Writers: Brett Conrad and Liz Sagal
Grade: A+
The way everyone talks about Luanne’s death being Jax’s fault is odd, because they act like it’s about what he did when it’s really about what he didn’t do. Letting Georgie’s stunt slide wasn’t an option—it’s not SoA’s style, and he cost them $4,000 just for the guard dog alone, not to mention the lost revenue from the rough cuts. The only thing Jax could’ve done differently was either kill Georgie (satisfying, but probably a bad idea in terms of keeping a low profile) or give Luanne an SoA security detail after they roughed up Georgie (a good idea, but I’m sure Clay would have bitched, and Georgie probably just would have done something else, like kill one of the other girls or burn down the studio).
I can’t help but think it’s too soon after Donna’s murder for Opie to get involved with a new woman, but I like how gentle Lyla is with him, and she probably is good for him…
And speaking of Opie, the scene where he, Jax, Bobby, and Tig try to blackmail the judge by threatening to murder his son was brutal. I was in tears by the end of it, and I even teared up on the second viewing even though I already knew the outcome. The first time around, I truly wasn’t sure how far Opie would go. Ryan Hurst acted the shit out of that scene, and I was completely terrified for Opie. Even more impressive, the emotion and tension in the scene relied almost entirely on body language and voice rather than facial expression, because the SoA guys were all wearing ski masks. (And it’s a testament to the writing and to Ryan Hurst’s acting ability that I was more scared for Opie than for the kid he shot in the toe.)
That scene also revealed that Tig’s ability to kill really has been damaged by killing Donna and the aftermath of that act. He killed the Mayan gang member near the beginning of the season to protect himself, but he couldn’t kill the junkie kid here.
Miscellaneous Stuff
-Clay is so full of shit, calling the porn business “dirty.” It is, but I don’t see how it’s any dirtier than running guns. Luanne’s death was horrifying, no doubt, so I understand his reaction in wanting to end SoA’s involvement with her business, but his given reason was bullshit, and he was giving off a pretty strong whiff of wanting to piss in Jax’s Cheerios.
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