12 down, one to go. To review some, Last week we saw Jax make his moves to take the club to a more legitimate direction by passing off the guns and the drug running to the Mayan’s and the Chinese. Kind of a win win win. That only left, as far as the club was concerned, Clay to deal with. Clay has to die, in Jax’s book. Bobby disagrees and visited Clay to tell him what was coming. Also, Otto met strange guy who, we are guessing is the brother of the nurse that Otto killed to kill RICO. The guy promised Otto that the remaining months of his life, would be excruciatingly painful. Lastly of importance, Tara accepted the job she was offered.

We open this week in the kid’s room where Jax is journaling to his sons about the choices he’s made, is making, and is about to make and how each can define one as a man. He says a kid looks inward. Thinking only about how things affect him, while a man, looks outward thinking how everything he touches affects those around him. He’s promising his sons, that he will be the man, his father wanted him to be.

At the clubhouse, Jax is in the office still writing in his journals. Bobby comes in to get Jax to meet with the Irish but says they have to deal with the Clay situation first. Bobby has gathered the members in the chapel (meeting room). We cut to the meeting where Clay is describing his version of what happened with the Nomads. He says it was Frankie’s idea for the home invasions and it was he who brought in Greg and Gogo. The idea was to make the club look bad in the eyes of Charming, and make it look like Jax couldn’t handle the club’s business. That he couldn’t deal with the Irish, etc. Once Clay had the gavel back, the Nomads would be cut in to his money for their efforts. Of course, he was wrong about all of that. Jax has fixed it so the Irish can go pound sand, gave the Mayan’s some new business, and set the club on a legit path. He still wants Clay dead however and right now, he doesn’t have the proof to make that happen (Clay hid or destroyed the documents Jax had Juice looking for) so he is righteously pissed about the whole situation. Clay leaves the room so they can vote on different matters. A vote is taken to strip Clay of his patch, it passes. Next the table is opened for Clay meeting ‘Mr Mayhem’. Also must be unanimous. It fails. Bobby votes against it. So, As far as the membership is concerned, Clay is no longer a member of SAMCRO but he will live (to do what, I have no idea). Outside of the clubhouse, Jax commences to beating the hell out of Clay. As Gemma and Unser look on, both know, to mind their own business. I suspect Gemma had less sympathy about this than Unser did but who knows. Not yet mentioned but there are still two more bits of internal business to deal with. Tig, and Juice.

Theme song- Riding through this world – All alone…..

Bobby comes into the meeting room with Clay’s cut. Jax is NOT a happy camper. He blames Bobby for Clay still being alive, says he made a deal with Clay behind his back. Bobby explains that he’s trying to save Jax from becoming the very thing he wanted to kill. Jax can’t understand how letting Clay walk is the right thing. Bobby says, the club needs him (Jax) and that Jax would have kept him alive only long enough to deal with Gahlen (Irish) and then killed Clay behind the club’s back (just like Clay would do). If they can’t decide on such matters as a group, if one member, even the Prez, takes things into his own hands, then the club doesn’t mean a damn thing for anyone. The club needs Jax at the gavel because they are broken. Jax says he’s had a hard time finding any love for brotherhood since Opie died. Bobby tries to console him but Jax barks back, again, that he has no idea what he’s talking about. Opie was right. The gavel corrupts. You can’t sit in that chair without being a savage.

In the garage office, Gemma is patching Clay up telling him he should go to the ER, some of the cuts need stitches. He refuses to go and asks to be left along. Gemma and Unser leave, Clay breaks down. I don’t know if I’m supposed to feel sorry for him or say serves him right. I’m leaning toward the latter.

Over at the hospital, Tara is handing the boys off to daycare while the club’s lawyer awaits. They are about to give a statement to the investigators about what happened at the prison. This of course is well rehearsed. While walking the hallway, lawyer asks Tara if she has something in place for the boys, in case something were to ever happen (like go to prison). Gemma is out of the question so this of course, puts Tara to thinking. Lawyer offers to help set something up. Back at the clubhouse, Jax is still at the table when Chibs comes in and tells him that Pope wants a meeting at Charming Heights. At the hospital, I think, Tara is being deposed about Otto. She denies any real personal knowledge of him, admits her husband is the president of the club. Denies trying to get a message to Otto for the club, says that when Jax was inside, medical care was deplorable and wanted to do something to change that. She denies having any idea what Otto was going to do with the crucifix even though her contract said she couldn’t bring such items into the prison. She says she didn’t read that part of it before she signed.

Jax and Chibs arrive at the Charming Heights location where Pope and his partners are checking it out. The discussion is about the club and the what next. Jax asks Pope to push 20kilos more into Reno to help offset the cost of the Chinese guns.  Jax asks Pope if there’s anything he wants to do but knows is going to blow back or cause problems, what does he do. Pope says that Jax has to keep his mind on the result and not worry so much about how it happens. Revenge isn’t about the needs of the many but to satisfy the needs of one. The conversation ends with Jax promising to deliver Tig at Pope’s pleasure (when and where). Pope tells him he’s out of time. If Tig isn’t delivered, all bets (and deals) are off.

