It was always going to come to this, but I don’t think anyone wanted to admit it. After his showdown with Father Ashby last week, Jax is seriously considering leaving Abel behind in Ireland so that he may grow up in a life that doesn’t involve guns, pornstars and murder. But before he makes his decision, he at least wants to make sure that his son is in good hands. When Jax arrives at the orphanage, however, the head nun tells him that Abel has already been adopted and refuses to reveal any information about the couple. Gemma isn’t particularly happy about this revelation and decides to hold one of the other babies at gunpoint until she gets some answers. It was a pretty sadistic thing to do, but the nun clearly believed that Gemma was capable of following through on her threat, so she gave Jax the couple’s name and the hotel they’re staying at in the interim.
Jax convinces Gemma to let him stake out the situation on his own, and when he follows the couple from the hotel to an outdoor market, he gets a chance to observe just how well they’re caring for Abel. It’s probably the first time we’ve seen Jax smile all season long, and although the thought of letting Abel go brings him to tears, he ultimately decides that it’s in his best interest. Of course, Gemma doesn’t agree, and will do whatever it takes to convince him otherwise – even if that means revealing Tara’s little secret.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t have much control in the matter, as the decision is pretty much made for him when they learn that Jimmy O has murdered the couple and taken Abel hostage after torturing (and then killing) Sean Casey for information on his whereabouts. Jimmy just wants safe passage to the United States and is offering Abel’s return in exchange. The IRA council agrees to Jimmy’s deal, but on one condition: that SAMCRO kills him when they get back to the States. And as an added bonus, the IRA offers the Sons the chance to expand their gun trade by making them their main contact for the Northwest region. And apparently, Father Ashby is also part of the deal, as he’s agreed to go as Jimmy’s hostage in trade for Abel. Jax seems to think that means Ashby has signed his death sentence by getting in the car with Jimmy, but I feel like we haven’t seen the last of him yet.
