Retrospective:  Sons of Anarchy, S5 E13 – “J’ai Obtenu Cette”

Air date: Tuesday, December 4, 10pm ET/PT on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

With each new season, expectations become higher for the Sons of Anarchy finale.  The focus this season has been on Jax’s (Charlie Hunnam) journey from prince to king as he tries to reverse the damage inflicted on the MC by Clay’s (Ron Perlman) self-serving ways.  As the season concludes, can Jax accelerate the end game as he initially intended to do, or has the power of the gavel negatively affected his focus?

From the very first scene of “J’ai Obtenu Cette,” which, literally translated means “I Obtained This,” or more loosely translated as the phrase Opie (Ryan Hurst) uttered before being killed in prison (“I got this”), Kurt Sutter and crew bring it on; we’re forced to re-live Opie’s death with Hunnam doing a voice-over. This is our warning for what’s to come:  major drama and settling scores.

Dogging Dante Out

As SAMCRO backs up Nero (Jimmy Smits) and his crew in their efforts to oust Dante Ramirez (Ramon Fernandez) from their turf, they run into an illegal dog fighting operation. I could barely watch the sequence as the scene was too horrific for me but I loved how Tig (Kim Coates) is infuriated by the animal cruelty – who can forget his infamous grudge against Kozik (Kenny Johnson) due to a pet dog?  Luckily, the MC men know all about Tig’s emotion-fueled screw ups and refocus him on the job at hand. As this is going down, the homeless woman appears to Jax!  Take this as confirmation that troubled times, indeed, lie ahead for him. Later on, a shrewd Jax will benefit from Tig’s anger to set Tig up with Pope.

Reversing the RICO case against the MC will take a complicated turn for Jax.

Tension among the Charming Women

This is my favorite conversation of the entire episode:

Wendy (Drea de Matteo): “The MC, this town, it kills all the shit you love…Go to Oregon now before something awful happens to you and your sons. And if you don’t do it, I will because I don’t give a shit about the custody…”

Tara (Maggie Siff): “I’m getting out!”

Siff and de Matteo know how to build tension and emotionality into a scene to make it powerful.  It was refreshing to finally see an honest conversation between the two but it was more delightful to see de Matteo’s character being utilized beyond merely inducing tension between Jax and Tara.

After tonight’s episode, I’m sure SOA fans will be calling for Gemma’s (Katey Sagal) head. Sutter is a brave man for willingly throwing Gemma into social media hell! I wasn’t surprised by the way Gemma turns on Tara but I was stunned that she doesn’t bother to hide her full colors: “I’m dead without my boys. At least I would have the satisfaction of knowing you were locked up and fist-raped until they were well into their 20s.”

If Gemma crossed Tara with the cops, what kind of a woman threatens her grandchildren’s mother with jail, and then follows through? More importantly, with all Gemma’s been through, how can she dismiss the notion of a better life for her grandsons outside outlaw life? Her selfishness blinds her because her actions aren’t about loving family.

Way to Come in, Otto!

Otto takes drastic measures to limit his ability to testify moving forward.

Sutter has a flair for the dramatic with his scenes as Otto and he never disappoints.  The manner in which Otto ensures his inability to testify is drastic but effective. Who in their right mind would trust him with a pen or pencil to share his testimony?  Otto’s taunting of Lee Toric (Donal Logue) and his maniacal laughing/crying made me feel bad for him — Otto is a man who lives hell on earth.

Jax – Playing Dumb While Making Epic Moves

One of the reasons I love this show is the way in which the action is driven by the chess-like moves and twists, and the finale delivers on this.

Jax could seriously win a World Chess Championship because the systematic moves he pulls to save Tig, dispatch Damon Pope (Harold Perrineau), and frame Clay are just rapturous!  The Shakespearian twist of causing Pope to land on his own sword was expected but such a delight to watch!

Bobby (Mark Boone Jr.) and Jax’s Parting of Ways

This conversation is intended to be a referendum on Jax’s leadership style as judged by Bobby but it turns out to be a bitter moment that marks the end of a strong partnership. I, however, have issues with Bobby’s position. He admonishes Jax for not letting go of his beef with Clay because he doesn’t have proof of Clay’s wrongdoings, yet he, himself, is unable to let go of his beef in spite of not having any actual proof that Jax put a bounty on Clay’s head, and Tig and Juice (Theo Rossi) don’t tell Bobby what actually happened.

