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Previously on Sons of Anarchy: Authority Vested

The season is only three episodes in, and I’m already blown away by the drama and heartbreak that is usually saved for the ending of a season. It seems Kurt Sutter is getting bolder with his storyline, and I have to keep watching.

Jax, Chibs, Tig, and Opie are all in county prison. Although prison is nothing new for the boys, the threat of the retribution from inmates involved (in what looks like) the Niners creates adversity for the imprisoned Sons.  Jax, who manages to still look incredibly good looking in a jumpsuit, is summoned by prison guards into the warden’s office. It is here that he meets Damon Pope. Pope informs Jax that the Sons will be released from prison–effective the next day–and the witnesses that could place them at the murder scene will disappear. This all comes at a price. Tig must stay in prison forever so Pope can keep an eye on him, and one Son must leave the prison in a body bag. Another instance of Pope’s ‘eye for an eye’ policy.

Gemma and Tara once again have reached their breaking point as they struggle for power within the family. Gemma, who is angry with Tara’s undermining of her authority, seeks out Wendy, Jax’s junkie ex wife and mother to his first son, Abel. Gemma convinces Wendy that she will receive custody of her son if she publicly accuses Tara of being psychological unstable and a pill popper. Wendy, who is wary of Gemma’s intentions, but also desires to see her son, accepts Gemma’s deal. However, Tara is much more psychologically stable than Gemma intends and the public threat does not occur. Gemma further proves what loose of a cannon she is when Clay shows up at the Brothel owned by her lover. It is the unfortunate chance that an escort named Emma (played by Ashley Tisdale, you may know her from High School Musical) is in the same room as Clay, and gets the crap beaten out of her by Gemma.

Meanwhile, Jax is overwhelmed with the task at hand. Jax must decide which Son will go into the fighting room (apparently, the crooked guards like to put prisoners in there as modern gladiator entertainment) and who will go home safe. In a state of desperation, Jax informs Opie about the truth of his father, the John Teller letters, and why Clay is still alive after his murderous rampage last season. During this revelation, the crooked prison guards pull the boys out of their cell and into the fighting room–where one of them will die. The four Sons are placed in a room, and Jax volunteers himself to go into the pit. BUT, in an act similar to the season premiere, Opie punches the guard in the face and is ultimately selected! In one of the most brutal scenes since Tig’s daughter was set aflame and murdered, Opie is placed into a room and is brutally  beaten to death with a laying pipe as the Sons look on in horror.

The episode ends with an angry and distraught Jax meeting with Pope in the warden’s office. Jax makes a deal with Pope that the remaining Sons will all be released the next day, and that Pope can have Tig once he is finished with him.

Why it had to be Opie

Opie has faced tragedy since the beginning of the series: his wife was murdered in season one, a failed marriage and the murder of his father in season four. But that doesn’t explain why Opie had to be the gladiator in the fighting pit, right? The revelation of the truth to Opie in the jail cell indirectly decided his fate. In the season premiere, Jax made it known that he was against revealing the truth to the Sons of Anarchy because it would ultimately destroy the club in their weakened state. Opie carrying around the truth as a free man could have potentially resulted in the destruction of the club (the murder of Clay perhaps?).  Opie died a hero for the club. Although, I do not think Jax knowingly told Opie the truth in order to get Opie killed, I feel there are going to be some definite repercussions in the upcoming episodes.

Why it couldn’t be Tig

For someone who felt the pang of horror and disgust at the murder of Tig’s daughter, Opie’s murder made me resent Tig. Tig was the catalyst for the recent events. However, Tig has a bigger part to play in the season. Jax is going to use Tig as leverage while he is in his new position as President. This could be for either removing the Sons from running drugs, or ultimately removing Clay’s influence from the club indefinitely.

Tara as the new Gemma

Tara has proven that she will not let anyone get in the way of her family–not even her monster mother in law. Tara is becoming the embodiment of Gemma as she uses threats, leverage, and revenge as a means to keep her family growing in the way she wants. As Tara grows in her power, Gemma is sinking into a downward spiral, resorting to rash decisions and plotting revenge. Tara is showing true potential of being the queen bee of the Sons of Anarchy as she combats with every threat with more threats. Looks like Jax may have married his mother after all.

QUOTES

Damon Pope : “Relax, I’m just here to talk.”
Jax: “Is that what you told Tig’s girl right before you lit her on fire?”
Pope” “Let’s not talk about the tragedy of dead girls, you will lose.”

Jax: “I’m not going to war.”
Pope: “You’re already in one, son.”

Jax: “I don’t give s**t who Pope is, how deep he is, he doesn’t make that call. We decide our own fate.”

When not obsessively catching up with current and ’90′s television shows, aliciawrites19 enjoys nerding out to her favorite books and learning survival skills from horror films.