Season 6, Episode 11

Air date: Tuesday, November 19, 2013, 10pm ET/PT on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

“This life, it ain’t romantic or free. There is no path to anything that makes sense. It’s just dirty and sad, and we both know it’s only going to get worse.” – Unser

It’s D-day for Clay’s (Ron Perlman) prison transport. Jax (Charlie Hunnam) is determined to cut ties with the Irish but how will this play out? Furthermore, how will Jax leave things with Clay and is the imminent showdown the fans have been waiting for imminent?

The action starts with Jax signing off on DA Patterson’s (CCH Pounder) deal that includes immunity for SAMCRO for the school shooting and past gun-related offenses, and guarantees Tara won’t do any jail time. In exchange, the MC must turn in Gaalan (Timothy V. Murphy) and the guns.

Kurt Sutter, writer and creator of Sons of Anarchy, is a master at building up the drama for each episode and we see this in “Aon Rud Persanta” from the very beginning. As in the past, he uses dialogue to indicate the opposite of what the expected outcome is. Case in point, this conversation between Deputy Sheriff Cane (LaMonica Garrett) and Sheriff Eli Roosevelt (Rockmond Dunbar):

Cane: “How do you think this goes down?”

Roosevelt: “Forty sheriffs, a dozen Irish soldiers, lots of guns. Only one way it can go down.”

Anyone familiar with the show knows nothing ever goes as planned for SAMCRO and you should expect alternate ways of resolving the situation. Here are the main developments:

What is Tara’s New Plan?

Tara’s (Maggie Siff) new lawyer sounds fairly competent and offers a deep contrast to Tara’s incompetent scheming. It turns out any doubts about the miscarriage could ruin her credibility in the Pamela Toric case. Tara has put herself in a predicament and now it appears the legal system will force her to choose between her boys or her freedom with no guarantee of securing either one.

Patterson Gets Played

Jax plays DA Patterson, keeping her and her men on the other side of town while SAMCRO releases Clay and deals with Gaalan. I agree with Jax’s decision —it avoids a shootout with the cops but I couldn’t help but laugh at the obvious (and near amateurish) police presence at the pier. Patterson realizes too late she should have put a bug on Jax but don’t count her out; she’s no pushover.

Plan #1 – Good Riddance

The impasse with Gaalan – who has been impossible to work with – is finally resolved. Nothing personal for Murphy, who is an excellent actor, but I’m going to drink to that. Cheers!

Plan #2 – What Would Clay Do?

The build-up to the Shakespearian parallel fans guessed was coming is systematic. After Clay is broken out of the prison transport, he quickly catches on there is another plan in play. By now, most of Sons of Anarchy’s hardcore fans know what to expect next.

Clay takes it like the soldier he once was, resigned to his fate. “Is this good?” he asks. Perlman’s stance and tone of voice is sad, almost borderline pitiful, and although I finally feel bad for Clay, Jax doesn’t. He and his men stay committed to fulfilling their unanimous vote to have Clay meet Mr. Mayhem and that includes those who were close to Clay once. What needed to happen finally does but is it a fitting send off for Clay? More important, is it a fitting send off for the acting legend Perlman is?

I have mixed feelings about the scene. Honestly, I expected more but I can be objective. The scene shows respect for Perlman as it ends the run of a character that had nowhere else to go. Ultimately, what is missing for me is Clay making a bolder statement. I always thought he would die saving the MC in order to restore his name, while giving some sort of Bravehart-type speech. That isn’t the case here but it’s meant to show how much of a broken man Clay is. He knows he’s become a pariah and doesn’t have any fight left in him. Its interesting Jax doesn’t say much to Clay, which is kind of a letdown, but I took it as him just being over and done with Clay.

From a production standpoint, the scene is masterfully edited and produced. Silence is leveraged effectively for dramatic impact although the blood spurting from Clay is slightly distracting! The entire ensemble turns in formidable performances and seeing the main cast together for the first time this season is such a treat! The standout performance belongs to Hunnam for channeling so well the determination felt by a man who knows he needs a plan to work to remain alive and out of prison.

