Sons of Anarchy Review: The Lies Have It

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I had John Teller killed while I was bedding his wife.

With the exception of those searing, truthful words from Clay, it's getting difficult to keep track of all the lies and deceptions permeating Sons of Anarchy these days.

On "Brick," we watched as Clay remained silent in the face of Gemma's burned letter revel; Bobby only come partially clean to Otto; Opie cheat on Lyla; and Juice be forced into a move that could put himself and the club in mortal danger.

Heck, even those on the right side of the law are misleading each other. Careful with how much your trust that shady Potter guy, Roosevelt.

Roosevelt vs. Juice

Then again, can you blame the SAMCRO members for all this fibbing? The two men being the most straightforward might have made some major mistakes this week.

First, of course, there's Piney. I didn't expect him to come right out and tell Clay exactly what he knew. Will it get him killed? Is that perhaps what he wants, as we debated in last week's Sons of Anarchy Round Table? We'll assume Tara is safe - although, really, who knows with Clay these days - and Piney's failing physical state does make him an easy target. Especially because no club member is actually aware of his blackmailing.

If Piney were to suddenly succumb to his emphysema or weak heart, would anyone in SAMCRO suspect Clay?

The other honest men right now is Jax. Let's give him props for not lying to Tara, but let's also question exactly what the guy is thinking. What sort of reaction was he hoping for when he handed her a wad of cash and explained how she has to put it in her name? Tara isn't looking to get rich. She's a doctor. She doesn't even need to get rich. Seeing the joy on Jax's face, and connecting the dangerous dots regarding just how someone in his position could come across such a windfall, won't convince her that the family is very close to escaping this lifestyle.

But back to all the lies: whose will come back to bite him the hardest? Poor Bobby really had no choice but to mislead Otto. Could you stare into that misfigured face, tell him you slept with his wife and admit the club actually needs her killer alive for awhile longer? I'm curious where all this going.

Kurt Sutter has said he doesn't love being on camera, so there must be a point to Otto's increased inclusion on season four beyond simply creating more club turmoil.

Then there's Juice, who, in a pun I will likely overuse throughout the season, is getting seriously squeezed. Sutter has blogged about how racism is a prevalent aspect of all MCs and I don't doubt that's accurate - but we haven't seen enough of it on Sons of Anarchy itself. It would help raise the stakes for this storyline if viewers truly believed that Juice's background would get him killed. We're just being told to believe that right now because Roosevelt says so and Juice reacts as if it's the truth.

He also acts like it's the truth. Stealing an entire brick of cocaine? And then falling asleep with it in your pants?!? How will Juice remain in the clear on this one, considering multiple witnesses saw him inside the storage container?

The only two members of the club actually getting along these days appear to be Jax and Opie, and they're only bonding over the fact that each banged a porn star when he was unhappy in his relationship.

Through five episodes, the seeds of duplicity have most definitely been planted. We've been treated to numerous, character-enlightening conversations, but I've gotta believe the talking will soon end. Action must be taken on multiple fronts. Agendas are colliding, secrets are close to spilling and David Hasselhoff isn't the only one with a very big... interest in what happens next. We should all be holding on tight.

Brick Review

Editor Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
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Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.

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