‘Sons of Anarchy’ review: Learning to let go … and to take a punch

Last week on “Sons of Anarchy,” we saw what was without question one of the saddest episodes of the entire season as we saw a prison yard, some plotting, and a tragic passing that we have a feeling is going to stick with us for quite some time moving forward.

So what can the show really do to move forward from something like Opie’s death? Really, the only thing you can do is persevere without crying too much; and by and large, this is what Tuesday night’s new episode showed us. It was almost weird that Opie’s wake happened when it did during this episode, mostly due to the fact that the way in which the story unfolded surrounding them was something that you would never expect. Take for instance the scene before this very funeral, one in which Gemma and Tara pretty much go tag-team on trying to tear Nero’s head prostitute Dora a new one over some claims that she tried to kill Jax. Only in the “Sons of Anarchy” universe can death be interspersed with a pair of people nearly killing someone else.

Just in case this was not an awkward enough way to honor Opie, we also saw Jax and Nero make an interesting business deal with each other, one in which the two parties could resolve some of their money woes (Jax with Pope thanks to a nervous decision to pay the man, Nero with his brothel’s eviction) while at the same time developing an understanding. The twist? In order to make it happen, Jax wanted Nero to more or less “dump” Gemma as his girlfriend, lover, or whatever else she supposedly is to him.

When it comes to major shockers, this episode did not compare with what we saw last week … but nor was it intended to. Instead, this was an hour meant as a way to say goodbye to a beloved character while simultaneously reminding us that there is still plenty of story left to tell, and with the circumstances surrounding Nero’s line of work spiraling out of control, it looks as though we’re in for a wild ride.

What did you think about this episode?