Spoiler My thoughts exactly. I totally expected a horror movie type scene next with Tara going after Gemma, blood flying everywhere.
Spoiler I expected Tara to kill herself, having everyone tell you they love you and then eating a fist full of pills. Sticking with the Hamlet inspired story line and Ophelia killing herself.
Holy fucking shit!!!!!!!! Spoiler The cartel is working with the CIA. The Fed's RICO operation is off. I wondered how the club could possibly get out of that shit.
Dammit! I thought for sure that Spoiler Clay was going to die. But no, he manages to luck himself out of it. For now.
Wow. There were so many fucking unexpected turns in this finale. Sutter did NOT take the easy way out.... The most amazing thing was that there was little to no crazy over the top action you see in previous season finales (Zobelle chase and Stahl's death come to mind), yet it was more mindblowing and more powerful and emotional than all the others. Purely a product of Sutter's AMAZING storytelling this season paired with absolute top notch acting. 9 months is too fucking far away.
I never could have guessed how things would play out. Pretty genius writing. Next season was set up so perfectly. So many levels of shit hitting the fan. Those last two minutes were absolutely perfect. The tension, the visuals, the music, the past and future. Perfect like the first season finale. I just finished The Wire and that is going down as one of my favorite shows ever. This series is easily in that same league.
Honestly, my roommate and I were both mildly let down by the finale. It deviated from the way the show typically does things, and Spoiler it just kind of sucks that they ended it with Jax taking the reigns like we already pretty much knew he would. There is obviously no way he was ever going to leave, since the show is centered around him for the most part. I don't like how they just left the arc with the Niners for next season, and while I'm sure it will provide a good story line, I feel like the catalyst for it wasn't really addressed enough to make us care enough about it to wait for next season. I did enjoy the twist with the cartel/CIA, but I feel like having them basically be cops was a shitty way to do it, and would rather have them be rats instead. They've kind of lost their edge now, which was a big part of their appeal. I'm all for changing it up, but not when it doesn't really provide a lot in the way of excitement that we are used to.
What a bummer. That was embarrassing for Kurt Sutter. Spoiler CIA? Really? That's lazy. But if Sutter really really wants the CIA involved in a story about a small-town biker gang, it shouldn't have been revealed to us like that. That should've been a show-don't-tell moment. The way it was just given to us made for an anticlimactic episode. My other problem is that where Gemma seemed like a complex, conniving, deceitful bitch in the first season, now she just comes off as a cartoon villain -- the constant badger face in response to Jax liking his wife more than her is a little comical. I get that they're trying to convey that she's terrified of losing all the power she's accumulated -- SHE SAID IT OUT LOUD TO UNSER/THE AUDIENCE -- but it's a little overboard as it is. I don't know whether it's the writing or the acting. Probably a combination. But on the brightside, the other performances have been excellent. Maggy Siff is selling Tara's descent into madness like a champ. Ryan Hurst, as always, has the least screen time but manages to just eclipse everyone else. Opie is far and away the most interesting character, but I'm grateful Sutter uses him sparingly. I'm desperately hoping that he didn't just get written off the show. Odds and ends: -The classic Sutter Montage felt a little off this time around, with Unser appearing ripping a doob despite being absent from the episode. -A little heavy-handed with photograph thing at the end. We get it, Jax and Tara have replaced Gemma and Clay -- I don't need that info foley cathetered up my dick. -Season 5 prediction: the CIA problem and the Bigshot Gangster problem solve each other, and one prominent and one minor character die.
Spoiler Why wasn't Opie at the table at the end? If he went to finish clay that would make the story next season way more complicated.
I finished this last night. I agree here, the finale was weak. Also, Sutter had given an interview that he mentioned he had "mapped out" seven seasons. With that in mind, I think this season was ending act 1 and setting the stage for act 2. Spoiler An early prediction is that the minor threat (the 9ers) gets wiped off the board in the first or second episode, like the Russians in season 4. The obvious play to me is to use the Irish against the Mexicans, but the legal protection and internal turmoil have to be settled first. Another possible move is to use the mayor's office to expose the CIA/Cartel collaboration to the wider public and use that as leverage to move Elliot into office and buy the MC a way out of their "rock & a hard place" arrangement. Also, does anyone else think Wendy is a character with staying power, or can she be frightened off by Gemma/Tara? That triangle would be very interesting. Finally, I think some new blood will be introduced since Kozik and Piney are gone, Bobby and Clay are incapacitated and Otto and Opie are out of status. Fun time: speculate as to some character actors that would be fun to watch play characters on the show. If they can convice Detective McNalty to put on leather and channel some Brando, it would surpass the Wire as greatest of all time.
Things I'd love to see for Season 5 of SOA - Mickey Rourke as one of the original 13, was Clay's VP before Jax. He went Nomad because of <insert bullshit here> but now that's resolved, he wants back in and he wants to run the show. Alex Skarsgard as part of the Russian Bratva with the tattoo's ala Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises, want to use SOA as part of a new expansion into California. Possibly takes his shirt off and makes out with a shirtless Opie or Jax, leading to half the TIBettes and a few of the guys dieing from overwhelming joy. Tilda Swinton as a Bratva assassin who uses outfits and makeup to hide her gender. On-going series of gags as the SOA crew try to figure out if she's actually male or female. Love interest for Tig ? Randy Couture as Otto's former Cellie wants in and despite his age and impressive history is willing to be a prospect. Does everything right but his temper and impressive bare knuckle fight skills send shit sideways. Accidentally punches someone out in a fight he was supposed to throw - someone ask's him if he's ever had one of his nuts shot off. Dennis Haysbert as Damon Pope maybe? The throne behind the thugs of the Niners. A suit wearing, cigar smoking hard man ala Ving Rhames cliche, but with more class/finesse/seriousness than the usual Rhames presentation. But jesus fuck please don't make him a fucking cop as the twist. He needs to be a legit bad motherfucker and not some kind of fed. Linday Lohan as a junkie party slut who sees something she shouldn't. Someone cuts her a break instead of putting a bullet into her face, and instead of cutting and running, she tries to blackmail the club. Maybe as Randy Couture or Mickey Rourke's daughter (unknown when they cut her a break). Billy Connolly as part of the Irish, fled Ireland to the US after doing something epic, but found himself cut out of the power broking by Jimmy. Can't go back to Ireland - but wants to be a power again.
Maybe as this guy: Idris Elba as the 9er's guy would be amazing. Also, I nominate Ryan Hurst's facial hair as the most impressive on television.