But after witnessing Clay make a similar verbal promise to the Wahewa chief knowing full well that he was lying through his teeth, you could tell that Bobby wasn’t buying Clay’s faux act of sincerity any longer. Not that it really matters, because the decision went through even without his vote, albeit with plenty of drama. Piney should have known better than to go behind Clay’s back and involve Gemma in club business – and it’s likely earned him a permanent spot on Clay’s shit list (not to mention a death threat) as a result – but Gemma also needs to keep her nose out of where it doesn’t belong. Still, the look on her face after Clay’s outburst suggests that she’s never seen that side of him before, so it’ll be curious to see how that affects their relationship going forward.

And at the rate she’s going, Gemma might not have many allies by the time this season is over. She was already pushing her luck by breaking into Tara’s office once, but by doing it again, she was practically begging to get caught, which is exactly what happened when Tara’s boss walked in on her snooping around. That may have forced Gemma’s hand to take the more direct approach and confront Tara about Maureen’s letters, but while she claims that nothing good can come of Jax reading them, Tara seems to believe that she has another agenda – namely, protecting the truth about John Teller’s death. Tara clearly already has her suspicions just from the way she’s been behaving around Clay lately, but the fact that she’s gone through the trouble to make copies of the letters proves that she thinks Gemma is up to no good. SAMCRO’s queen bee may have finally met her match, and I don’t think she’s fully realized it yet.

Meanwhile, after his RICO case was seemingly ruined following the death of his undercover agent, Lincoln has turned his attention to SAMCRO in order to use their criminal dealings with the Russians and Real IRA to keep the investigation alive. He doesn’t have much to go on at the moment besides speculation about the Sons’ involvement with the Galindo cartel, so he sends Roosevelt into town to shake things up by attempting to turn Juice against the club. Apparently, Juice’s biological father is African-American, and Roosevelt thinks that SAMCRO wouldn’t take too kindly to that information. I find it hard to believe that the club would exile Juice because he’s half-black (he doesn’t even look it), so I’m hoping that nothing comes of this revelation, because the writing on this show is far too strong to fall back on such a weak subplot.

And as it just so happens, he’s right, with Alvarez serving as the middle man for introductions between SAMCRO and the Galindo drug cartel, which is run by a guy named Romeo, who, despite being played by the always intimidating Danny Trejo, actually seems like a pretty nice guy as far as drug traffickers go. Clay has struck a lucrative deal with Romeo to provide guns to the cartel, but when Jax learns that their new business venture includes transporting cocaine for them as well, he’s not a happy camper. Though working with Romeo comes with its benefits (namely, protection from the Russians and friends in high place), Jax doesn’t like that Clay has agreed to the deal without speaking to the rest of the club about it first.

There’s a reason for that, of course – no one would ever agree to it – but Clay is so desperate to make some quick money before he’s forced to step down as President that he asks Jax for his backing when he puts it to vote. Though Jax is completely against the idea of getting mixed up in the drug business, he agrees to help out Clay on one condition: when he finally does step down, Clay will back his decision to leave the club and push the vote for Opie to become the new President. Clay has no other choice to agree, but I can’t imagine how Tig or Bobby (who clearly have more seniority than Opie) will react when that day comes. Then again, what’s to say it ever will? Plus, Bobby isn’t on very good terms with Clay after locking horns over the vote, and he’s trying to get Tig on his side by convincing him that they’re no longer part of Clay’s inner circle.

A munity is the last thing the club needs right now, however, because no matter how much the other Sons may disapprove of Clay’s latest deal, they’re going to have an awfully hard time convincing themselves that they don’t need the cartel’s protection after Jax and Opie were kidnapped by the Russians and held for ransom. Clay and the guys did everything they could considering the circumstances (more on that later), but it was Romeo and his crew who ultimately came to the rescue. They may end up being more trouble than they’re worth, but for now, the Galindo cartel is the only thing standing in the way of the ROC (that’s Russian Organized Crime for those who’ve been wondering what that acronym could possibly stand for) from ordering a total massacre of SAMCRO and everyone they love. Things are about to get very interesting in little old Charming.

Other thoughts from the episode:

* For someone who takes law enforcement so seriously, Roosevelt is surprisingly lax about following the rules himself. Not only did he exploit the city’s resources (in this case, what looked like the entire fire department) in order to gain entry into SAMCRO’s clubhouse, but he then proceeded to smash up the place with no reasonable cause. How in the world could that possibly be legal?

