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Na Troiblidi (Season Finale)
Original Air Date: Dec 1, 2009
Tom R. – Sr. Staff Writer
tom@thetwocents.com
Most of the finale has the feel of an old time western, with the Mayans and the Sons lining up on Main Street, waiting for the first person to pull the trigger.
Kudos to SOA creator Kurt Sutter, who is involved with every aspect of this episode. Normally, that gets me nervous, but Sutter shows a sure hand with everything he touches. The finale is everything fans have come to expect…Tense, gripping, and unexpected. While the working title of “Forever Sam Crow” seemed more effective, it’s more obvious every week why Sutter felt the need to feature the word “Sons” in the title.
Weston is cleared after Chuckie is shown to be an unreliable witness. Zobelle is also released, and after some prodding by Unser, Stahl admits that Zobelle is informing for the FBI. Clay learns about this, but keeps it quiet, since whoever learns the secret will kill him before Clay can. Zobelle packs up his shop as the Mayans stand guard outside. His daughter Holly leaves to say goodbye to Edmond, and the two gangs have a staredown across the street.
Jax, Opie and Chibs break away to hunt down Weston. He has a supervised visit with his son, and they follow him to a tattoo parlor. Weston goes nowhere without his son, including the rest room. When cornered, Weston sends his son out of the room and requests, “He never sees this.” To his credit, Weston takes his bullet with dignity. He doesn’t beg, cry or curse anyone.
“Na Troiblidi” is the Irish term for “The Troubles”, usually referring to the political strife in that country. In this episode, however, it marks the shift that makes the Irish more importsnt players in Charming. Gemma follows Holly to the IRA safehouse, where Stahl has just killed Edmond as he attempted to flee. When Gemma shoots Holly, Stahl takes the opportunity to frame Gemma for his murder, avoiding questions about her own rash behavior. Gemma calls Unser, who helps her stay underground.
SAMCRO allows Zobelle to leave town with the Mayan escort, but they cut them off and trap Zobelle in a convenience store, where he surrounds himself with school children who have stopped in. Clay, Tig, Bobby and Juice wait outside, until Jax calls with tragic news. Cameron heard the police radio blaming Gemma for Edmond’s shooting. Wanting “a son for a son”, he broke into Jax’s house, stabbed Sack and kidnapped Abel. The MC abandons Zobelle and gives chase, but they arrive at the docks to see Cameron’s boat pulling away.
In an episode that finally has Clay telling Jax, “You’re a good son”, the father/son bond justifies the title change. Not only do we see the father/son dynamics between Clay and Jax, but we also see Abel becoming the centerpiece, with his relationship to Jax, Tara, and potentially Cameron, who clearly sees him as a replacement son. We remember JT’s guidance, and even see a surrogate relationship between Unser and Hale. The show is so much deeper than bikes and fistfights, just like the lives of the people who were inspirations for characters.
Thanks again, Kurt!
What did you think of this season? Post your comments below, or drop me a line at: tom@thetwocents.com.
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