Sons of Anarchy is turning up the intensity. The anxiety-ridden joyride is wreaking havoc on my nerves and fingernails. This week had Jax dealing with the aftermath of Tara’s actions and the club facing yet another obstacle thanks to the Irish.

Tara wakes up to the sound of a motorcycle and immediately runs to Thomas’s room then to Abel’s where she finds Jax holding Thomas. Before running in, she automatically reached for her gun. I understand her being scared and relying on a gun for safety, but planning on running into your child’s room with a loaded gun seems a bit much. It’s not as though her children are in danger from Jax. Her gun becomes an extension of her body. As the episode progresses, Tara seems to be grasping at straws. The DA turns her away, Margaret’s too scared to help, Wendy is no longer on her side, and Gemma tells her to pack her things and go. Gemma says it is up to her what they tell her sons, “Mommy moved away or mommy passed away.” Juice is put on Tara duty and she runs his bike over, almost hitting him. She attacks Colette for having sex with Jax. She pulls the gun out when Jax chases her. Honestly, Tara seems off the rails. She’s either going to hurt herself or mistakenly hurt someone else. In her fight to get her children out of Charming, she’s spiraling down a dark hole that she may not be able to climb out of.

Galen put yet another obstacle in the club’s way as he shot up the Chinese. This led to an intense bullet-filled chase that had me extremely nervous. Luckily, no one was hurt, but the Chinese took Happy as collateral. This is all going to get even more complicated as they attempt to break Clay out of jail for the Irish, escape the gun business, make things right with the Chinese, and vie for immunity. Something horrible is bound to happen. Jax’s comment about the Irish dying before getting caught is quite ominous. It’s all a mess. The club is on their way out of guns, but everyone seems to want a piece of the leftover action. Unfortunately, not everyone is going to be pleased with the outcome and blood is sure to be shed.

In a happy, perfect world all would go down without a hitch, but unfortunately happy-endings do not seem to be a Charming staple. Life is far from perfect and danger lurks around every corner. This season has been quite remarkable thus far. With the season nearing its end, I’m bracing myself for an inevitable broken heart, as I’m sure a gut-wrenching episode will soon be on its way. I thoroughly enjoy the complex structuring of not only the narrative, but the characters as well. The attention to detail and emotion is commendable. Also, as always, the music seems to be spot on. Great selection. (And, I absolutely love the pieces by Katey Sagal.) I can’t seem to praise this series enough.

image: FX/FOX