So, indeed. While I am not completely sure why Kurt Sutter and company named this episode "So" it definitely fit as a title!
While I thought this ep moved a bit slowly, I thought that was necessary to the plot. I have a feeling this season is going to feel like it moves slower than the last two seasons, simply because I am hearing the entire season takes place over the course of only a couple/few weeks.
Thank you to Sutter and co for the Jax shower scene! Any time I can see Charlie Hunnam in any state of undress on this show, it's going to kick the ep up a notch in my view! Anyway, Jax's devastation at having his son kidnapped felt raw and real. His self-medication with booze and drugs fits completely with the character and the lifestyle. I will say, I was disappointed that after spending at least a couple of days in a drug and alcohol induced stupor, we are supposed to believe that he is okay to ride after just a shower. Although, in this lifestyle, chances are good he wouldn't admit he wasn't okay to ride, and no one would question him when he said he was. Realistic yes, but I still would have preferred he not ride for a while.
There was some debate among some of my friends as to what Gemma read in the paper that caused her to feel she had to leave the motel. Some thought she read about Half-Sack, others thought maybe Abel's kidnapping hit the news. I believe she was reading a slightly older paper (she was using it as trash), and saw her mother's death notice. I don't believe she was talking about either Clay or Jax when she said she needed to go home because "he needs me", I believe she was talking about her father.
Kudos to the way Katey Sagal (Gemma) and Kim Coates (Tig) played that scene together. Tig grabs Gemma and basically says she isn't going anywhere. After the physical violence Gemma endured last season, and the brief encounter she and Tig had in the aftermath of revealing what happened to her to the club, her reaction to him grabbing her as he did, and his apology for it were spot on.
Jax spent most of this ep completely out-of-it. Shell shocked with grief over his missing son, he just didn't engage. Not with the club, not with Tara, not even with himself. Charlie Hunnam acted the hell out of the grief and anguish Jax is feeling, by keeping Jax emotionally frozen.
It looks like Jax and Tara are in for a rough time this season. I hope they are able to connect to each other in their grief, anger, and fear, instead of pushing each other away. Tara has come a long way, both as a character and as an old lady, and I hope she continues on that path.
Gemma's scenes with her father were very revealing, and quite good. Hal Holbrook is going to be a great addition to the cast for as many episodes as he is around. I think there is a goldmine of drama with Gemma and her father, and I can't wait to see it all!
I can't end without discussing the final few minutes of the ep. Half-Sack's funeral was the perfect opportunity for all the club's enemies to make a move. That's why the police presence was so strong, everyone knew this could be dangerous for the club, and the town. I think Clay's conversation with Jax started to pull Jax out of himself, and then when he saw Hale lying in the street, and an unnamed child shot, he finally snapped out of it and into action. The brutality he showed to the shooter was his decision to fight... for the club, for himself, and for his son. I believe he made the decision to do whatever he needs to do... to kill to find his son. I am going to miss Hale, but his death should keep Unser as Chief for the foreseeable future, and that's a good thing. Hale was a good man in a difficult position and I thought he would be a good foil for the club, but he's never going to live up to that potential now.
If you're looking for more information about SoA, creator, head-writer, and exec producer Kurt Sutter has his own blog. http://www.sutterink.blogspot.com/ It's as real and gritty as the show, so be prepared, he doesn't hold anything back.
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