Review:  Sons of Anarchy – Season 4, Episode 11 “Call of Duty” – When a Junkie Whore, an Irish Pizza Order and Skeletons in a Closet Collide

Air date: Tuesday, November 15, at 10pm ET/PT on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

The rising tension between Gemma (Katey Sagal), Wayne (Dayton Callie) and Clay (Ron Perlman) help skeletons find their way out of the closet. When Wayne reveals to Opie (Ryan Hurst) that Clay killed his father Piney (William Lucking), urging him to ‘off’ Clay before he kills someone else he loves, Gemma’s assertion that Clay will die in the hands of a Son takes on a prophetic undertone.  Will it happen because of Gemma’s infinite wisdom or due to her ability to influence others?

Jax (Charlie Hunnam) and Kozik (Kenny Johnson) bring out the big guns to squash the Lobos.

With panty-twisting anticipation, the Charming saga builds up this storyline and so much more in this special 90-minute episode. The title, “Call of Duty,” fills my brain with visions of a Rambo and Chuck Norris haven, and although it is exciting to see the SAMCRO boys play with rocket propelled grenades to squash the Cartel’s feud with the Lobos, the action sequences are fairly condensed. Everyone has been anxiously waiting to find out which SAMCRO member is killed and Kozik’s (Kenny Johnston) death happens so fast. I barely get to register it when I already have to move on as there are bigger fish to fry. Ultimately, the most explosive action doesn’t come from the RPGs, but from a closet bursting at the seams with skeletons. This week’s Sons is about our favorite Charming folk talking about and acting on things they’ve been worrying about for a while. And let me tell you, people really step it up!

The episode begins with a journaling Jax watching over a hospitalized Tara.  Neither one buys into Tara’s little white lie assuring Jax she believes he’ll get them out of the jam they’re in, but the affectionate manner in which they talk to each other tells us this is a couple who puts each other first no matter what.

Things don’t go as smoothly when Jax sees his mother. His eyes reveal the horror, anger and guilt he experiences from realizing Clay beat the crap out of her.

Jax (Hunnam) is experiencing a heavy dose of guilt as he deals with the fallout from SAMCRO’s alliance with the Galindo Cartel.

“I thought we could pull this off, cash out but I was an idiot. I am as delusional as he is,” Jax says.

“No, you are a better man,” Gemma assures him. “Are you planning on leaving Charming? I can’t take anymore lies, Jackson.”

This is an example of great dialogue because in less than sixty seconds, Kurt Sutter reminds us of the ever-present 500-pound gorilla in the room (John Teller), while throwing a dose of realism wrapped up in deep emotions at us. It shows that even bad ass MC men know when their mammas call them by their full name it’s time to get behind whatever they’re saying.  Wrong or right, Jax agrees to let his mother handle the Clay situation in a formidably executed scene by both Sagal and Hunnam.

From an overall perspective, Sutter shows us a glimpse of his twisted but highly entertaining mind as the script’s multiple witty one-liners keep me grinning.

“I flew my broomstick into a brick wall.” – Gemma

“It’s a natural reaction to reach out to a friend when someone tries to kill you.” – Wayne

“We’re here for some tasteful shots of our genitals.” – Tig (Kim Coates)

While on this subject, I should point out I’ve always found the conversations among the women in this show to be more honest than the ones among the men.  This is true in “Call of Duty” and from all the individual conversations between the Charming ladies, the juiciest one involves Jax’s ex-wife Wendy (Drea De Matteo) and Gemma as it becomes a show down. First off, I’m always game for any scene involving Chucky as the scene-stealing Michael Marisi Ornstein lightens up sticky situations with his comedic flair. Wendy should know Gemma is around when she encounters the odd-looking Chucky introducing himself as Abel’s “manny.”  My loathing of Wendy during Season one reached titanic proportions but deep down, I get and welcome the interesting complications for the couple also known as ‘Jara.’  I predict it will be fun to see Gemma deal with a sober and assertive Wendy who is no longer a “junkie whore” pushover. However, I urge Wendy fans not to get overly cocky; we’re all familiar with the typical outcome for guest stars on this show.

And speaking of Gemma, what is there not to love about her fierce portrayal of a strong woman who is far from being broken or defeated by her abusive husband? In spite of knowing Clay could kill her; Gemma continues to plot against him on behalf of both her biological and MC family.  Gemma’s survival instincts keep her flexible and she takes a huge step in considering Margaret’s (McNally Sagal) advice to allow Tara to leave Charming with her son and grandkids. Although I admire Gemma’s bravery, I must confess her insistence in believing she can control the forces of the universe often annoys me and I fear it could prove costly to her.

Clay (Ron Perlman) actions isolate him further from the rest of the MC members.

The brotherhood among the men is unwavering; not surprisingly, their dynamics are not only challenging but also more underhanded. The death-wish-laden Juice (Theo Rossi) still doesn’t come fully clean to an extremely supportive and understanding Chibs (Tommy Flanagan) regarding his deal with Potter (Ray McKinnon). Flanagan provides a perfectly balanced performance in showing mentor-like concern for Juice while still cornering him for a confession as he suspects him to be a rat. The tricky dance between Otto (Sutter) and Potter also needs to be discussed especially because they each have yet to show their best moves. My bet is death-row Otto will have the last laugh. Last but not least, a key member of Team Morrow, Tig, finally confronts Clay about his secretive isolated behavior. The outcome of their conversation reveals what their individual agendas are and demonstrates once again Clay’s inability to trust anyone, which ultimately will cause his demise.

At last, Lyla and Opie discuss their situation. In deep contrast to Jax and Tara, their exchange is tense and distant and it leaves Opie all worked up to the point he gives Jax an attitude about leaving the club. After all Opie has gone through, I’m glad he’s forcing Jax to take some accountability for the advice he gave him. When Wayne follows Opie to Piney’s cabin and former right-hand man Tig isn’t there to tip off Clay, we know this is code red bad. Does Clay realize he now has two dead men doing voodoo work against him from the grave?  Likewise, an unsuspecting but guilt-ridden Bobby should be anxious about his upcoming visit to Otto. Clay should have shared with him the same wisdom he shared with Wayne: there’s nothing more dangerous than a man that already knows he’s dead.

Somewhere, Piney and John Teller must be gloating together.

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