Lochan Mor and Turas - Lessons in Shakespearean Comedy

(Notice:  SOA Apps spoilers)

Photo Courtesy of Bobby Elvis's Bake Sale

In an ideal television-programming world, Lochan Mor and Turas would be shown as a two-hour mini series within a 15-20 episode season of Sons of Anarchy.  I just watched both episodes back to back – as I think they should be.  From what I’ve been reading, there isn’t much love for Turas.  I found it an incredibly informative episode.  It also followed the Shakespearean narrative very well.  Shakespeare provided endless, sometimes exhausting turns of fate that often left the audience with a “what now?” feeling.  Usually this occurred in his comedies.  I reference the Wikipedia site on Shakespeare comedies here:  Characteristics of Shakespeare Comedies: 

·       A struggle of young lovers to overcome difficulty

·       Separation and reunification

·       Deception among characters (often within a family)

·       A clever servant (Ooooh….I love this one:  who is the SAMCRO Fallstaff?  What do you think – Tig is a good candidate, as is Unser, Juice…who else?)

·       Tension between characters, often within a family

·       Multiple, intertwining plots

·       Use of all styles of comedy (Slapstick – Tig/Kozik, Dry Humor – “I don’t recognize your bullshit MC).

·       Pastoral element (Charming – small town; Ireland – hello green).

·       Happy Ending (I don’t know if Sons exactly follows this line – although we have had some happiness…who here is happy for Opie, or just loves that Happy will be a regular on the show?)

So I want to spend this post (another coming later), going over some of the Multiple, Intertwining Plots that give the show it’s characteristic yumminess.

Photo Courtesy of Bobby Elvis's Bake Sale

Things we know (and yes, I know I’m leaving stuff out….there’s just too much to cover):

·       The SAMCRO/Sam Bel/RIRA relationship started when John and Gemma Teller were caught up in the idiocy of the United States health care system when their son, Thomas, fell victim to the Family Flaw.

·       John Teller was a little reluctant to enter into the world of black market arms dealing.

·       John Teller made “friends” with members of the RIRA and their affiliates.  “Friends” because I don’t think Kellan Ashby is being completely honest with us about how much he “loved” John. 

·       John Teller fell in love and fathered a child with Maureen Ashby.

·       Trinity is just as much a child of The Life as Jax is, and I think this bond is what attracts the two to each other (not the icky physical reaction that many of us have been mulling over).  I think they recognize this subconsciously, and Jax’s arm around Triny’s shoulder was a big brother act, not a “move.”

·       O’Neill and McGee are double-crossing assholes, but I think McGee is extremely uncomfortable with his actions toward SAMCRO.

·       Kellan Ashby probably has not intention of returning Abel to Jax. 

·       Kellan Ashby wants SAMCRO to get rid of Jimmy.

·       Jimmy wants Sam Bel to get rid of SAMCRO, but he also wants his guys to get rid of Sam Bel.

·       Fiona is a badass – only she would pull a gun like that on Gemma to save Gemma’s life.

·       Jacob Hale is a dirty bastard who is in bed with a developer who is subversively attempting to take over the retail property market in Charming.

·       Jacob Hale is in bed with two people who will continue to be thorns in his side until someone (I hope Tara) gets rid of them:  Hector Salazar and Luisa 

·       Kozik and Tig are going to kill each other (and make us laugh during the entire power struggle).

·       Margaret Admin is/was and Old Lady.

·       Jax’s deal with Stahl is in real trouble.  She was probably going to double-cross him anyway, but now we have real reason to fear that the deal may fail without her help).

·       Stahl is a bitch.

My questions for future episodes:

·       What exactly does Jax NOT know about JT & Belfast.  Is it that he cheated on Gemma with Maureen?  It’s understandable that Gemma wants to protect the saintly image Jax has of his dad, but he’s a big boy now, and we all have to learn the harsh truth about our parents sometime:  they were once young and foolish, too – and probably did some stupid and foolish shit. 

·       What was the promise Kellan Ashby made to John Teller about his family, and does it involve making sure future little Teller offspring are separated from "the life?"  If that’s the case, he did a pretty terrible job with Trinity.

·       Were Tara and Margaret on their way to the abortion clinic or driving home from it when they were abducted by Salazar and Luisa?

·       Is the Sam Bel VP (Seamus Ryan) aware of the deal O’Neill and McGee have made with Jimmy?

·       Do O’Neill and McGee understand Jimmy’s intentions toward Sam Bel?

·       Are McGee and O’Neill making a power play to become the head “mother chapter” of the MC? 

