Ms Ryan...if I may offer my assessment of your analysis...while everyone is entitled to have an opinion, it is generally best, if offering said opinion, that it at least be an educated one. I agree that the shoot'em / blow'em up sequence was a bit over the top and essentially a device to tie up several story lines, such as "where is Kosik?" - Not's have to worry about that anymore. As a side note, how ironic is it that KS kills Kenny Johnson off to allow him to pursue another project, only to have that project get cancelled the day following his death on Sons. I'm trying to figure out how KS will bring him back...but I digress. To answer your question regarding why Tara would "do that to her hand" despite always being a rational, level headed person. Did it ever, even for an instant occur to you or anyone else that the woman is literally winding tighter and tighter inside with every passing thought. You want to talk about conflicted??? Put yourself in her place...everything you've worked for your ENTIRE ADULT LIFE has come a very sudden, crushing end. You're trying to desperately come to terms with that...no easy task I assure you...and the one person who can and will give that knife that is sticking in your heart just one more good twist walks in the door...lying to you like a soap opera super villain. Now, tell me there isn't the slightest chance that you or anyone else wouldn't snap out and do something completely irrational. Finally, why do YOU need to see how Tara is with the kids when all indications are that her function as a mother is beyond reproach. Hell even Gemma has her on a pedestal in that capacity. As I said, everyone is entitled to their opinion...however, just because you can offer it doesn't mean you should. See opinions are like rectums, everybody has one, and for the most part, they all are best kept to themselves. Just because you CAN offer it to everyone doesn't mean you should.

Ms. Ryan, all due respect to u being a "professional" and all but have u even watched SOA before last week? Yes, "Hands" was above and beyond the normal great tv episodes, I agree with u there. But if u are a true SOA fan then you would know a few things: First, Tara has flipped out over Wendy before. This woman is obviously an Achilles heel for her because she was Jax's wife and she is Abel's mother. In the first season when Tara kissed Jax in front of Wendy and he wanted to keep their relationship secretary she screamed and cried and ran out like a two year old. Please don't forget that she was also Abel's doctor and nearly got herself killed when Cammy Hayes abduction him. As for evidence of her propensity for self harm???? Is her relationship with Jax not enough evidence for u? Every single choice she has made since the show's inception has been outside the law from selling illegal scripts to stitching up gunshot victims to lying to the Feds to assaulting her boss(Margaret). And Jax is constantly pulling her close and pushing her away. It makes perfect sense that she would flip out and hurt herself; there was no one else around for her to attack like she usually does. Two: With all of the racial slurs that have been tossed around by SAMCRO and u don't think it makes sense for Juice to be afraid? Chibbs' reaction made sense because his ex wife and daughter are both black. We have yet to see a reaction from the rest of the club so Juice's fear may not be so far fetched. Third: Any SOA fan knows that Otto is loyal above all else. He nearly died by his own hand to avenge his VP. He has yet to give Potter a single detail of a single crime. He has something up his sleeve for Bobby, believe me, and it sure ain't a prison sentence. Four: Margaret showed her despatched last week in the chapel with Gemma. She's willing to try anything to get Tara away from the monster she thinks is Jax. She and Tara bonded during their hostage experience; Tara risked her life to save Margaret. She said Providence still wants Tara. She didn't say how she got them to still offer her the job. The only people who know the true extent of Gemma's scheming are Clay, Unser, and Wendy so Margaret was unawares when she blurted to Gemma. Five: Wendy showed up at the wrong time, yes, but that makes her appearance 1000 times more credible. In life, when things go wrong, they go really wrong. Last, but certainly not least, CLAY: Throughout out the entire 4 seasons we have seen Clay vulnerability only twice: when the Irish took Abel and when Gemma told him and Jax she had been gang raped. The only thing that can halfway penetrate his little hard heart is his family. He has nothing else. He's lost all of the people who loved him unconditionally. Bobby, Tig, and finally Gemma. If he had not dropped a tear over the woman who started him on the path to Evil with the murder of his best friend we would be left wondering WHY the hell he is such an evil bastard. Now we know.

