18 replies to this topic

[Raider Duck]

Seriously, what happened to Wendy?

She was so dedicated to Abel and his upbringing, and then disappears?

She's content to let Tara raise her child?

Her kid is kidnapped and forcibly taken to Ireland, and she never even makes a phone call?

If she's dead or something, then mention it. Otherwise, it's just sloppy writing. Someone tuning in during Season Two and never going back would probably think Abel is Tara's child.

If Drea de Matteo wasn't available, they should have either recast it or mentioned Wendy's death. As it stands, she was an interesting character who had a weird dynamic with Gemma, but the whole thing was inexplicably dropped (hence the Chuck Cunningham reference).

[Beautiful Leah]

I think her absence was mostly due to practical off-screen reasons ( DDM was first on Desperate Housewives and then having a baby IRL). However, while I've never doubted that Wendy loved her child, I don't find it too unbelievable that a mix of insecurity and fear of Gemma would lead her to let Jax be the parent who had primary custody of Abel. What definitely is unbelievable is that we would never ever hear about her, especially after Abel was kidnapped... even a throwaway line about where she is and how she's doing would be better than ignoring her like the writers have done thus far.

[Cher123]

I found it odd and downright stupid. I mean the writing NEVER mentioned anything about Wendy signing away her rights to her son but in season 3 we have Jax wanting to leave "the kid" with practical strangers with no input from Wendy. I mean seriously!!

In truth Season 3 had so many issues with regards to plot, pacing, character assassinations etc., that Wendy wasn't even a blib on my radar until someone mentioned it me. Sutter can produce a bunny out of a hat (Stahl's lover/partner) but totally forget to mention anything about Abel's mother while the tot was kidnapped.

[Raider Duck]

I mean the writing NEVER mentioned anything about Wendy signing away her rights to her son but in season 3 we have Jax wanting to leave "the kid" with practical strangers with no input from Wendy.

Exactly. Let's suppose Jax just leaves Abel with those Irish parents and goes home. Wendy then shows up six months later wanting to see her child, and Jax says "I gave him to this Irish family." Forget just making the news; this would be an international incident (with embassies, State Departments and everything else) as Wendy tries to get her kid back, and would bring SAMCRO, SAMBEL and everyone they do business with all kinds of unwanted publicity.

The show is acting like Wendy is dead; if she is, they ought to say so or otherwise explain her disappearance. Doing neither is contemptuous of the audience.

[Amester0120]

I think they have to mention something about Wendy. Because I'll admit I don't know a lot about custody law but I think it's unlikely that the state would let Tara, who's not his stepmother or his legal guardian, take care of Abel with Jax in prison.

[thatguy01]

In California, the state probably wouldn't object to any responsible person who accepted temporary guardianship with parental consent.

If Wendy didn't renounce her parental rights (which she shouldn't have; if Wendy is unfit, a custody agreement is adequate protection for Abel), she could stick an oar in if she wants. Jax's situation is a material change that would make any current Jax/Wendy custody agreement worthy of review if Wendy asks, IMO. If Wendy is willing and able, there's no reason she shouldn't have custody instead of granting guardianship to Tara. Wendy is his mother, Tara isn't, and his father isn't available.

Edited by thatguy01, Aug 26, 2011 @ 9:34 AM.

[Raider Duck]

If Wendy is willing and able, there's no reason she shouldn't have custody instead of granting guardianship to Tara. Wendy is his mother, Tara isn't, and his father isn't available.

With Wendy's well-documented history of drug abuse (including Jax's very premature birth because of it), a family court could easily award temporary custody to Gemma; she's Abel's grandmother, solidly married, and gets a steady income from (as far as the court is concerned) the Teller-Morrow auto shop. Abel would continue to live with Tara for the most part, but the court wouldn't need to know that.

All this illustrates how easily they could have handwaved Wendy's absence in one way or another, instead of just turning her into an Unperson.

[thatguy01]

The burden would be on Jax, though. Only Jax and Wendy have legal standing as Abel's parents. If Wendy requested custody because Jax is in prison, the Teller-Morrow clan would have to demonstrate that she's unfit. Jax would have to demonstrate that he has adequate care arrangements while in prison if Wendy demanded it, whether or not she gets custody. IIRC, Jax is in prison (his second prison sentence?) for shooting up a church service, Gemma was wearing a government issued ankle bracelet when we saw her last, and Tara was rescued after she and a colleague were kidnapped by a member of Jax's criminal underworld. Abel had been kidnapped out of Tara's arms by another member of Jax's criminal underworld, but I don't know whether that's in the record or whether Wendy would know for the hearing.

Note that all of the details of Tara's kidnapping are on record: The Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club (Jax Teller, VP) was tasked with murdering a heroin dealer and stealing a quarter of a million dollars from him.

"No, ma'am. We're just mechanics and Harley enthusiasts."

"I see. I notice that you aren't listed with Mr Trager, Mr Kozik, and Mr Winston in the federal report when they made contact with Agent Stahl."

