Katey Sagal Compelling in Sons of Anarchy on FX

Tough Matriarch of the Motorcycle Club is Vulnerable in The Balm

Nov 15, 2009

The FX TV drama Sons of Anarchy delivered intense drama in The Balm, in which Jax (Charlie Hunnam) wants to go nomad and Gemma (Katey Sagal) tells her men an ugly truth.

The Sons of Anarchy adrenaline drama on FX delivered an episode with emotional punch with Balm, the episode that debuted on cable television on November 10, 2009. The motorcycle club in Charming, California seemed to be coming apart as the divide deepened between Jax Teller and stepfather Clay Morrow. Sons of Anarchy stars Ron Perlman, Katey Sagal and Charlie Hunnam.

Jax Applied to Go Nomad

Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) has put in a request to transfer from SAMCRO to go Nomad. Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman) accepted the request for transfer and told themotorcycle club that the request had to go up for a vote. The men of SAMCRO each had their own opinions of the move. Eventually the members of SAMCRO voted to let Jax go Nomad. Jax laid his jacket on the table and cut off his Sons of Anarchy patches.

Jax's mom Gemma Morrow (Katey Saga)l told Jax that going Nomad was a bad idea. Gemma then told Jax that she believed that his father committed suicide on the open road. She gave Jax a page from his father's manuscript to read, in which the founder of SAMCRO talked about his discouragement with the motorcycle club and his own thoughts of going nomad.

At the hospital, Tara (Maggie Siff) was about to scrub into surgery when she was informed that she had been suspended for helping Chibs and that there would be a hearing with the medical board. Tara was in risk of losing her medical license for helping the motorcycle club member.

Gemma Tells the Truth

When Tara returned home she did not tell Jax about her suspension from the hospital. Instead of telling him her problems, she suggested a getaway trip. The couple was interrupted by Gemma, who commanded them to come to her house to talk.

Gemma gathered her husband Clay, her son Jax and her protege Tara at the table. Softly and compellingly she revealed secret that she had been keeping all season, that she had been violently attacked by Zobelle's (Adam Arkin) men from the white supremacist group, who were using her to cause a reaction in the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club.

The scene at the dining room table was masterful and subdued as the storytelling unfolded. Jax and Clay were quiet and restrained as they listened to Gemma, letting her tell the story of her violent assault. Tara was quietly encouraging, as she already knew of the attack and had been keeping Gemma's secret.

The mood was quiet as Gemma described how she had been grabbed on the road and tied to a fence. She told the men that she had been instructed tell her husband not to sell guns to colored. She had also been told to tell them about the attack, as the white supremacist group headed by Zobelle (Adam Arkin) wanted SAMCRO to be aware of the threat.

With quiet intensity, Gemma unfolded the story, telling them finally that she had been raped by A.J. Weston (Henry Rollins) by all three men, more than once.

While Gemma told her story scenes of men from SAMCRO were woven into the scene as the haunting song Mary by Patty Griffin played in the background.

Jax slammed his fist into the table and went to his mother and gently kissed her hand. Jax then put his hand on Clay's shoulder and the two tough men came to a silent understanding. As Jax and Tara walked out of the room, Jax took back his SAMCRO club tags.

As the couple was left alone in the room, Clay tenderly took Gemma's face in his hands and the couple silently grieved for what Gemma had endured and what was ahead.

According to the premiere for the next episode, there should be some revenge ahead.

Sons of Anarchy airs on FX on Tuesday nights at 10:00 PM ET on FX cable network.

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