The Balm on FX drama Sons of Anarchy a powerful episode

November 16, 11:07 AMCable TV ExaminerChristine Nyholm

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Katey Sagal as Gemma Teller.
CR: Mike Muller / FX

The episode The Balm, on the FX series Sons of Anarchy, was one of the most compelling shows seen on television lately. Called an adrenaline drama, Sons of Anarchy (SAMCRO), is a testerone filled show about a gun dealing motorcycle club in Charming, California. Katey Sagal portrays tough as nails matriarch of the club and wife of the SAMCRO president Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman). Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) is Gemma's son from her marriage to the the founder of SAMCRO, the late John Teller.

In The Balm, which aired on November 10, 2009, the drama that has been building up all season came to a head and promises to explode by the end of the second season.

Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) and Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman) have been at odds all season, causing a division within the ranks of SAMCRO. Jax applied to leave SAMCRO to go Nomad and Clay agreed that it was best that Jax leave the motorcycle club. The application came to a vote, and the club voted to allow Jax to go nomad. Jax placed his jacket on the table and cut off his SAMCRO patches.

This forced Gemma (Katey Sagal) to make the heart wrenching decision to finally tell Jax and Clay that she had been attacked and raped by Zobelle's (Adam Arkin) men, including A.J. Westin (Henry Rollins) and two other masked men from the white supremacist group.

The scene was masterful, as Gemma quietly but intensely unfolded her story to Jax and Clay as Tara (Maggie Siff) looked on encouragingly. The haunting song “Mary” by Patty Griffin played in the background as the scene alternated between Gemma telling her story and the men of SAMCRO.

One might have been waiting for an explosion of anger from Clay and Jax, but instead they held their obviously strong emotions in check. Jax got up and kissed his mother's hand, then put his hand on Clay's shoulder and the two warring men came together in a common cause and understanding. As Jax and Maggie left the room, he picked up his SAMCRO tags, obviously back in the club. Clay tenderly took Gemma's face in his big, rough hands and carressed her.

Cast of Sons of Anarchy

• Charlie Hunnam as Jackson “Jax” Teller
• Katey Segal as Gemma Teller Morrow
• Ron Perlman as Clarence ‘Clay’ Morrow
• Maggie Siff as Tara Knowles
• Mark Boone Junior as Robert ‘Bobby’ Munson
• Kim Coates as Alex ‘Tig’ Trager
• Tommy Flanagan as Filip ‘Chibs’ Telford
• Johnny Lewis as Kipp ‘Half-Sack’ Epps
• Theo Rossi as Jean Carlos ‘Juice’ Ortiz
• Ryan Hurst as Harry ‘Opie’ Winston
• William Lucking as Piermont ‘Piney’ Winston
• Adam Arkin as Ethan Zobelle
• Henry Rollins as AJ Weston
• Tayler Sheridan as Deputy Chief David Hale
• Dayton Callie as Chief Wayne Unser
• David Labrava as Happy

• Sons of Anarchy airs of FX on Tuesday nights at 10 PM ET.

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