However, the middle of the season wasn’t quite up to the same quality as either the start or the end. This is a show that was always full of complicated plot twists that built from year to year, gaining momentum. Usually that would translate to the season as a whole being greater than the sum of the various parts. Season 7 was unusual because it doesn’t help as much to look back at the season as a whole when judging the quality of the year. The middle really dragged things out, treading water as they waited as long as possible for the big moment when Jax finds out who really killed Tara. Each episode may have had its own exciting, action-filled moments, but the wait to get to the big ticket items at the end of the season was overly long.
One thing that didn’t help was that every episode was extended in length. Just because they had the go-ahead from the network to add extra minutes to the episodes doesn't mean that doing so improved the show every time. Some fans are probably tired of this complaint and loved every single extra minute. It's the end of the road for the show, after all. Why wouldn't we want as much as we could get? And of course there were episodes where the additional time was used well. One benefit was that some of the more compelling scenes between characters were given time to develop and unfold at a slower pace. But some of the extra time was merely exasperating, adding nothing of value to the show. Did we need to see the members of SAMCRO taking naps on their bikes or urinating on the side of the road? Or watch Juice navigate hallway after prison hallway on his way to meet with Jax? With standard length episodes maybe the middle of the season wouldn't have felt so much like they were stalling. It's hard to say.
Much of the SAMCRO business this season was taken up with Jax sinking further and further under the mess created by Gemma's lie and dragging the club down with him. Some of the body count was tough to accept, like the massacre at Diosa Norte, or Jury's son, or Bobby, to name just a few. The tension for the audience was that we knew that Jax had kicked off the gang war based on a lie. While it was tragic for Jax to learn the truth that his mother had killed his wife, it was also a relief that he finally knew what we had known the whole time. The decision to have Abel deliver the information to Jax was a nicely surprising twist. It made sense of the fact that so much time had been given to Abel in prior episodes. Plus, timing the moment Abel spilled the beans to Jax right after Jax had told Abel that Wendy was his real mother added to the impact of that scene.From the moment Jax found out about Gemma the show took us on a journey to an ending that felt right on just about every level. There was never any real hope for a happy ending for Jax, especially not after the murderous path he took in Season 7. Besides, the show was famously built on the framework of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and (spoiler alert) the play didn’t end well for anyone either. However, the fact that Jax owned up to his mistakes in the end was a welcome return to the Jax we knew from previous seasons, one who had been easier to root for. It was gratifying to see him go out on the right path. Not only did he make amends as best he could with the club, but he went to the effort to ensure a better future for his sons by sending them away from Charming in an attempt to save them from going down the same path he had traveled.
The acting was strong throughout the season, particularly Charlie Hunnam from start to finish as Jax went on his terrible journey of revenge, then turned around and did his best to make amends. I would be nice if some of the award shows would take notice of the performances by Hunnam or Jimmy Smits, but it doesn't appear that they have this show on their radar. A few standout scenes at the end of the season were highlights, not just for the season, but for the series as a whole. There was the confrontation between Jax and Juice in “Suits of Woe” as Juice confirmed Jax’s worst fears about Gemma. Nero and Jax’s goodbye in the final episode was heartbreaking, as was the scene between Smits and Katey Sagal when we saw Nero find out what Gemma had done. As for Gemma herself, the source of all this trouble, Sagal gave us the spectrum of emotion throughout the season, from desperation in the beginning to acceptance of her fate in the end.
And let’s not forget the men of SAMCRO. Their camaraderie was the backbone of the show, and occasionally provided some much-needed moments of humor, and their manly tears in the end were heartbreaking as they said their goodbyes to Jax. It was nice to see new layers in the characters, such as the tender side of Kim Coates’ Tig with Venus (guest star Walton Goggins), or the leadership of Chibs as he stepped into the President's role.
Some characters grew in unexpected ways, like Wendy who essentially inherited Tara’s place and got out of town with Jax’s kids. Even a year ago that happy ending for Wendy would have seemed too outrageous to even consider. It was also very satisfying to see Nero escape Charming in the end. However, some characters didn’t fare as well as the season progressed. I had high hopes that Unser would be the one to crack the case and figure out the truth about Gemma, but instead he ended up as collateral damage when he tried to protect Gemma from Jax. That was an inauspicious end for poor Unser who had been such a long-time ally of the club. Another disappointment character-wise was Annabeth Gish’s Sheriff Jarry. She started out with the potential to be an interesting addition to SAMCRO’s life in Charming, and it was intriguing to watch her relationship with Chibs begin. But in the end Jarry devolved into making odd decisions and the relationship ultimately fizzled. At least she made a break with the club before the end. We might not see the results of that since the show is over, but it was a step in the right direction.