'Sons of Anarchy': Tommy Flanagan, Theo Rossi talk 'Toil and Till'

Tuesday’s episode of Sons of Anarchy, “Toil and Till,” saw SAMCRO strike the first blow to unravel Henry Lin’s business and Juice make a decision about captive Unser. Tommy Flanagan and Theo Rossi share their take on key moments. Read our recap here.

Tommy Flanagan on SAMCRO teaming with the Indian Hills charter to take down some of Lin’s crew and buyers.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let’s talk about the scene where Jax and Chibs go after that guy trying to escape and—

Flanagan: Oh, when I’m flying in the back of the truck doing all my own stunts, by the way. All my own stunts.

That wasn’t all you.

(Laughs) Fifty-fifty, let’s say, and that’s just because I’m being kind to the stunt man. There’s actually so much more of me but…

What part do you want to claim you did yourself? Hanging off the side of the truck?

That was me. I swear to God that was me. I managed to pull myself into that truck several times after being dragged along the road, stood up, and fired my gun and said, “Let’s get these whatever I said.” And I’m old! I told Hunnam after, “You give me all this s–t, you healthy f—er. I’m an old guy.”

How old are you?

Seventy-eight, I think, at last count. I’m 49, actually.

How fast was the truck going when you were standing up firing though?

F—in’ fast. (Laughs) Too f—in’ fast for my likin’. But that’s why you hang on. You got a little safety rope attached to you, but still, it’s a little bit scary. But I love doing stunts, I really do. You always regret it the next day when you wake up. You’re like, “Ouch, ouch, ouch, and ouch. I didn’t know I had muscles here. And that one’s straining here. And that bone’s aching. And this toe’s hurtin’. And this finger’s hurtin’. And my head’s hurtin’. And my neck.” A normal day on Sons.

At the end of the episode, Chibs, Bobby, and Jax go to see the two local guys who helped with the ambush, and instead of giving them money for the crashed truck, they shoot them and make it look like they’re the ones who hit Lin’s exchange. How do you think fans will react to that? Those were two relatively innocent guys, one of whom the guys don’t know is obviously very close to Jury (president of the Indian Hills charter).

I know. That one guy was such a sweet guy, and he got one right through his head. I don’t know. I have a feeling we’ll still get sympathy from the fans. I don’t think that’ll turn them off because we are on this mission to avenge the brutality that was done to Jackie’s family. So I hope they don’t start hatin’ us for being just downright evil. We wear the white hats. It’s like an old cowboy movie: We’re the good guys, you’re the bad guys, and that’s that.

Theo Rossi on Juice’s decision to let Unser go.

When you read the script and saw that Juice takes Unser hostage, was there a part of you going, “Ohmygod, I’m going to kill Unser,” or was it like, “No way, he’s not going to hurt Unser”?

Rossi: Oh, of course you are going to think that for a second. Kurt could open the second episode where you walk up and just cut his throat. I don’t plan anything about where it will go. It can happen that way, especially in the last season. In season three, maybe I would have been like, “Oh, I don’t think so.” Because at the end [of this episode] it was only eleven episodes left, there was a point of, “Maybe. Maybe.”

In your mind, when Juice lets Unser go, is that because he still has hope, or is that him losing all hope so he doesn’t care if Unser goes to Jax?

I think at that point, one, there was that massive glimmer of hope, where it’s like, “Wait a minute, this guy is saying that he might help me.” Let’s be honest, who’s the only communication he’s had up to that point? It’s Gemma. At the same time, I think he’s so exhausted. Truly. I think he’s so exhausted that he’s just like, “Get out of here. What else can happen?” He has nothing that he holds onto, he has nothing that he cherishes anymore. There’s no joking. He has nothing.