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"Potlatch" is the eighth episode of the second season of the FX original series Sons of Anarchy, and the series' twenty-first episode overall.
Synopsis[]
When Oswald puts up the bail money, SAMCRO are released from prison, but the split between Clay and Jax is wider than ever.
Plot[]
It’s morning in Charming. Tara tells Jax she finished reading his father’s manuscript. She questions his desire and ability to reform the club; he says it may take time and blood, but assures her that change is coming. Gemma asks Clay about the fight with Jax. Clay says the clash was inevitable: Jax has his father’s DNA. Gemma worries how it all may end. She wants to invite everyone over for dinner; she thinks they “need” it. Jax confronts Hale about talking to Stahl. Hale says the ATF is after the IRA gunrunners; the League is the target of an FBI investigation, and as such they are presently untouchable. Jax realizes that Stahl needs the MC to make a case against the Irish. In the clubhouse Bobby tells Tig, Opie, Happy, and Half-Sack that they need to get to the truth behind the long-brewing feud between Jax and Clay. Opie wonders if their “beef” has something to do with Donna’s death; Tig is quick to say it doesn’t. Opie says he’ll talk to Jax; Tig will talk to Clay. Jax arrives. He says that Henry Lin and the Chinese want a “sit-down”; he has to go to Caracara. Clay thanks Elliot Oswald for helping him and the guys; he promises that Elliot won’t get burned on the bail money. Elliot says Jacob Hale Jr. is running for Mayor of Charming; he asks for SAMCRO’s help running against him. Clay tells Elliot he needs a remote piece of land for club business. As a show of good faith, Clay hands over the bloody knife (with Elliot’s fingerprints) used to avenge rape victim Tristan.
Jax arrives at Caracara; Luann says someone broke in and stole her HD camera and laptop (which held three valuable rough-cut films). The thief also killed the studio’s guard dog, and wrote the words “dead bitch” on Lyla’s dressing room door. Lyla is shaken up; she asks for Op. Clay meets with Henry Lin. Lin needs to buy guns; as a sign of good faith, Lin hands over compulsive masturbator Chuck (whose compulsion has been overcome as a result of Lin chopping off all but two of Chuck’s fingers) to the Sons. Tig says Chuck (an accountant) can take over doing the books at Caracara. Despite the possibility that the Feds are watching the Irish, Clay says they’ll talk to Edmond about the guns. Opie gets a call from Jax, and leaves for the porn studio; Clay tells him to “stay available” for later. Op takes Chuck with him. Chibs wakes up in his hospital bed, his head bandaged; he is surprised by the presence of a woman (Fiona) in his room. They talk; it is obvious they share a past. We learn that Chibs has a fourteen-year-old daughter living in Ireland. At Caracara the guys determine that Luann’s competitor Georgie Caruso is behind the break-in and robbery; they leave for his studio. Jax tells Op about Gemma’s potluck dinner; Opie wants to invite Lyla. Chucky tells Jax that both Lin and the One-Niners are losing territory to the Mayans, explaining Lin’s need for more firepower. Jax says after they finish with Georgie they will check in with Laroy. Clay and the guys drop in on Edmond Hayes; they say they need guns but Edmond says he’s out of stock. Outside the safe-house Clay voices his suspicions: the Irish sold their guns to Zobelle. He tells Sack to stake out the safe-house, and see if Zobelle shows up. Inside, Edmond is on a call to his father; he’s worried that their boss (Jimmy O’) hasn’t approved their business dealings with the League. Polly Zobelle comes out of Edmond’s bedroom; they kiss. Gemma visits Chibs; she is surprised and dismayed to see Fiona. Gemma tells Tara that Fiona is Chibs’ wife.
