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?