work…….. Juice is probably thinking vulnerability is a liability. Plus he is already a dead man walking so he might as well do Gemma a favor and help her cover it up. Gemma breaks down.
Jax is hugging both his boys. He tells Chibs Tara is coming to pick them up. Jax hugs the guys in the club. Even Tig gets some love. Chibs is crying. Jax is to. Wait till he gets home.
Wendy is sitting in a bed in rehab.
Unser is smoking a joint. Gemma gets out of his truck and hugs him while she cries.
Chuckie is playing with Abel. Chibs is putting Thomas to sleep.
Jax is on his bike headed home.
Marcus is meeting with the Chinese and Nero shows up.
Gemma is laying down and Unser is stroking her head.
Juice is getting rid of the evidence.
Homeless lady is back.
Jax gets home. He calls for Tara, Jax takes off his jacket, walks into the kitchen and finds her and Roosevelt dead in the floor. Jax starts crying, he walks over to her and picks her up, he touches her face and kisses her. The DA walks in and takes it all in. She looks at Jax with a mix of sympathy and accusation. Jax lets out a little scream and cries.
Sons of Anarchy altered some deep relationships and ended a central character’s life on the season 6 finale episode. Will the next and reportedly final season 7 kill off Gemma? Will Jax learn that his mother is the root of all the evil and misery in his sad and degenerate life? Once Jax learns that his mother murdered Tara what will he do? He can’t very well abide it, can he? What will he do with his sons? Certainly not give them over to evil Gemma? Will Wendy play a greater role in Jax’s and the boy’s lives? Will Jax die? How will Jaz deal with his sorta confession to the DA prior to Tara’s murder? We know violence will rage between the rival gangs and that Jax’s hope to go ‘straight’ will be dashed – ‘just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in.‘ We’ll be here to help guide you through next season’s violence, murder and mayhem.
