Review:  Sons of Anarchy – Season 4, Episode 9, “Kiss”

Rating: ★★★★★

Air date: Monday, November 1, at 10pm ET/PT on FX

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say what’s happening with Clay (Ron Perlman), Juice (Theo Rossi) and Tara (Maggie Siff) is keeping Sons of Anarchy fans on the edge of their seats.

Juice’s suicide attempt is no longer a secret to some; Gemma (Katey Segal) and Clay still face their ‘doctor problem;’ and the ‘Niners’ alliance with Lobo could be a game-changer for SAMCRO, The Mayans and The Cartel.

Kurt Sutter serves us a full dish this week. It’s a rather cold one but not due to a lack of interest; it’s because this episode feels like a warm up for worse things to come. We don’t even get any comedic relief this time, and the main dose of sweetness comes from Jackson ‘Jax’ Teller (Charlie Hunnam) and Tara. They remain a unified family in spite of the chaos surrounding them. Sadly, their happiness hangs on a frail thread of hope: getting Tara and the kids out of harm’s way by leaving Charming while Jax works a step closer to leaving the MC.

The relationship between Tara (Maggie Siff) and Jax (Charlie Hunnam) remains strong in spite of the dangers they face.

It’s unfortunate that what Juice doesn’t know could help him out in the long run. “Sons don’t kill themselves, club is going to vote him out, no one is going to trust him,” Jax says, remaining ignorant of the real motive behind the suicide attempt. Chibs (Tommy Flanagan) and Sheriff Eli Roosevelt (Rockmond Dunbar) are both keeping tabs on Juice and when he tells the Sheriff he’s done with being a rat, it earns him a personal introduction to AUSA Lincoln Potter (Ray McKinnon). Potter takes Juice to his war room informing him the Sons are actually fish in a small pond and that the real catch he’s after is the IRA.

Rossi effectively portrays that oddly tense calmness of a man who could snap at any second and when he finally loses it, McKinnon offers a deep contrast. In near-theatrical fashion, Potter climbs on a desk to see the action better. Potter is my favorite of SAMCRO’s nemesis. I love so many things about him, such as his Machiavellian strategies and his patient but bulldozing approach to going after his targets. He goes after SAMCRO incarcerated member Otto (Kurt Sutter) again, who can see a rat in 3D in spite of his partial blindness. Yet Potter’s venom-filled softly spoken voice plants the seed of doubt about the lack of justice for the death of his wife Luanne (Dendrie Taylor).

Charlie Hunnam is eye candy but in “Kiss” he provides something extra too. He gives a standout performance in this episode. Nothing with the Cartel is going down as planned but Jax continues fighting for the life he yearns for. He relentlessly wrestles his way in and out of situations to diffuse tension, educate the Cartel about relationships or save someone’s life. He does whatever it takes to make things work for the MC. Jax, as a character, has been criticized for losing his edge after jail but I disagree. Jail time forced a distance from the only life he’s known and it’s cleared his head about what he wants.  His conversation with Clay, in which he outlines an exit strategy, makes it clear where his heart is, and in spite of being consistently questioned about the path he’s supposed to follow, it’s moving to see Jax’s complete commitment to protecting his family.

Jax (Charlie Hunnam) comes to grips that SAMCRO's relationship with the Cartel is a mistake.

“Clay is like a wounded animal, Gemma; he’s going to rip apart anything that comes too close, including Tara…. Clay cannot be saved,” Unser (Dayton Callie) warns Gemma as they stand just a few feet away from Piney’s (William Lucking) corpse.  Their history is clearly a muddled one and when Unser threatens to call the Sheriff on Clay, she jumps him. Their moment gives meaning to the title to the episode.

Gemma’s reaction to Piney’s lifeless body reveals her steadfast commitment to Clay. Even when confronted by Tara about stealing John Teller’s letters, it doesn’t deter Gemma from her agenda. She presses on to do what she does best—plant lies and doubt about anything that could have a negative effect on her and Clay. But Gemma is in over her head and blind to the conflict of interest. She thinks she has the ability to control the forces of the universe and the only way I see Gemma snapping out of her fog is if Clay burns her.

Clay (Ron Perlman) remains edgy and continues to consider Tara a threat.

Gemma’s real feelings surface towards the end of the episode. She tells Clay she’s fine with lying and not speaking of certain things to protect what they have but claims she can’t lie to him. Gemma is as crooked as a dog’s broken hind leg; almost every one of her acts of kindness comes with a catch. This time, she wants Clay’s assurance he won’t hurt Tara.

“I love you Gemma, everything I do is for you,” Clay assures her.

Just like the contract killer situation, Clay can’t be stopped either? Will Unser’s words prove to be prophetic? I wasn’t shocked when Clay calls Tara a derogatory name that cats may find offensive but I am worried now about the speed dial thing.

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