Writer: Kurt Sutter
Grade: B
As far as season finale’s go, I thought this was rather mediocre, especially considering the quality of the season up to this point. I believe the death toll came to four, and only half of them felt earned and well-developed. There were also two huge set-ups for next season, and they both seemed to come from left field.
Stahl kills Eddie. Okay, fine. He was kind of cute, but he liked creepy Polly, and I can live without him. But his dad Cameron spent most of his time this season off-screen, and then he conveniently comes back at the last minute to kill a likeable cast member (Halfsack, RIP) and abduct a baby? WTF? (I would have been much more pissed if he’d killed Juice, because Juice has never even had a storyline and I’d like him to get one, but did Halfsack really need to die before he even got patched in?) Kidnapping Abel seemed unnecessary and over-the-top even for this show.
While I think Polly had it coming at Gemma’s hands, it’s a bit sad that we didn’t get a chance to see what kind of person she could be if she got herself out from under daddy’s thumb. I don’t think the show would have had much room for that storyline, though, so I could deal with Gemma killing her. The part that came out of left-field was Gemma ending up on the run. After the pain she’s endured this season, I really didn’t expect that. And on the one hand, I’m warily curious where they’re going with it, and on the other hand, I’m apprehensive. I can see why the writers felt the need to separate Gemma from her family—Gemma as the matriarch may have run its course, and they need to shake things up a bit. But without Clay, Jax, and the rest of the club to bounce off of, I’m not sure where she’s going to fit into the story, so it seems like a storyline they may plow through quickly next season.
Jax and Clay seem to have called a truce, but I think their struggle is far from over. I do hope they can both be a bit more civil and mature about it from now on, but I won’t hold my breath… And in my recent Lost re-watch marathon, I came across a quote from John Locke that I think applies perfectly to Jax: “A leader can’t lead until he knows where he’s going.” Thus far, his goals for changing the club have been murky and idealistic. His numerous comments that change won’t be easy, won’t happen without blood, etc., are true, but they are not a plan! He needs to know where he’s going and how to get there—a goal and a plan.
Finally, I can’t help but think that shot of Hale comforting Tara is a sign of things to come next season. I don’t doubt that she and Jax love each other, but what happened with Cameron is probably more than she can take, and Hale has always carried a torch for her. I could see her telling Jax she needs some time away from him and rebounding into Hale’s arms. Which is kind of okay, except that between losing Abel and losing Tara, Jax is probably going to be fucking unbearable next season.
Other Stuff
-As vile as Weston was, I never doubted that he loved his kids (raising them well and loving them are two different things), and he faced his death head-on, without begging or insisting he didn’t deserve it.
-Stahl’s cover story seemed a bit stupid to me. Why would Gemma kill Eddie and leave Stahl alive? They were both witnesses.
-I thought it was a nice touch that Opie and Chibs went with Jax to help Tara. Sutter could have just arbitrarily chosen a couple of guys to go with Jax, but Opie is back to being Jax’s loyal BFF, and Chibs likes Tara for helping him stay in the hospital after his head injury, so they each had a personal motivation for going.
No comments:
Post a Comment