Can Love Be a Deal Breaker? Retrospective: Sons of Anarchy – “You Are My Sunshine”

Season 6, Episode 12

Air date: Tuesday, December 3, 2013, 10pm ET/PT on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

“It’s a big decision. She [Tara] loves Teller and she grew up without a father, hates having to repeat that pattern.” – Tyne Patterson

After a two-week hiatus, Sons of Anarchy returns with the clock ticking for Jax (Charlie Hunnam) to break away from the IRA while dealing with the Chinese; meanwhile, Tara (Maggie Siff) must decide whether to turn in SAMCRO to the feds. Will things take yet another turn for the worse or will our favorite MC finally catch a break?

Let’s start with the good news:

Jax is the go-to guy to pull off the most convoluted plots, especially if they involve the survival of SAMCRO. Through a series of maneuvers and out playing others, Jax breaks off the MC’s toxic gun-running dealings with the Irish, and secures a reprieve for Tig (Kim Coates). What a great bonus. I was also happy to see good guy Connor (Scott Anderson) surviving the ordeal in spite of being played over and over by SAMCRO as needed.
In spite of a high body count in terms of fatalities, the MC men stay safe, including Happy (David Labrava), who has a “rapturous” moment with the Chinese. Bobby (Mark Boone Jr.) also survives his gun wound—if his pot smoking and boozing doesn’t kill him first! As he recovers, we are forced into a TMI (too much information) moment when we learn some fascinating facts about his anatomy.
In spite of tense situations, Tig doesn’t lose his sense of humor but don’t mess with his hair!

As “You Are My Sunshine” progresses, we see how sins from the past leave traces.

By handing off the gun running business to August Marks (Billy Brown), Jax has chosen to break the delicate balance of power among the NorCal criminal organizations, in which the Sons have played the role of de facto referee. The Mayans, the Byzlats, and the Chinese aren’t happy, and with comments being made by the Chinese about a war they’re joining, it looks like series creator Kurt Sutter is already laying out the foundation for more drama during the show’s seventh and final season next year.
Clay’s (Ron Perlman) death throws Juice (Theo Rossi) over the edge. Rossi does an excellent job of portraying a man who wants to die quickly! Furthermore, kudos to Nero (Jimmy Smits) and Gemma (Katey Sagal) for taking swift action to save Juice’s life – what an amazing scene! Gemma lives up to her mother hen reputation for all she does to save Juice, earning major respect points from me. In the end, Juice proves once again he cannot be trusted highlighting he’s a weak link within the MC. If he doesn’t finish the job himself, I have a feeling he’s on the express lane to meet Mr. Mayhem.
An upset DA Tyne Patterson (CCH Pounder) claims she needs time to finish her investigation to determine if Jax’s MC immunity deal will hold but what she’s really doing is buying time to see whether Tara sells out the MC to weigh out her options.
After Nero spends most of the day dealing with his lifelong “carnales” questioning his loyalty to the MC, it had to be rough for him to learn Jax lied to him about how Darvany Jennings (Samaire Armstrong) died.

After last week’s death of a major character, “You Are My Sunshine” builds up the other highly anticipated storyline for this season: what will happen between Jax and Tara? Sutter takes us through a cruel dance in which Jax and Tara show signs of caring about one another but, in the end, nothing concrete materializes. It is sad to see an angsty looking Jax staring at Tara with lost puppy dog eyes while Tara is obviously conflicted Yet, in spite of the obvious pain they’re in, they choose not to talk to each another. I understand sustaining the suspense up to the finale but this is sooo frustrating! **Bangs head on the table**

For those riding high on the Tara-hate bandwagon, she doesn’t show up to Patterson’s office to rat out the MC. This doesn’t surprise me but I’m impressed at who derails her determination: Abel (Evan and Tyler Londo). What a heart breaker that kid is when he asks, “Where are we going mommy; is daddy going to be there?” Abel’s question proves too much for an already emotional Tara. Her dramatic breakdown echoes Patterson’s observations regarding Tara’s mindset.
Until now, Tara has claimed the safety of her children is her top priority but Abel’s question throws a monkey wrench into the mix. She realizes the mere well-being of the kids isn’t enough; they need their father too. For those of you who may have thought Abel started out as a mama’s boy at the beginning of the episode, there is so much more to that scene than meets the eye. From the get go, the show centers on how the Teller kids, voiced by Abel, are homesick for their parents in spite of being doted on by their extended family and friends. During the last few minutes of “You Are My Sunshine,” the story circles back to this idea and takes it a step further by refusing to leave Jax out of the equation. Isn’t it ironic and endearing how such a violent show about outlaws centers on such conservative values? Just fascinating! Clearly, this is an important notion for Sons of Anarchy and regardless of where it may lead, it will remain an emotional topic for fans

What’s On My Radar?