·       For those of you who have purchased the App:  when do you think we get to meet Lenny “The Pimp” Janowitz?

·       When are Gemma/Maureen going to tell Jax and Trinity that they are brother and sister? 

·       When are we going to find out about the woman who came between Kozik and Tig?

·       When is Jax going to realize that, by his own reasoning, he can’t ever have a romantic, loving relationship with ANYONE if he’s going to stay in the MC life?  The very nature of his lifestyle will always put the people he loves at risk, so he must be ready to live the life of a monk.

I’m still working on a post about some thoughts I have about John Teller and his relationship with his Charming family and his Belfast famiy, but I’m kind of waiting for the App update on the 15^th to finish it up.

Would love to hear your thoughts about the Multplie Intertwining Plots we are now faced with this Season.  Any that you love? Any that you hate?

Mere Anarchy is Loosed Upon the World

Turning and Turning and Widening Gyre:  the titles of episodes 305 and 307.  Maybe Sutter likes Yeats.  Maybe one of the writers has a degree in English Lit.  Maybe someone thought it would be cool to be all literary and shit and googled "anarchy" and "poem" together.  I really don't care.  What's interesting, whether it's intentional or not, is how this season is echoing the themes in the first stanza of Yeats' poem


The Second Coming:


Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

CHILLS!

First:  what the fuck is a gyre?  Well...it's a vortex, a spiral, a spinning ring.  There are naturally occurring gyres everywhere.  Ocean currents actually move in big gyres.   Hurricanes are big gyres of spinning storm systems.  Whirpools are spinning gyres of water. 

So, a widening gyre makes me think of a spiral of energy getting wider and fatter and faster with every rotation.  Where two things were once close together, they grow farther and farther apart.  Tara and Jax. Sam Crow and Sam Bel. Jimmy O and Father Ashby. Unser and Clay.  Charming and the MC. But spiraling energy also has a way of bringing things together.  Think of your washing machine, or a centrifuge.  Gemma and Tara, Tara and the Admin, Clay and Jax, the Mayans and SAMCRO. Jax and (God forbid) Stahl. 

The circular imagery of a gyre also brings to mind the "circle of life" archetype.  And not only the one about "dust to dust, ashes to ashes."  I mean how patterns tend to repeat themselves.  "Secret babies are bad ideas."  Well, now we have two secret babies:  Trinity and Sweet Baby Tara Jr (everyone assumes Tara's baby is going to be a boy, including Gemma.  Why the fuck can't it be a girl?  Oh, I forgot...we live in a paternalistic society where boy babies are preferred over girl babies...okay, I'm off my soap box).  Another repeating pattern:  JT went to Belfast to settle some business, now Jax is headed there for some business of his own.  JT had children from two different mothers.  So might Jax.

What really makes the hairs on my arms stand up about this poem and the Sons of Anarchy are the last two lines of this stanza of "The Second Coming" - which also have a lot of tie into the Hamlet parallels of Jax.  The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity. 

Jax's allegorical characterization to Hamlet is so spot on here.  He is "the best," but we as fans are often left to wonder - does Jax have the courage of his convictions?  Why does it seem like he's dilly-dallying around in the quest for Abel (because having sex with a porn bitch and arranging the movement of heroin through Charming are SO important)?  Why does he preach the Brains Before Bullets mantra, but act so impulsively and violently?  Has he even opened John Teller's book this season?  Why is he suddenly okay with heroin being trafficked through Charming?  Is that something his dad would be savvy with? Let's not forget that the heroin is being fed to the Aryan Brotherhood in prison!  Or did I miss the press release that convicts who leave prison as drug addicts are LESS violent than when they entered. Does he even remember that he wants to recreate the club into a kinder, gentler MC?  Wouldn't that protect Abel and Tara and everyone else he loves? 

Then there's that part about the worst and all of their passionate intensity.   Let's see...who are the worst:

• Stahl
• Salazar (we have yet another villain to loathe)
• Darby (I doubt he's done with the game...he'll be back)
• Jacob Hale and the rest of the developers trying to "bring Charming into the 21st century"
• The Real IRA and the Sam Bel traitors
• Ima (she's not really a contender in this list...but I really dislike her)

Yes indeed....anarchy is loosed upon the world.

On to more positive things...to the Turning and Turning imagery.  This brings to mind the Wheel of Fortune in Tarot and takes me to a happy place.  I realize Yeats probably didn't dig on the Tarot (if he did, let me know...that's the kind of useless shit I love to carry around in my brain), but the imagery is there, regardless.  The Wheel is about luck, fortune, or change that can bring joy. 

