If there is a silver lining to Gemma losing her cool and offing Tara, however, it’s that it has allowed for Wendy (Drea de Matteo) to redeem herself before the show fades to black for the last time. Since her uncomfortable stint in season one, when she almost caused the death of herself and Jax’s child, the aforementioned Abel, we’ve seen her pop back up in a handful of episodes in various capacities.
After she got cleaned up, she wanted to form a relationship with her son for her own personal reasons, but now it’s become a relationship based on necessity. Abel, and his younger brother, need a stable female presence in their lives. They need a mother. And, like her or hate her, Wendy has turned out to be their best bet at anything resembling stability. Especially with Gemma’s demise more or less already written.
Whether or not Wendy and Jax rekindle something in the romantic sense, she seems like the obvious choice when it comes to a replacement (err, for lack of a better term) for Tara. And, oddly enough, I’d venture as far to say as to say that she might have even earned Tara’s stamp of approval for her ability to rise to the occasion. Tara was quick to look down her nose at the people who Jax chose to associate with, unfortunately, but this is one person who she’d probably be content with having around.
Luckily, Jax has a way of appreciating the people around him, even if it takes him a while to figure out who deserves it. This doesn’t apply to Bobby (Mark Boone Junior) though. Bobby has always been a reciprocate of his appreciation, and always deserved it. He has been an integral part of the club since before Jax was anyone worth noting, except for being John Teller’s son. Jax has benefited from his advice over the years in ways that exceeded what translated onto the screen, and even now, is at a loss without it. But, despite the outcome, Bobby maintains his loyalty to Jax and the club. It’s hard not to admire a man that would lose his eye and hand for his president, and brother.
Bobby is one of those characters who has always come through in the clutch. Last season, when it looked like he was going to turn in his Redwood patch and go nomad, he recruited some much needed new blood for SAMCRO. He has always served in an advisory capacity to Jax, and Clay for that matter, and his sacrifice is dully noted between the lines and under heavy sighs. Even with all the uncertainty that the writers are bringing to the table this season, there’s no doubt left in the storyline that Jax will let Marks get away with this. It may not be personal for Marks, but it certainly is for Jax and the rest of SAMCRO.
The Sons of Anarchy may be experiencing some setbacks, but when everything around them crumbles, I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone wearing a Reaper claim the title of last man standing.
