Sons of Anarchy: episode 4.02 “Booster”

Hey kids. Sorry that I am a day late with my recap. I had other obligations to attend to. But I stayed up really late last night to do my homework, just for you.

**SPOILER ZONE**

Don’t read on if you haven’t watched this episode yet.

So it’s the day after the boys have been released from jail. They were very busy that previous day, what with them killing Putlova and all (among other things, like, getting married and stuff). The next morning Clay is understandably a bit tired and wakes up to Gemma’s panicking over the existence of letters from John Teller to Maureen Ashby and the possible incrimination in JT’s death. Clay settles her down a bit, but the information is duly noted.

season 4 episode 2 "Booster"

Jax & Tara’s morning has them enjoying life as a little family until she sees the news about the dead Russians. She demands Jax tells her the truth, which he starts to tell before Gemma shows up for babysitting duty. (By the way, I typically appreciate Gemma’s wardrobe, but anyone else think that she’s a little overdress in her leather & lace outfit with knee high boots for Grandma duty? Anyone that’s ever been around an infant knows they’ll be wearing some spit-up and drool at some point…just saying…).

At the newlyweds house, Opie starts to nag Lyla about getting knocked up so she’ll quit the porn biz. I know this dialogue has only just begun this season, but I’m already over it. But here we have an opportunity in seeing the contrast in Jax and Opie’s relationships with their ladies. When Tara learns of the dead Russians she wants to know and he confides in her because with them it’s all or nothing. When Lyla asks Opie about it he lies though his teeth. Tara is truly Jax’s partner, Lyla is just another old lady.

Lincoln Potter is notably unhappy at the discovery of the dead Russians and the size of the balls on SAMCRO, not to mention the appearance of “Mayor McCheese.” Here we find out that Hale’s development deal of Charming Heights is on a timetable. Dead bodies bring down the property value and if he loses his investors then the city council can revert back all the land. “Good morning.” “Not if you’re Russian.” I am seriously loving Potter.

Clay and Jax head out to meet Marcus about the gun deal he brokered with the Galinda cartel while holed up in Stockton (alluded to in the appisode “Mexican Basketball.“) Enter Danny Trejo as Romero ‘Romeo’ Parada (anyone notice Sen Dog from Cypress Hill as part of his entourage?) and their new relationship, in which Jax discovered that SAMCRO will be muling cocaine for the cartel. A big no-no in the club’s history and world and a huge detail that Clay just happened to leave out. But those giant stacks of cash are pretty persuasive and Jax knows that Clay’s days are running out. I was actually glad that he brought up McGee to Clay because the situation is very similar. But naturally Clay bats the reference away.

Jax agrees to vote with Clay in exchange for his leaving the Sons without any kind of recourse. Clay is incredulous that Jax would actually want to leave. I mean, he’s been groomed his entire life to hold the gavel and he wants to walk away? But Clay needs the big score and reluctantly (and I’m sure temporarily) agrees.

season 4 episode 2 "Booster"

The idea of muling drugs unsurprisingly meets resistance with all the guys at the table. But again, those fat stacks of cash being laid out hold a lot of sway. Clay chats with Tig and Bobby privately and Bobby knows the motivation behind Clay’s decision. And he still doesn’t like it because Clay’s gonna eff things up for all of them.

Gemma, with baby on her hip, searches high and low for those letters. When she sees Abel rifling through the papers in her bag she realizes that maybe Tara’s walking around with them on her.

Han Solo and Chewbacca, I mean, Jax and Opie head out to the Wahewa reservation to check on the ammo. The besties chat about things they thought about in the joint (and I come to the strange realization that Charlie Hunnam with his short hair now resembles my baby brother. Sure he’s a bit older and has facial hair but…weird. I immediately push that connection out of my head since I’ve seen CH’s naked butt more than I can count and don’t want to think about my brother that way.)

Again, here is the difference in the men that Jax and Opie are. Jax looks to his future, dreams about a better life for his family, Opie doesn’t think about any other kind life and is still missing Donna. Potter and Roosevelt meet up and speculate on the “bigger player” the club is in cahoots with. Roosevelt confides that he’s being pressured to take some sort of disciplinary action to the club and Potter gives his blessing to go be a good sheriff and “be the badge.”

Clay meets up with Oswald, makes him feel a little guilty for being a partner with Hale in the development of Charming Heights. Elliot isn’t too ruffled, he worked off his debt. But Clay wants and gets an old abandoned, gated piece of land from Oswald to house his gun traffic.

At the Wahewa, the Russians are lying in wait armed to the eyeballs. Jax and Opie try to flee to no avail. The Russians didn’t appreciate getting ripped off and want their guns back. Now.

More of Gemma being a complete freak, going to Tara’s office to find the letters. We’d better find out some juicy shit that went down about how Clay & Gemma killed off JT because this story line is going to wear it’s welcome out on me real soon. She pulls out a police report regarding JT’s “accident” and we see that the investigating officer is none other than Wayne Unser. So, he’s in on it too. Strange little triangle those old friends have. Tara seemed a bit suspicious to find Gemma locked inside of her office but brushed it off.

Back at Teller-Morrow, Unser has become a different kind of device for Clay to use, this time around to scope out truck routes under the radar for moving product. Oh yeah, and he wants to know if Tara’s been trying to snoop around for info about Clay and JT. So, he did take Gemma’s concern seriously. Just then Jax calls in about the mad Russians and how they want their guns back.

But before Clay can saddle up, they are detained by a visit from one pissed off sheriff, who “discovers” lots of fire code violations and vents his frustrations out with an axe to the mugshot wall and the redwood reaper table.

season 4 episode 2 "Booster"

Day two out of the klink and things are not going so well for Jax. He and Opie share a moment however the gravity of the situation is not lost. But their new Mexican friends roll up in a HUMMER and turn those pesky Russians into Swiss cheese. Why is Danny Trejo so freakin’ badass? Clay shows up a day late and a dollar short and I’m guessing at this point Opie’s decided he’s going to vote in the cartel along with Clay. I also predict some really interesting and adversarial exchanges between Clay and Romeo in the future.

Amid the destruction of SAMCRO’s playhouse, Tara picks that moment to lighten the mood with announcement that she and Jax are engaged. Rounds of shots are had by all to celebrate. Clay assures Gemma that Tara’s a good girl, but Gemma & Unser toss each other an uncertain look. And that last visual exchange between Jax and Bobby said a lot.