Watching Tara implode to the point that her desperation led her straight to the D.A.’s office wasn’t nearly as satisfying as I would have thought. All season long, I have been adamantly against her chosen route to be free of Jax, SAMCRO, and Charming (even if it did resemble means that Gemma, who is one of my favorite characters, no doubt would have endorsed if she was the one at the helm of this plan).
Don’t get me wrong, there were still plenty of hoorays coming from in front of my television screen, but up until around the mid-way point on season 5, I had been an avid Tara supporter and seeing her completely unravel was unsettling. It was when Tara started adjusting her moral compass to allow for everyone else’s thoughts and opinions that she climbed aboard this downward spiral, and it was a turn-off then, and now.
Tara has always been a consistent character; that’s something that Jax needed, and it was a strong element in the series. It didn’t make her weak or less important, if anything it made her stand out. Somewhere along the line she made a decision to become Gemma, or at least Gemma-like, and it’s really not a good look for her. Gemma may wear her mistakes as a badge of honor, but they don’t make her stronger, they just make her more tolerant.
Even with all the drama in Jax’s personal life, the Sons of Anarchy as a whole are doing a really good job of acting like everything isn’t contingent on them being one-step ahead of everyone else. Jax has shown us before that the club isn’t against using law enforcement when it’s in their benefit, but we’re also not usually this much in the loop. In the past, there was always an element of the arrangement that we weren’t privy to ahead of time that served as the ‘Aha!’ season finale moment.
Since that’s something Kurt Sutter and the writers behind Sons of Anarchy have always abided by when crafting the story arc, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s something we’re missing. Although, unlike the situation with Agent Stahl, D.A. Patterson (CCH Pounder) hasn’t offended the club in nearly the same manner. That doesn’t necessarily guarantee her a pass when everything’s said and done, but as long as she keeps her word, she’ll probably be fine – probably. Well, most likely.
There are only a few episodes left of this season of Sons of Anarchy, and it’s only a matter of time before Jax has to do something more than show Tara his strong sense of passive aggressiveness. Let us know what your theories are on the subject in the comment section below!
Until next episode.
Random Thoughts:
- If Tara was so concerned that Jax was going to do something rash, why didn’t she take the boys and go stay somewhere besides their house? Jax has a key.
- No, not Juice’s bike! That’s the second time this season that he has been on the short end of that stick.
- I was surprised that Patterson didn’t string Tara along a little more.
- I can’t blame Gemma for the smug last line when she confronted Tara. It’s only a matter of time.
- Poor, Wendy!
- Happy may be the funniest character on the show.
- Unser and Nero’s conversation in the car was my favorite scene from this episode.
