Giving Back

Season 1, Episode 5, Aired
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Episode Summary

A former Samcro member, who was the cause of Opie's arrest, creates tension at a town fund-raiser. In an attempt at a huge payoff Clay must protect a parolee. Meanwhile, the club is still under investigation.
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Fan Episode Reviews (2)

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  • Up until now the audience has seen the kind hearted side of Jax, as he explores the inner thinkings of his fathers written words by reading his journals.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By augcast, May 24, 2011 Report Abuse
    However, with this new episode we are greeted with just how ruthless and far down the rabbit hole Jax has already fallen. We hear from Opie that he would rather die then be ostracized as Kyle from the club, as Jax whole heartedly agree's with him.

    We haven't really seen or understand just how ruthless or unforgiving Jax really is until he persuades an old "friend" (Kyle) into believing that his plea's of being forgiven have been heard. Of which he is invited back to the club house for a sit down.

    Once Kyle arrives the sinister plans begin to take shape as the entire group circle around the fallen member and issue out a unfortunate plan for him. Kyle, being an old member had not removed all tattoo's baring the clubs sign or colors as he should have - which leaves the current members to remove them for him by a show of force. They do so by Kyle's choosing of either removing the tattoo with a knife or by fire, of which he reluctantly chooses fire. Now by all means, the Jax we've gotten to know so far would have possibly stopped the torture and elected to only beat or show some sort of pity on Kyle. But we are taken for a different ride on this episode where Jax sits back and watches an old friend have his entire back burned off with a blow torch.

    For me, it was refreshing to see just how unforgiving the characters really are, but I must say it also left me wanting Jax to step up and begin running this club with better views & morals exactly as his father once believed in.moreless

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    3 2

  • A nice episode with a cruel ending.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By rothlinks, May 24, 2011 Report Abuse
    I liked this episode although it was not as good as the last one. It combined two different stories, which were not really linked to each other, but still interesting to watch. The story about the guy coming out of prison was nice written and somehow funny (he has a masturbating tic) but, for me, it wasn't nessecary to have it in this episode. It didn't help to develop the characters and the time could have been used better (maybe explaing more about how and why Opie was arrested?). On the other hand the story about the former member of SAMCROW, Kyle, who was the cause for Opie's arrest, was great. It showed again the dark side of Jax and SAMCROW. I really didn't expect him, although he's a antihero, to let this disturbing and frightening end of the episode happen. Jax lures Kyle to the club house, where they remove the SAMCROW tattoo from his back with a blowtorch. How cruel was that!?! Watching Jax just sitting by, told a lot about what he is and how much he has to change to follow his father's footsteps and become a better man. Again, the performances of Perlman and Sagal are still one of the best on todays TV. I really like them. Watching Gemma sitting and smoking at the end, after she had to tell Kyle's Ex that she should drive to the hospital, was just awesome. And, as I think, showed a different side of Gemma. She knows that she's also responsible for what happend (she talked Clay into letting Kyle come to the fund-raiser in the first place) and obviously she's not happy with that. She still has a conscience.

    But what I hope for the show is that they start to devolp the overall arc a little bit further. There are so many pieces that could be put together, the Nevada section of Samcrow, the Mayans, the racist gang, the federal agent, Gemma and Clay, Jax vs. Clay, the rich guy who's daughter was raped, the deputy, Jax and his exwife,... I'm wondering what's happening next.

    (Sorry for my bad english, I'm not a native)moreless

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    2 3
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • Kurt Sutter, the creator of the show, plays the role of Otto in this episode. This is not the first time he appears as an actor in a TV Show. In The Shield (for which he was a writer) he appeared as mob hitman Margos Dezerian. Edit

  • Notes

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    • International Episode Titles: Czech Republic: Vyrovnání účtů (Settling the Score) Edit
    • Featured Music: "Hey" by Fu Manchu "Make You Move" by Danielia Cotton "Tail Wags the Dog" by Gia Ciambotti "Tail Walkin Texas Trash" by Jesse Dayton "Yum Dom Cha" by Jin "Keep It Easy" by Michael Sackler-Berner "Excelsior Lady" by The Donkeys "I'm Eighteen" by Alice Cooper Edit
    • Original International Air Dates:
      Canada: November 17, 2008 on Super Channel 1
      Australia: April 30, 2009 on Showcase
      United Kingdom: June 9, 2009 on Bravo
      Finland: April 6, 2010 on Sub
      Czech Republic: January 30, 2011 on Prima COOL
      Slovakia: January 29, 2012 on JOJ Plus Edit

  • Quotes

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    • Opie: Well I'd better get back to the fireworks or your mom's gonna be stuffing gun powder up my ass. Jax: Ya, I'm sure we're all on the Gemma s*** list by now. Clay: I live on that s*** list. Edit
    • Gemma: I love you. Clay: That love's gonna kill me. Edit
    • Clay: Fire or knife? Jax: Answer him. Kyle: Jax, I...fire. Edit

  • Allusions

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    • Clay: I see you got an offer I can't refuse. This line is a take on Don Corleone's line "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" from the movie The Godfather. Edit

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