 I have a lot of hope for this imagery in the coming episodes of Sons of Anarchy.

Thoughts?  I appreciate your comments and thoughts as long as they aren't in Mandarin. 

-TCB.

'Sons' and Mothers

I just finished watching Sons of Anarchy 302, and two things have struck me. The first, which is unrelated to the theme of this post, is the undercurrent of mistrust that is now threaded throughout the intertwined plot lines. I guess the only "honor among thieves" is the no-ratting rule. Jimmy O lies to the Sons about the whereabouts of Abel and Cameron; the Sons clearly don't trust Jimmy O; the IRA council, Father Ashby, and Jimmy O don't trust each other; trust has been broken between Jax and Tara (even if they don't admit it); trust is going to be broken between Gemma and Tara, Jax, and Clay when she finds out about Abel...it seems like the only folks who trust each other are the brothers in the MC...and sometimes that trust is tenuous.

I'm sure these issues will play out with ever more depth over the next eleven episodes.

Now...onto the thoughts I've been percolating since dear little Abel was abducted. It's pretty clear the similarities between Gemma and Jax. Impulsive behavior seems to have passed from mother to son. This impulsiveness in Gemma is something we only get tastes of. Can everyone say skateboard? Perhaps it's because Gemma is older and wiser that we don't see her act out of impulse as regularly as Jax does. What distinguishes mother and son in this respect seems to be the consequences. Where Jax's ability to act out tends to land on supernumeraries (unnamed extras), Gemma's impulses got her framed for murder and her grandson kidnapped. From the previews for 303, it looks like her visit to dad's house is going to lead to a hostage situation.

As I stand by my computer (at 2:30 in the morning), bouncing my 12-week old baby boy in a swath of fabric designed to help me hold him without the use of my hands, it isn't difficult to realize how easy it is to be an over-protective (even overbearing) parent. Kids take a lot of damn time, effort, and above all else, sacrifice. Goodbye beauty sleep, driving 55 in a 35 mile-per-hour zone, cigarettes (at least for me), and mid-week-get-fall-down-drunk-because-it's-Wednesday parties. The sacrifice is even more evident if you're a woman (sorry guys - it's true). Women sacrifice their bodies to nurture (when it comes down to it) a parasite. We give ourselves biologically to a separate entity that shares half our genetic structure. Phsyiologically, we're never the same again.  Only mutants regain their pre-pregnancy figures (and other parts) in perfect condition.  I wont go into specifics.  They aren't fun, and may deter those of you who have thought about having kids from going through with it.  The truth is, women are protective of their children because of the sacrifice they've made. 

Gemma's protective instinct toward Jax (and Abel) is therefore very special, because it is defined by more than just genetic connection and physiological sacrifice. The family flaw makes the existence of her offspring both a miracle and a constant source of stress, and all the more protective of them. The death of Thomas Teller from the family heart condition destroyed John Teller. Conversely, it might make Gemma (at least partially) the fierce mother she is. Her protective instinct toward Jax and Abel is about the love she has for them, but it could also be about the survival of her genetic contribution to their existence. They are what she has left to contribute to future generations - they are her shot at genetic success.

I've also been ruminating about the relationship between mothers and sons since the arrival of my own little boy. I have a daughter, and I love her dearly. But I realized the other night that my relationship with my boy will help define the relationships he has with women. His dad will be important here, too.  Learning by example is pretty powerful.  For women, the presence of a son represents a relationship that isn't defined by approval- seeking (with a father figure), attraction (with a romantic partner), or competition (with a male sibling). It's defined by love alone! And that's so incredible. So I'm beginning to understand the ferocity of Gemma's attachment to Jax. And I dig it.

Season Three Fever Builds!

Thanks to Michael Ornstein for the picture of this billboard in NYC!

Would Bobby Elvis use a crock pot?

You can bet your sweet ass he would.


Now, I'm willing to bet that dear Bobby is one for spending long, slow, loving hours over a hot stove, stirring a pot full of delicious epicurean delights for his MC brothers.  That's just how he rolls.

But Bobby is a busy man, and that's why he probably owns at least one crock pot.  I'm guessing he has a 4 quart for when he's cooking for himself, and a 6-quart for when he has the guys over to watch some Raider football.  Why, you ask, would a man like Bobby own something more commonly associated with home-schooling housewives?

