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It’s the second to last episode of this literally explosive season and the ish is going down, ladies and gentlemen. Jax and the Sons make their final moves with the Irish while Tara makes her decision.

Spoilers below.

The episode starts out with Jax attempting to convince D.A. Patterson that last week’s Clay transport diversion kept IRA members away from the warehouse, resulting in fewer officer deaths. He also says Clay and Gaalan had twenty years of issues that came to a head and that’s why they’re both dead. Jax insists he kept his part of their deal.

She suspects he’s full of shit with a look only CCH Pounder can give a person. Patterson says she has to investigate further before she agrees he delivered on his promise.

Jax regroups with Chibs, Tig and Montez. He asks if they’re good.

Tig: “I’m all over it. Like jizz on his mama.”
Montez: “Hey, my mama’s dead, man.”
Jax: “That won’t stop him.”

In the cabin, Tara watches over Bobby while Juice keeps an eye on her. Tara gets a call from Patterson saying her deal and witness protection is good to go if she hands over the evidence, the bullet from inside Bobby. Bobby wakes up and thanks her before passing out again.

Gemma is making breakfast for the boys when Unser comes over. Abel, upset, sits at the table. Unser asks what’s wrong and he replies, “Where’s Mommy?” Mommy’s screwed, kid.

Jax and Chibs advise Connor to get protection in case the Lin family decides to retaliate for Gaalen’s attack. You can’t win, Connor. You really can’t.

Tig, Montez and Quinn meet with two Irish to make sure the guns arrived safely in Wahewa. When they show they did, Tig nods and Montez and Quinn shoot the Irish dead. Blood spatter hits Tig’s forehead and hair and he says to Montez, “Really?” He then puts two more in each Irish before checking out his hair in the reflectiveness of the metal truck. Tig: “Not the hair, man. Not the hair.”

Jax and the Sons meet with the Lin family in Wahewa. Bohai, the head of the family, is shown the guns and the dead Irish. He’s pissed because he wanted to kill them and hasn’t had his vengeance needs met. “You understand how vengeance works? The satisfaction comes from the doing,” he explains.

Bohai demands Connor for his full on Chicago Way revenge. Jax says he can’t do that and Bohai tells him he’ll kill Happy, who he still has, if Jax doesn’t. Tig and the crew could have easily left one of the Irish alive. That’s super poor planning on Jax’s part. The Lin family leave with Happy. Something tells me his days of Chinese food and cartoons are nearing an end.

One of Nero’s boys, Fiasco, confronts him on the state of the ByzLats. Nero reacts badly to accusations of him being absent and everything going to hell since he teamed up with the Sons. Fiasco says if Nero doesn’t meet with Alvarez from the Mayans that the ByzLats will completely fall apart. Nero reluctantly agrees to the meet. Man, what bet did Fiasco lose that he had to deliver this news?

Gemma tells Wendy she has to be checked in at rehab by noon the next day and offers for Unser to pick up some of Wendy’s things from her place. Wendy asks Gemma if she’s doing all this for her to hurt Tara. Gemma explains she’s going to need a nanny for the boys and Wendy’s the least messed up option.

Gemma: “You betrayed me. But you bought it back and you paid the price. And I know how much you love that boy.”

Gemma says she’ll get Jax on board and Wendy just needs to get clean.

At the cabin, Tara says she needs to get supplies from the hospital because she can’t very well tell Juice she’s meeting with Patterson. Juice sends Rat to go with her and then checks on Bobby. He asks Bobby why he changed his vote on Clay meeting Mr. Mayhem. Bobby says it wasn’t for the good of the club the first time they voted, even though Clay had deserved it. It’s weighing heavy on Juice which is plastered all over his face.

Bobby: “When was the last time you had your dick sucked?”
Juice, dead serious: “I don’t think you’re up to it, brother.”

Bobby tells Juice to go to Diosa and unwind because he’s “making everybody nervous.” Juice says he’s fine but Bobby replies, “It ain’t a suggestion. Just go.” Yeah, but not right now. Leaving Bobby alone with only West is inadvisable.

Bobby then calls for West and tells him he has to hold his dick while he pees and use both hands. West asks Juice if Bobby’s serious and Juice replies, “Yeah. He’s huge. You’re gonna need both hands.” In earlier seasons, Juice would have said this with a smile but now, he’s just misery walking. He steals some of Bobby’s pills and leaves.