The respect for and straight talk to Nero by Fiasco (Ray Gallegos) and Marcus Alvarez (Emilio Rivera) stands in deep contrast to Jax’s lack of honesty. My heart aches for how decent Nero is in spite of the circumstances the Tellers have put him in. With the trust factor gone and tension mounting, I expect Nero’s relationship with Jax and Gemma to be impacted.
The more likely it is that Tara will go to jail, the more obvious it is that Gemma can’t wait to take over in both the kids’ and Jax’s lives. She even gets cocky about it in her treatment of Tara, how she tells Wendy (Drea De Matteo) she’ll “handle Jax,” and fueling the notion Tara sold out Jax without knowing for sure. However, when Jax breaks down after Tara takes off with his kids, isn’t it interesting to see Gemma remain in the doorway and not by Jax’s side? And Nero comforting Jax is even more revealing. Hmm, why doesn’t Gemma console her son when he needs her the most? I’m not surprised by Jax’s numbness after going ballistic at first; it makes for a wicked evil, yet fabulous, cliffhanger.
The thoughtful storytelling concocted in “You Are My Sunshine” must be praised. I love the use of imagery from the “Son” and “Shine” tattoos on Juice’s chest in conjunction with the song “You’re My Sunshine,” hinting at the dark clouds on the horizon for the Charming residents.
I continue to have issues with how Gemma and Wendy are being written. At first, I was happy Gemma appeared to come clean to Wendy about why she was helping her. The idea of Gemma being transparent was refreshing and exciting until I heard her try to guilt trip Wendy with half-truths. What kind of person does that to a woman who is a day away from entering rehab? Furthermore, does Wendy actually believe Gemma will ever trust her with the boys? Does anybody else? Puh-leeze; as soon as Wendy attempts to reclaim Abel, Gemma will turn on her! In the end, Gemma’s so-called compassion for Wendy has everything to do with the junkie being Gemma’s doormat, someone who happens to be the potential guardian for the Teller boys, and a convenient mate for Jax who is easily kept in check. Oh, and who is writing Sagal’s lines as of late? That scene between Gemma and Patterson seems intended to be a bad-ass pissing contest between two strong women but it bored me; it was totally expected and cliché. To the writers: can we please go back to a cool Gemma or at least one who does something surprising?

When the relentless Patterson tells ATF Agent Bowman (Jeff Howard), “I have my sheriffs looking for her [Tara],” my gut tells me this search will unleash a series of unfortunate events. Tara succeeded in getting her kids away from the MC and lining up protection but she has a tough road ahead of her. If Tara ends up crossing Patterson, the DA will bury her during her trial. By taking the kids and suspected of being a rat, the MC will go after her. Either way, it’s not a smart move for some as intelligent as Tara. Considering she’s alone and faces limited choices, it would have been easier for Tara to plead with Jax but the fact she doesn’t trust him anymore is a sad commentary about the state of their relationship.

With one episode left this season, “You are my Sunshine” takes us through a 93-minute ride with a lot of action but limited reveals. I had hoped for a bigger build-up in this penultimate episode but the action leads to where I expected: raising the stakes to cardiac arrest levels about what will happen between Jax and Tara. And this is exactly what “You Are My Sunshine” delivers. We must now wait (not so patiently) to tune in for the finale and deal with another Sons hangover for another week.

Tune in to Sons of Anarchy Tuesdays at 10pm ET/PT, only on FX.

For more on the show, go to http://www.fxnetworks.com/soa and http://www.sutterink.com/.

To check out Kurt Sutter’s Sons of Anarchy video channel on YouTube, go to http://www.youtube.com/sutterinksoa.

Follow @sonsofanarchy, @sutterink, and @FXNetworks, and tweet using the hashtag #SOAFX.

Like Sons of Anarchy on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/#!/SonsofAnarchy.

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elleL

Soaker of life. I like to experience things and see the world. I consider myself a professional traveler. My love for movies and television goes way back but I'm a sucker for action-oriented films and shows. Oh, and I make excellent martinis! Follow me on twitter @LutzElle.