KURT SUTTER: He was looped in. I didn’t just send him the script. I started thinking about it, in terms of that arc between Jax and Opie, really towards the end of Season 3. And then, it all came together with the death of Piney, last year. I got to the end of that season and realized that there was this circular dynamic that was happening with Jax and Opie that I felt was very difficult to get out of, in terms of where their arc was going. Ryan is an extraordinary actor. As we came into this season, knowing that this is really the first season I’ve had to think about the end game, and knowing where I want to take my hero and knowing how I want him to get there and the road that I want him to travel, I felt that Jax needed the emotional upheaval. One event that happens in a man’s life that can change the course of his destiny, and I think the death of his best friend was that event. I really wanted to do it at a point in the season that was organic, but I also wanted it to happen earlier rather than have it be the finale. And then, as far as bringing the actor in the loop, I did that before we even started writing. As we were breaking the stories, I brought Ryan in. It’s a difficult thing. He’s very plugged into the show and loves the character. Ryan is a super sensitive dude, and it was difficult for both of us to figure out how to do this. I think when he read the script, and reading the episodes that follow, he understood the nature of it and the importance of it, in the mythology of the show.
Source and more: Collider
Broke my damn heart.
ReplyDeleteWriting the entire show--lives and justice and morality--in service to Jax's character in isolation makes the character seem as self-absorbed as Clay...how do you write an ending that doesn't fulfill that sort of dark arrogance? You can't. Because killing Clay now doesn't even matter, all his sins have either been forgiven for so long it doesn't feel relevant or forgotten by the dead. Way to remove any tension I felt for which road Jax takes and the future of Sam Crow. This is the biggest blunder since the CIA debacle.
ReplyDeleteI haven't felt this way since Amber's death (HOUSE M.D. - 4x16). It doesn't matter how many times I rewatched OZ or read A Song of Ice and Fire. Vince Gilligan and Kurt Sutter both broke my heart this season. It was the right choice. Kurt sent Opie off as a legend, almost an hero and he will always be remembered as the brave heart of Samcro. The looks between him and Jax? Raw, powerful, felt, unforgettable. Charlie Hunnam delivered, maybe, his best performance to date on the show. Kudos to them, Adam Arkin (Zobelle) and Harold Perrineau (Augustus, what the hell are you doing? D:)
ReplyDeleteI couldn't disagree more :) How Jax handles everything from this point on will be very interesting, I think he will really start to struggle at keeping everything balanced. I was in on this interview too, and Kurt hinted at how Pope being brought into the mix too this season will also be a catalyst for him too. Essentially he will have three different role models he can explore, his father, Clay and now Pope who is the middle road between the previous two.
ReplyDeleteSo will he quit gun running/the club (Dad), go deeper into it all (Clay), or have a very respectable public face, yet still be able to get his hands dirty when needsbe (Pope)?
For me, he's lost his link to having a heart and a sense of justice. I don't care which way he goes because it is all meaningless at this point. Clay won't pay for his sins, Jax can't win out over darkness because darkness has won. There was the potential for him to finally do the right thing about Donna and Piney it was just delayed, for him to stand up to Clay's ends justify the means selfish mentality. But that potential is gone because he never made it right and now he can't. He delayed too long to satisfy his own needs and there isn't a question of which road he will take: he is Clay whether he admits it or not, the rest is just details--guns, drugs, riding a bike, whatever.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I hardly think he is at that point at the moment. Besides, I think it's very pestamistic, and a lil unfair on Kurt, to assume we can tell where he's going to go with the story over the next 2 years. I'm pretty sure that he will continue to writes great stuff rather than just let it all just peter out :)
ReplyDeleteI agree that it might still be exciting, but it can't be redemptive (for me). And that was what I was waiting for, that was what was creating the "which path will Jax choose" dramatic tension. Without the option for redemption all the paths are the same, and I'm just not invested like I used to be.
ReplyDeleteThat's a shame, I hate it when a favourite show starts sucking :( As a life long Doctor Who fan it's something that kinda happens on a regular basis, so I should be more used to it I guess, lol.
ReplyDeleteI'm still hoping that Clay gets his redemption, thou i have a feeling it will be Jax who goes down with him in true Shakespearean style :( :) :(
Well, lets remember we are closer to the ending than we are to the beginning now. At some point Jax has to make a choice that is the point of no return for him. Waiting until the last episode of the series or the last season to make that point is a bit disingenuous, since we wouldn't really get to see HOW that choice affects him and those around him. It seems at this point that Jax is pretty clearly and permanently on the road of SAMCRO and not trying to get out. Now the question (which still hasn't been answered) is does he lose his way completely and turn into Clay or does he find some way to still be a good man who occasionally does (or orders people to do) very bad things. The major path (Staying in SAMCRO or leaving) seems to be decided. How it changes him as a person is still up in the air. Although at the moment with his declarations about being fine with letting Tig die, etc it certainly seems like he is falling hard and fast. Which is fine. I personally never thought (or really wanted) him to be redeemed. I wanted him to fall and become the same sort of monster that killed his father. In this show, I want no happy endings because that is (realistically) not the life these people live.
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