Quick Thoughts: SONS OF ANARCHY, "Stolen Huffy"

Sons of Anarchy was in quite a predicament this week because "Stolen Huffy" had to follow up one of the show's most heart-wrenching hours and whether it stuck the landing or not could dictate the remainder of the season. Unfortunately, it didn't quite work for me.

In all reality, this episode should have been about the Sons saying goodbye to Opie, which they did, but them dealing with the reality that one of their brothers was gone was only sprinkled in amongst unimportant plot devices that I didn't care about. Jax just say his best friend get murdered, and instead of taking time to grieve he spent most of the episode rescuing a hooker and making deals with a pimp. While yes those elements were tangentially related to what went down in the last episode, it all felt pointless and disrespectful to Opie and Ryan Hurst. Instead of spending the chunk of the hour watching everyone come to grips with what just happened, it was business as usual until Opie's body showed up at the clubhouse and the Sons had to put together a wake. And what was it all for? So we could see Sharpay Evans in a towel before being chased down by cholos and a catfight in the garage? Speaking of Gemma... actually, the less I write about her the better.

I suppose, if I wanted to be positive about what the episode accomplished, all of Jax's adventures did give him a better insight into where he's at now in his life and pushed him closer to finally breaking ties with the club. His constant glances at kids who were being affected by his actions weren't subtle, and they had better help him make up his mind on where he wants to end up or I'll really be pissed. Also, I guess the episode didn't need to be all about Opie because that'd be a tough hour to watch, and the audience, like Jax, probably needed a distraction. I just wish that Opie's life was celebrated rather than being treated as an afterthought. All that being said, those last few minutes were emotional and probably made more of an impact because they highlighted the loss rather than shined a spotlight on it. Regardless, Rest in Peace Opie.

I've never been a Kurt Sutter apologist. While I understood why he kept Clay alive, I didn't feel the need to defend him because it is his show after all, but "Stolen Huffy" didn't convince me to join his camp anytime soon. If you kill off one of your most beloved characters, at least give him or her the common decency of a proper send off.