Sons Of Anarchy - Red Rose - Review: "It’s Who We are Sweetheart"

Review Guide:
Episode 7.08 The Separation of Crows - Review
Episode 7.09 What a Piece of Work Is Man - Review
Episode 7.10 Faith and Despondency - Review
Episode 7.11 Suits of Woe - Review
Episode 7.12 Red Rose - Review
Episode 7.13 Papa's Goods (Series Finale) - Review
Farewell Article - Series Review - Best Moments

Sons Of Anarchy - Red Rose - Review

I am utterly speechless at what just happened on last night’s Sons of Anarchy. They certainly didn't hold back on huge moments in the episode, and they were so huge that it did feel like an episode fit to be a series finale. I can only imagine what they have in store for that.

Before we got to the really shocking moments, there was some club business to wrap up. Jax confessed to the other presidents about Jury and how he wasn't really the rat. It was one of the most heart-breaking apologies on Sons of Anarchy mainly because he might not have been sitting where he was now if he wasn't set on vengeance. It was an honorable thing for him to do, and I am glad he did it. Jax seemed to have accepted his fate even know a final decision was yet to made. Jax wanted the vote to be unanimous, I am not entirely sure if he is setting himself up for a bullet, which he does deserve now or if he is simply asking to step down as president of the club. Sure he would probably have to have his tattoos removed, but at least he will be able to stay with his kids.

They could perhaps move down to live on Nero's farm which could be the real reason Jax wanted Wendy to take them there. I am split over whether I want to see Jax dead. On one hand everyone else paid for their crimes, and he has killed many people in cold blood. On the other hand is if Jax dies the children will be without a father. Tara had a dream to leave charming and to get away from all the mayhem, but if Jax gets what he wants it looks like it will be Wendy escaping Charming with the kids. I hope she does leave charming with the kids, as they deserve to grow up somewhere without the mayhem, and violence, because it started having a serious effect on Abel.

This episode was all about piling up the death toll. We witnessed three major characters that have been on the show since season 1 end up dead, but they were all inevitable. Juice was one of these characters that could die at any moment, and you wouldn't care as much, mainly because of all the things he had done. As soon as he killed Lin I knew he was going to die sooner rather than later. It doesn't mean it wasn't shocking as you didn't actually know who would end up killing him. Before he got put out of his misery he had to endure another round of being raped, it is such a shame for the character to go out with that happening moments before. Juice also got beaten half to death, so I was more relieved than anything when he finally died. No one, not even Juice deserved to go through all of that. It was Tully who ended up killing him by stabbing him multiple times in the neck. Theo Rossi did a fantastic job portraying Juice for all these years, he was never a fan favorite character, but he was sure one you will remember for a long time to come.

Another person who had an exceptional performance this episode was Dayton Callie. Unser was to true to who he was, and instantly was concerned by not what Gemma had done, but what Jax was going to do to her. It was also rather fitting to have Nero call upon Unser for help, by asking him to arrest Gemma. Nero did say he was doing it for Jax, but I think truly he still loves Gemma and was trying his best to save her.

Once Unser had tracked her down to her old house he was pleading with her to come with him. It wasn't long before Jax showed up which is when reality kicked in for Unser. He could either leave Gemma knowing that he couldn't save her or die himself. He refused to leave and ended up paying the price. He could have saved himself, but in his eyes if he would have left her who would he have left? After that moment there is no going back for Jax, killing one of his longest assets in cold blood is unforgivable. Unser didn't deserve to die, he just didn't want anymore violence and killing.

Following the tragic death of Unser, was Gemma's death which like Juice's had been a long time coming. Over the seasons we have witnessed Gemma become more and more selfish, we have witnessed her do all sorts of horrible things from killing Tara to constantly lying to Jax. Perhaps the cruellest thing she had done was to give her blessing to Jax for him to kill her. Convincing her son to kill his mother wasn't justice it was selfish of her. Jax now has to live with her blood on his shoes. The one good thing we got to see of Gemma was Hal Holbrook, he returned for a couple of brief scenes, but as always he was a joy to watch.

The scene with her father was heartfelt and in a way humanized her a little. The scene that really stood out though was the scene between Jax and Gemma which is what most fans have been waiting to see. Gemma's calm acceptance, and understanding of what was going to happen, and the look of dismay on Jax's face was truly powerful stuff. Once each of them accepted what was about to happen, Gemma was allowed to go outside to die surrounded by Roses, and other flowers. The title Rose is very fitting it was her mother’s name, but also the name of the flower she was surrounded by. It was a fitting end to a troubled character. Katy Segal really does deserve hundreds of awards, and if she isn't nominated for the golden globes or Emmy's then it will feel like an injustice. She truly is a remarkable actress who has portrayed Gemma magnificently over the years. I couldn't imagine anyone else playing the role.

Favorite Quotes

"My baby boy, its ok, its time" Gemma

"I can't do that, this is all I got left" Wayne

"It's been a privelage to wear this presidents flesh, I am sorry I couldn't live up to it" Jax

"This ain't about betrayal son, I promised Tara I would help get your boys away from all this shit, that eventually killed her" Wayne

"I have done so many bad things in my life, caused so much pain. I didn't want that, but after a while its just what I did, and who I was. I loved my family, my boys, but I knew that wasn't enough" Gemma

"Haven't we had enough of this, look at where we are Jax, what we all have become. This has to end here" Wayne

Summary
It was a fantastic episode, I really couldn't of imagined it topping the previous episode,but it did. The three major deaths were heartbreaking, yet shocking even though all three were pretty much inevitable. There were a ton of guest stars ranging from Michael Chiklis to Hal Holbrook as Gemma's father. They all brought something special to the episode to make it even greater. It truly was one of the most powerful episodes of televison I have seen. The whole cast deserve Emmy's for the episode, they were all outstanding. If any show deserves awards it's this one.

As always thank you for reading! Let me know in the comments what you thought of the episode!

About the Author - Robert Fruin

Robert is a sixth form student from the United Kingdom, who is currently studying IT, Media and Business Studies. Robert is a huge fan of the ended ABC series LOST, he has seen it many times over and has even visited some of the filming locations for it. Robert mainly watches drama series such as Game Of Thrones and Person of Interest, but has a soft spot for the comedy The Middle. Some other shows he watches are The Walking Dead, Arrow and The 100. Some other interests include cycling, photography and kayaking. Robert will be reviewing Z Nation,The Librarians, Sons Of Anarchy, Intruders, The Fosters and Aquarius. Feel free to connect with him on any of these social media sites.

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