Put me in the "wow that sucked" camp. Everything they tried to build up this season fizzled out thanks to the CIA nonsense. And sorry, the music montage only works if you didn't shit yourself for the entire episode up until that point. When you do it's just a couple of minutes for the viewer to angrily reflect on how the show has failed them. You know, like every montage on SGU ever. When it comes time to do the post-mortem on this series, I gotta believe that the RICO goes home scene is going to be the shark jump.
I like this post!! "Angrily reflect on how the show has failed them" is brilliant. It's true... who enjoys a montage on a TV series outside of catching-up intros? If the RICO scene does become SOA's Shark Jumper, we'll have to wait until S5 is underway before we know for sure.
Wow, look at all the hate! I thought the CIA twist was an ingenious way of keeping the major characters together. I was wondering how in the world Sutter was going to contrive Jax, Tara, Gemma and Clay to all be in Charming and with a pulse for next season. I have no idea how that could have been arranged any other way, and without those four, you really don't have a show. As for Juice, he's not in the clear like he thinks. The fact that his father was black is the least of his problems. He still betrayed the club - which Roosevelt knows about - and the fact that he stole the drugs, killed Miles and blamed him for it can be inferred from that betrayal, if the club ever learns of it. With those names, they do sound like they should be wearing chain mail and attended by elves. I interpreted it as a way of setting up a few seasons' worth of storyline, with Jax in thrall to the (dum-de-dum) CIA. We just have to ignore the possibility that Tara, for instance, might be smart enough to go get a lawyer and call a press conference with an amazing and heinous tale of the CIA attempting to abduct an American citizen on American soil, right from the bosom of her family, maiming her hand in the process. Ya think that might cause a tiny bit of a political shitstorm? The CIA isn't supposed to be operating on American soil at all, in order to prevent gestapo type behavior like that. And that's the real problem with the TV trope of CIA agents acting on American soil. It's so common on TV that maybe people don't realize what a hot potato it is, and how easily it could be used against the CIA.
I have a lot of problems with how the CIA revel rendered most of the major plot points of the season unimportant, but what I really want to know is: If you're going to kill Kozik and Miles, why not have Juice kill Kozik? Did Miles ever do much of anything before being killed? Wouldn't it have meant more for Juice to kill the guy we actually knew about?
I think the Kozik death was an in-joke. I haven't seen The Shield but apparently the actor was on that show and also got blown up. When SoA is over, I'd love to see Sutter do a sci fi series.
If we were grading the finale I'd give it an Above Average. The CIA reveal was kind of anti-climactic. I did like how Potter just kind of meandered away from everybody once he realized he got screwed over. He's not a people person. I think we knew that. Plus him screwing with Hale was awesome. "I don't like you and the good guys need a win." Most of the angst this season ended up being for nothing. Juice is one of my favorite characters, and I'm glad he's sticking around, but you'd think something would have happened to him. Clay of course needs to hang around too. He's half the drama on this show after all. Jax taking the gavel...about time. Bobbie playing guitar in his prison cell, never happen in real life. We'll see if Gemma can live with the two monsters she created next season, Tara and Clay. The old matriarch is going to have some grief. Looking forward to next year.
^ Yeah. It's a show. It was for dramatic effect. Otherwise Bobby would have done nothing at all in the finale.
"Wait, where did he get a guitar?" were the words that popped into my head, immediately conjuring up Adam Sandler on SNL's Celebrity Jeopardy. Mindfuck complete. CIA Ex Machina or not, I enjoyed the finale. I especially like how they left Opie's whereabouts and general state of mind unresolved.
I was aching for him to sing the show's theme it would have been amazing. "Gotta look this life.. in the eye"
Aaargh! I have Teller-Morrow withdrawl this week Back to season three. I hope it's better this time around. PS. The link... "Latkas. You shouldn't have."
Thanks for the link Temis! I loved Katie "Do you know what O'Neill makes on that Modern Money?...4 million an episode...I made that guy!" Hee!
Juice had the best line. "I had to take a pay cut or that branch wasn't going to break." However, I'm disappointed it didn't end in a bloody shootout, in keeping with the Xmas spirit.
Something to do with the CIA trying to get a handle on the Mexican drug wars and mitigate the damage that spills across the border, I think. That does sound like the kind of thing the CIA is tasked with doing, they just aren't supposed to be doing it on American soil. They should hand off their domestic duties to another agency - FBI, DEA, Homeland Security, etc.
The CIA has a long history of drug running operations for assorted clandestine purposes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_drug_trafficking
How would it have been different if Jax had somehow found out the truth about Clay and Gemma's involvement in his father's death during his time in Ireland in S3?
for those who want to rewatch the series want they have seasons 1-3 on netflix. now if they can get justified that would be fantastic.