We're back with another edition of the Sons of Anarchy Round Table.
Following an especially somber installment of the FX hit, TV Fanatic staff members Chris O'Hara, Carla Day, Dan Forcella and Christine Orlando are joined by Heather Ragsdale of Sons-of-Anarchy.net to breakdown Opie's memorial and figure out whether Jax made a smart business move this week.
Jump in and sound off now...
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What was your favorite scene from the episode?
Chris: Jax saying goodbye to Opie was the most touching scene, from the tucking of the picture in his cut to his parting words. Lastly, while Jax slamming the hearse door was jarring, I took it as a sign that he will most certainly get revenge for his fallen brother.
Carla: The entire memorial scene. From what I could see through my tears, it was a fitting tribute to Opie and probably one of best done memorial/funeral scenes I've ever seen on TV.
Dan: The memorial. Did anything happen before the memorial? This entire hour seemed like nothing but fall out from last week and lead up for the memorial. It didn't stand on its own two feet all that much.
Christine: It was the scene where Jax tells Lyla that every member of that club is her family now and if anyone says no to her they answer to Jax. It's the only way he can still have his best friend's back.
Heather: Opie’s wake. But you have to go back to the beginning of the episode with the boys riding their bikes. Jax obviously saw him and Opie in those young boys, and at the beginning of the wake we have Jax looking at the picture of him and Opie as children. So as we begin with the boys... we end with the boys. he final song was perfect for the wake and that is when I ended up crying the most. We came full circle in this episode and it ended with Opie ‘The Warrior’ being put to rest.
Is it a good idea for Jax to get into business with Nero?
Chris: I definitely is. Like he said, he needs to get the club away from the things that are killing them. Nero hasn’t shown any signs of being a bad guy. I liked his talk with Jax when he described his exit plan for his son.
Carla: I've been worried there is a nefarious side to Nero; but if there is, he has hidden it well. It's not exactly in line with Jax's original plan to move the club into legit businesses, but it is a move in the right direction.
Dan: If it keeps Jimmy Smits on my television, I'm all for it. I worry for Jax, and everyone for that matter, that Nero said he's stay away from Gemma. Undoubtedly he'll break that promise, and who knows what will go down.
Christine: Good might be a stretch, but it's not a bad business plan. Right now they appear to be two like-minded individuals looking to expand. The hope is it will be lucrative for both of them. The odds of that happening without incident are pretty slim.
Heather: Yes and no. I can see where Jax is coming from with this deal because he is honestly trying to get out of the business, but logically I know that it’s not much better. I mean, we are going from guns and drugs to prostitution, so even though the latter can be seen as better…it really isn’t.
Choose a side in Jax and Tara's debate: Should they tell Abel about Wendy?
Chris: They should tell him... but I agree with Jax that now is not the time.
Carla: They are going to have to tell Abel at some point and I think Wendy finally got through to Tara about that. It won't happen immediately, but Tara is slowly coming to that realization. If Wendy remains clean, I can see a future where Tara and Wendy actually become friends.
Dan: I don't know about Tara and Wendy becoming friends, but the kid definitely deserves to know who his birth mother is. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday.
Christine: Yes. If they tell him now they can control it, put their own spin on it. Then their version of the truth will be what he believes. If they wait until he's older, he'll have a lot more questions and wonder why Mommy and Daddy kept the secret from him for so long.
Heather: I can see both sides in this situation, but I think Abel needs to know about his mother. In the long run it will be better for him and everyone involved. Wendy made some really great points when she was explaining to Tara and I think that is why Tara changed her mind about it. So I guess this time around I am on Tara’s side in the debate.
Grade Ashley Tisdale's appearance on the show.
Chris: Tisdale’s performance was forgettable and could have been filled by any random actress. She really didn’t have to flex any kind of acting ability with all those hard hitting lines they gave her. “I didn’t sleep with your old man…You have to call first…etc.”
Carla: It was fine. Nothing extraordinary about it, but she was a decent Emma Jean.
Dan: The best I've ever seen. How was she not given more to do?!?!
Christine: Eh. It wasn't a major role. She looked the part. I'd give her a C+. Hopefully Emma Jean is safe and sound back in the midwest.
Heather: I am giving her appearance a D. I don’t see what the point of her being there was, honestly. The only thing that came out of it all was we got the girl fight between Gemma, Tara. and Carla…which was pretty awesome. We would have never gotten such a good girl fight if it wasn’t for Emma Jean. Overall, I thought she was terrible, but something awesome came out of her appearance.
What song do you want played at your memorial?
Chris: Pat Boone's “Now the Day Is Over."
Carla: Green Day's "Good Riddance."
Dan: No songs. Everyone just cry until your eyes bleed.
Christine: To heck if I know. My musical taste change by the day. I could pick books, TV shows and movies that mean something to me, but a special song eludes me.
Heather: Because I am pretty old school, I would have to go with “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas... and “My Way” by Frank Sinatra. Two different songs, but two songs that scream me in the end.