There are at least four reasons:

1. He's a motorcycle enthusiast.  Good weather and an open road are more tempting than a homemade pizza.
2. He's club treasurer.  With all of those funds flowing in (and out) of the MC treasury, Bobby probably has his fair share of work to do.
3. He did the accounting for Cara Cara.  Who has time to be a gourmet when there's porn to be watched...I mean books to be cooked?
4. He's got gigs in Reno.  And being an Elvis impersonator isn't something you do on the fly.  Practice is essential, and the amount of work it takes for Bobby to fluff those curls into an Elvis pompadour is a full time job in and of itself.
5. And then there's all that other stuff the club does that can make it hard to dedicate time to clarifying butter and nursing a pot of risotto.

Thus, Bobby rocks the crock pot.  Throw some chicken, a little broth, some veggies, garlic, herbs, and pasta into a slow cooker mid morning (or whenever you muster the energy to get out of bed).  By dinner time you have a pot full of lovely, comforting goodness - just what a guy needs after a tough day of gun running.  And, most crock pots come with attachments that make them easy to travel with.  When Gemma calls a potluck dinner, Bobby can throw the pot on the back of the bike and deliver a dish that's high on taste and low on labor.

This is my favorite picture of Bobby. Ever.

Here's an example of what darling Bobby would probably dig as an easy and delicious slow cooker recipe.  I can't claim responsibility - it's an adaptation of this one from a lovely lady who dedicated a whole year to cooking slow.  I used chicken thighs instead of white meat, added butternut squash and substituted the garlic powder for garlic cloves and paprika for saffron.  I hope you enjoy!


Slow cooked Moroccan Chicken

What you need:

1lb chicken thighs (I used boneless/skinless - came out delicious and moist)
1/2 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 cup salsa
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 t Tobasco sauce
1/3 cup toasted almonds
5 cloves smashed and chopped garlic (I used 3 t of garlic powder)
1/3 cup raisins
2 t honey
1 t cumin
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t chili powder
1/2 t paprika

What to do:
Stir salsa, tobasco, spices, honey, garlic, and broth together.  Place thighs and squash in cooker and cover evenly with sauce.  Add raisins and almonds.  I used a 6 qt cooker and the chicken was done in about 4.5 hours.  I served over quinoa, but couscous is traditional (or some other hearty grain).

Sons of Anarchy Portugal - Interview with Michael Ornstein!

Our good friend Michael Ornstein - beloved, thumbless Chuckie - has shown again how big a friend he is of the Sons of Anarchy fan base.  Here's his recent interview with Sons of Anarchy - Portugal:

http://sonsofanarchypt.blogspot.com/2010/02/entrevista-eclusiva-com-michael-marisi.html

What would Gemma do? She'd help Haiti...that's what.

It's all part of being fierce, folks.  

Want to help Haiti and don't know how?  Here you go:

George Bush and Bill Clinton organize to help Haiti:  http://clintonbushhaitifund.org/

Of course, the Red Cross is a good choice.  You can either text "Haiti" to 90999, or you can donate online:  http://www.redcross.org/

People have been buried under rubble for nearly six days now.   Many who are rescued will have to have limbs amputated because of gangrene.  Most will die from their injuries, dehydration, and starvation.  Those who were not buried under rubble will suffer from dysentery and be vulnerable to crime and violence. 

Remember how lucky we are to live where we do, that we have building standards, a stable government, safe access to drinking water, and a living wage.  Hug your loved ones and be grateful for them.

Peace.

"Charming" French Onion Soup

I've decided to fill the void that is the Sons of Anarchy hiatus with one of my other passions:  cooking.  Bobby Elvis and I are soul mates in this respect.  I love cooking for the people I love.  I'm not an especially effusive person when it comes to public displays of affection, so I show folks I love them by making tasty things to eat.  My dear husband probably blames his inability to lose his grad-school weight on the fact that I insist on cooking with real butter and whole milk. 

Anyway, I made this amazing pot of French onion soup tonight, and during the process I thought to myself:  "This is something Bobby Elvis would do for the boys in the club house.  He's a worldly guy...he probably tries to expose the guys to as many different dishes as he knows how to cook."

So, here's my recipe.  I'd like to think it's something Bobby would throw together.  And, in the spirit of Bobby's enthusiasm for organic foods, I used as many organic ingredients as possible.

Ingredients (for six to eight servings)
1 1/2 pounds organic sweet onions (about two large).
1 big tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons organic sweet cream butter
1 heaping tablespoon salt
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
3 heaping tablespoons flour
2 quarts organic broth (I used a quart of vegetable broth and a quart of onion/beef broth)
1/2 - 3/4 cups Madeira (or other dry California white wine)
Organic Jaarlsburg cheese (Swiss or Parm work, too)
A loaf of organic French bread (day-old okay)

Instructions
Peel and slice onion to your preferred thickness.  Steam on low in a covered, four-quart soup pot or saucepan with the butter and olive oil for about 15 minutes.  If the onions start to brown too quickly (which it may do if you sliced it thinly), turn the heat down a little.