"That's right. I was in Belfast."

"The Belfast in Northern Ireland? Weren't you under bond and sworn to stay in California?"

"Yes. Abel had been kidnapped by a faction of the Irish Republican Army."

That custody hearing would be worth the price of admission, esp if Wendy were able to recount Jax's drug use and criminal actions during the same period that the Teller Morrows were describing Wendy's acts. The big risk to Abel is that the court would put him in state care instead of letting any of these people near him.

Edited by thatguy01, Aug 26, 2011 @ 2:34 PM.

[Nysha]

Her kid is kidnapped and forcibly taken to Ireland, and she never even makes a phone call?

I thought the fact that Abel was kidnapped was never publicized, which would explain why Wendy never tried to contact Jax. Plus, Wendy would have to reach out to the courts about Abel, they're not going to seek her out unless they have reason to believe Tara and/or Gemma are not going to be fit guardians. I could see her not wanting to challenge Gemma over Abel, since she did kind of try to kill her once already.

[thatguy01]

Assuming that Jax has Abel through a custody agreement, Wendy may need to be notified either by the court or by Jax' attorney, because Wendy agreed to give Jax custody, not a third party. A period long enough to require temporary legal guardianship probably requires review of the custody agreement.

[Beautiful Leah]

I'm not sure how things would work from a legal POV, but, as I said, from a character one I don't find it too unbelievable that Wendy wouldn't seek custody. She seems a very fragile person, with not a lot of confidence in herself, plus as soon as she was left alone with the baby she panicked and felt helpless. I wonder if, aside from the fact that she was in love with Jax, the reason why she wanted to be part of the Teller-Morrow family so much was that so she wouldn't have had to raise the baby alone. More importantly, with the exception of the little S3 Irish orphan Wendy is the person who has seen Gemma at her scariest. I don't think she'd ever risk to experience the full force of her wrath again.

Edited by Beautiful Leah, Aug 28, 2011 @ 4:51 AM.

[Brandon]

In fact Gemma made it very clear what would happen to Wendy if she tried to get the courts involved.

Given that the club was willing to murder federal agents I imagine making a known drug disappear probably isn't that big of a deal.

[momallrat]

According to a poster in the speculation thread, there was a "deleted scene" (the ones they do with stills and script pages) for 4x01 that explains that Wendy gave Tara custody rights for Abel

[Raider Duck]

And it looks like Wendy is returning. Since the deleted scene in question may or may not be canon, does she try to take Abel?

BTW, the scene is available on the SOA mobile App (or at least the Android version).

[TWoP Howard]

It’s possible that she saw the news of the shooting and just wanted to make sure that Abel was okay. However, she probably could make a good case that Abel is in more danger with his father and Tara than he would be with her, especially since Wendy looks cleaned up. That might be enough of a change in circumstances for a judge to reopen the custody agreement.

At least we’ll know for sure about the custody arrangements after she shows up.

[nicepebbles]

Depending on how they proceed with Wendy, it could make sense as to why she shows up. Not having seen the episode with her return yet, I'm just like another SL added to the quagmire that is SOA. I need a diagram to keep it all straight.

[Raider Duck]

I definitely hope it's more than just a one-time reappearance. Wendy and Gemma had such an awesome dynamic in Season 1: They kind of liked each other, but not really. They kind of respected each other, but not really. They reminded me of a cobra and mongoose endlessly facing off.

There was a tension that I've never really gotten from Gemma and Tara (even as awesome as Katey Sagal and Maggie Siff are).

Edited by Raider Duck, Nov 17, 2011 @ 4:04 PM.

[justcause]

Agreed Raider - I watched the whole series in about a week after a friend got me hooked about a month back. Going back and watching this complicated chess game unfold has been extra interesting by the dynamic weight Gemma (Katey) brings to the material.

And seeing Wendy and Gemma have that slick banter makes me excited to see those two continue to taunt each other. If Wendy is clean and with Gemma looking like raw meat... possibilities are endless as to this game of cat and mouse.

Love this show!

[nicepebbles]

It makes sense why Wendy showed up. I still wonder why Sutter & Co decided this is a necessary SL at this point though.

My hope is that Wendy tells Gemma to fuck off since she's got shit to do with it. She's desperately holding on to some power she has no right to have. This is between Jax, Tara and Wendy.

The only thing I blame Wendy for is not waiting until Tara was out of the hospital. Out of courtesy she should've said we'll talk later. Other than that, she has every right to tell them she wants to know her son now rather than later. She's already missed out on a lot. It's her own fault and she's taken responsbility for that. I'm not going to condemn her for the rest of her life for the bad decisions she's made. She's doing better. People deserve second chances.

Given all the shit Jax has done, he wants a second chance [snip]. Why not Wendy? Besides, she didn't return like gangbusters and seem ungrateful. She could've got laywers involved from the get go. She didn't.

Tara's reaction is no one's fault but her own.

Edited by TWoP Howard, Dec 3, 2011 @ 1:55 AM.
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