The club next introduces Lin and his crew to the Cartel, Romeo and Luis. They get down to business, make their deals, and it seems everyone goes away happy. Lin tells them that further deliveries will take time to set up and it will take 2-3 months. Once that’s set up they can get deliveries ever couple weeks. Romeo places an order, gives a down payment. He then tells Jax they need to connect with the Irish one or two more times before they kill that tie. This is all going to turn into a big pissing contest. Romeo doesn’t know yet, that Clay is out of the game.

At the hospital, Tara has contacted Wendy (Abel’s mother). She tells Wendy about the accident, that she’s been offered a job, and that she may be leaving Charming to accept it, along with Jax (Somehow, I don’t think this is going to happen). She tells Wendy that it may at some point become necessary for her to take the boys, or at least Abel. She then invites her to go to the day care and visit the boys. Says that Wendy has been put on the list. Wendy can’t believe this sudden change of heart from Tara. Tara tells Wendy to just say she’s a friend. That’s the best she can do for now.

Time to meet with the Irish again. To get the extra hardware that Romeo wants now rather than waiting for months. They walk into the barn and meet up with Gahlen, he inquires about Clay, where is he? Bobby tells him that Clay turned in his patch, he’s out of the club. Jax tries to smooth things over with him about the priest who is now dead over the whole Abel kidnapping thing (I still say serves him right for taking it upon himself to find the kid a family when he already had one). He needs to get this shipment of guns and the next one. After that, the Mexicans can deal with someone else and the Irish and the MC can go back to old business. About this time, Romeo and his cartel pals come storming through the doors. They take the guns and the buy money and, you guessed it, a gun fight breaks out. Now, Everyone knows that Clay is out of the club. Gahlen, says that there will be blood for blood, he’s going to lean hard on the Belfast chapter. This all results later on in the club going into full lockdown (everyone gathered at the clubhouse, no one in or out. Last time we saw this, Abel was kidnapped due in part, to Gemma’s stupidity). Jax tells Tig to get Tacoma down here. He wants to talk to Gemma and then He calls Juice to verify that he’s with Clay and tells him to listen closely (at this point we don’t know exactly about what).

Cut over to Deosa, where Nero is talking to a couple of his crew. Turns out one of them is his cousin and the two of them started the gang 25 years ago. As it happens, a rival gang is pushing Nero’s people out of the old neighborhood. Taking things over and charging protection money, and people are paying it. They tell Nero that the whole thing will be done in a couple days. Gemma arrives to ask Nero to contact his doctor client, the one that patched up Lila. I guess Jax won’t allow Tara to help Clay. Nero wants to talk to the MC anyway to get help with his own situation. Gemma tells Nero that the club took Clay’s patch and Jax gave him a beat down as a farewell present. He asks her if that’s part of why she was pushing him away, if she knew what was going on. She says yes, part of it. Lila interupts the conversation to tell them that Tig just called and wants everyone at the clubhouse (lock down).

Break over to Clay’s house where Juice is helping him collect all of his club stuff. Clay thanks him for being there in the last month and makes a gift of the 45 with reaper grips (I described this gun last week, Juice found it while looking for the safe documents). Turns out, Piney gave Clay that gun for his 5 year anniversary and Clay says, he was going to give it to Opie. Obviously, that never happened. Clay lets him know that they are going to black out his tats at the clubhouse that night so everybody can see that it was done (remember what happened to the last guy they booted who did not get them inked over? They set him on fire to burn them off. The other option, was to cut them off. Clay for once in his life, made the wise choice). I Guess, that excommunicated members, cannot have anything with the reaper on it. There is a knock at the door, it is Tig to collect both Juice and Clay. Clay resists going but Tig insists.

Jax and Chibs are at the hospital, presumably to collect Tara and the kids. They aren’t alone though. One of the Irish guys has followed them to the hospital. We see Wendy and Abel wrestling something out of the candy machine when Jax also sees what is going on. He isn’t happy and doesn’t care that Tara gave permission for Wendy to visit with Abel. He takes Abel back to day care, and tells Wendy to wait outside for him. Jax and Chibs go outside so Jax can talk to Wendy and in the few seconds they take their eyes off of her, she is snatched by the Irish goon (he thinks Wendy is Jax’s wife). Tara is walking into her office and guess who is paying Her a visit. Strange guy who beat the hell out of Otto. His name is Lee Toric and he is a retired US Marshall. That explains how he got access to Otto. He questions Tara about exactly what happened to his baby sister. He tells her he wants her story so when he questions Otto, who he knows did it to kill the RICO case for the club, using the cross that Tara supplied, he can see if the stories match. He hands her a card, tells her to keep it, it’s obsolete, he’s still looking for a new job.

