Sons of Anarchy preview for Turas, thoughts on Lochan Mor, Contest, Recipe and more

By April MacIntyre Oct 29, 2010, 22:21 GMT

Maureen and Gemma face off, John Teller left a souvenir in Ireland...Episode: “Turas” (Season 3, Episode 9) Airs: FX, Tuesdays, 10pm Image courtesy of FX

Apparently the snakes were not completely driven out of Ireland.

The festering anger and frustration has turned our fair Jax (Charlie Hunnam) inward, quiet and calculating as he realizes everybody over in the Emerald Isle is feeding him half-truths, bald-faced lies and trying to kill him when they aren't spilling more porky pies (lies) about where his son Abel has been shunted off too.  He is in a holding pattern until he learns more of the puzzle pieces he is fielding, and swallows bile and turns to Agent June Stahl (Ally Walker) as backup intel.

Despite Gemma's (Katey Sagal) impatience to act, Jax has too much in the balance (his son's life, mum's immunity), as his shaky truce with Agent June Stahl is precarious at best.  Ally Walker has never been better in this secondary role; she has lit the house on fire with her scene stealing moments. Stahl has a lot of sexual energy, like a cat in heat, and obviously, based on her new lesbian fling, she will screw (literally and figuratively) just about anyone.

Gemma, bless her, is ready to rip someone's godd*amn head off.  If you are a loyal SOA watcher, you know she's a woman of action. Especially appreciated was the opening scene where she had the balls to shove the Irish guy over in the lorry, ramming the corrupt Irish police who were acting on Jimmy O's orders.

A moment of high praise for Titus Welliver (Jimmy O), our sneering, cunning evil Irishman.  He's a right bastard and a joy to watch.  The guy knocks backs whiskey shots like they're water and remains razor sharp.  Gotta love the Irish and their third leg.

Another standout is Tommy Flanagan's pained Chibs, back in his UK stomping grounds and trying to reconnect with his daughter, who is firmly in the grasp of her step-dad Jimmy O.  Fiona still loves Chibs, but their family has been so fractured by deeds and time, what becomes of them is still up in the air.

Hands down, the new turdblossom (thank you Karl Rove) is Jacob Hale (Jeff Kober), embittered over his brother's death, who has tried to seduce our returned white supremacist Darby (Mitch Pileggi) with some hefty cheddar to rough up Lumpy Feldstein, a beloved Holocaust survivor/boxing gym owner and friend of SAMCRO.

Pileggi is such a fine actor, that despite his nefarious doings in town, his reputation, he now plays Darby with a glimmer of redemptive soul. Watching him process Hale's offer, then revisiting his past in the gym with Lumpy, you sense Darby is slightly turning away from the dark, as if the fire was a rebirth of his spirit. He is a wildcard and I am fascinated at how Sutter & Co. will script his character out, especially knowing we have another season to look forward too. I hope Darby stays around, and surprises us some more.

Some other smaller secondary characters like Chucky (Michael Marisi Ornstein) are pure gold.  The sheer talent of the entire ensemble is what makes this story hum, even during small sputters and gaps in story. Major love for William Lucking (Piney) who is the defacto referee between my secret husband Kim Coates (Tig) and Kenny "Got Guns?" Johnson (Kozik), as their moments of comic relief comes in form of ball busting and sucker punches.  Hey, guys like that have to release that testosterone somehow.  Dayton Callie (Chief Unser) is our SAMCRO Jiminy Cricket, listening to everyone's story and taking it all in, and choosing his battles more carefully.

Now, as we head to the next episode of "Turas", the action is spliced nicely as the weight of Tara's (Maggie Siff, who is shining this season)  "condition" forces her hand, but without any spoilers, her fate is a great unknown, as is Jax's unborn child.  An unfortunate event (abortion) for Lyla (Winter Ave Zoli) bonds her to Tara, as the Doctor takes her to an appointment for treatment. We will also find out some super juicy delicious twists with someone close to Tara, and that is all your're getting out of me. I don't want Otto and Gemma on my ass.

Fans of celtic rock are eating the music up with a spoon in these Irish episodes, brilliant remix of the opening theme, and spot-on placement of the right songs in the right moments.

Episode: “Turas” (Season 3, Episode 9)  Airs: FX, Tuesdays, 10pm

Official tagline: What’s next: The club embarks on a protection run, the likes of which they’ve never seen before.

Monsters & Critics Bonus:

Delicious M&C kitchen tested super easy bonafide Irish recipe to make in a Crock Pot, for the Tuesday SOA party:

Beef and Irish Stout Stew

Prep Time:
30 Min
Cook Time:
3 Hrs
Ready In:
3 Hrs 30 Min

Yield 6 servings
 
Ingredients

    * 2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
    * 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
    * 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    * 1 pinch salt and ground black pepper to taste
    * 1 pinch cayenne pepper
    * 2 large onions, chopped
    * 1 clove garlic, crushed
    * 2 tablespoons tomato paste
    * 1 1/2 cups Irish stout beer (such as Guinness®)
    * 2 cups chopped carrot
    * 1 sprig fresh thyme
    * 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Directions

   1. Toss the beef cubes with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Dredge the beef in this to coat.
   2. Heat the remaining oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef, and brown on all sides. Add the onions, and garlic. Stir the tomato paste into a small amount of water to dilute; pour into the pan and stir to blend. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
   3. Pour 1/2 cup of the beer into the pan, and as it begins to boil, scrape any bits of food from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. This adds a lot of flavor to the broth. Pour in the rest of the beer, and add the carrots and thyme. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley.

BONUS x2

I will send the first person who Twitter's me their SOA Beef Stew / Party pictures a complete DVD set from season 2, brand new Sons of Anarchy Season 2 (regular DVD)
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/AprilMac

Congratulations to last week's SOA signed poster winner, @kat_brown who made a kick ass Irish Soda Bread and Twittered me her picture: