This week was all about Jax’s “to do” list, and it was packed. There seemed to be an awful lot on Jax’s agenda, probably because this is the penultimate episode of the series. First, Jax has to meet with the Irish to convince them to deal guns with the Mayans, then he has to meet with the other charter Presidents to learn if he’s meeting Mr. Mayhem. Jax also has to track down his murderous mom, all while he’s locked down because of Unser’s APB. As if that weren’t enough, Jax is tasked to kill Connor (who betrayed the Irish Kings), and help Tyler take control of Chinese-held streets. Whoo! I’m tired just writing about it.
All this action made for a pretty decent episode. The story moved along nicely, and we wrapped up some loose ends. And by “loose ends,” I mean three major deaths, and a metaphorical one.
First, let’s talk about the real deaths—Juice, Unser, and Gemma. Poor ol’ Juice has finally accepted his fate, and advises Tully to kill him quickly before the Chinese can torture him slowly. I was totally on board with Juice’s decision. Even though I like him, he was a dead man walking, and at least this way he got to eat pie first.
Unser’s death genuinely shocked me. He has been with us since the beginning of the series, and I thought he’d out-live everyone on the show (seriously, he’s a sprightly cancer patient). Sadly, Jax and Gemma were so nonchalant about Unser’s death, I became that way too. Instead of feeling emotional or devastated, I just kind of shrugged. His death only served as a stepping stone to Gemma’s death, and I just wished more for Unser’s character as we ended the series—like maybe him living out his final days with Nero and Wendy at the farm? I don’t know, Unser just deserves something more than rotting on a living room floor.
And that leaves us with Gemma. Last episode she was on a farewell tour, and it continued this week up north to Oregon. We watched a melancholic interaction with Gemma and her ailing father (brilliantly played by Hal Holbrook) at his nursing home. We learned that young Gemma used to play in the garden for hours, “she was the girl who loved the flowers.” Now that Gemma’s final goodbyes are covered, she heads to her childhood home to sift through family photos, reminiscence, and wait for Jax.
For those of us loathing Gemma, it was a relief to see her finally give up. No more lies, no more fighting, no more costume changes … Gemma is ready to die in her fabulous black boots and I’m ready to see it happen.
Even though Gemma has accepted her death sentence, she’s still the head matriarch in charge. She dictates the location (her beloved garden) and the time (“It’s ok baby boy, it’s time, I’m ready”) and dies a merciful, quick death. Was anyone devastated by this? I’m not. Actually, when Jax put down the gun the first time, I thought, “Good boy, stop first to put on the silencer!” (Which he didn’t, but I guess that doesn’t matter because police work doesn’t exist on SoA.) Yes, I felt slightly tortured for Jax, but overall I was just relieved to finally see Gemma die. And that’s how far the series has taken me this season—to actively root for Gemma’s demise. I can’t believe I’m there.