Season 6, Episode 4

Air date: Tuesday, October 1, 2013, 10pm ET/PT on FX.

Rating: ★★★★★

“This is going to end up bad” – Ernest Darby

After a long rough day, Jax feels guilty for the outcomes.

Just when it seems Jax and SAMCRO are having a bad week, a day comes where things go from bad to worse.  Surprisingly, “Wolfsangel” turns out to be the best episode this season.  With an ex-marshal on their tails, a death escort, the San Bernardino MC delivering bad news, and the episode title hinting at some Neo-Nazi action, SAMCRO and Jax (Charlie Hunnam) will face a day of showdowns!

Clay’s Wreckage Continues

Even when locked up, Clay (Ron Perlman) continues to be a thorn in SAMCRO’s side. Choosing to stay alive by killing an Aryan shot-caller has immediate repercussions for his former MC: the Teller-Morrow Garage is trashed and Wayne Unser (Dayton Callie) now sports a neo-Nazi sign on his belly!

Ernesto and the Neo-Nazis

As soon as the neo-Nazis are brought up, my thoughts go straight to former SAMCRO nemesis Ernest Darby (Mitch Pileggi).  Apparently, two years of prison changes a man significantly because Darby is now called Ernesto by Hispanic wife Reina (Yennifer Behrens)!  Considering his past beef with SAMCRO, Darby agrees a bit too soon to help SAMCRO track down his former crew. Ernesto’s words turn out to be prophetic; nothing ever goes as planned for SAMCRO.

Jax continues to push to get SAMCRO out of the gun running business to the Irish’s displeasure.

The Irish

Things go south fast when the Irish can’t coerce Jax to pay them or double their business. When Gaalan (Timothy V. Murphy) says, “hands off,” there is something dark in his voice. When he requests a saw, I felt a pit form in my stomach. Gaalan is old-school IRA and their commitment to the cause doesn’t exclude the use of brutality.  Add to the mix how Kurt Sutter hasn’t been holding back on the gore this season and the end result is the IRA exacting revenge in the most gruesome Sons scenes ever!

“My Kids!”

Doesn’t Gemma (Katey Sagal) slip up in front of Tara (Maggie Siff) like, so bad? Oopsy daisy!  The way Tara looks at her with a mix of a “WTF” and “so this is how you really feel” is priceless!  After this incident and considering how Jax reacts to Wayne’s concerns about the attack, Tara must feel reassured her secret exit strategy is right on the money. I’m not going to deny I’m psyched my wish from last season –of having Jax’s Wives Club uniting and working together – has become a reality! The cherry that tops the ice cream is seeing Tara and Wendy (Drea de Matteo) play Gemma like a playlist on repeat!  They’re undeterred in fueling the fire but they better not get over-confident. Gemma is a shrew. Once she figures out their power play, she’ll be out for blood.

The Framing of Nero

After being picked up by Sheriff Eli Roosevelt (Rockmond Dumbar) as part of the murder investigation of one of his escorts, Nero (Jimmy Smits) plays it straight with him. But when Roosevelt shows him no respect, Nero doesn’t take it lying down. While being diplomatic, Nero drives his point across by alerting Roosevelt to Toric (Donal Logue) over-stepping his bounds with the local law enforcement – sheer awesomeness! Gemma, who as usual is everywhere, shows up at the station and bullies her way to Roosevelt to help her man. To my delight, the sheriff puts her on the spot saying, “This is the second guy in the past two weeks dependent on you for an alibi.” To be fair, when she is down with a man like she is with Nero, she’ll do anything to defend him even if it means reaching out to the police. Gemma’s visit and Nero’s insinuation about Toric finally push Roosevelt to connect the dots regarding the retired marshal. Given the outcome of “Wolfsangel,” I wonder what is Roosevelt’s next move? I’m hoping, after figuring out the set-up, it will ultimately lead Roosevelt to indirectly help Jax rid himself of San Joaquin County District Attorney Tyne Patterson (CCH Pounder) or even better, the Irish – I can dream right?

