TV Review: Sons of Anarchy 5.11, "To Thine Own Self"
rating: 4
As Sons of Anarchys fifth season enters its final stretch, its easy to look back at the season and trace how drastically different the shows construction is this year. Despite an imposing number of threats pouring in from all sides, there is no primary villain or dominant source of danger. Story threads have taken time to build up and link together, and theyve often been so far removed from one another that it felt as if theyd never cross paths. Power dynamics have shifted rapidly, often changing multiple times within a single episode. The amount of ground that has been covered is staggering. A major character has died. All of this adds up to something that has served season five exceedingly well: unpredictability. All season, anticipating where things were headed was maddeningly difficult. After the events of To Thine Own Self, its next to impossible. Jax Teller has beat the Cartel and the IRA. He played the long game and won. SAMCRO leaves the drug and gun running business behind, and the Cartel allows them to. How? Once again thinking ten steps ahead, Jax hands off the Cartels business operations to other gangs. And RICO, as we saw last week, has been dropped. Its a seismic victory for the club - undoubtedly the most substantial within the series history. But Jax hasnt won the war.Clay is still in the picture. Im sure you know what happens next. After putting pressure on both Juice and Gemma to find the documents Jax needs as his physical evidence, Juice ends up recovering them in an air vent at Clays home. A meeting is set between the club members to reveal the truth. Naturally, a setback delays the meeting, and sloppiness on both Gemma and Juices part tips Clay off. By the time Jax has his meeting, the documents are gone. Clays continued survival stains what could have otherwise been a flawlessly executed plan. Regardless, To Thine Own Self is a standout episode because it shows, for the first time, a Jax Teller that isnt a passive leader. Hes taking full measures in order to capture what hes chasing after - hes no longer making decisions that simply maintain as oppose to change or come from a place of forced compromise. Jax is, without a doubt, a true opponent to Clay - one of equal skill with the momentum of victory also on his side. Even more notable than this new version of Jax, though, is a narrative weight that gets lifted as a direct result of Jaxs failure to expose Clay. In a scene thats yet another game-changer in a season full of them, Jax finally unveils all of his knowledge of Clays history with his fellow club members. Bobby and Chibs now know the full story, and given the likelihood of another round of SAMCRO members picking sides, the timing couldnt be better. But the real reason why I loved this scene has less to do with plot and more to do with something a bit more intangible. Theres a real weight that feels as if its been lifted here - a relief given to the audience as a gift. The past between Clay Morrow and John Teller has hung above this shows narrative since the beginning. It dangled like a carrot in front of Jax for three entire seasons. Since then, its continued to dangle in front of other characters. Its a secret thats been held for far too long. By allowing some members of SAMCRO to hear it, it feels as if both the plot, and we as an audience, can move on to the next step. In fact, that sums up the majority of To Thine Own Self. Its an episode that closes a number of different plots in order to move the story into the next chapter. Its a little bit of relief before the inevitable storm. A single breath of air before total submersion.