Nero meets with Alvarez who tells him the Mayans are starting a charter in Stockton. Based on the Sons giving the guns to August Marks and the Niners, Alvarez says it’s going to be the Mayans and Lin family against the Niners and Sons. Nero says he’ll stay neutral but Alvarez replies, “Ain’t no Switzerland in the hood.” Nero isn’t just in between a rock and a hard place. He’s in the trash compactor in Star Wars.

The Sons tell Connor his men are dead and Lin probably did it. Jax presses Connor’s need for protection from August Marks. Connor agrees and Jax says he’ll set the meet.

Tara finds Gemma waiting in her office under the guise of needing anti-nausea meds for Wendy. Tara tells Gemma to meet her outside in twenty minutes. On her way out of the hospital, Gemma runs into Patterson, who says she’s at the hospital for the injured sheriffs.

Gemma asks why they’re not at the Stockton hospital and Patterson says the best eye specialist in the state is at St. Thomas. It’s a great save until Patterson pushes her luck. Gemma says she’s going to the chapel to light a candle and Patterson suggests she lights two. Gemma pauses, her something-is-up gears moving at full speed.

Patterson introduces Tara to ATF Agent Bowman. Tara refuses to hand over the bullet until her lawyer reads the paperwork and tells her she’s set. When Bowman suggests agents will take the boys themselves and bring them to her, she says she’ll handle it. Tara: “The last memory of their father will not be of them being ripped from his arms at gunpoint.” With Jax as their father, I can guarantee that won’t be the last memory they have of him. He went to Ireland for Abel. He did not pass Go. He did not collect $200.

Tara says if the papers clear her lawyer, she’ll meet them with her boys at 6pm. After she leaves, Bowman asks Patterson what will happen if Tara doesn’t take the deal.

Patterson: “If she doesn’t testify, I’ll bury her in court. If she tries to run with those boys, the MC will hunt her down and kill her.”

Well, good luck with all that, Tara.

At the cabin, Juice is definitely gone as Bobby says he sent him to Diosa. Tara sees Bobby smoking and drinking and says she’ll bring the defibrillator next time. Tig then explains the merits of “electrodes on your sack” as only he can.

In a separate room, Jax and Tara make small talk, which really is Tara getting details on where Jax and the boys will be later. He says he’ll be out late but she can “go say goodnight” to the boys at Gemma’s. Tara says she’ll just stay at the cabin. Jax tells her they’ll figure it out after her trial. She hugs him and says, “I’m sorry.”

Over at Diosa, Juice walks in looking like absolute hell. Lyla talks to him and comforts him. Juice starts to cry and Lyla takes him upstairs. She asks him if he has a preference of which girl she sends up. Quiet, Juice replies: “Someone nice.” Oh, sweetheart.

Lyla sees Gemma downstairs and tells her Juice is there and he’s “undone.” Upstairs, Juice is shirtless and looks to have a panic attack when he sees his Son Shine tattoo on his chest. And now we see how the title of the episode starts to work in. He drops to his knees and fishes the pills he took from Bobby out of his cut.

Back with Bobby, Tara is taking care of him. He says, “We love you, doc.” She pauses, offers a small smile to a zoned out Bobby. Tara then tells West she’s going to rest and sneaks out of a window in her room. Baby girl, this is not going to go like you want it.

Jax meets with Connor who says he’s advised one of the Kings of the need to work with August Marks. Lin and crew drive up and Jax and Sons draw guns on a blindsided Connor. Conner promises the Kings will kill all of the Sons. How lovely.

Jax trades Connor for Happy. He tells Bohai the guns are in the truck and the Lin family opens the back of it. They find guns all right with Niners in the truck and the barn shooting them from the front and the Sons shooting them from the back. Welcome to the ambush barn of death. I’m pretty sure murdering the head of the Lin family is not the way you get out of guns.

Tig hands Happy a gun and Happy puts the final bullets in a conscious Bohai. Connor is pissed but he rolls over like he always does.

At Diosa, Chucky tries to barter for repairs with chinchillas, insisting they could breed them and sell their fur. Gemma: “I’m gonna choke one of these little furballs out right in front of you.” Chucky: “I barely accept that.”

Nero and Gemma sit down to talk but Someone Nice runs in, panicking, “There’s something wrong with Juice.” Jesus Christ. Juice is naked, like Sutter promised, but down for the count on the floor, like I feared. Gemma and Nero try to wake him up while Lyla discovers he’s taken six 80mg pills of Oxy. You stupid ass. If you leave us, I’ll never forgive you.

