I specify “season three” because there are certain things that make this one pretty season-specific. Certain things that can always count, too, but hey. (Also, we were doing a full series rewatch before starting season four, so I’m woefully behind. I know. I know. It’s awful.) This drinking game has the special honor of being the first one I actually played with liquor (sips, not shots, but if you really wanted to get toasted, that would work too, I suppose; also, we didn’t do the chug, but we noted it for future reference).
So, sip/shot when:
- There is a bro hug scene. We were originally thinking count every single bro hug, but you’d be unconscious before one episode was over. So, any time there’s a bro hug scene, then an extra hit if Clay (Ron Perlman) or Tig (Kim Coates) is involved. Which is… you know, most of the times, but hey.
- And for the record, ladies can be included in bro hugs. Any club member-to-Gemma (Katey Sagal) counts. Certain Tara (Maggie Siff) hugs count: her hugs with Jax (Charlie Hunnam) are romantic in nature, and therefore don’t count, but towards the end of her ordeal with Margaret Murphy (McNally Sagal) there’s a hug, and the good administrator has earned bro hug status, and also her hugging certain club members totally counts.
- Someone (usually Clay, Gemma, Jax, Maureen [Paula Malcomson], or Trinity [Zoe Boyle]) says “my/his son/boy/child/grandson” – this requires specifying, because it only counts if it’s in reference to Jax’s son Abel. Gemma saying “my son” about Jax doesn’t count.
- Someone says “family.” Anyone can count here. Clay, Gemma, Jax, Tara, Maureen, Trinny, Opie (Ryan Hurst), Lyla (Winter Ave Zoli), Piney (William Lucking), Kellan Ashby (James Cosmo), Jimmy (Titus Welliver), Chibs (Tommy Flanagan), Stahl (Ally Walker), one of the random adoption farm nuns, a member of the Belfast charter, Chuckie (Michael Ornstein), Jacob Hale (Jeff Kober), Unser (Dayton Callie), Ally Lowen (Robin Weigert), Agent Tyler (Pamela J. Gray), literally anyone. I list all of those people because, seriously, all of those people have a good chance of saying “family.” It gets said a lot. And they don’t have to mean blood family, of course. We all know that’s not the only kind of family. Especially in the world of the Sons.
- Jax has a knowing/”I am so clearly smarter than everyone else in this room”/all too aware look on his face. This happens… well, a lot. Jax pretty much always knows more than everyone in the room, except for when it came to Trinny, but that’s not his fault. Entirely.
Chug when:
- Tara’s cleavage becomes more obvious. (I’ve noticed this happening; as she gets in deeper with the club, she shows more cleavage. Also more shoulder, but that’s less exciting.)
–your fangirl heroine.
