Quick Take: Sons of Anarchy, "Toad's Wild Ride"
"She's a goddamn train wreck." – Jax, about Gemma
Review: Sons of Anarchy, "Toad's Wild Ride"
(S0507) How far can Sons of Anarchy push until viewers reach a breaking point? There has been so much tragedy this season but it doesn’t seem that Kurt Sutter is ready to let up.
Last week’s "Small World" packed some punches, including four deaths. Nero’s partner Carla killed herself, Sheriff Roosevelt’s wife succumbed to her injuries from the home invasion, and Damon Pope hand delivered the address of the warden from the prison where Opie was killed plus his wife being "collateral damage," as Jax put it. The scene where they died was too brutal to watch and I had to fast forward. I didn’t think they would off the sheriff’s wife, but now I know that no one’s life is safe on this show. Also revealed, Clay being the mastermind of the home invasions.
This week, "Toad’s Wild Ride" centered around the decisions of Jax, Gemma and Clay. It started off with Gemma sleeping with a random dude (Joel McHale) and having him steal her wallet and car. She called Nero to help and he in turn called Jax. They met Gemma at the hotel she was at and Jax questioned who Gemma was. "Who are you?" has been a question about Gemma all season. She definitely has made some head scratching decisions.
Nero reminded Jax that Gemma was still his mother and she needed him. They caught up with the thief and got her car back. Although the thief thought they were even with Jax taking some money from him, Nero caught up with him later and beat the crap out of him. Poor Joel McHale! But it did show that Nero has some intense feelings for Gemma.
Jax got back to dealing with the issue of the home invasions. In an earlier meeting with Unser, it was revealed that the nomads, Frankie, Greg and GoGo, were under suspicion. Jax tells Unser to pay them a visit and just act like he is introducing himself, but look around to see if anything is amiss.
Meanwhile, the nomads meet with Clay and the reason for the home invasions is made clear. Clay is hoping to resume the position of SAMCRO president and the nomads will be given a cut of the money that is made from the drugs and guns. Clay still does not agree that it is the right move to get out of either business. Clay tells the three men to leave town as soon as possible since the sheriff has DNA evidence and it will implicate GoGo.
With Jax intimidating Frankie and then Unser seeing GoGo’s scratches on his neck, Clay knows he has to make a move in order to hide his association with the nomads. He tells the nomads to kill Unser, making it look like another home invasion. Clay then goes to Unser’s home and tells him he has suspicions about the nomads as well. Right after he warns Unser, GoGo and Greg come in wearing masks, but Unser and Clay shoot them dead. Clay leaves and Unser calls the police knowing that Sheriff Roosevelt will want some closure. Unfortunately for Clay, Frankie is still alive and he is last seen driving from the scene.
Jax and Tara are heading out of town, but their babysitter cancels on them. After his talk with Nero, Jax gives in and talks Tara into letting Gemma watch the boys. Gemma gets the call while getting stoned with Unser. She says yes and heads to pick them up. Tara heads to the cabin with Tig as her protector and Jax pays a visit to Clay. Jax confronts him about him being behind the home invasions, but Clay points the finger at Pope. Jax tells him that he will find Frankie and get the truth from him.
As Jax and Chibbs head back to the clubhouse, they are ambushed and shot at. They manage to kill one of the shooters and when they pull his mask off his identity points at Pope. Gemma picks the boys up and as she is driving home, she ends up in the wrong lane and has to swerve to avoid a truck. She ends up down an embankment and hits a tree. Her and Abel look unconscious as baby Thomas cries.
Watching Clay get away with everything, for now, and watching Gemma drive away with those boys while high was a little infuriating to watch. I like the fact that Clay was kept around, but now his actions are over the top. With Juice knowing what Clay has been up to, I am hoping he comes forward or Jax somehow figures everything out and gets rid of Clay once and for all. Assuming Gemma survives the car wreck, how will she survive the wrath of Jax and Tara when found? Something tells me Nero might be the one to come to the rescue.
Everybody had great scenes this week, with my favorite probably being the few minutes between Tara and Clay where her hatred for him was in full force. It was made clear that no one but Gemma, Clay, Jax and Tara are still the only ones that know he tried to have her killed. This episode was definitely a wild ride and hopefully the cliff hanger will be resolved right away next week.
What Gemma did this past week was the most despicable thing I’ve seen her do. She underestimated her ability to drive under the influence and it landed her and the boys in a road side ditch. Tara was right to hit her in the face but it surprised me that she hit her with her bad hand in the next episode. This is one of the many reasons why I’ve got my Hopper timer set to record the show each week. My DISH co-worker pointed out that Tara could be playing Possum with her hand just like Clay and his oxygen tank. That’s a really good point.