Season 6, Episode 2

Air date: Tuesday, September 17, 10pm ET/PT on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

“The only thing more dangerous than a rat is a junkie rat.” – Jax Teller

Arcadio (Dave Navarro) is the bearer of bad news for his cousin Nero (Smits).

Bad news travels fast. When Arcadio (Dave Navarro) alerts his cousin Nero Padilla (Jimmy Smits) how his Byz Lats crew and – possibly SAMCRO – might be implicated in the school shooting that left the Charming community shocked, Jax (Charlie Hunnam) is dragged into the situation. The weight of expectations to resolve this matter rests, as usual, on Jax’s shoulders. Could this complication become a game changer to his end game?

Dealing with this issue couldn’t come at a worse time for Jax; he’s pulled away from spending much needed time with his wife Tara (Maggie Siff), who remains distant from him after her arrest. “One One Six” chronicles a grueling day for SAMCRO’s president doing what he needs to survive another day.

After learning the young shooter is the son of Arcadio’s old lady Darmony (Samaire Armstrong), who used one of the KG-9s that SAMCRO gave to Byz Lats, Nero’s concern is palpable. When Gemma (Katey Sagal) hears him say, “I love him [Arcadio] but that dude, he’s always the guy getting pulled out of the fire,” she knows how much Arcadio means to him. She also knows this situation can cause a lot of problems for Nero and the MC. So, she convinces Nero to let Jax and the MC help Darmony “get lost” from the police and media.

After her bail hearing, Tara gets an unwelcome surprise when she sees Jax sitting outside waiting for her. Let’s just hope cruising on his bike cleared his head, especially after ‘riding’ Colette (Kim Dickens). Judging from the way he’s pacing like a wild animal, though, he’s found something else to feel guilty about. The plus side of the cheating scene is Hunnam giving those Fifty Shades of Grey naysayers an unbridled taste of the action they can expect in the film…wait, I’ve lost my focus explaining the importance of this scene – I wonder why!

I was relieved that Jax doesn’t play the doting husband after picking up Tara. While I disapprove of his cheating, I agree with how he handles the situation in spite of being apart from Tara for so long — both physically and emotionally. Anything beyond their cordial encounter would have been fake. The fact that they don’t talk or show significant affection is meaningful. Things don’t get any better for Jax when he meets with the IRA’s Gaalan O’Shea (Timothy V. Murphy). There’s bad blood between these two men, and it’s no shocker that Jax’s plans to use the school shooting as a way to push for SAMCRO’s retirement from the gun running business don’t go well. Gaalan remains loyal to Clay (Ron Perlman) and doesn’t care whether the MC is under the microscope by the authorities or the Charming community. Hunnam and Murphy are excellent in these scenes, providing a steep contrast between their characters’ personalities and motivations. Gaalan has an unwavering commitment to his cause and unlike Jax, he doesn’t hesitate to capitalize on a tragedy. This is another example of Sons of Anarchy’s exceptional storytelling.

The life of the outlaws: SAMCRO gets roped into helping handle another unexpected situation.

Lee Toric (Donal Logue) has a lot of connections in the ATF, and as the investigation deepens, he wastes no time trying to link SAMCRO to the school shooting. He pushes San Joaquin County District Attorney, Tyne Patterson (CCH Pounder), who desperately wants a public hanging for the shooting. Lucky for Toric, her personal stake in the case opens the door for him to be officially involved in the investigation. Since this isn’t her first rodeo, the tough-as-nails Patterson quickly becomes one of my favorite characters this season.

Toric is tenacious in pursuing every angle that may lead him to SAMCRO, and he leaves no doubt in Clay’s mind when he tells him how far he’s willing to take this. “I never gave a shit about justice; it was always retribution. Hurting people that hurt people – that was the end game.”

Knowing Toric needs him, Clay manages to use Toric to guarantee himself a Stockton private suite for the short term. He also demands to see Gemma and Jax as a condition to signing the affidavit confirming him as a rat. Gemma’s visit to Clay isn’t of the conjugal type, and their conversation quickly deteriorates to the point where I forgot they were ever happily married. With such a pointless conversation, Gemma smartly realizes it is not useful to the police, but Clay knows the conversation will affect Gemma emotionally. The very perceptive Toric doesn’t lose sight of the dynamics as he utters a quote:

“Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.”

Not only are Toric’s networking talents impressive, the man also can quote Shakespeare?! This quote is from “Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116,” and since the episode is named after it, I encourage fans to look it up at http://www.shakespeares-sonnets.com/sonnet/116. I’m not a Shakespeare expert but the sonnet is quite fitting for what is happening in this scene and beyond. Can love sustain the test of time?

As a result of the school shooting, some tense moments unfold between Jax (Hunnam) and Arcadio (Navarro).

Speaking of another couple whose love may be tested, while Jax (and Gemma!) seem both surprised and relieved, Tara is just “a little tired, happy to be home.” It turns out Dr. Knowles is cooking up something and it ain’t Chucky’s (Michael Ornstein) chili! I knew she was acting way too calm for the circumstances (see my Season 6 premiere interview with Siff). With the aid of her lawyer, Ally Lowen (Robin Weigert), Tara is quietly arranging for a divorce, full custody of her boys, and securing a pregnancy test (yes, you read that correctly!). Is the latter a potential safety net or life insurance for her when this blows over? I’m seriously dying to know what the heck she writes on those notepads and although we only get the high level details of her plans, I must confess I’m both impressed and horrified at the scale of Tara’s plans. Whether you agree with her or not, I have to hand it to her — Tara has more balls than Juice (Theo Rossi)! She needs to be strong because Gemma and Jax won’t take kindly to her actions.

Observations

• Bobby (Mark Boone Jr.) is moving his chips quickly and is one person away from reinstating the Nomad chapter.
• Does Toric share the same arthritis problem as Clay, or does he just need to imitate him in order to forge Clay’s signature? What a disturbed man! Logue and Smits own every scene they’re in. They deserve Emmy® nominations for their roles on Sons.
• Earning his way back into the club is going to take a toll on Juice. Based on Jax’s comments about rats, I wonder whether Juice will ever truly regain the MC’s trust or will he just be an expendable minion? Pay attention to that whole rat sequence, there is some thoughtful storytelling going on. Kudos to Rossi for showcasing his acting chops in this episode!
• “Me too” appears to be Tara’s standard answer when she’s in situations where she doesn’t want to share her feelings. Is that the new way to say “Screw you?”
• Hunnam continues to prove he’s a solid actor by showcasing a wide range of emotions — from anxiety and frustration to guilt and anger — in this episode.

Now, circling back to the idea of time-tested love, the closing scene, mimicking the last minutes of last week’s episode, is very revealing. It sheds light on the effect time has had on Jax and Tara’s relationship. Here are two people who were once deeply in love and now, after a whirlwind of issues, are forcing a closeness that isn’t there, each person absorbed in thinking about their own wants and needs. It appears their affection for each other is intact but respect, transparency, and trust are out the door. With that, the fairy tale seems further and further away.

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