Paul Risker reviews the eighth episode of Sons of Anarchy season 5….
From “Player” to kingship or escape…
Earlier this season Pope complimented Jax by saying he was an impressive young man, acknowledging his ability to find, “the hidden advantage in an unfortunate circumstance; using pain to take it to the next level.” He added, “Those are the things that turn players into kings.”
On one level the show has always been occupied with the maturing of one of its central protagonists, if not its central protagonist. By the conclusion of the final season, one might realistically expect Jax to follow closely in the footsteps of Damon Pope, not escaping the life as much as making the jump from “Player” to “King.” Or perhaps Sutter is just teasing us with that as a possible eventuality.
Is the reaper getting ready to swoop down and claim Jax? As far as Kurt Sutter is concerned, it would prudent to not rule out any eventuality. The Pope character has served to offer an alternative fate to “Player” or escape. Jax is heading towards a fork in the road. One way will be kingship; the other escape. This of course is dependent on whether Sutter will make Jax a martyr, sending him off after The Wire’s Omar on the road to martyrdom.
In Ablation Jax appears to have found a replacement for Opie, two brothers looking for a way out. Nero tells Jax that he needs to accelerate his escape plan; frustrated at being held at gun point by Frankie who resurfaces looking for a substantial amount of cash. Nero reminds Jax that the reason they went into partnership was to provide an opportunity for the SAMCRO President to use this low profile business venture – in legal terms – to put distance between SAMCRO and its various high profile activities.
Ablation is imbued with moments of disquieting tension. Carting the dead body up to the cabin where Jax and Tara were supposedly meant to be sharing a quiet weekend together, instead Tara finds herself alone in the bedroom, whilst Bobby, Chibs and Tig look on with a disconcerting look as Jax choices a particularly grisly way to dispose of the body. Dating back to the murder of the Prison Guard, Jax has exhibited an unsettling propensity for violence that appears to push past the excesses he was previously known for. With the table divided, the Galindo Cartel and the Irish Kings drama being playing out, the death of Opie and betrayal within; a President exuding time and again an impulsive wrath, one of escalating frustration does little to calm the anxiety of his support base. It is Bobby who has previously warned Jax of the table dividing who offers him another warning: Clay’s involvement in the home invasions must be brought to the table. But Jax aware of the little proof they have, defers such a move, waiting until he holds a hand that Clay can’t beat. If the games is afoot, then Jax, Bobby and Chibs are the prosecution, and the burden is on them to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Clay is guilty, and must lose his seat and be exorcized from SAMCRO. The death toll of season five may in fact be an ominous warning that the burden of proof may be a death sentence in itself, Jax and Chibs narrowly Clay’s first assassination attempt; the first of many?
When later on they catch up with one of the other shooters, Jax resembles coldness almost indicative of Boardwalk Empire’s Nucky Thompson. Following the first act of impulsive hate, wielding an axe as he chopped off the hands of his would-be assassin, he puts his arm around the man before firing two to three shots into his stomach and pushing him off th roof of the building. This time it is we are left to glance disconcertingly.
This is Jax making the transition from “Player” to “King.” Present within him is still much of the impulsive “Player”, betraying the fact that he is not yet ready to become the “King” of outlaws. Inevitably that will form part of his journey: kingship or escape.
Paul Risker is co-editor in chief of Wages of Film, freelance writer and contributor to Flickering Myth and Scream The Horror Magazine.
Originally published March 28, 2013. Updated November 6, 2019.
