There has always been an element of corruption within public officials that plays a prominent role on Sons of Anarchy. Unser (Dayton Callie) and the MC were able to co-exist in Charming for years by finding common ground. After the Sheriff department took control of policing the city, even Saint Roosevelt (Rockmond Dunbar) looked the other way when his vengeance outweighed protocol on his own personal scales of justice when his wife was murdered. But, this is the first time that the pursuit of justice seemed like such an offensive concept to me when placed within the confines of the show.
The means that DA Patterson (CCH Pounder) is willing to go to in order to serve up a villain in the court of public opinion (which unfortunately seems to dwarf her desire for actual justice in the courtroom), are just as ruthless as anything that Jax has done. And, even more alarming is that her actions parallel the risks that Agent Stahl took, which similarly backfired and led to the deaths of innocent people – most notably Donna, which started the domino effect that eventually led to Opie (Ryan Hurst) willingly giving his life up for the club.
Jax and Patterson are essentially two sides to the same coin, both seeking to right wrongs in their own twisted ways. Neither of them are flawless, and right now they are both playing the same game hoping for different outcomes. What’s really interesting is how they each use their pieces.
Jax is playing defense. He’s establishing a strong front using all the pawns on his side of the board. This episode of Sons of Anarchy is a perfect example of that. When Patterson leaked the story that pinned the school shooting on the Byz Lats and SAMCRO, his first order of business was to head to Stockton. Instead of playing the waiting game, he was proactive and in the end it only strengthened the bond between the organizations (which let’s face it, is really the only thing keeping any of those guys quiet while they scramble ahead without Nero’s guidance).
Patterson on the other hand, besides being offensive, is on the offensive. She’s willing to let her pawns do her dirty work because a) she considers them disposable, and b) there’s a certain convenient element of plausible deniability on her part. The DA might have shown the slightest amount of remorse which she remedied by letting Niro go, despite his false confession, but she won’t be satisfied until she’s secured her re-election votes under the guise of bringing those responsible for the school shooting to justice.
What do you think Jax’s next move will be? Do you think he can pull off another miraculous season finale move to save the club or will the MC become a lost cause? Chime in with all your thoughts on this episode of Sons of Anarchy in the comment section below!
Until next episode.
Random Thoughts:
- If only we could have seen the entire arc the way it was intended with Toric (Donal Logue)!
- That hit-and-run was sick (seriously, I felt sick, I had to look away).
- All my commentary on Tara and Gemma from this episode pretty much sounded the same as last week, except angrier. Keep your head up, Gemma!
- I really want people to stop hating Wendy, too.
- This is the second time this season we had front row seats to an uncomfortable mirror scene.
- For a moment in the ice cream shop I pictured all the guys dressed like they were starring in Grease, and it totally worked for me.
- Jax is probably going to feel really bad about yelling at his mother like that the one time she didn’t deserve it, when he finds out the truth.
- Lowen is a lawyer with a conscious and I like where that might go.
- Thank you, Chibs.