Add the sugar and salt to the onions.  The salt is for flavor and the sugar (also a little for flavor) helps the onions brown evenly.  On mid-to-low heat, cook the onions slowly until they are a golden brown.  They may take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes to cook, depending on onion thickness. 

When the onions are a golden, carmelized brown, add the flour.  I know this sounds strange, but trust me...it's all part of the process.  Stir until the flour is absorbed.

At this point, your house probably stinks of onions.  I apologize for that.

Add the broth and bring to a slow boil.  The soup will seem relatively thick at this point.  Then, add the Madeira.  Return to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and let simmer for 40 minutes.  Make sure you partially cover the pot so the yummy flavor stays in there.  Stir and taste occasionally to adjust flavor. 

Slice and toast the bread until just crunchy.  I prefer big, beefy slices of bread, but this is a personal preference thing.  Place in oven-safe clay or porcelain bowls (if you have any bowls with handles, well, that's even better).

Pour a big spoonful or two of soup over the bread.  Top with a slice of cheese and place in a toaster oven.  I used the toaster-setting and toasted the soup until the cheese was melty and bubbly.  Microwaves work, too.  You could also put the bowl under the broiler until the cheese melts.

Yummy.  Here's to keeping resolutions!

SAMCRO Resolutions: 2010

I know, I know....resolutions.

But there's something to be said for resolutions that may be fairly easy to keep, given enough inspiration and the occasional reminder.  Thus, I present to you my list of Sons of Anarchy inspired resolutions.  Note, there is nothing here about losing weight or quitting my somewhat embarrassing chocolate habit.

1.  Share the road.  If anything, Sons of Anarchy is a great reminder for those of us cagers out there to keep our eyes open for our fellow motorists on two (or three) wheels. 

2.  "I accept that."  My new mantra for the year 2010, inspired by our two-fingered friend Chuckie.  I'm not known as the most flexible person in the world, so my next resolution for the year is to be willing to accept the things I can't change and learn to live around them.

3.  Bake lots of banana bread.  What better way to show the people you love how you feel than to bake them banana bread?  Or buy them fresh, organic muffins.  I wonder if Bobby's recipe is posted anywhere.

4.  Be fierce.  Granted, I just said that I'm going to "accept" those things I can't change...but I'm not going to back down from the things I can and know I should.  This includes standing up to power-tripping administrators and wrong-doers.

5.  Take one for the team.  In times like these, sometimes we need to consider the bigger picture.  We need to think about our wider role in the system, rather than our place at the center of it.  So, here's to putting aside some of my own wants and desires this year in the name of a greater good.  This is my shout out to you, Juice and Otto.

6.  Embrace diversity.  This is a given, and I'm mostly good at it (I hope).  However, there's always room for improvement.  Here's my effort this year:  porn stars are people, too.  However much I want to do what Gemma/Tara did to their cars at CaraCara....it's better to befriend than cause extensive damage that requires expensive repairs and filling out painful insurance claims. 

7.  Care for my community.  I love where I live - I love the weather, that there are no drive-thrus, that I have a thriving downtown to stroll and that all of the big box stores are on the outskirts.  This is a resolution to be a more active member of my community, to speak out when I don't like where someone wants to take it, and to use my voice and my wallet as forms of activism.  We don't have a chapter of the SoA in our town, so we need to look after ourselves.

8.  Stay out of prison.  Let's face it, a stay in prison has more minuses than pluses.  Sleeping in a cell designed for four with twenty other folks just isn't my idea of a pleasant time.  I enjoy my privacy too much and don't fancy getting shived for not being in the right group.  I've had good luck with this one so far, so let's hope this is another successful year.  And, really, orange just isn't my color.

9.  Keep out of the ATF's radar.  Yeah...Agent Stahl is one scary bitch.  I don't plan on doing anything that would attract someone like her to my quiet little corner of the world.  Therefore, I shall not be making any nefarious arrangements with scary underground groups.

10.  Be a good listener.  Here's to really listening to people.  Here's to trying to understand what someone else is trying to say instead of formulating a response based on what I think they are saying, or try to solve their problem before they've even asked for advice (and maybe don't even want any).  We've all done it...and it isn't very helpful.  I resolve to be a good and careful listener.  That's really what people want:  someone to listen. 

11.  Forgive.