Sons Of Anarchy Review: “Ablation” (Season 5, Episode 8)

Earlier on in the series, it looked as if Jax was set to follow in the footsteps of his father as opposed to Clay. Lately, though, things have drastically changed and, outside of the obvious parallel presented by Jax starting to keep a journal of his own, Jax is no longer the man others in the club so desperately wanted as president.

As of “Ablation,” he’s the sort who’s willing to manipulate his own mother for personal gain. By using her as a tool to pry proof out of Clay, he’s not just getting the information he needs, he’s punishing Gemma in the most twisted of fashions. More or less, Jax has become his mother’s pimp, whoring her out to Clay, a man who’s already beaten her into the hospital once before.

All this for the hope of one day getting to see her grandchildren again. With that as the reward, you know she’ll go along with it. This is the same woman who, just last week, made an executive decision to drive stoned so she wouldn’t miss out on a chance to have those same grandchildren for an extended period of time. She also hounded Tara until her defenses finally started to break down and she allowed her back into her grandchildren’s lives.

Just as nothing will prevent Sutter from sending her character into ever deeper and darker places, nothing will keep her away from her grandchildren, not for long. In last week’s review I said I had a problem with Sutter returning things between her, Jax, and Tara to the status quo (and then some). While I won’t go back on that entirely, that doesn’t mean I’m not excited by the dark turn he’s now taken the situation in.

Maybe it will help Gemma on the way towards becoming a sympathetic character once again instead of the accident-waiting-to-happen she’s been recently. How can one not feel for her, at least a little, when she’s being forced to make the Devil feel like he’s won, like he’s God? I know I’ve had a slight change of heart.

Which is why I’m more excited than I’ve been all season to see what happens next on Sons of Anarchy. Getting to where we are now may have been rough going, but I feel as if that was somewhat worth it to see things fall apart in as grand (and dark) a fashion as it appears they are about to.

Bits and Bobs:

• No matter how positive I was towards the direction Sutter used Gemma’s accident to take, I would’ve had no such goodwill if Abel hadn’t pulled through after it looked so bleak for him at the end of last week’s episode. There’s taking things too far, and that would certainly qualify.
• Bobby’s apparently taking speech lessons from Chibs because there were a couple times when he just descended into full-on, incoherent mumbling. Worst of all was when he tried to explain to the others about Abel. I heard something about his heart and them needing to do a “re-start” of some kind but nothing else. Jax and Tara didn’t exactly help clear things up either because their conversation during his surgery was hopelessly vague. Did his heart stop and need re-started? Was that what happened?
• I’ve lost all interest in these overlong shoot-outs that happen ever-so-often. It comes as a surprise when one of the people involved actually hits something, so what stakes are there really?
• The show really got to feeling soapy when Tara started thanking Gemma, still thinking she’d been run off the road. Sutter was really laying that guilt-trip on thick, wasn’t he?
• Lastly, I still have one burning question that I need answered, and soon, but wasn’t able to work into the review itself. What happened to the Jax who was seconds (and inches) away from murdering Clay with his own hands even after he was told that would mean the end of SAMCRO? His claim that he needs solid proof to put before the club is weak. What more proof do you need? Do away with him yourself and tell the club you were done waiting for that vote that seemed like it would never come, the one regarding Clay and his murdering of Piney, and decided to take matters into your own hands and settle things yourself. Or not. Just don’t do things that make it seem almost as if you want the guy to live and are doing everything in your power to keep him alive.