At the clubhouse, Tara is telling Jax what just happened. Says that Otto gives his statement tomorrow, and is worried she could be charged with accessory or conspiracy. That’s why she called Wendy, in case something happened. The lawyer put the bug in her ear about what would happen if she and Jax disappeared. Jax asks if she thought Wendy would be a suitable choice. Tara has an anybody but Gemma attitude about the whole thing. Would Gemma really be the worse choice? I know I’ve been griping about this woman for weeks but she did manage to raise Jax, somehow. Chibs enters the room to tell Jax that Gahlen has called (I don’t really know what this dude’s name is, that’s just what it sounds like to me). Jax leaves the room with Chibs.

Jax walks over to the chapel and sees Clay sitting there and wants to know why he’s there. Gahlen reached out to him, says he wants the money and the guns or he’s going to kill Wendy. She’s made it clear that Jax isn’t her husband. Gahlen is threatening to take Abel back to Belfast. He wants $475k and the guns. With the debt they have to the Italians and Nero, no way they have that kind of cash. Nero (who is at the clubhouse on lockdown with the rest of them), comes in to offer assistance. He tells Clay that he has a doctor there to patch him up. He says he has the cash, the money to buy his uncle’s farm. Jax reminds him that’s his exit money (remember the end game each of them had and the cost of them?). Nero says, that he could have bought the farm a year ago but his other interests, Deosa, were doing too good to step away from them. Nero’s interest in the club, all along, appears to have been to get them on his side, for guns, and help with his rivals as he makes his move. He’s talking about another partnership. Apparently Jax agrees because they shake on the deal.

Jax goes over to the office to talk to Gemma. She notes that the beating was brutal, he says, it isn’t the way he wanted it to go. We see Clay and Tig at the barn location where the Irish do their business with the club. He says to Tig that he appreciates the backup and knows that Bobby was the only no vote (Mr Mayhem). He tells Tig that he doesn’t have to feel guilty but Tig doesn’t feel guilty but feels that Clay earned his current situation. Clay is making moves with Gahlen to secure a future for himself sans the club. No rivalries, just doing business that SAMCRO is leaving behind. As he is talking with Gahlen, he asks for passage to Belfast where he can connect with that chapter. He also asks Gahlen to provide passage for Gemma as well. The plane leaves the next day at 4pm. They pay the ransom for Wendy and she is set free, sent outside to wait with Tig while Clay discusses this other stuff with the Irish. Apparently, Clay is the only American, he trusts. Imagine that.

Apparently while Wendy was in the Irish custody, they told her all about the previous events. About Abel being kidnapped and taken to Ireland. While she’s bitching about that, she makes the biggest mistake of her life. Claims she’s going to report everything. Then, she’s going after Abel. After she leaves to have Tig take her home, so he knows where she’s living these days, Tara notes that wasn’t an idle threat. She’s serious. Jax tries to reassure her that Wendy, Clay, Gemma, and Toric aren’t going to have any lasting effects on them. As Jax is making his final moves for the day, Bobby wants to talk to him. Jax is still pissed about the no vote and tells Bobby that if he catches him alone, today, he’s going to tear his head off.

In the office, Clay and Gemma are looking a bit cozy. He tells her what his plan is and that if he stays in Charming, Jax is going to kill him. So, he’s going to Belfast to lay low a couple months and wants her to go with him. He says that of all the stuff he’s lost and wants back, she is the one he wants the most. He’s accepted that he’s no longer a member of SAMCRO.  She says she’ll think about going. Clay goes and takes his seat to have his ink blacked out as Gemma leaves (guess where She’s going). Happy is doing the inking honors. Gemma arrives at Deosa, I guess Nero is going to get to bust one off so at least someone is having a happy ending in this episode. Jax meets Tig outside of Wendy’s apartment. Apparently one of the last things he wanted from Tig was a drug needle to shoot Wendy up with. He knocks on her door, goes in and throws her against the wall. He then tells her what he’s going to do. Say that she made this whole claim up about Abel being kidnapped by the IRA. It was a hallucination. He’s worried about her being around the kids and then re-addicts her to whatever he drug of choice was to make his case plausible. Jax, has become Clay. He is never leaving this club or even simply getting away from it, if that was ever really his plan. In the mix of all this, we also see Toric in his hotel room (or sister’s home), with a nice cache of guns on the bed.

That’s about all I know folks. Our season with our favorite outlaw bikers ends next week. It went fast to be sure but it’s been an interesting ride so far. Questions up for discussion in my mind. Will Clay make it to Ireland? What’s going to happen to Juice, being the rat and all. Now, remember that Jax, had been working with the CIA to keep Clay in the Irish/SAMCRO gun running business. He knew full well about RICO but yet, Juice is the rat. Both claim it was for the club but who is the Rat? What will happen to Tig? Jax will always see him as Clay’s right hand (that’s what he told Pope earlier) but will he really hand a member over to Pope? We wondered at the beginning of the season where Jax was going with all these plans before the Nomad shit hit the fan. At this point, I’m believing Jax, and Clay, are no different when it comes to being outlaw bikers. Also, I’m still confused as to what was in that safe that is so important to kill or be killed for.

See you next week. Watch episodes here

Til then, Peace.