SO (Sons of Anarchy)

Jax is distraught in the wake of Abel's disappearance. Hale is moving into the office of the chief, a position that he states will soon be official. His brother, Jacob, apologizes for bringing Zobelle to Charming, and states that he never intended things to escalate as far as they did. Jacob also tells Hale that he is continuing with his campaign to be mayor of Charming, and asks for "the support of the chief." Hale agrees to support his brother. As the Sons go out to look for Cameron, he remains neutral. Jax attempts to break up with Tara because he believes he is ruining her life, but she remains loyal to him and refuses to leave. SAMCRO buries Half-Sack with over 50 full-patch members from California, Washington, Nevada, and Oregon as well as numerous former military colleagues in attendance. A three-piece kutte is draped over his casket during the service, implying that SAMCRO posthumously patched him in. At the wake, Clay tells Jax that he has to be strong to inspire his SAMCRO brothers. Hale keeps vigil over Half-Sack's funeral which is being attended by numerous Sons Of Anarchy members and associates. Jacob meets him there and reiterates his disgust for the gang and the apparent outpouring of support for them. Hale explains that people, including those in Charming, don't like to see SAMCRO vulnerable since it makes everyone uncomfortable. Later into the funeral, an unknown party, later revealed to be the Calaveras MC, commits a drive-by shooting, injuring and killing several attendees. Hale tries to stop them by getting in front of their van and firing at the driver, but is killed when the vehicle runs him over. Jacob and Unser both futilely rush towards his bloodied body as the van speeds off. When a woman's son is shot in the drive-by after the wake, Jax finally loses it and continually bashes the gunman's head into the pavement until his fellow Sons pull him away.

In an interview, series creator and executive producer, Kurt Sutter, explained that the decision to kill Hale in the season premiere was motivated by Sheridan's desire to move on to another project.[1]

Some critics felt the third season was dragged down by the previous season's cliffhanger.[2][3] James Poniewozik of TIME called the season three premiere "breathtaking" and praised Sagal’s performance with Holbrook.[4] He later stated that Abel's disappearance helped return the show to its central problem: Jax's allegiance to the club.[5]

IGN gave "SO" an 8.5/10.0 rating, stating: "'So' was a very good episode with a few bad scenes (hey, people will forgive a lot of things if you come up with an ending like that). But more importantly it set a pretty solid tone for Season 3. Jax can retaliate now, and there's more to life than being mad and/or existentially distant. This has the potential to be a very good season for Sons."[6]

Zach Handler of The AV Club gave "SO" a perfect A rating, stating; "I'm also not sure what happens next for Charming and the Sons, but after Half-Sack's wake, and the carnage that follows when a van full of Irish open fire on the mourners, I think it's safe to say there will be more blood coming. There's an uneasy quiet through most of "So," dick-stabbing and all, because it feels like the lines have been drawn very clearly. That quiet is destroyed in the bullet spray, when Hale, the closest thing to an uncorruptible left in Charming, is killed. Now, I'm not sure anyone is going to cry bitter tears over this; the character, who started the show as a potential adversary/moral counterpoint to the Sons, became increasingly irrelevant as the morality of the leads became more complex. His square-jawed sheriff type was never all that interesting, not even when he was screwing around with Stahl. But now that he's gone, the quiet's gone too. Sons feels up in the air right now, like somebody just grabbed everyone and threw them sky-high and we're just waiting to see who lands where. It's an exciting feeling, and it's risky. Jax tries to take Clay's advice in the end and beats the craps out of one of the gunman to show everyone he's still in control, but who knows how long that will last? His son is still missing. And it's a very big ocean between them."[7]