TV Review: Sons of Anarchy 5.13, “J'ai Obtenu Cette”
rating: 4
I went into this season of Sons of Anarchy with a fair amount of fatigue. The show was coming off of a fantastic fourth season that ended on such a sour note it nearly ruined everything that had preceded it. There was a sense that the show was more concerned with protecting the franchise than it was with telling a good story, and despite all of the narrative progression the show had offered, season four ended pretty much exactly where it had begun. Season five, at least initially, felt as if it was suffering from the same problem. Things were happening, but there wasnt any real sense of urgency, and no indication whatsoever that anything occurring within those initial episodes would have any long-term influence on the shows overarching narrative. All of the vital elements to a great drama - consequence, progression, transformation - were completely absent. As it turns out, this season of Sons of Anarchy has been all about consequence. The RICO case, the cartel deal, the backstabbing - all of it held real weight this year, and its cost these characters virtually everything. Juice and Tig have lost any and all control of their lives - becoming slaves to an increasingly unhinged Jax because of the choices theyve made. Taras on the brink of losing her career, her family, and her freedom. Clay has lost his patch and may lose his life. Jax has lost his morality, his wife, and is slowly losing parts of his club. This world has never been closer to utter collapse than it has been this year, and as such, the show has had a dramatic heft that was often missing in recent years. Sons of Anarchy has operated for quite awhile on the notion that the club itself could be saved - that the corruption rife within it could be done away with given the right leadership. As season five has shown, that turns out to be an impossible reality - its an institution too far gone to ever be saved. Jax tried to transform it, but lost his own moral compass in the process. Opie lost his life for it, despite being one of its biggest victims. The list goes on and on. Virtually everyone involved in the club has suffered from attempting to protect it, and in the process, have lost what it had originally promised them. There is no loyalty, no real sense of family to speak of, and no true belonging. Theres a moment in J'ai Obtenu Cette that summarizes this beautifully. Clay gathers his belongings as he prepares to board a plane to a new chapter in his life, and a possible rebirth. The two characters closest to him - Juice and Gemma - are both present. Police arrive to arrest Clay based on evidence Jax manufactured. Both Gemma and Juice know whats coming. Both have opportunities to either save him or themselves, and both choose the latter. Despite everything Clay has done, its a devastating moment - an impossibly tragic instance of betrayal in a season chock full of them. It is here that the extent of the destruction is clearest. Here, three individuals that came together in the name of loyalty, family, and belonging, have none whatsoever. J'ai Obtenu Cette ends the season on a number of tragic notes. There is no feeling of closure or resolution. Its a bleak final chapter that feels earned and bodes well for the shows future. There was no eleventh hour plot turn to revert the narrative back to business as usual. And its the first time a substantial amount of plot threads remain unresolved. As we near the end of the shows supposed 7-year run, this lack of quick, easy resolution is enough to suggest the writing staff intends to follow through on the many narrative shifts theyve presented throughout the year. Its a relief, really, because it was only one short season ago that it felt as if no tragedy on the show would ever be permanent. Sons of Anarchy only really works when its headed toward collapse, and for the first time in awhile, it feels like thats precisely where this story is headed. Every avenue to salvation or hope for change has been extinguished. And Jax, the person who thought he could protect it all, is left standing among the wreckage. What did you think of the episode? Share your thoughts below.