Jax, Bobby, Opie, and Chuck go to Georgie’s porn studio; while Chucky distracts security, the others make their way into the boss’ office. Guns are pulled and a scuffle ensues, but the Sons quickly get the upper hand. They retrieve their stolen equipment, and drop Georgie’s laptop in an aquarium, destroying it. Opie tells Georgie that Lyla is “with him”; he warns against any future action against her. Georgie tells them they don’t know who they’re dealing with; he contemplates his next move. At St. Thomas, Gemma tells Tara that Fiona is one of only three women she’s afraid of. Tara mentions that Chibs (whose insurance has lapsed) will soon be out of critical condition and transferred to a County hospital; Gemma is concerned by the news. Tara says there is nothing she can do to prevent the transfer due to the vigilant eye of her boss: Margaret Murphy. Later, Margaret and a solemn Gemma share an elevator ride. Clay and Tig talk about Donna (and Jax); Clay says killing Donna seems to have “flipped a switch” inside his Sergeant-at-Arms, and he wonders if Tig can still “make the hard call.” Tig says he can. Clay’s phone rings: it’s Half-Sack. He says Weston just showed up at the IRA safe-house; Clay tells him to “follow the guns.” Clay tells Tig to “call everybody.” Jax and the others arrive at the Oakland nightclub that serves as the One-Niner’s hangout; they walk through the club and into the back room. Instead of finding the friendly Niner faces they expected, the guys are surprised to discover a large contingent of Mayans. Jax notes there must be “new owners”; they try to backtrack but are trapped at gunpoint.
Clay and Tig (in a T-M tow truck) meet up with Sack, who reports that Weston picked up the guns and is parked at a rest stop, apparently waiting for a pickup. Clay is angry that none of the others are there. Tig calls again, but the guys have Mayan-held AK-47s pointed at their heads; they can’t pick up. Opie tries to talk to Jax about the recent trouble with Clay; Jax says it’s all about keeping things “contained,” but Opie doesn’t understand. Jax warns his best friend against “getting in deeper” with Clay. Mayan leader Marcus Alvarez arrives. Opie questions the source of the gang’s “Russian hardware”; Alvarez says they have found “new friends” and “new opportunities.” He tells Jax to pass on a message to Clay: the Mayan/SOA truce is over. Deputy Chief Hale meets with officers along a rural road; a woman’s bloody body lies at the bottom of a ravine. An officer reports the woman was beaten to death; Hale sees the victim’s red Corvette and “XXX DIVA” vanity license plate: it’s Luann Delaney. Clay, Tig, Half-Sack, and Happy arrive at the rest stop in the tow truck; they approach Weston with guns drawn. Tig looks in Weston’s truck, and sees two cigar crates loaded with AK-47s. The Sons start to unload the crates, but are interrupted by the arrival of AB backup. A shootout ensues, but SAMCRO is outnumbered; despite Clay’s best efforts they retreat empty handed. One of the AB (Ule) approaches Weston, and says Zobelle wants him to return to the cigar store; Ule and his crew will deliver the guns. Weston doesn’t like the insubordination in his lieutenant’s tone.
Gemma takes a roast from the oven. Tara arrives and confronts Gemma. She shows Gemma a “hostile work environment claim” filed against her and her “proxy” by Margaret Murphy, her boss. Apparently Gemma threatened the hospital administrator while in the elevator; Gemma counters that it was just a “passionate conversation.” Tara is incensed. Lyla arrives; Tara insults her in front of Opie’s kids. Lyla storms out as Jax, Op, and Bobby pull up. Elsewhere, Zobelle and Ule look on as Marcus Alvarez and his Mayans load the AK-47s; Ule fills his boss in on the earlier events. Zobelle says Weston wouldn’t understand the need for doing business with the Mexican gang. Alvarez tries to pay Zobelle for the guns, but Zobelle won’t accept the money; he tells Alvarez he’s “investing in the future” of the Mayan organization. While Alvarez keeps his money, he’s unsure of what dealing with Zobelle may cost him in the future. At the Morrow home Jax tries to smooth things over with Tara. Everyone starts to take seats at the table when Clay and the others arrive. Clay is fuming: he and Tig confront Jax, Op, and Bobby about being AWOL; Jax says they had to “deliver payback” for Caracara. There are clearly some hard feelings between Clay’s crew and Jax’s; the two factions argue heatedly. Hale arrives, and breaks the news about Luann; everyone is stunned. The SOA civil war reignites. Clay wonders if Jax’s “payback” caused Luann’s death; Jax, his tongue loosed by rage, says he’s “not the one murdering women.” Gemma watches as her husband and her son go at each other again: it’s more than she can take. She picks up the roast beef platter and slams it to the table; the ceramic shatters, and the room goes silent.
