“This is why mothers should drown baby girls.” – Gemma
I have to admit that I, a fervent supporter and occasional apologist for Sons of Anarchy, was worried by the past few episodes. Sure, there were some decent moments in the third, fourth, and fifth episodes, but the show seemed to be in something of a creative and dramatic rut. Thankfully, Kurt Sutter and company seem to have righted the ship and put Sons of Anarchy on course for an action packed second half of the season.
“With an X” proves the age-old theory that a little bit of sex and violence go a long way. The episode mixes feuding porn stars, a gruesome murder, with a dash of betrayal for good measure. The really impressive thing about “With an X” is that it is able to set in motion some very major plot developments while focusing mainly on domestic issues.
Let’s run through those domestic issues first, and then will get to the big stuff that goes down near the end of the hour.
We’ll start with the least interesting aspect of the episode: Tig’s (Kim Coates) daughter Dawn (who has recently taken to calling herself Margeaux) returns to Charming. She brings with her news of Tig’s other daughter Fawn. Dawn (Rachel Miner) claims that Fawn is suffering from a serious eating disorder and needs to be checked into an expensive rehab facility. I start to get the inkling that things are a little fishy when Dawn claims that only she can be there when Fawn is admitted. So, Ti is supposed to give the money for treatment to his notoriously crazy daughter and just trust that she will use it for what she says she will.
Gemma (Katey Sagal) does some digging and finds out that Fawn is just fine, so Tig sends Dawn packing. Tig’s crazy daughters have been mentioned a bunch of times in past seasons, so I was a little disappointed that the stakes were so low when we finally meet one of them. Tig is one of Sons of Anarchy’s most fascinating and polarizing characters, so I understand the need to give him something to do. I just wish what they decided to give him was something will a little more bite.
The stakes are higher in the second, much more effective domestic dispute of the episode. Ima (Kristen Renton) traipses through the SAMCRO clubhouse after her night of extra-marital passion with Opie (Ryan Hurst) and runs smack dab into Gemma and Tara (Maggie Siff). Tara, of course, immediately assumes that Ima was there with Jax (Charlie Hunnam) and she and Gemma tag-team intimidate her. “Bitch, she will rip your little tits off,” Gemma warns Ima. Lyla (Ave Winter Zoli) enters the fray and after a bit of back and forth shit-talking, Ima pulls a gun on the SAMCRO old ladies and slowly backs out of the clubhouse door. “Keep that .38 close, b—-. You’re gonna need it,” Tara shouts after her.
The fallout from the porn star showdown is multifaceted. First, Tara is forced to relive the pain Jax caused when he slept with Ima last season. Then, Opie is given a little pain of his own when Piney (William Lucking) sucker punches him for bringing that crazy chick into their clubhouse. The events force Lyla and Opie to sit down and come clean to each other. Lyla admits that she had an abortion last year, and that’s the final straw for Opie. He’s moving out of the house and into the clubhouse to cool off for a while.
The most interesting thing about all this drama is the look it gives the audience a look into the way MC “old ladies” view themselves and other women in similar situations. The way that other old ladies prioritize their allegiance is distressing, yet fascinating. It seems that, more than anything else, their allegiance is to the club, not to the other wives. Gemma and Tara try to cover for Opie at first, despite the fact that Lyla, Opie’s wife/old lady, is technically one of them. Tara knows full well that if the shoe was on the other foot, she would want Lyla to be honest about Jax’s philandering. Yet, she lies for Opie anyway.
Most of the remainder of the episode is devoted to the Sons’ attempts to figure out who stole the cartel’s missing brick of coke. The prospects and the new patches face the most scrutiny. The SAMCRO veterans force the newbies to play a game of Russian roulette, then order a cage match. When none of the new guys crack, Clay decides he is going to have to kill one of them, regardless of guilt, as a sacrificial lamb to lay at the feet of the cartel and the Mayans. Juice (Theo Rossi) tries to buy some time so he can retrieve the brick and return it.
Things get complicated when Miles (Frank Potter) spots him returning to the safehouse with the coke stuffed into his jeans. Miles knows immediately that Juice is the thief, so he shoots him in the leg. The two scuffle over the gun and when Juice gets the upper-hand, he unloads the clip into poor Miles’ head. It’s one of those moments when you stand up from your couch and something along the lines of “SIIIIIIIIIICCCKKK!!!!” comes out of your mouth. It’s kind of like last week’s big “No So, Miles takes the fall for the missing brick and Juice lives to narc another day.
The most important part of the episode is also the briefest. If you weren’t paying close attention, it would be easy to miss it entirely. Clay (Ron Perlman), who for the most part has been relatively mellow since Able-gate, resumes his role as the number one a-hole on the show. His fears about J.T.’s letters seeing the light of day and ruining him have forced Clay to make a deal with devil. A devil with a Spanish accent. He asks Romeo (Danny Trejo) if the cartel will be willing to help him with the mess. Romeo is happy to oblige. “We’ll clean it up.”
And just like that, Sons of Anarchy’s original conflict (Jax vs. Clay) has been reignited. And in this instance, a return the status quo is a positive thing for the show. I have always argued that Sons of Anarchy will end with Jax murdering his stepfather and “With an X” sets us back on that track. The question now is which side of the conflict will Gemma wind up on? She conspired with Clay to kill Jax’s father, but will she be so brazen as to assist in the murder of Jax’s fiancé?
Some stats and info about Sons of Anarchy, “With an X”
TV SHOW – Sons of Anarchy
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 4, Episode 6
AIRED ON – October 11th, 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.