Gemma shoves her fingers down Juice’s throat, saying, “Okay, baby, you bite me, I’ll rip your tongue out.” He pukes and Nero says, “Glamorous life, mama.”

Over at the murder barn, August Marks drives up and offers to increase the Irish gun network. He drops a duffel bag of cash, half a million to be exact, at Connor’s feet and tells him to impress upon the Kings he’s serious about being in business with them. August: “And if it helps, my mom’s maiden name is McDuffy.”

To Jax, August says, “Whatever happens here, you’ve done your part. Trager’s clear.” Well, thank God for that.

Lyla tells Gemma and Nero that Juice is coming around. Tara calls Gemma at that moment and lies that she’s alone and Bobby is bleeding from drinking all day. Gemma tells Tara she’s on her way and Tara heads into Charming.

Nero stays with Juice who is still puking. He gets Juice walking and while out of it, Juice says, “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to do it. Jax said it was what I had to do. Earn my way. I’m sorry. She was so pretty. So sad.” Nero: “Who was?” Juice: “The kid’s mom. I did it fast. That’s what I want. I want it that way.” The shit never stops hitting the fan, does it?

Nero lets Juice drop and Juice curls up, sobbing. A look passes over Nero’s face like he had when he stepped up to take over the ByzLats. Oh boy.

Unser and a much better Wendy are playing with the boys when Tara knocks on the door. Abel runs to Tara and Tara picks up Thomas, saying they’re going to dinner. Unser refuses to let her go. Tara turns Abel so he can’t see and she pulls a gun on Unser. She advises him to tell Gemma she had a gun on him and had to let them go.

Unser realizes she took a deal for witness protection. Figuring this is it, Wendy tells Abel she’s his real mother and she loves him. Tara punches her in the face and Abel runs off. Tara picks up Thomas and leaves.

Unser calls Gemma, who makes an immediate u-turn on the road.

Connor and the Irish part with the Sons, with the Kings agreeing to work with August. The Sons rest easy for half a minute before Gemma calls. At Diosa, Lyla tells Nero Gemma wants him to meet at Jax’s house.

In the car, Tara tries to explain to Abel that she’s doing everything because she loves them. Tara starts singing You Are My Sunshine to Abel, who asks where they’re going and if Daddy will be there. She tears up.

Patterson and the ATF agent wait for Tara. It’s 6:40pm and she’s nowhere to be found, nor is she answering her phone.

Tara brings the boys to a hotel room as it begins to pour outside.

Jax searches his house and find Tara has packed and taken the boys’ things. Gemma rushes in and tells Jax she saw Patterson at the hospital. They assume Tara made a deal and Jax immediately starts throwing things and by things, I mean a lamp and a bookcase.

Patterson tells the ATF agent she’ll send out her people to find Tara.

Nero shows up at Jax’s house with a chill in his eyes. Gemma tells Nero about Tara and he says nothing as he goes into the boys’ room, where Jax is sitting. He stands in front of Jax for a moment, his hand curling into a fist and then back out. With a pained look, he puts a hand on Jax’s back to comfort him. Nero knows the shit he found out from Juice will have to wait and it kills him.

Next week is the season finale and in the teaser, we see Jax kiss Juice’s cheek and say, “You betrayed me.” There are also a lot of clips from what we’ve seen already this season but there is a flash on the Sons standing around while another body gets lowered into a hole in the middle of nowhere.

This season has been mega bloody so there’s no reason to believe the finale won’t follow suit. Okay, thoughts? What’s killing you the most about tonight’s episode? I tell you, this mess with Juice is killing me. It’s not going to end well for him or with Nero. Jax doesn’t forgive twice and if Nero wants vengeance, he could take it from Juice.

Nero is compassionate to a point and he dropped Juice when he found out what he did. We’ve seen Nero be cold as hell before to his own crew so I have a feeling O.G. Nero is about to be unleashed again. The problem is, in Sons of Anarchy rock, paper, scissors, Jax is going to come out on top at least until next season’s series finale. Tread carefully, Nero. I love you.

With Tara, there’s no helping her at this point. I can’t think of a single way she comes out of this series alive. That kills me, too, because I loved Tara. I miss Tara learning how to shoot with Gemma and Tara beating down whores but that Tara is beyond gone. Still, her refusal to rat and testify, which would have given her a shot at staying alive and raising the boys, says something about her. She’s got that going for her but that’s not enough. Oh, darling. How did we get here?

Let’s work this out together. Tell me what you’re thinking in the comments.