There isn’t much to say about “Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em” that hasn’t already been said about the past several episodes this season. No appreciable progress is made in any of the season’s arcs, save that of Juice. The episode concludes on a series of manufactured climaxes, which serve only to delay a conclusion the show is not ready to carry out. Everything leading up to those false climaxes, then, is just a repetitive series of complications, designed solely to artificially fill time. We’re officially in a holding pattern, that too-long patch of mid-season episodes that plagues many shows, but seems to plague Sons most of all.
Not only is it redundant, but the depiction of the Sons’ collective moral bankruptcy has become gratuitous once more. Whether it’s his cocksure fight with the meth heads, or his gleeful ambush of the dealers alongside the Grim Bastards, Jax’s scenes this week are unnecessary restatements of his over-the-top villainy. It’s not enough to pair them with cloying scenes meant to humanize Jack, like Bobby’s conversation with Wendy. Either get to the tragedy, or else dramatize his efforts at redemption. Abstract conversations about how he’s really a good person on the inside don’t outweigh what we actually see on the screen. Worse, they’re boring, as are the narrative gymnastics involved as Jax sets up yet another double cross.
Most egregious is Jax’s answer to Nero, when he asks what they all should do with Diosa now. “Clean it up. Find more girls,” is Jax’s response, and just, wow, right? Or how about Chibs suggesting maybe they “take care” of Office Engler, who’s recovering from her wounds last week? Do you see how far Jax has fallen now?
As exhausting and tension-free the episode is, at least the week isn’t a total wash. Jimmy Smits is the MVP of the week, as Nero turns in great scenes with Jax, Juice, and Gemma. He’s approaching a breaking point, and Smits portrays the conflict within him in an understated, complex way. Nero has been landed in the middle of a lot of shit, and this week the Mayans get in on the fun as well. At first it’s just another tangle in Jax’s plan, but soon, Juice arrives to speak with Alvarez as well. Even though that’s a moment that was spoiled in the sneak preview, it still manages to kick the episode into a higher gear. Similarly, his scene with Nero is meant to tease us–maybe Juice will tell Nero what really happened to Tara (he doesn’t. Of course he doesn’t). But the scene itself is nice, as Nero appears to reconsider his hatred of Juice in light of Jax’s recent actions. If nothing else, it’s a surprise that Juice ends up back in SAMCRO’s clutches this soon, but the episode ends with them ushering him out of the Mayans’ garage, as though there is some sort of tension as to what will happen next.
We know better than that, though. We all know how Sons handles cliffhangers in the midseason doldrums—by completely ignoring them. As expected, this week opens with Gemma, alive and well, living yet another day. We don’t even get to see the circumstances under which Juice lets her go, so unbelievable is the notion. Gemma’s story this week is nice, self-contained, and a good acting showcase for both Katey Sagal and guest star Lea Michele. Michele is really good as Gertie the waitress, and it’s impressive just how far from Rachel Berry the performance is. As an actress, Michele can occasionally be grating, but here she vanishes completely into the role. Meanwhile, Gemma is still talking to Tara’s ghost, and she’s doing it in the middle of a diner, to boot. It takes a skillful actress to ground this material, and Sagal manages it. If we’re going to stall, at least this is an interesting way to do it.
The rest is more of the same, though. By the time this episode ends, Gemma just nearly tells Nero the truth about Tara. Engler is just about to tell Unser that the Sons were at the scene of the shooting. Jax is just about to murder Juice. Unser is this close to uncovering the truth about Tara’s death. We get it. We know all of this already, and it’s absurd to try to generate tension by revealing situations the audience is already well aware of. It’s endless shuffling of the deck, without ever dealing any of the cards. What more can you say? It’s time for Sons of Anarchy to deal, already.
Stray Observations:
– So many people on this show brush off legitimately important questions with, “It doesn’t matter,” and the people they are speaking with just sit there and accept that like it’s no big deal.
– “It’s my job to maintain the brand” is a great bit of dark comedy from Marilyn Manson.
Michael Wampler is a graduate of The College of New Jersey, where he completed both B.A. and M.A. degrees in English literature. He currently lives and works in Princeton, NJ while he shops around his debut novel and slowly picks away at his second. Favorite shows include Weeds, Lost, Hannibal and Mad Men (among many more). When not watching or writing about television, he enjoys reading, going for runs, and building his record collection.