As expected, Sutter builds traction in the finale for next season’s storylines, and Jax’s unclear reaction in the closing scenes leaves plenty of fertile ground to explore. The fact that the patient and loyal August Marks (Billy Brown) doesn’t quite trust Jax should be troublesome for the SAMCRO president. Judging by how Marks keeps things business as usual within the Pope organization after the big boss’ demise, it would be wise of Jax to keep an eye on him. Then, in thinking about Unser’s description of Toric as a retired marshal with a long history of “misconduct violations, excessive force, intimidation and racial profiling,” I put this guy in the double-digit vindictive category.  Toric could be a complex antagonist because of his lack of respect for boundaries.

Lee Toric, a man who disregards boundaries, could become a serious problem for Jax and Tara next season.

This is my wish-list for next season:

• A shift to fewer conflicts that are more deeply explored.
• I love the expanded guest star list but if they’re going to be in the show, they deserve at least a cool death or beat down á la Drea de Matteo or Rachel Miner.
• With Gemma being fed up with Tara’s “power push,” Wendy needs to be Tara’s ally next season. Jax’s ‘Wives Club’ should unite to take down Gemma (sweet and awesome!).
• More consistent and realistic writing for Siff. I’m pleased Tara has figured out ‘the life’ isn’t working for her but for someone who is a surgeon, the learning curve for handling Gemma should have kicked in much sooner. If prison time doesn’t do the trick, nothing will.
• Juice grows a back-bone. ‘Nuf said.
• Chucky (Michael Ornstein) learns to rhyme now in Spanish thanks to Nero’s tutoring (I kid, I kid…)

In the action and suspense category, “J’ai Obtenu Cette” delivers as a finale. Almost three-quarters of the episode is filled with action and the suspense builds up nicely, with Jax’s settling of scores being the crowning moment.  Where the episode falls flat for me are the scenes that are intended to be emotionally-charged. Too many conflicts stemmed from unfinished conversations and unsaid words to my liking (as is the case of the Jax and Tara scenes).

Gemma’s actions deliver the intended shock value in the end but Tara is the one who owns that scene. Knowing how Sutter operates, I knew Tara’s good news was merely the buildup to a devastating event! Then, the similarity between the final image we were left with last season and this one – with Gemma assuming the ‘Queen Be’ position behind a seated Jax – nearly blew up my creep-o-meter. I can’t help but feel Gemma basically wants to be her son’s woman! Ugh!

Former Chief Unser (Dayton Callie) earns his rent by informing Jax about the background of the mysterious ex-Marshall Lee Toric.

From an overall perspective, I’ve welcomed the darker tone of the storylines this season. It’s realistic for a price to be paid for the increased violence in Jax’s life. Hunnam really spread his wings as an actor and made Jax’s metamorphosis into King gradual and real. I’ve also enjoyed the increased screen time for cast members who had been under-utilized in past seasons, such as Coates, Boone Jr., and Tommy Flanagan. The guest star selection also needs mention as it was top notch. Jimmy Smits, Wanda de Jesus, Harold Perrineau, and Walton Goggins were my favorites. They brought their A-game, making their characters shine brightly.

Has Jax become Clay?

This question has been at the heart of Sons of Anarchy but this season, it’s been explored to the point of exhaustion. By now, it’s safe to say viewers received the memo about how the gavel changes people, and to lead the MC, one must become a ruthless individual when necessary. 

I’m not saying there isn’t value in contrasting Jax against two very different father figures (Clay and John Teller). It’s clear, however, at this stage of the game, Jax is nothing like either man. He doesn’t crumble in the face of adversity like John did, nor is he a coward. And unlike Clay, Jax is moved by entirely different motivations. Clay seeks power, control, and money while Jax is motivated by revenge. This could change, of course, but at least Jax has worked toward ensuring the financial well-being of the MC and the SAMCRO family at large.  More importantly, Clay didn’t have to contend with the emotional baggage of a stepfather murdering his father and trying to kill the love of his life like Jax has.  Given these circumstances, the question becomes two-fold: Will power corrupt Jax to the point he’ll never leave the life, and can the lessons learned from Clay’s and John Teller’s mistakes prevent Jax from meeting an ugly end?

Clay, the man with more lives than a cat, does say one truth after all: the MC issues aren’t really about him; they are all about that seat at the head of the table and the consequences that come with the job.

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