Season 6, Episode 7
Air date: Tuesday, October 22, 2013, 10pm ET/PT on FX
Rating:
“I had to be reborn to escape that doom. I just hope something comes along to liberate my son from that fate.” Venus Van Dam
It’s a new day in Charming and once again, things don’t go as expected for Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnan). But something has changed this time around; there’s a feeling of renewal within the SAMCRO brotherhood. As the MC regroups, there are external and internal forces making moves. Will they shake up the foundation of the club and its members forever?
Tig appears to be particularly interested in the well-being of Venus Van Dam.
The MC: Still Rising from the Ashes
As “Sweet and Vaded” begins, one could almost feel a sense of optimism. “Home is where the reaper is,” Bobby (Mark Boone Jr.) proclaims as he and his brothers make the best of losing their clubhouse and shop. While Jacob Hale (Jeff Kober) helps them get set up in a new crib, he also delivers a somber message to Jax: the Charming townfolk are spooked about the MC and want it gone. SAMCRO has about three months to buy some good will with the townspeople.
Patterson: Feeling the Heat
San Joaquin County District Attorney Tyne Patterson (CCH Pounder) is feeling the pressure for failing to make arrests for the Charming school shooting. I dislike Patterson for being so relentless in trying to pin the hooting on the MC. On the other hand, I love strong, well-written female characters, which Patterson definitely is, and Pounder portrays beautifully. Therefore, I understand she’s fighting for survival and issuing offers to the likes of Tara (Maggie Siff) and Nero (Jimmy Smits). Right now, Nero looks to be the more vulnerable of the two in my opinion.
Jax: A Changed Leader?
Jax continues to mend his ways by putting forth more of an effort with the group, including discussions regarding the MC. Seeing Bobby’s nomad recruits being patched into SAMCRO is great but just as I was becoming indignant for not seeing Ratboy (Niko Nicotera) included in the group, Jax pushes him forward. I was grinning ear to ear watching this sequence; the infusion of humor into the storylines feels refreshing, especially with the way the feel-good moment is set up.
Jax makes a difficult decision that impacts heavily the two most important women in his life: Tara and Gemma.
SAMCRO next discusses the state of its sad financials. The Charming Heights development may be delayed, and that means a much needed maintenance contract won’t be happening for another six months. It sure looks like the sex trade will have to continue to be SAMCRO’s means of earning money but a slight bump in the road lies ahead. The Diosa Norte escort’s murder has supposedly spooked Colette (Kim Dickens) and Jax is responsible for convincing her to remain a business partner. Hmm, I don’t think that is going to be a challenging task at all, especially given the state of Jax’s home life these days.
The Irish Truce and Marks?
Being good to his word to the Kings, Jax is about to release Connor (Scott Anderson) when August Marks (Billy Brown) stops by. I find Marks’ calm and collected nature to be the epitome of coolness so I love whenever he’s on screen. The situation also yields some interesting dialogue:
Jax: “I’m tired of blood.”
A pleased-looking Marks responds: “You’re learning, son.”
Bobby: “Yes, he is!”
Jax has my seal of approval when he tells Marks the truth about the IRA and how the MC is considering different options to get Marks Enterprises into the gun running business. It was nice to see Bobby, the “consigiliere,” so involved in the exchanges. Was anyone else surprised a rough biker like Jax would know Italian, particularly that word?
The ever opportunistic Jax capitalizes on Marks’ visit to influence Connor (Scott Anderson), who is still surprised to be alive (probably not for long though!), with a message for Gaalan (Timonthy V. Murphy): the option of Clay (Ron Perlman) as a distributor is a risky one, and Marks is still willing to distribute. Food for thought, eh?
Venus’ Previous Life!
Venus Van Dam (Walton Goggins) is back and Tigs’ (Kim Coates) reaction to her return is priceless! Couple alert?! Do not lose sight of Tig as he can’t seem to take his eyes off Venus – totally hilarious and may I just say what a great actor Coates is!
Venus asks Gemma and the MC to help save a nephew and the kid turns out to be so much more!
The MC gets tangled up in helping Venus (or should I say, Vincent?!) with someone initially thought to be her nephew who turns out to be so much more! When the boy needs to be rescued from Venus’ mom Alice (Adrienne Barbeau), who is a “24-hour network of abuse” and child pornographer, Jax finds it hard to say no.
With Venus’ flashy personality, Goggins needs to be recognized for his acting talents. He adds so many layers to this flamboyant character! When I hear Venus say, “You’re a very kind person, Gemma (Katey Sagal),” it doesn’t work for me. Note to the writers: when a character is written as a pushy and bossy bitch for at least two seasons, sweetening her up for two episodes doesn’t make her credible. In honesty, I actually found Venus’ “mutation” (as his cruel mother calls him) more believable than Gemma’s caring ways!
