August Marks continues to push his advantage as SAMCRO struggles to save Bobby.

FX

DEATH IN THE FAMILY

Note: The following review goes into detail about the episode. SPOILER ALERT!

Thinking back to Bobby’s ordeal over the last few episodes, we really should have known he was a goner from the moment he was captured. Bobby wasn’t a saint, but he was one of the wisest members of SAMCRO. His brutal torture and interrogation were his final moments to shine. Despite being subjected to some horrible treatment, he remained steadfast in his loyalty to the club. Something was obviously up from the moment Moses ordered his men to break Bobby’s jaw. Moses operates by a certain moral code so this would definitely be out of character for him if it was just a sadistic mood. In the end, it all proved to be a way to stop Bobby warning Jax about the gun Marks had hidden on him.

In the blink of an eye, it was all over for Bobby. I didn’t think he’d see out the season alive, but his death here was still quite a shocking moment. Jax has completely underestimated Marks every step of the way, and Marks’ declaration that Bobby’s death was his fault isn’t entirely wrong. For all of Jax’s plotting and planning, he can’t control every single variable. Marks taught him a very brutal message here, and it makes me wonder will Jax approach any remaining problems with a more straight forward approach over the next couple of episodes. His scheme did end up getting Marks locked up, although Moses still remains as a very capable foe.

Every last bit of tension is being drawn out of Gemma’s murderous secret, but we did take a huge step forward with that plotline too. Jarry discovered that the person Gemma said she saw at Tara’s house, Dunn, couldn’t have possibly been there. Step by step we are getting closer to seeing the secret revealed, and it’s only a matter of time before Unser figures it out or Gemma cracks. I mentioned earlier about Bobby’s death being Jax’s fault, but Gemma holds the biggest share of the blame for everything that has happened this season. Abel’s awkward scenes continued this week too, as he once again heard Gemma admitting guilt. This time it was as she sobbed over Bobby’s dead body. There has been a lot of time put into Abel this season so it must be leading to something, and hopefully the payoff is satisfying.

FX

Jury’s death wasn’t forgotten this week either as a few members of the Indian Hills charter paid SAMCRO a visit. They informed Jax of their plans to visit the other charters which could all possibly lead up to a vote of some sort. I’m not sure if this could all end with Jax meeting “Mr Mayhem,” but I do think his lies will have a devastating impact on SAMCRO. It was very disappointing to see him lie once again here, and it will all catch up with him. Juice also continued to follow Jax’s plan as he waited to get a shot at Lin. Unfortunately for him, Jarry’s discovery ended up getting Juice moved to solitary confinement for the time being. I’m really liking that Unser and Jarry are teaming up to do some actual law enforcement. It would be great if Unser discovers the truth about Gemma and finally fully turns against her after all of these years.

THE BREAKDOWN

There were a couple of things off about this episode. Ratboy’s romantic troubles seem to be setting up a tragic end for him and Brooke. Abel is getting a decent amount of screen time but isn’t very captivating at all. And the less said about that completely random sex scene between Jarry and Chibs, the better. “What a Piece of Work Is Man” gave a rather fitting send-off to a character that has appeared in nearly every single episode of the show, while also keeping the plot moving along nicely as we head into the final act of the series. We’re so close to Jax discovering his mother’s dark secret, although we may have to wait another week or two yet before seeing the bloody fallout.

Is Ratboy’s relation struggle leading towards a tragic turn of events? Will Jax find out the truth next week, or will it be left until the last couple of episodes of the season? Let us know in the comments below.

*We do not comment on anything relating to previews for the next episode and beyond.