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Sons Of Anarchy Review: “Playing With Monsters” (Season 7, Episode 3)

Although SAMCRO has sidestepped their plans to become a legitimate organization, they haven't left the porn industry behind. "Playing with Monsters" started by showcasing the more "normal" aspects of Jax's (Charlie Hunnam) life, before throwing viewers directly back into the mayhem. Sons of Anarchy also used Cara Cara as the backdrop for some far less amusing scenes later on in the episode, those of which became the catalyst for a meet-and-greet with the new sheriff in town - an event that took a surprising and altogether confusing turn.

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Jax is playing it close to the vest with his secrets on this episode of Sons of Anarchy, but he’s already started to look for allies for a war of his own making, and hopefully for when things eventually go wrong. He’s calling in favors from black, and setting up brown and black alike. It’s only a matter of time before there’s some blow back on home turf. Unfortunately, before that happens, there will probably be an internal matter that draws his attention away for at least a few minutes in a future episode.

Another internal matter still at large is Juice (Theo Rossi). He has always been a fringe member of the club, to a certain extent. He was the joker in early seasons, Roosevelt’s pawn for a while, and Clay’s (Ron Perlman) lackey most recently. Although none of his actions have been inherently malicious, they have landed him in a rough spot – hiding out from the club, trying to stay alive. Having Unser on his side is a big plus for his cause, but once again he is in tough place. Unser wants information on Tara’s murder, but it’s going to come at a price for everyone.

There are a lot of uncomfortable scenes within the realm of Sons of Anarchy. Aside from the blatantly violent ones, the ones that are most effective at conveying the overall feel of the show are the heart-to-heart emotional ones. Tonight, viewers watched as Juice reached out one final time to a member of the club for a chance at redemption.

This strikes me as something notable because previous to this, Jax would probably consider the biggest betrayal to have come from Clay. Although Clay somewhat managed to redeem himself during season six, he never really seemed to be able to overcome his own ego, which may have been his biggest character flaw. He died never really have received the forgiveness from his loved ones that he desired. But, he’s not the only member of the club to have stepped on Jax’s toes. Tig (Kim Coates) was a pariah for a while after the club found out that he was responsible for the murder of Opie’s (Ryan Hurst) wife, and somehow Jax found a way to get over it.


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Author
Lindsay Sperling
Lindsay Sperling has A.D.D. and her tastes reflect it. Her movie collection boasts everything from Casablanca to John Tucker Must Die to every season of Sons of Anarchy to-date. She adamantly supported a Veronica Mars Movie (yes, she did make a donation to see it happen..and also possibly for the t-shirt), hopes that the Fast & Furious franchise continues far into the future, and has read every popular YA book series turned film in recent years (except Harry Potter..). When she's not on an indie film set or educating the youth of America, she uses her time arguably productive as a freelance writer.