Plan #3 – Using Mr. Nice Guy

An organization is as strong as its weakest link, and I knew there was a reason why we kept seeing Connor (Scott Anderson) as the most decent member of the IRA. Jax picked up on Connor’s weakness and used it to force him into a tough spot. But, will Connor embrace the MC plan that slides him into “the number one slot,” or will he man up to the Kings about his role in botching up their NorCal gun running business?

Letting Bygones be Bygones?

“Aon Rud Persanta” can be roughly translated to mean “nothing personal” but with the exception of Clay’s demise, almost everything else in the episode is very personal.

• Nero (Jimmy Smits) and Unser (Dayton Callie) remind Gemma (Katey Sagal) what grudges do to people, and the burden children bear when they don’t know their mothers. In spite of their advice, Gemma continues with her double standards and is merciful only to convenient allies such as Wendy (Drea de Matteo). She claims people don’t get “second chances” to raise kids but I say that is exactly what she hopes to get by raising Abel (Ryder and Evan Londo) and Thomas (actors uncredited).
• When Tara tells Nero “Clay Morrow should’ve been dead a long time ago,” there is no doubt she loathes Clay for trying to kill her and for ruining her career. However, when Gemma urges Tara to let bygones be bygones in order to save Bobby (Mark Boone Jr.), Tara agrees to play “mob doctor” again. I’m hoping this is a sign she may not rat out the MC after all.
• Jax’s deep hatred for Clay is revealed and echoed in the sound of the repeated and unnecessary gunshots. This is a very personal killing for Jax, and it’s one he’s been waiting to pull off for a long time. Although Jax shares with Nero how his actions seek to bury a broken past, with John Teller’s murder secret still out there, it looks like the past isn’t ready to cut ties with him.  

What’s on my Radar?

• Jax confesses to Tara he understands why she did everything she did, and how sorry he is being with him took her to “that place.” The admission isn’t angry but it’s unexpected and provides Tara a sense of relief that Jax isn’t going to go ballistic on her as Gemma hinted. How decent of Jax to disclose this to Tara. It shows again how Tara and Gemma can’t predict what goes on inside Jax’s mind. The revelation also represents another failed opportunity for the couple to talk but Jax’s mood is interesting. He appears distant, burdened by heavy thoughts. Just like it happened with Tara, perhaps he’s also wondering where the club has taken him.
• Nero proves, yet again, his worth in gold for being there for Gemma through her rough day but he appears to be reconsidering his close attachment to the Tellers. He warns Jax, “I don’t know how much more I can take”, and admits to Gemma he doesn’t want to marry her. “I’ve seen what happens to your husbands. It ain’t pretty.”
• Unser’s confession to Gemma –“I love you”– and his intention of making things right as well as as Juice’s (Theo Rossi) admission he needs to feel like he’s one of the good guys has me concerned. Knowing how Sutter writes, it has me wondering if they’ll make it past the finale.
• With the murder of Clay, can SAMCRO claim the $5 million bounty on Damon Pope’s (Harold Perrineau) killer? This also makes me wonder where the all-knowing and connected August Marks (Billy Brown) is.

“Aon Rud Persanta” showcases some of the signature Sons of Anarchy classic storytelling elements; including the limited dialogue/extended music sequence towards the end of the episode featuring “I’m Coming Home” by The Staple Singers. This is another well-thought and executed episode in which Sutter and team can brag about finding new ways to surprise viewers.

Did anybody see the train go by right after Jax signs his deal with DA Patterson? Is this a playful metaphor planted by Sutter hinting at what is to come? If so, are we to expect a train wreck for the season finale, or are we dealing with a runaway train that can’t be stopped —meaning there is no salvation for Jax?

Hearing Roosevelt say, “Looks like it’s going to be a long night for everybody” made me snicker. Given there are no new episodes until after Thanksgiving (December 3, to be exact), it appears we’ve finally figured out the equivalent of TV time translated into real life. It sure looks like it’s going to be two long weeks for everybody!

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