Chibs seems to think so and the conversation Jax had with Tig reminded me how Clay used to manipulate Tig.

Jax’s Leadership

I’ve been critical of Jax’s leadership style this season and Chibs (Tommy Flanagan) was right to call him out because Jax has been making decisions without consulting with the MC. I expect tension will continue to escalate between him, Nero and Chibs especially if lies start unraveling. However, the key question continues to be is Jax is becoming Clay?  I think Sutter and his writers are purposely writing him that way for now. It makes for great drama but it’s my hope when it’s all said and done, we’ll be pleasantly surprised by Jax.

As I stated in other occasions, Jax does best when he’s backed into a corner. Pointing out the MC needed to settle a score after the Irish exacted their revenge was the right call. These choices may afford him the opportunity to regain some of the trust back from key members like Chibs.

Best for Last: Toric & the Silent Hero

Toric is under pressure. DA Patterson gives him to the end of the day to get Clay to sign her affidavit. He’s all about cranking up the pressure dial on Clay but he doesn’t know the former SAMCRO president is the ultimate chess strategist and survivalist. If Clay was a real person, he would be the winner of Survivor; he would outplay and outlast everyone. After throwing the entire kitchen sink in threats and not getting any results, I knew Toric was in trouble. Hearing him mention an infirmary visit appointment raised my stress level to a high. I really enjoyed the emotionality between Otto and Clay after not seeing each other in ages and from then on, I knew brotherhood would supersede old beefs or anything else that was going on. Seeing Clay give up his shank to someone he felt needed it more partially restored my respect for him.  Maybe he is really going through his penance?  Watching the sequence unfold had me biting my nails. Just like many of the Otto scenes, the infirmary scene has a certain air of familiarity. It unfolds at a slower, calculated pace, building up to a dramatic end. In other words, in classic Otto Delaney fashion! Hats off to Sutter for always bringing it on in his portrayal of Otto – I will miss his cheekiness and fearless antics (but not the patchouli!).

What’s on my Radar Next?

• Will DA Patterson go from being hell bent on finding out who put a deadly weapon in the hands of a child to finding out the circumstances surrounding Toric’s murder and following up the RICO case affecting Tara?
• Why doesn’t anyone in law enforcement to notice these oddball Irishmen in town?
• Now that the Irish have gone rogue and considering the earlier kidnapping of Abel, shouldn’t Jax be a tad more worried about his wife and kids?
• “Am I good with you Jax?”  Hearing Tiggy (Kim Coates) ask this question nearly breaks my heart! He gives Jax a chance to come clean and just like Clay, Jax lies. I don’t think Tig was 100% swayed by Jax’s answer and I think the SAMCRO president should be concerned about August Marks (Billy Brown).
• As the Nero/Gemma relationship solidifies, anyone else think Nero is too good for Gemma?  Nero is convinced they’re good for each other while I’m thinking, ‘are you kidding me?’ Poor Nero! Gemma isn’t interested in changing her ways or getting out the life. It’s all she knows; she loves being the HBIC (Head Bitch in Charge), and she isn’t about to give that up. I fear the kind-hearted Nero will end up getting burned.
• Will “I get that” soon replace “Jesus Christ” as the most widely used expression on the show?
• I suggest you start a “Dearly Departed” list. After the four add-ons from this week, I think we can safely expect some attrition in Sutter’s payroll in the coming weeks.

In spite of its darkness, I found “Wolfsangel” to be a breath of fresh air. It was reminiscent of the season one episodes that helped Sons amass a huge following. To be specific, it was like old-school Sons of Anarchy in which the crew gets into a jam and by the end of the episode there’s a level of payback for the audience.

Numerous conflicts can be expected in the upcoming episodes and with only five men standing in the MC, it looks like Jax’s days are about to get a little bit longer.

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