Pickles Aplenty

Could Jax have given up the club entirely and lived a normal life? I can't imagine he'd have been able to get a job with his record.

I never expected SoA to have an imaginative ending, to be honest. Jax handling his affairs, saying his goodbyes, and taking his own life? That's more in tune to what the show always was, IMO. Something abstract or super ambitious just wouldn't have made sense. I also really like the song Sutter wrote. I know the lyrics are super obvious, but I like the way it sounds and I think it works as the send-off song. Are these opinions unpopular?

I enjoyed it. I hadn't felt any sympathy for Jax in quite a while, but the finale really made me see things through his eyes, and it got to me. Loved the fact that Nero and Wendy escaped with the boys, loved all of Chibs' and Tig's scenes, loved seeing Venus one last time. Venus has a great rack. I'm envious. I actually like Kurt Sutter; he doesn't seem any more full of himself than the average show creator to me. Call me crazy, but at times he even seems funny and down-to-earth. I think he's fine.

Eh, it's shorter than most movies. I'll be watching. I really hope there are some characters left standing and that everyone isn't killed off. I especially want Nero and Wendy to live.

This. Gemma was poison; she had to die.

I thought all three characters had appropriate deaths. Unser lived for Gemma, so it was only fitting that he died for Gemma. He wasted his entire life and he knew it when he looked at her and said, "This is all I have left." Ugh...pathetic and sad ending for a pathetic and sad character. That's Unser. Juice's death was somehow noble; that's why I thought it was actually a touching moment when Manson said "You went out good, sweetheart" after stabbing him in the neck. I know it's an odd moment to get teary-eyed over, but seeing as how Juice has been a miserable fuckup for several seasons now, it was nice to see him make peace with his own death and with his place in the club. That pie looked cheap as shit, but I've never seen Juice look so content as when he finished it. What a moment. As for Gemma...yes, it would have been more of a punishment for Jax to let her live with nothing left, but I agree with who ever said she would have found a way to get the cops to kill her if Jax hadn't done the deed. Even when it came to her death, Gemma was a master manipulator. The little speech she gave Jax about being who they are and doing what they do- as Jax aimed a gun at the back of her head and shot her- was truly chilling to me. The whole time I kept thinking, "This is who you are? The kind of people who brutally stab/shoot your loved ones in the back of the head? Do you not see anything twisted and completely FUCKED about that?!" Of course, Gemma must have had an inkling of just how fucked it was, since she requested to die in the place where she played like a good little girl, the last time in her life she had been at least a somewhat decent person. Jesus, what a death. Loved Hal Holbrook in his little scene, wanted to smack Wendy for fucking the dude who pumped her full of drugs and made her fall off the wagon. I have always had sympathy for Wendy and I know she is lonely, but really? You still want that scumbag after all he's done to you? All right, then.

I would give Rowling a chance. I don't like Tolkien either, but I love Rowling. Her world is so much more interesting to me.

Being with Venus is definitely the healthiest thing Tig has ever done, sexually speaking. You know, I have grown to hate the time-jump gimmick that so many shows are relying on these days (Boardwalk Empire, I'm looking at you), but I think in SoA's case, it really would have worked. If Abel were just a little older, I would have bought this self-harm/mastermind idea, but a five year old? Nah. I guess I can fanwank that he really doesn't have some master plan and that all he knows is that he wants to punish Grandma for some reason, but I don't know if that was Sutter's intention, so it all falls flat. The fact that he speaks like a delayed toddler makes it even harder to believe. They should have aged the actor up a bit, just for credibility. As for Chibs and Jarry...they don't really annoy me that much. I wasn't surprised by Chibs hitting her back, since these guys aren't really respectful of women; after all, Jax beat the ever loving shit out of Ima and shot up Wendy. The rest of the guys have had sex with Crow Eaters, whether they wanted it or not, because women are objects to them. Chibs might be the best of a bad bunch, but I find it totally believable that he would smack a woman back if she smacked him first. That's just what they do.

I can't get on board the Harry/Luna ship. Luna was sweet, but so dreamy and flaky I just can't see her with Harry, doing the day-to-day. Ginny, though underdeveloped, is a better fit for that.

I'm reading The Lonely Doll: The Search for Dare Wright by Jean Nathan. I didn't know about Wright or her children's books, so it's a very interesting read.

Well, my pitching arm could use a little work.

I know I'm late to the party here, but I am seriously wondering if I should read this series. I read only half of the first book years ago before literally throwing it across the room in frustration (the baseball scene is what got me), but now I'm wondering if I should stomach it and read it in its entirety, just to see if it gets better. I know it's nowhere near the level of Harry Potter, which I love, but I don't expect it to be. HP is on a level of its own and Twilight is, well, Twilight. :P What say you? Is there anything redeeming about this series, or is it a steaming pile of garbage? Does it get better as the series progresses, or is the rest of it just as shaky as the first book? What is your overall opinion?

Weren't the kids with Jax at the time of Tara's murder? I remember a scene where Jax was holding Thomas at the ice cream shop.

Probably because they don't read at all unless Oprah tells them to. I worked with a woman who wouldn't pick up a book unless Oprah or Dr. Phil gave their stamp of approval because reading in general "wasn't her thing", but she devoured any and every book they recommended. It was weird. Oh, this makes my stomach hurt, just a *tiny* bit. There is no way in hell that contrived, barely passable piece of fluff is on the same level with To Kill a Mockingbird. Just, no.

