Sons of Anarchy – Just an old lady

There are many ways in which Kurt Sutter and Sons of Anarchy benefit from having his wife, Katey Sagal star on the show: the main one of course being that Katey Sagal is amazing and will automatically make everything that much better. The other is that she makes us root for Gemma Teller, who, if you look at it, is an infinitely unlikeable character.

While Sons of Anarchy may play on themes from Hamlet, Gemma is straight-up Lady Macbeth. While her husband is off ruling, she’s in the background seemingly pulling the strings. She won’t hesitate to hurt, maim, or kill in the interest of protecting her family and keeping her place on top. Gemma isn’t afraid to do heinous things – last season, she pulled a gun on a baby, for Christ’s sake. Yet despite her inherent evil, we want her to win. So when Jax dismisses her as “just an old lady,” or Clay puts his hands on her, it’s shocking. Don’t these people know she’s Gemma fucking Teller?

That’s the interesting thing about the women on Sons of Anarchy though: because they’re such strong, well-written characters, the audience often forgets that in their world, they don’t actually have the power. Gemma may seem like she shouldn’t be crossed, but at the end of the day, she really is just an old lady. So while she may have a billion valid reasons why running coke for a Mexican cartel is a terrible idea, none of them matter if Clay doesn’t want them to matter. It’s been said before: she doesn’t sit at the table; she doesn’t have a vote.

Growing up with a mother like Gemma Teller, it’s no surprise that Jax fell in love with another atypical woman. Opie’s porn star wife is par for the course, but I’m willing to bet that Tara is the first old lady with an MD. Tara is a brilliant, accomplished woman. The amount of time and effort that goes into becoming a successful neonatal surgeon is completely mind-boggling, but like the porn stars and bartenders around her, she’s just another old lady left home to take care of the kids while her man is in prison.

The choices these characters make are always fascinating: Why bother to stay in a life of crime that clearly isn’t working out? Is love really enough to keep you in a situation in which you’re considered to be a lesser person? Are love and family good enough reasons to subjugate yourself?

Gemma has been in the life since she was 19; she made her decision long ago. She’s content to keep her illusion of power. Tara though, hasn’t fully committed. She still has the natural reaction to bristle when Clay says she’s “going to make a great old lady,” and two months ago, was ready to take her kids and hightail it out of Charming, seemingly with or without Jax.

Tara can work anywhere; she can make a life for herself. No one, Jax included I would think, would have been terribly shocked if she packed up and left while he was away. Instead, she stuck around. She accepted a ring and now she’s taking the back seat in her own life and letting Jax lead them out in Charming in his own way.

This season is going to be pivotal for Tara. We all know that there won’t be a show if they get out, so what remains to be seen is how Tara is going to deal with this. Is she going to embrace her fate as an old lady, or is she going to realize that she’s no Gemma Teller? Like everything else, the decision won’t be an easy one and the path is sure to be paved with blood.

Clacked by Kona Gallagher
on Sep 21, 2011 @ 11:02 EST5EDT