Although child pornography is disgusting, I wasn’t particularly shocked by the story line. Perhaps I’ve just grown accustomed to Kurt Sutter’s shocking ways. What I found peculiar is how emotional Jax gets whenever Alice or Venus talk about their children’s fate and how the kids may view their fathers. Right away, I knew there had to be a reason for building up Jax’s emotionality towards the end of “Shocked and Vaded.” Great job by the writers in drawing parallels between the similar concerns these two men share about their children.
Tara: The Making of an Epic Set-Up
I knew I should be scared when Tara comments, “Dire circumstances require desperate measures.” Sensing Patterson will do anything to fix the outcome of her trial and landing in jail, Tara makes a move to deny Gemma custody and supervised visitation with her kids. And then –wow, just wow!
With the aid of her lawyer Ally Lowen, Tara is on a mission to deny Gemma custody of her two sons.
The web of deceit Tara has concocted is of gigantic proportions. She is smart to understand she can’t beat Gemma with the typical old lady ways, and the move she pulls on Gemma is something straight out of Fight Club! Instead of Tara Knowles, perhaps she should go by Tara Durden moving forward because when Jax and the MC men find out what she did – oh, and they will – she’ll wish she would have gone into WitSec! I’m issuing another couple alert here of a very different kind: How can a couple ever recover from such deceit? As much as dislike Gemma this season, I can’t get behind Tara’s machinations. A good mother goes to great lengths to save her children but I think she’s gone too far. I feel really bad for Jax and Unser (Dayton Callie).On the other hand, a part of me values Tara for choosing to be a mother first. I couldn’t help but notice how far Wendy (Drea de Matteo) and Margaret (McNally Sagal) are willing to go in this set up. Furthermore, I don’t see other women doing this for Gemma out of the goodness of their hearts. As this situation gets very convoluted, I’m dying to see how far Sutter will take this storyline!
Another interesting development involves Eli Roosevelt (Rockmond Dunbar) working closely with Patterson while throwing Charles Barosky (Peter Weller) under the bus. This leads to Patterson putting pressure on the dirty cop. That worries me; I don’t trust Barosky and with all that’s happened, Jax should watch his back.
In the end, the day doesn’t go as expected for any of the Tellers. To be honest, I thought I would rejoice over Gemma’s arrest but I didn’t –the fact Gemma held back from beating Tara due to her pregnancy could be a factor influencing my reaction . Tara has crossed a big line and when the truth comes out, it’s going to be the mother of showdowns. As ”Sweet and Vaded” comes to a close, one thing brings me joy— seeing Chucky’s (Michael Ornstein) huge smile when those kids run into the shop to get candy. How sweet, indeed. Maybe moving the MC clubhouse downtown may be the PR move SAMCRO desperately needs. We’ll just have to keep on watching!
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Photos © 2013 FX Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
elleL
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1 comments
I’m not goin’ to touch on what y’all have already said, and said well.
What I am goin’ to touch on is the amount of hate on the social interwebz we saw for Tara after she set up Gemma for the ‘fake’ miscarriage (and how many of us figured that she wasn’t really PG?).
Keep in mind, I’ve not been a major Tara fan. When she first came on the scene, she weemed pretty weak willed. Becomin’ a mother while the guys were in Stockton seems to have toughened her up, as did bein’ held hostage by Salazar in S3. I’m still not donnin’ a Team Tara cheerleadin’ outfit, but any woman who is willin’ to go to the extremes Tara did to protect her children from a potentially dangerous lifestyle gets my respect.
There’s been a lot of debate about the type of betrayal that Tara did to Jax. I don’t know why, unless it’s because he’s ‘so hawt’ (eyeroll) that he gets a pass for screwin’ Collette while his wife of a few days was still in jail!!!! Hello, McFly! Double standard! Granted, Tara has manipulated his mother, but mama doesn’t have clean paws, either. Think of her givin’ the large dope shot to a recoverin’ Wendy in S1, and all her other manipulations she has pulled. Think of her drivin’ while high (!) and wreckin’ her car with her grandchildren in the back seat!!!
Yes, Gemma has her carin’ moments, but they are few and far between the angry, untrusting biker old lady. For once, she has been the one manipulated, and we could tell that she was comin’ to that realization at the end of the episode.
Another thought, kudos to Kim Coates for havin’ the balls to play a bad ass outlaw able to show affection for a transvetite without questionin’ his manhood. Whether he and Venus explore their infatuation or not, even after Tig find out Venus got ‘snipped’, he treated her like a lady instead of a leper. Lots of men in real life can’t do that kind of thing. It’s a testament to the man’s abilities, and that’s why I’ve followed him since 1987. It’s not because he’s ‘so hawt’ (eyeroll again).
Whether Tara will survive what she’s done remains to be seen. She has definitely gone against the club, and that often gets one some physical hurt. Plus, Tara has gone against family, and Ima can tell y’all what happens then! If I were Tara, I’d stay away from any hard surfaces and Jax’s fists for a while.