Sons of Anarchy Season 7: Episode 13- “Papa’s Goods”

SOA

It’s the end of the road for Jax Teller.

I can’t imagine watching this show for seven years straight and being happy with how things turned out. Picking this show up last year and powering through the bulk of the series via Netflix, I’m honestly dumbfounded by the amount of love and praise being heaped on this finale on my friend’s Facebook and Twitter feeds. It’s schlocky fun, and the earlier seasons had a sense of playfulness that made the grimness of things balanced out. Plus it had Clay, a fantastic villain with clear motivations– protect his club.

When Clay was pushed out of power and Jax took the reigns, an interesting dynamic was put on the table and was never followed through. I stand by the fact that Jax/Tara vs. Clay/Gemma should have concluded the series, and after watching “Papa’s Goods” I stand by that assessment.

In the end Clay was a far better leader for SAMCRO than Jax was, especially when the opening moments of this finale showcase Jax burning JT’s memoir and everything the first five seasons built up. It felt like the writers just shrugged and said, “Oh well, Clay was kind of right.”

Jax admitting to the DA that he was a bad guy was supposed to be self-reflected revelation, but it just felt hollow. While doing some internet digging, I came across these wonderful stats detailing the death toll for each individual season. It should be noted that seasons 5, 6, and 7 are all within the span of a few months time span.

Season 1: 23+

Season 2: 8 (Best season by far, and lowest body count. Coincidence?)

Season 3: 13 (But this is actually my favorite season. Ireland rules!)

Season 4: 22+ (Jax takes over, let the bodies hit the floor)

Season 5: 24 (Opie dies, things go to shit)

Season 6: 41+

Season 7: 108

Jax’s reign as President of SAMCRO left a trail of bodies unrivaled by any other.

Jax was ready to meet Mr. Mayhem and save on some car insurance.
Jax was ready to meet Mr. Mayhem and save on some car insurance.

FINALE THOUGHTS:

  • Nero made it out alive! With Wendy! And the kids! I’m very happy Nero made it out alive, and his scenes with Jax were the very best of the episode. Man, that guy can act. The scene with Wendy and the kids was also very moving, and I was really hoping for an epilogue would showcase the future for these characters.
  • I struggle to give a shit about SAMCRO when all of the characters I liked are long dead. Don’t get me wrong I am a fan of Chibs and Tig, but two men do not make a club. Happy? Okay he’s cool. Rat Boy? Ugh… Tall guy? Umm… Short Spanish guy? Oye… Grim Bastards dude who left his own club to join the Sons? Fin.
  • This episode should have been subtitled “loose ends”. Mowing down Robocop and August Marks, killing one of the Kings and setting up the gun trade, talking to Ghost Mom™ who’s been haunting the Teller’s since the first season, and reuniting with Vic Mackey’s Mack Truck.
  • Speaking of Vic Mackey, I really need to watch The Shield. Is that on Netflix?
  • So Jax is Jesus, right?
  • Final Thoughts: This ain’t Shakespeare.
With my Leave of Absence from work earlier this year, I began devouring TV shows and movies on Netflix by the pound, powering through series upon series until I was all caught up with each individual selection. I originally did this when the 5th and final season of Breaking Bad was about to premiere, and sitting through all four seasons on Netflix was like a religious experience for me at the time , and made me realize what I was missing out on. I soon realized binge watching doesn’t always turn out to be so enlightening, but as a completest I always feel the need to finish what I’ve started.