Ethan Zobelle

Ethan Zobelle
First appearance	"Albification" (episode 2.01)
Last appearance	"Na Trioblóidí" (episode 2.13)
Created by	Kurt Sutter
Portrayed by	Adam Arkin
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Businessman, leader of the L.O.A.N.
Children	Polly Zobelle (Deceased)
Nationality	American / Hungarian

Ethan Zobelle is a fictional character on the FX television series Sons of Anarchy, played by Adam Arkin.^[1] He is the show's main antagonist in Season Two and is the head of the League of American Nationalists (L.O.A.N.), a white separatist gang who desires to gain a legitimate foothold in Charming and force SAMCRO out.

Biography

Season Two

In the beginning of Season Two, Zobelle moved into Charming and presented himself to the townspeople and local law enforcement as the owner of the newly opened Impeccable Smokes cigar shop on the town's Main Street. Zobelle was introduced to Deputy Chief David Hale through Hale's older brother, Jacob, who hoped to benefit financially from Zobelle's help and the removal of SAMCRO from Charming. Zobelle presented himself as being a means to get SAMCRO out of Charming. Deputy Chief Hale, noting that he knew of Zobelle's racial beliefs, initially refused Zobelle's assistance. Simultaneously, Zobelle almost immediately tried to undermine SAMCRO's iron-fisted rule over the town and threatened dire consequences against the club if they ignored his warnings. He made it clear that his mission was to stop SAMCRO from selling guns to minority gangs and to take over their territory by trying to bring down the MC at any cost, no matter what method his gang has to use. After Clay Morrow, SAMCRO's President, refused to stop selling to minorities, Ethan had Clay's wife, Gemma Teller Morrow, brutally raped and beaten; she was instructed to tell Clay what happened and to stop his dealings with minorities or she would be assaulted again. This did not have the desired effect, as Gemma did not tell Clay of the rape. Deputy Chief Hale, determined to get SAMCRO out of Charming, starts to open himself to Zobelle's help. When Zobelle proposed that they bring in drugs to Charming to undermine the residents' confidence in SAMCRO, Hale is first angered by the idea. Undeterred, with Zobelle and L.O.A.N.'s backing, Ernest Darby and the Nords began producing and selling meth. SAMCRO discovered that the Nords were selling meth and tipped Hale off to the location of Darby's meth lab. When Hale visited the lab site, he said he would come back with a warrant. However, he instead told Chief Wayne Unser that nothing was wrong. With that, Unser and Clay both knew that Hale was working with Zobelle (or, at least, turning a blind eye towards Zobelle's activities). But when Unser told Hale about Gemma's rape at the hands of Zobelle's group, and when Zobelle attempted to force Hale into action by giving him a disc containing a video of Ernest Darby seemingly handing Hale a bribe (actually an envelope with a coupon to Impeccable Smokes), Hale changed his mind about accepting Zobelle's help.

Throughout Season Two, Zobelle and his henchman made several more attempts to remove SAMCRO from Charming, but all were relatively unsuccessful.

Zobelle's dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with SAMCRO came to an end when the bikers were able to convince A.J. Weston that Zobelle was working behind the brotherhood's back by dealing in the gun and heroin trades with the Mayans. Weston killed high-ranking L.O.A.N. member Ule, and assaulted and threatened Zobelle, but ended up being arrested for the arson attack on SAMCRO's pornography studio. With the help of Chief Unser, SAMCRO used the moment of confusion to corner the L.O.A.N. leader and his daughter in their cigar shop. Before Clay could execute Zobelle, Hale and other officers showed up at the scene. To avoid impending death, Zobelle revealed a heroin stash and told the officers that he and his daughter were drug dealers and the two were arrested before the bikers could do anything.

In the Season Two finale, it was revealed that Zobelle was a long-time F.B.I. informant, so he and his daughter were set free. With protection provided by the Mayans, Zobelle was escorted to his cigar shop where he and his daughter waited for an opportunity to flee Charming to avoid SAMCRO's wrath. They made a plan to return "home" to Budapest, but first Polly left to say goodbye to Edmond Hayes. When she didn't return, Zobelle reluctantly left her behind. SAMCRO ambushed the Mayan convoy, but Zobelle escaped, seeking refuge in a gas station's store/deli, which happened to be occupied by school children. He attempted to call Hale for assistance, but Hale ultimately brushed him off, and merely informed him of Polly's death with no sympathy. Zobelle's life was miraculously spared when a more pending issue, that of Jax's son being kidnapped, caused the Sons to depart in haste. He escaped and was last seen booking a flight out of a small private airport.

References