‘Sons of Anarchy’ Recoil: ‘One One Six’

The outlaws behind FX fave Sons of Anarchy were up to no good again this week, with plenty of shocks in the latest installment of the motorcycle club drama, episode 2 of the sixth season, entitled “One One Six.” Spoilers ahead, so, like the show itself, proceed with caution.

Regardless of your reaction to the violent school shooting in the season premiere, the final frames provided the real punch to the gut: Jax having sex with Colette (the lovely Kim Dickens), new business partner and a pro to boot. What was he thinking? Was this a one-time thing or a sign of things to come as the character comes further unraveled?

Viewers recoiled from another Jackson Teller shock this week, perhaps one of a less visceral sort, but, for fans invested in and familiar with the character, still quite a jolt: did Jax order the killing of a woman?

Now, cheating on Tara — who, by the way, looks incredible with shorter hair — is one thing. She had been pushing him away. He was raw, emotional, and fearing for the future of his family. And then there’s always the prison clause. But one of the hallmarks of the character, and the ethos of the motorcycle club itself, has been the aversion to violence against women. Clearly he has made an exception when it comes to porn actresses messing with his family (Ima, anyone?), but this is the man who stood down Happy, Chibs, and Tig over the planned killing of the young, female witness who’d IDed Opie and Bobby back in Season 1. Donna Winston’s death was the beginning of the end for him and Clay.

Nonetheless, we see Juice smother Arcadio’s old lady in her sleep to make it look like an overdose. Mind you, this is after her son went on a shooting rampage at school (s06e01) with one of the club’s KG-9s. Then, when they got her out of town, she tried to run, pulled a gun on anyone silly enough to come near her, and forced Nero (Jimmy Smits) to kill his cousin. Now, despite recent developments, ol’ Juicy boy has proven to have a fairly weak stomach and lacks the initiative to take out a potential junkie rat on his own. Honestly, what is the likelihood that this was anything other than an order from the pres?

By the way, great job by Dave Navarro in a short-lived but memorable role as Arcadio. Who knew he had the range to portray a tattooed man so well?

Things are spiraling out of control in Charming and in the MC. Jax is coming undone and is losing his families, both at home and at the table. He’s facing more heat from the Irish as he looks to get the club out of running guns. To what depths will he plunge if and when Tara goes through with the divorce she’s planning, should she be headed to prison (oops, did I forget that part?)? Not to mention former U.S. Marshall Lee Torric is still manipulating things behind the scenes, kicking over rocks and looking to smash anything he finds living underneath. So what’s the junkie lawman doing at Diosa? And Bobby Elvis is looking to leave Redwood and go Nomad; he only needs one more brother to reestablish the charter and it’s looking more and more like Juice everyday. What chaos will rain down if the cool-headed former VP isn’t around to be the voice of reason?

Only next week’s episode of “Sons of Anarchy” has the answers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOEISE4wxXA