“We’re here to get some tasteful shots of our genitals.” – Tig
You know how shows do that “Previously on…” thing at the beginning of episodes? They will show a series of clips from earlier episodes in order to remind viewers of past events. Basically, they will squeeze an entire season’s worth of plot into about 30 seconds. Well, “Call of Duty.” last night’s Sons of Anarchy mega-sode, feels like a 90-minute version of a “Previously on…”
There is just so much going on in “Call of Duty.” Thankfully, a lot of it works. However, a healthy portion of the episode comes off as entirely unnecessary. The result is an elongated episode that moves the story from Point A to Point B, but ultimately lacks the focus required to make that journey a really satisfying one.
The most frivolous part of “Call of Duty” is the scene that (presumably) inspired the episode’s title. SAMCRO and the Galindo cartel join forces to take out the surviving Lobo contingent in Northern California. The battle sequence is something straight out of Modern Warfare 3, complete with active land mines and rocket propelled grenades. With the exception of Lem/Kozik (Kenny Johnson) — a victim of the aforementioned land mines — the Sons escape the skirmish unscathed. After a lovely afternoon in the killing fields, everyone is back to the clubhouse by dinner.
While it’s always a treat to see Drea de Matteo, I think Wendy’s return is poorly timed. Tara (Maggie Siff) and Jax (Charlie Hunnam) already have more than enough drama in their lives at the moment. Adding an entirely new layer of problems is almost overkill at this point. That isn’t to say Wendy’s scenes with Gemma (Katey Sagal) aren’t excellent; they most certainly are. de Matteo’s delivery of this line is particularly well done: “If you thought I was dangerous loaded, just wait until you see me sober, baby.”
Please allow me one last gripe before I move on to the really good parts of “Call of Duty.” I’m sorry, but I’m just not buying Otto’s shift from SAMCRO O.G. to jailhouse rat. I understand that Otto (Kurt Sutter) loves his wife and he would do anything to avenge her murder. I believe that over time, if shown enough proof, he could be turned against the M.C. But not this quickly. Otto’s loyalty to the club is astounding. Hell, just this season he risked bleeding to death just to get the opportunity to shank a Russian on Jax’s behalf. So for him to go from loyal solider to “I’ll give you whatever you want,” virtually overnight is a bit hard to swallow. That said, this character shift does jive with the prediction I made a few weeks ago that Otto will ultimately be the one to kill Clay (Ron Perlman).
I was really impressed with the way the writers are able to prolong the fallout from Gemma’s beating for nearly the entire 90 minutes. Each time she interacts with a new character, we get to relive the horror of the attack. It’s a brilliant way of squeezing every drop of drama out of the situation. For me, the most memorable scene is when Tig (Kim Coates) lays eyes on her and then proceeds to hand over his Sgt. at Arms patch to Clay. What Clay did to Gemma is so unforgivable that even Clay’s most loyal henchman is forced to turn his back on him.
The last thing I want to talk about is Opie’s (Ryan Hurst) discovery of Piney’s (William Lucking) body. In my opinion, Ryan Hurst is one of Son of Anarchy’s most unsung heroes. Katey Sagal and Ron Perlman get most of the attention and accolades for their performances. And deservedly so, the two are no doubt great. Hurst doesn’t get as much credit as some of the other members of the cast, but he should. For years he has turned in subtle, yet outstanding work. His scene with Unser (Dayton Callie) is heartbreakingly excellent. Of course, Dayton Callie is one of my all-time favorites, so it goes without saying that he does great work in the scene as well. “Clay’s got to go, son. Before he kills someone else you love.” Chills, man. Chills.
Some stats and info about Sons of Anarchy, “Call of Duty”
TV SHOW – Sons of Anarchy
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 4, Episode 11
AIRED ON – November 15th, 2011
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – FX
GENRE – Drama, Crime Dramas
CREATED BY – Kurt Sutter
CAST – Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, Mark Boone Junior, Kim Coates, Tommy Flanagan, Theo Rossi, Dayton Callie, Maggie Siff, Ron Perlman, David Labrava, Jimmy Smits, Drea de Matteo
This review originally appeared on TV Geek Army.