'Sons Of Anarchy' Closes In On Jax, Otto

"Crucifixed," the most recent episode of the FX motorcycle gang drama, Sons of Anarchy, which is now in its fifth season, was yet another blood-soaked, backstabbing affair on Tuesday night.

Kicking off the episode, Jax (Charlie Hunnam) continued to tail Juice (Theo Rossi), having recently learned that he was serving as a mole for police from within the Sons' gang. But before Jax could get to the rat, the cops picked Juice up and took him to Roosevelt (Rockmund Dunbar), who clarified what had already become abundantly obvious — that Jax was on to him. With this realization sinking in, Juice had a change of heart, and chose to confront Jax one-on-one, agreeing to anything necessary in order to get back in the gang.

Jax agreed and set the terms that Juice would have to help bring down Clay (Ron Perlman) to get away with his crimes. No surprise, Jax forged full-steam ahead in his vendetta against Clay, even making a deal with Damon Pope (Harold Perrineau) that once Clay was killed, he would gladly give up Tig (Kim Coates) and turn him over. With the deal struck, Pope gave Jax the location of one of the prisoners who had killed Opie (Ryan Hurst), leaving Jax no option but to have him killed — a move that promises to irreparably damage the relationship between the Sons' and The Grim Bastards' gangs. Jax had said he would not kill the prisoner. So much for ending things amicably.

Perhaps the episode's most shocking moment came when Tara (Maggie Siff) brought Otto (Kurt Sutter) his crucifix in prison, thinking he wanted it for the purest of reasons, not the purpose for which it was ultimately used — to murder a nurse. Otto, who could have helped save the group from their impending criminal case if he had laid low, instead made Tara an accessory to murder. In the downward spiral of backdealings and killings, things just kept getting worse for the Sons, and at this rate it's hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel.

Three more episodes remain in this bloody fifth season of Son’s of Anarchy, which airs Tuesdays on FX at 10 p.m. EST. —Hal Sundt