Credits[]
Main Cast[]
- Charlie Hunnam as Jackson 'Jax' Teller
- Katey Sagal as Gemma Teller Morrow
- Mark Boone Junior as Bobby 'Elvis' Munson
- Kim Coates as Alex 'Tig' Trager
- Tommy Flanagan as Filip 'Chibs' Telford
- Ryan Hurst as Harry 'Opie' Winston
- Johnny Lewis as Kip 'Half-Sack' Epps
- William Lucking as Piermont 'Piney' Winston (credit only)
- Theo Rossi as Juan Carlos 'Juice' Ortiz (credit only)
- Maggie Siff as Tara Knowles
- Ron Perlman as Clarence 'Clay' Morrow
Supporting cast[]
Special guest stars
Guest stars
- Tom Arnold as Georgie Caruso
- Tayler Sheridan as Deputy Chief David Hale
- Emilio Rivera as Marcus Alvarez
- Dendrie Taylor as Luann Delaney
- Patrick St. Esprit as Elliott Oswald
- Michael Marisi Ornstein as Chuck Marstein
- Callard Harris as Edmond Hayes
- Sarah Jones as Polly Zobelle
- Winter Ave Zoli as Lyla
- Henry Rollins as AJ Weston
- Kenneth Choi as Henry Lin
- McNally Sagal as Margaret Murphy
- Cleo King as Neeta
- Bellina Logan as Fiona Larkin
- Jason Matthew Smith as Ule
Co-stars
- David Labrava as Happy
- Lela Cortines as Ellie Winston
- John Abendroth as Kenny Winston
- Marya Delver as Officer Candy Eglee
- Jaye Razor as Georgie's Muscle
- Phoenix Gonzales as Bartender
- Jim Veneziano as Jim
Notable Quotes[]
Half-Sack: It's a little bit painful when I ride. Sometimes I feel it when I walk. Other than that, back to normal.
Tig: Is it gay that I want to see it?
Bobby: Gay curious.
Tig: Come on, drop 'em.
(Half-Sack drops pants)
Bobby: Showtime.
Happy: Is it supposed to be that swollen?
Half-Sack: Think so.
Tig: They look uneven.
Tara: You keep saying you want to change things, but you keep repeating old behavior. You can't have it both ways.
Jax: Is there anything you love so much, you'd protect it, no matter the cost; the damage it did to you?
Tara: Yeah. Yeah, a child.
Jax: Yeah. That's how I feel about this club. Since I was five Tara, all I've ever wanted was a Harley and cut. Change won't happen quick, or without blood, but it'll happen. It has to.
Clay: Do you see what you're doing to this club?
Jax: I was risking my ass for this club.
Clay: Bullshit!
Jax: You're as blind as you are crippled.
Clay: No. The blind guy's in jail with no wife cause you just got her killed!
Jax: I'm not the one murdering women!
Church Meetings[]
(There were no Church meetings during this episode)
Deaths[]
- Luann Delaney - (Offscreen) Beaten to death by Georgie Caruso's men
Gallery[]
Featured Music[]
- Souleros - "Bag of Bones"
- Henry Clay People - "Something in the Water"
- Sun Kill Moon - "Salvador Sanchez"
- Amanda Blank - "Make It, Take It"
- Chicago Stone Lightning Band - "Lover, Lover"
- COP - "Pungle"
- Delta Spirit - "People Turn Around"