Was it ever confirmed that there is a rat? I missed a couple of episodes, so I'm confused. Is it just speculation on our part? I have to disagree here. I think the reason Sutter is showcasing Jax and Gemma's shitty non-parenting and Abel's serial killer precociousness is because the life poisons you from the start no one gets out of it, ever. Thomas might be raised by someone with a clearer head than these nutbags, but I really think Abel is doomed. I don't see a happy ending for him after this season; either he will grow up to be an even creepier, detached version of his father, or he will be killed. The latter will be the ultimate punishment for Gemma, especially if she also loses Jax, but whatever happens, it is going to be brutal.

I knew something wasn't quite right between the two of them when Jimmy bought his mother a better necklace than his wife, but at the time I just thought, "Eh, she was a teenage single mother and they were dependent on each other. Whatever." Little did I know just how dependent they were. Ick.

I wouldn't have liked Jimmy being recast, either. I don't think it would have worked, since Michael Pitt, though a difficult pain in the ass, played the hell out of Jimmy. I was 100% engaged with every single one of his scenes. He just has that way about him. However, I don't think the show was beyond hope with Jimmy's death. They could have kept Angela and Richard alive a bit longer, and they could have fleshed out Gillian and Margaret's stories, but for some reason they thought killing everyone off was the way to go. I will never understand that. They had other characters/actors who were just as strong as Jimmy/Michael Pitt, but they said "screw it" and shot most of them in the head. Maybe that's more true to life, considering that this was a show about Prohibition era gangsters, but still. A little life could have been pumped into this show around season three, they just didn't want to do that. It was disappointing.

I have a Kindle Fire, and I love it. I love the fact that I can travel with my entire library, and I love the fact that it makes me read faster; the year I got my Kindle, I ended up reading more books than ever before. I also like the fact that e-readers don't use up a lot of paper. I'm not really a green person, but I think that's a good thing. I still like "real" books, though. I like lending my favorite books to other people, and the Kindle makes that a little harder. I have never liked the smell of books...I think I'm one of the few people who never really got that.

What is that?

You are all going to hate me, but The Catcher In the Rye. It was a very emotional book, and I read it at a time when I was trying to block my emotions and not get upset over anything. As messed up as Holden was, he made me see that it was okay to feel things. I know how cliche that is, but it's true.

My people. I stopped reading The Diary of Anne Frank halfway through because it just didn't keep my interest. I was sure that a special seat in hell would be reserved for me for doing so, but now I know I'm not alone.

Narcisse's death felt like fan service to me. I would have been fine with him surviving, his final scene walking away from Chalky, not promising him anything. Chalky was content right before his death, and that's all that really matters to me.

Now that we know Nucky's story from start to finish, I thought it was time for him to have his own thread. I couldn't help but reference the song playing at the very end of Eldorado for the topic title. I think the Norah Jones cover is beautiful, and suits Nucky and his life/choices very well. So, let me get things started by asking you this: Do you think handing Gillian over to the Commodore was at all understandable, given Nucky's situation at that point? He was about to lose his job and whatever respect he had gained in the community, and he wanted to provide for Mabel...but he still handed an innocent child over to a pedophile rapist. Thoughts?

How did Tommy know that Mickey Doyle would be looking for people to work for Nucky that night, at that specific location? If he sought out Nucky just to see what kind of person he was, without any kind of revenge in mind, why didn't he just knock on his front door and ask for a job? That's the one thing that doesn't make any sense to me. I can believe that Tommy remembered Gillian talking about Nucky from long ago, and I can believe that having yet another father figure "leave" him was enough to send him over the edge, but why hang out in Atlantic City and wait for some dude to ask if anyone wants to work for someone who may or may not be the most powerful man in the city? The intro to the character doesn't make any sense, but whatever. I guess TPTB had to introduce him in a way that wasn't anvilicious. Anyway, I'm not sure how I feel about this finale. I liked the fact that Eli and Margaret got out alive, especially since I was sure Eli would bite it at some point. I felt bad for Gillian even though she did a lot of horrible things, herself. I assume she had a hysterectomy in the asylum, since doctors back in ye olden days thought women suffered from "hysteria" thanks to their lady parts, but I could be wrong. That's just my best guess. Her final line about graciousness still being in the world actually made me tear up. Even as a rough-around-the-edges kid, Gillian always wanted to be a lady. I agree. I think the season one impression made both characters more complex and interesting, and while the flashbacks this season were beautifully done, I don't think they added much to the show itself, TBH. Re-watching the first couple of seasons will make it very different.

I caved and started reading Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. I don't read a lot of chick lit, so this is a first for me. Anyway, the character of Rachel doesn't make much sense to me. She is a thirty year old lawyer living in Manhattan, yet she is completely and utterly passive when it comes to her dating life, and really seems to hate the woman who is supposed to be her best friend of some twenty-odd years. You would think the type of woman who had the balls to climb the ladder and become a successful lawyer wouldn't be such a wuss when it came to her social life. Also, she seems to be the only woman on earth who values men for their personalities, rather then their good looks; Darcy is constantly telling her to go out with hot guys, and so is every other female friend she has. None of them can wrap their heads around why she would prefer a guy with a great personality who doesn't look perfect, Rachel is the only woman around who isn't shallow and re-living her sophomore year of high school. What the hell? Is this an attempt on Giffin's part to give Rachel some sort of depth? Because it's contrived and lame and not realistic, at all. Again, this character is a total mystery to me. Don't even get me started on Dex. Douchebag. I know I'm supposed to root for this guy, but it took him all of two drinks to fuck Rachel behind his fiance's back, so you know he's the kind of sleaze who secretly had it churning in his brain for quite some time. But no, he's the perfect man! BARF.