I almost completely disagree with you, this episode was better than the last. With the exception of not being sure about Tara's reaction to Wendy's visit, but I trust that it will be tied in somehow. If not, well, I'm not that concerned. I think Jax's reaction to seeing his mother beat up (again) was incredible. You could read every emotion on his face without hearing a word. Anger, hatred, sorrow, guilt, nurturing concern, it was priceless. Opie's reaction to seeing his father dead was stellar. The acting in both scenes was incredible.
The episode was riveting and left you wanting more. Which is THE reason the episodes are longer, aside from more commercials, to be expected, because you have to go where the money is to put on a great show, there is more story, and as a die hard addict, I was thrilled to be entertained and hung out to dry for another 30 minutes. It's the end of the season and I'd take every second I can get. As far as Juice and his dilemma not making sense why he didn't come forward with it earlier, you need to understand that in the MC world, THAT is still forbidden, and reason to be eliminated, no questions asked. Rules and bylaws, they are bound to them, be they politically correct or not. I was pleased with Chibb's reaction, SO WHAT, I love Chibbs, he's fabulous.
All in all, it may very well have been the BEST episode yet.

I thought that Unser was acting under Gemma's instructions when he followed Opie to the cabin - another example of her ability to manipulate the men around her. Why was he hanging around the clubhouse otherwise?

I think Gemma's line of reasoning is, If Opie kills Clay, that solves the Clay Problem without involving Jax.

What a **** review. I was SO excited to come on here and read gushing about how Unser told Opie that Clay ordered the hit on Donna for the first time, and i get... this? This was an AMAZING episode and wish the reviewer shared the excitement I am feeling for where this season is going. Great, great episode.

I am also there with you on the need for certain situations to be realistic and believable...there are certain stretches where I am saying out loud - "aw, c'mon!" Case in point (in addition to those already pointed out) is the meth addict coming back saying that she may have given up parental rights, but not "the right to know my son". Well, yes you did, in that it is up to the parents of the child as to whom they meet ad associate with. Lawyer up all you want, it's just not a believable premise to think that there is much of a threat that she'll inject herself into the lives of Jax and Tara's family. Wendy really has no leg to stand on, and it seems as thought this is just a filler to make this episode 90 minutes. I kept found myself asking, ok, when is the episode going to be as big as a special extension usually requires? I found the entire episode pretty anti-climatic considering the build it got last week!

Oh - an Miss Juice - lighten up on the vitriol, will ya? A little strong on the criticism when everyone is entitled to their opinion, don't ya' think? One this to respectfully disagree, but another to complain that observations are asinine and completely stupid. Your opinions may come across with a little more credibility with a little less harshness.

The episode wasn't as good as last week's (which was easily the best episode the show has done since the Season 2 finale), but there was some really good stuff in there. I thought the entire plot with Wendy was an unnecessary and pointless distraction from everything else that was going on, but I liked just about everything else. Otto turning on the club was great, as was Jax's reaction to what Clay did to his mother. Tig stepping down from his post was the first thing that character has done that I've liked in a long time, maybe since he was so overcome with guilt about Donna's death that he had to confess to Opie (something Clay wouldn't do in a million years, even though he was just as guilty). And speaking of characters that I had little use for in the past but who are acting admirably now, there's Unser. I never liked him at any point through the first three seasons, and I really despised him for his role in Agent Stahl's execution (to me, the worst moment of the entire series). But ever since he wrote the death threat and put it in Tara's car to alert her and Jax that a hit was out on her, I've really liked him. And this was his best moment yet. That final scene in the cabin was so spectacular that I had to re-watch it a couple more times. I have been down on Opie for awhile too, but I'm really happy that he's back in vengeance mode after he inexplicably seemed to forget about Clay and Tig murdering his wife. At any rate, the last few episodes have shown that Sons of Anarchy is back to its Season 2 greatness. I just hope that Sutter does the right thing and kills Clay off instead of contriving a way to keep him around.

I dont know how the producers do it but the prospect Miles getting shot inthe face by Juice and Ozik (or Lem ) getting blown up by the mine looked so REALISTIC.

I wasn't surprised about Tara's breakdown. Also gotta disagree about Juice. I actually thought this was pretty good writing. To show that he could have gone to Chibs to avoid this whole thing and now it's too late was heartbreaking (Especially when he calls to check in right after). Not only is Juice suffering from betraying the club and shooting the new guy, but Kozik exploded right in front of him with his arm landing next to him. Juice is losing it. He had to be pushed to that point before he could even remotely open up to Chibs. Sorry, Mo. I think sometimes you struggle to come up with complaints.

Someone help me here. I must have missed when Opie found out Donna's death was caused by the SONs, namely Tig. Which season, episode was that revealed?