Karma and a Lesson on Family Feelings. Retrospective: Sons of Anarchy – “A Mother’s Work”

Season 6, Episode 13

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

Rating: ★★★★★

“You are a husband and a father and a man before all of this. Own your place.” – DA Tyne Patterson

As I reflect on the final moments of “A Mother’s Work,” I remain in a state of disbelief. Did that really happen? For anyone familiar with show creator Kurt Sutter’s work, the complex chain of events that unfold in the Sons of Anarchy season finale shouldn’t come as a surprise— but it may leave folks gasping for air.

The warning comes in the first few minutes, and in a symbolic way when a white dove is sliced in half after being run over by Jax’s (Charlie Hunnam) motorcycle. “A Mother’s Work” focuses on Jax and SAMCRO trying to figure out Tara’s (Maggie Siff) whereabouts while trying to leave their gun running business ties behind. But sins from the past continue to drag SAMCRO into other conflicts until the episode peaks in a bloody conclusion.

Here are some of my favorite moments and themes in this season’s finale:

Jax Unfiltered

The episode starts with Jax writing in his journal; hearing Jax share his life lessons with his sons is always a treat. “Everything I do is for my sons.” This time, Jax’s truths are revealed without a filter, in particular, the remorse, sorrow, and fear he feels for the violent path he’s chosen as he questions who he is and the self-hate he feels at what he’s become. “I’ve become the thing, the one I hated.”

Loyalty

The MC men stand united as they have Jax’s back in the worst of times: while he searches for his children and makes the decision to do what he believes a good man should do. “We’ll look out for your family,” Chibs (Tommy Flanagan) assures him while Bobby (Mark Boone Jr.) spares Jax from hearing about the Mayans’ latest move.

Unser (Dayton Callie) shows similar loyalty to his beloved Gemma (Katey Sagal) checking in on her in good and bad times.

Integrity

• The topic of rats proves quite interesting considering the people who take the most vigilant attitude are the ones with the most secrets and baggage —Juice (Theo Rossi) and Gemma. In turn, Bobby offers a steep contrast to them.
• With nothing to hide; Bobby makes a consistent push during the Tara crisis for everyone to refocus on facts and not speculation.
• Nero (Jimmy Smits) shows his disdain for dishonesty too, and the scenes in which he calls Jax a liar to his face and dumps Gemma are nearly epic.

Karma

“You ever think maybe all these bad things that have happened to the mother of your children…just maybe, it’s because of some heinous things you’ve done to another child’s mother?” Nero asks Jax and shares his firm belief that when karma makes you pay, it’s bad. The takeaway is to criticize the arrogance of those who believe themselves to be master puppeteers, and how one should be careful about whose side they pick especially if there are fences to be mended. The examples to draw from are multiple: John Teller, Clay (Ron Perlman), Juice, Nero and Jax, especially if they consider the person who has influenced them the most and how it worked out for them.

Owning One’s Place

Surrounded by the club, Tara states, “There is no other ending.” She’s resigned to her fate, and concludes she did the best she could to give her boys a chance, putting the idea of WitSec behind her. But then, the conversation that needed to happen between Jax and Tara for the past 13 episodes finally happens! Truths are uttered and each owns up to their mistakes – fabulous!

Once again, Jax shows the complex man he is and how no one fully has the capacity to know what really goes on inside his head. The decision he makes is filled with light: “Just be a good mom and save our boys…please.”  As Jax and Tara finally talk, the love they feel for one another re-blossoms.

Mothers

The title of the episode, “A Mother’s Work,” truly embodies the summary of the actions that lead up to the current storylines. The title doesn’t refer to just Tara; rather, it is a collective take on how mothers’ priorities and parenting skills can impact their kids. Case in point: Wendy (Drea de Matteo), who needs to get herself together before ever thinking of tending to Abel (Evan and Tyler Londo).

My favorite motherly moment is learning about Patterson’s (CCH Pounder) backstory; it certainly sheds light on her decision-making process. People have hated on her for going after the club but ever since she took off the wig, my admiration for her has grown. For Patterson, “going hood” meant getting real. Pounder does an incredible job of portraying the DA as a common sense yet strong female character. I love how she puts her mom hat on to urge Jax to man up and do what’s best for his family. And how sad is it that Jax gets a reminder from someone outside his circle?

