What I’m Watching: Sons of Anarchy

Sons of Anarchy: Season 2, Episode 9 “Fa Guan” (B+)

If things were headed for a breaking point, that time is here. The death of the show’s most arguably despicable character, Darby, signals a monumental change in climate in Charming. The season started off with a brutal act that left one character devastatingly alive, and last week really took a dive off the deep end with the murder of Otto’s wife. The tension leading up to these deaths and the steps that SAMCRO took represent a recent violent shift in their behavior. The way that the club sharply decides that Darby needs to be exiled from Charming results in an intense confrontation which shows even the relatively nice and non-violent Half-Sack angrily punching one of his crew who tried to flee. The most stunning and powerful interaction is the second big blowout of the season between Clay and Jax. This verbal sparring is even more effective than their fistfight. The crazy, furious smile on Jax’s face while he’s speaking makes his words resound even more strongly, and when he drops his line, “Do you really want to talk about blame for getting a wife’s member killed,” sets the stage for what could have been a brutal beating from Clay. Instead, Jax’s response of laying out his gun and giving Clay the opportunity to kill him right there in front of anyone was superbly intense. It also looks like Bobby, for whatever reason, is firmly in Jax’s camp and will likely be the one who ultimately protects, and possibly even saves, him from Clay’s wrath. Jax’s final proclamation of “I’m going nomad” means things will be really out of control next week, but I’m completely and totally hooked.