* Never one to stay out of trouble for too long, Gemma is surely only going to make the situation involving the mystery behind John Teller’s death worse by snooping around in Jax and Tara’s personal lives. Though Clay explicitly told her to leave things be lest she raise suspicion, Gemma just couldn’t help herself knowing that Tara was in possession of those letters from Maureen.

* Tara’s far too smart not to figure things out eventually (especially considering she already has a copy of the police report from JT’s “accident”), and though Gemma may think she’s more cunning than her, I think that we’re really going to see Tara evolve into more of a traditional “old lady” this season when Gemma tries to cross her.

Clay, Jax and the rest of the guys may be ready to get back to work, but there’s a new sheriff in town in the form of Eli Roosevelt who’s going to do everything in his power to make sure that doesn’t happen. Not only does Roosevelt have the full backing of Jacob Hale (who’s now mayor of Charming and moving ahead with plans to build luxury housing), but he’s a real by-the-books kind of guy with previous experience working with gangs, which apparently SAMCRO is now considered under the letter of the law. He also has another powerful ally in Lincoln Potter (what’s with all the characters named after former presidents?), an Assistant U.S. Attorney who requests Roosevelt’s help on a case that he’s quietly building against the Russians, the Real IRA and SAMCRO that would allow the FBI to take out all three of them in one fell swoop under the RICO Act.

Though the Russians weren’t too happy with the way that SAMCRO double-crossed them at the end of last season (nearly killing Jax in prison as retaliation), the two parties have since managed to make peace in order to continue doing business together. Meeting with Russian boss Putlova over the conditions of that deal was at the top of Clay’s to-do list as soon as he was released from prison. But when he realizes that the club is being watched like a hawk by Roosevelt’s men, the Sons devise a clever plan to distract the cops so that Clay, Jax and Opie can meet with Putlova without anyone knowing. And that ultimately proved to be more important than it was made to seem, because SAMCRO’s newfound partnership with the Russians didn’t last for very long.

You almost have to feel bad for those silly Ruskies, because who would have thought that the Sons would screw them over twice? Getting rid of their new partners may have been a necessary move, and it even helped Clay’s plan to ruin Hale’s housing development by dumping the dead bodies on his land, but they’re going to be in for quite the surprise when they learn that one of the Russians that was killed was actually an undercover FBI agent. It’s hard to tell whether or not that will expedite Lincoln’s investigation or actually buy SAMCRO more time, but as always, I can’t wait to find out.

Other thoughts from the episode:

* It’s cool to see that Kozik was finally voted into the Redwood charter (although word on the street is that Kenny Johnson is only going to be around for a handful of episodes this season), but why is Tig suddenly okay with it? And perhaps more importantly, why do they seem so buddy-buddy all of a sudden? Doesn’t Tig hate Kozik?

* If there’s ever a nuclear holocaust, I’m now convinced that three things will survive: cockroaches, Keith Richards and Otto. I thought for sure that he was a goner after slitting his wrists in the opening montage, but it was just a ploy to get him into the same room as one of the Russians so that he could exact revenge for the attack on Jax. Even still, it’s incredible what this guy has managed to survive over the last few years.

* This isn’t the first time that Clay’s arthritis has been mentioned, but it’s clearly got him thinking about how many more years he has left in the club. Fans shouldn’t worry too much, though, because he’ll likely stick around as long as the show is still on the air.

* And that brings me to my next point. After Jax proposed to Tara, she voiced her concerns about marrying into the outlaw life, leading him to reveal his plans to leave SAMCRO for good once Clay is forced to step down. Unfortunately, I think that they’re going to be waiting a little longer than either of them expects, especially if Gemma has anything to say about it. That woman has a way of always getting what she wants.

* That had to be one of the most unconventional weddings that I’ve ever seen. Opie at least threw on a nice dress shirt underneath his cut, but Lyla looked more like a stripper than a bride. Let’s also not forget that the whole celebration was used as cover for the Sons’ slaughter of the Russians, which is in and of itself pretty hilarious.

* As a fan of “The Shield,” it was great to see David Rees Snell pop up as one of the ATF agents working for Lincoln. I’m not sure how big of a role he’ll play this season, but Benito Martinez is also scheduled to appear, so it’s almost like a mini-reunion. Does anyone want to put a wager on who the next “Shield” alum to guest star will be?