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Sons Of Anarchy Review: “The Mad King” (Season 6, Episode 5)

We're almost to the halfway point of season 6 of Sons of Anarchy and every episode thus far has had its fair share of ups and downs. Recently the downs have started outnumbering the ups, and as trite as it might be to say, that is making for some excellent television.

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We’re almost to the halfway point of season 6 of Sons of Anarchy and every episode thus far has had its fair share of ups and downs. Recently the downs have started outnumbering the ups, and as trite as it might be to say, that is making for some excellent television.

Fans of Sons of Anarchy have gotten used to saying goodbye to members. As the show has progressed, they have become more disposable. Even though I shed a tear when Opie (Ryan Hurst) took one for the team last season. If it keeps the plot from going stale, I’m all in favor of killing off characters. Of course, if Kurt Sutter wants to bring back Hurst in another capacity, I don’t think (and feel free to chime in) any fan would be against it. Although, like most fans I have developed an attachment to the characters and would probably revoke my entire statement if Chibs (Tommy Flanagain) became a casualty of someone else’s poor decisions. Overall, I think the exchange is clear; everyone wants those mind blowing moments that pop up sporadically over the season – and in the aftermath of loss, Sons of Anarchy absolutely delivered in this episode.

We’ve already had experience with the lengths that members of the Real IRA will go to. In the season 2 finale, we watched helplessly as Cameron (Jamie McShane) kidnapped Abel, which led to an entire season of interacting with the Kings on their own turf.  Most of the time the Sons of Anarchy were just sitting around playing the waiting game and catching up with their brothers in the Belfast charter. It was an unnecessarily drawn-out experience because apparently nothing happens until the Kings say so. Keep in mind that Cameron was acting alone when he stole Jax’s (Charlie Hunnam) son; it wasn’t a Real IRA sanctioned extracurricular activity. Even so, the Kings used the situation to their advantage at every turn. They used an infant as a pawn, proving that they don’t operate on the ground of rational or just thought.

Given Jax’s personal history with the King’s decision making process, and Galen’s (Timothy V. Muprhy) general disposition toward him, Jax is either losing his edge, or his mind. It’s no secret he has made some notably uniformed calls in recent episode of Sons of Anarchy. Jax has clearly had a lot on his mind (and he doesn’t even know what Tara’s planning yet), but I’m over that as an excuse for making decisions that are ultimately not in the best interest of the club. Everyone thought that Jax at the head of the table was going to be the best option for the motorcycle club, but is he really doing a better job than Clay (Ron Perlman) was? At this point, is there any member who could?

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