The Pushy Mom Award goes to…Gemma! Not a shocker, I’m sure. Seeing the journey of where her controlling nature and her push for grandkids ultimately takes her is something else! (Nodding in disapproval.)

Does Goodness Remain in Jax?

When Jax steps up to own his place, Tara seems to think he’s neutralized the monster that led him to lose his way, and validates him by articulating her first “I love you” this season. This is when I began getting nervous. This is a dark show and when things appear to be too good to be true, they usually are. Sure enough, the two characters who now carry the biggest secrets and appear to be the most miserable of the lot take action and in the process, more than one innocent person pays the ultimate price.  I won’t spoil the scene but the superb Shakespearian turn of tragic events is greatly enhanced by terrific performances by the cast. My mind is still fixated on the quivering lips experienced by a character who is assessing the wrongness of the situation, and at hearing the grief-infused wail that escapes the lips of another. All I’ll add is this: “And the Emmy goes to…”

Season 7: What’s On My Radar?

• Secrets never stay on the down low in Charming and considering how Juice and Gemma can barely function over the turmoil felt for turning on Clay, I expect them to fall off the wagon now that they have another guilty secret.
• Wendy’s statement that she’s not interested in Jax anymore is suspect if one considers the writers have a habit of writing the dialogue with the opposite expectation of what actually happens.
• It’s a matter of time before Juice goes. Considering how fragile he is emotionally, imagine what he’ll do after he realizes he’s chosen the wrong side. When the truth comes out, I have a feeling Bobby will be personally involved in finishing him off.
• I have to hand it to Sutter and Sagal for their willingness to go there with Gemma; she’s about to catch a lot of hate. Yes, I have asked to be surprised by Gemma’s actions but in a positive way! Given what happens, I’m not going to bother to hide my reaction. I’m fed up with Gemma’s meddling nature, her attack-first-ask-questions-later arrogant attitude, and getting away with it all. This may have not been a premeditated situation but she’s the toxic poison that sickens the MC and now, her hell is about to begin. She should have taken off with Nero but now she’ll get to enjoy living in fear from worrying about whether Jax will find out what she is done.
• If the cancer doesn’t kill Unser soon, guilt will. He won’t take it well knowing what he told Gemma unleases a tragedy. It now seems fitting to share that I’ve always thought Unser’s cancer was somewhat symbolic. He’s so in love with Gemma that by buffering her poisonous actions, he absorbs her toxicity, the sickness, into him.
• The Chinese and Mayans disapprove of the new “business model” and don’t plan on playing nice. They’ll want to tip the balance of power in their favor. Expect SAMCRO to be caught in the middle of it. While I’m at it, I’m happy to see the return of the super nice and talented Emilio Rivera in a meatier role. Along those lines, I’ll be curious to see what Nero decides to do after Alvarez goes trigger happy.
• In what state will Jax be now that manning up to his family came too late? Will he be able to pick up the pieces, or will he become the thing he hates because he falls apart? Will Patterson think he committed the crime?

“A Mother’s Work” is the most emotional of this season’s episodes. It shows Sutter and his team have a solid pulse on capturing the attention of their fans. They truly saved the best for last.  I consider this to be the best season finale in the history of Sons of Anarchy so far. The episode builds steadily to the major confrontation, all while being supported by strong cast performances. It’s up to Siff and Hunnam to carry the emotional weight of the episode and do they deliver! They succeed in realistically portraying a couple distanced due to an environment filled with turmoil and violence. Hunnam has shown remarkable range this entire season with his wide array of emotions. His last few minutes in this episode are Emmy® worthy.

Last but not least, kudos to the writers for their consistent and thoughtful storytelling this season. They cast a complex web of storylines in which every line of dialogue was purposeful.

Fans of Sons of Anarchy must now endure a nine-month wait to see if any goodness remains in Jax after this life-changing event or whether he’ll lose his way much worse than he did after losing Opie.

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.

Photos © 2013 FX Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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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.

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