'Sons of Anarchy' - 'Poenitentia' Recap

The District Attorney holds a press conference regarding the school shooting. She mentions that Matthew Jennings had been recommending for further counseling, but it's unknown whether he received the extra help or not. DA Patterson also makes a note of the gun that was used, that it's a modified 1980s version of the KG-9 with the serial numbers scratched off, indicating that it was bought illegally.

That same morning, Lee Toric wakes up in his motel room with the girl from Diosa. When she's in the shower, Patterson pulls up outside the motel. Toric, likely still a little strung out from the night before, freaks out. He goes to the window with his gun in his hand, and when the prostitute touches his shoulder, he wheels around and accidentally shoots her in the stomach. Toric begins to apologize profusely, but at the same time, he lays the girl down on the floor, puts a pillow over her head, then shoots her again.

Toric heads outside, not letting Patterson get a look inside the room. Patterson suggests using Tara as leverage after finding out her connection to the club. Toric says to drop that lead, that Tara is a dead end. Toric is given the new, official cooperation witness agreement for Clay to sign, then is told to follow up on the two Biz Lats that were found in Darvity Jennings' house when she and Arcadio disappeared.

Jax pays a visit to Sheriff Roosevelt. He wants information on Clay, mainly why Clay wants to see him and Gemma so badly. Roosevelt fills Jax in on Toric, that he's been doing everything he can to keep Clay alive while he works out some sort of deal. Roosevelt also tells Jax that it was Toric that processed Tara's arrest and that he spoke to her while she was in jail. Jax knows Roosevelt wants Clay dead as much as he does, but also knows Roosevelt isn't dirty enough to be involved in everything going on.

Jax has his sit down with Clay in the prison. Clay tells Jax that he agreed to give up the club in exchange for seeing Gemma and Jax, the two people who more or less got him locked up. He tells Jax that he's not going to tell Toric, who's watching from behind the one way mirror, anything. He accepts his fate of whatever's going to happen in general population. Jax gets up and walks over to the glass, addressing Toric now. He apologizes for what happened to Pamela. He assures Toric that SAMCRO didn't have anything to do with that murder, just Otto, a broken man who acted alone. Jax says he doesn't care what happens to Clay, but if Toric comes after his own family again by tying Tara to Pamela's murder, Jax will make this very personal.

Toric sits down with Clay after Jax leaves, and pushes the witness agreement his way. Toric tries to talk Clay into signing the paper, but Clay just sits there, not moving. Toric chuckles when he realizes the irony of the situation Clay's in. Clay got away with so many murders over the years, but it's the one he didn't commit that's going to get him the death sentence.

Jax brings his meeting with Clay to the table. He knows that if Clay is still in protective custody the next morning, Clay lied to Jax. Jax figures that Toric has already linked the gun used in the shooting to the Biz Lats, and the Sons by connection, so he tells everyone to play it straight and lay low for a while. Chibbs suggests that Jax should reach out to Bobby to fill him in on what's going on. Jax brushes off the notion, saying that if Bobby misses him so much, then he'll call.

Meanwhile, in Reno, Bobby sits down with a few members of the local charter to see if they'll go Nomad. They're in, and Bobby has gathered enough support to reach his quota.

In Stockton, Toric has to the two Biz Lats that were at the Jennings house bound and gagged. He's fishing for info on Darvity and Arcadio. They claim not to know where they are. Toric grabs a beer out of the fridge and used one of the gang member's mouths as a bottle opener, shredding the inside of his mouth. He still doesn't talk. Toric does the same thing with the other gang member. Still nothing. Toric twists the cap off and takes a swig, the bottle still covered in blood.

Jax and the guys meet with Barasky and Collette at the bakery to discuss who they're going to legalize their escort service. In the middle of their conversation, a barrage of bullets comes through the window drive-by style by way of a white Mercedes. A short time later, one of Barasky's guys gets a match on the plate of the car. It belongs to Amir Ghaneezi, one half of the torture porn brother business that the Sons interfered with in the premiere. Jax, Nero, Chibbs, Happy and Tig go with Barasky to the docks to talk to Amir.

On Amir's boat, Jax and Barasky talk with the Persian, unarmed. Amir said the bikers scared his girls, but Barasky says that situation is all settled. Amir then pulls his brother's wet jacket out of a bag, saying that he found it in the bay that morning. He thinks the Sons killed him. Tig did, but Jax didn't know that until now. Barasky backs up Jax, saying that he was with him when they let Amir's brother go, even though Jax wasn't. Amir agrees that their beef is settled for now, but Barasky disagrees. He pulls out a switch blade and slices one of Amir's goon's throats. Barasky tells Amir that if he ever sees him again, he'll hill him. Now they're even.

Back on the dock, Barasky asks Jax what happened to the brother. Jax really doesn't know, but he says he'll look into it. He goes back to his guys, but doesn't bring up the dead guy on the boat, or Amir's brother.

In county, Clay is being processed back into general population, and three black inmates walk in as the guard leaves. Clay throws the first punch, and gets in a few other good ones, but is quickly over matched. One of the inmates pulls a shiv, and Clay tells him to make it quick. He tells Clay that the choice is in his hands.

The Sons regroup at Barasky's bakery. Jax tells Tig to hang back while the others head back to the clubhouse and be ready for any Persian retaliation should it come again. Jax tells Tig that Amir thinks they killed his brother. Tig denies it, telling Jax he did exactly what Jax told him to do. Jax then tells Tig to head back to the torture porn studio and gather up the equipment so they can use it in reopening Cara Cara.

In county, Clay goes out into the yard. He asks for an intro to the head of the white gang. The black inmate who had the shiv watches on. Clay is granted his introduction, and when the two are talking, the black gang uses it as an opening to start a riot. Clay is given the shiv, and waits for the right moment, then stabs the head of the white gang in the neck multiple times.

Toric has moved the dead prostitute into the tub in his motel room. He pulls out some of her hair and rips off a part of her clothes. He tells the girl, like she can still hear him, that she won't have died for nothing.

Jax heads over to Collette's brothel, presumably to get some action from the landlord. He goes upstairs to her room and hears Collette moaning with pleasure from inside. He's about to walk away, but hears another familiar voice inside as well: Barasky. Jax peeks in through the door, Barasky sees him, but doesn't stop.

Jax leaves the brothel and has a meeting with August. August tells Jax that Clay is still alive, for now, but he'll be dead by morning if August doesn't like how everything is playing out. Jax explains to August that he wants the Sons out of guns, but that he might actually need Clay to negotiate the break up with the Irish. Jax tells August about Cara Cara, and that August would make for a good silent partner. August brings up their "other business," meaning Tig, and Jax silently hands him a piece of paper, an address with Tig's location.

In county, Clay is alive, but severely bruised. A black inmate walks by his cell and puts a shiv in the opening in the door, saying that he'll need it for protection.

Roosevelt gets a call about a dead body. It's the prostate the Toric had killed. Just earlier, Toric had tailed Nero to Gemma's house and planted the hair in Nero's truck, falsely linking him to the murder of the girl.

Tig is at the porn warehouse gathering equipment. He hears the door open behind him, thinking it's someone from the club, but he turns around the see August and some of his men walk in. Tig knows this won't end well.

Jax arrives home, and ignores a call from Collette, who phoned Jax the second Barasky left. Jax sees a piece of paper on the table, Tara's pregnancy test results, which are positive. Jax is having another kid! He goes into the bedroom, and tells Tara he loves her. They seem to be getting back on the right track together.

image: Fox