Giving Back

First, no television show could possibly recreate for viewers exactly how things are inside an OMC (outlaw motorcycle club). I think that SoA goes as far as it can in the re-creation but then, by necessity, stops. An example of that would be how the family atmosphere inside Samcro is overly sugar coated in some scenes. On the other hand, showing the sweeter side of the club members is essential to developing their characters. How well that is done may be reflected in the eventual success or failure of this show.


Sons of Anarchy is good entertainment if you aren't too picky about occasional scenes that are just plain vulgar. You'll also have to be able to tolerate characters such as Tig, who is being revealed bit-by-bit as a more complicated character than many viewers would have suspected earlier in the season. I cannot forget or forgive that was Tig who said, "No wonder I beat up hookers," when he was feeling exasperated by Gemma. But it seems the real threat from him isn't to hookers, it is the level of resistance he has against Jaz's attempts to legitimize the club. That may show an even darker side of Tig than we have already seen.

I can't wait until next season!! By the way, in case you don't know, each episode of SoA is available for purchase for less than $2 here on amazon.

This show is great, especially if you're a fan of tv shows like The Sopranos. Having said that, be aware of what you're getting into--there is swearing, but, much like The Sopranos, the characters are so fascinating that you don't care about the vulgarity. If anything, it makes it seem more realistic. This show has given me a completely different perspective on things I had never thought a lot about. I especially love that a woman--the character Gemma--is playing a leading role when crime dramas typically only showing men as part of the action. The part is played wonderfully, and to be honest I don't have any idea what the one-star reviewer is talking about. Give it a chance and watch the first episode because it will probably hook you in. If you can't stand swearing, vulgarity, and violence, go watch everybody loves raymond.

This show is nothing more than some actors riding around on bikes and cursing. For starters, the entire script is basically almost solid curse words. That's right, any person could have written this script line...just say the same bad word over and over for an hour and you've seen the whole show. The acting is bad too...the plot makes no sense, it is loaded with violence (which doesn't even seem real since the people who get shot are totally fine in the next scene), and no one ever gets caught. Some news reporter compared this show to Shakespeare's Hamlet...what a disgrace to English Literature. Katey Sagal's part as Gemma Teller-Morrow makes little sense in the story line...oh wait, her husband just happens to be the producer, so I guess that means he had to create a part in the show for her. I'm not sure what the purpose of the show is (other than to say curse words a few hundred times per episode), and honestly, you'd think they'd at least have a larger vocabulary of slang rather than just use the same bad word in a repetitive fashion. This show is disgusting, violent, and probably the worst TV show of the year.

This show is sending an inappropriate message out to young viewers, and it really needs to be canceled.

interesting story, compelling actors and great dialogue. most shows never get as good as this one is right out of the gate. the PILOT was awesome. cannot wait to see the rest.

has the feel of a movie instead of tv. katie segal ROCKS.

The timing of Sons is obviously gauged to take advantage of the latest mid-life crisis which requires men my age to buy Harleys and spend their weekends pretending to be outlaw bikers.

Sons of Anarchy shows real potential as a worthy successor to The Sopranos - The Complete Series episodic brand of voyeurism. Sons offers to take us into the lives of those who live outside the social contracts (or constraints) most of us take for granted. However, unlike The Sopranos, the Sons are not a criminal version of royalty (a status bestowed by endless viewings of The Godfather DVD Collection .) Instead they are, (as described by another reviewer) "relatable." These are, for the most part, average joes, who've chosen to live outside the requirement to be a part of the herd or to "go along to get along."

Whether we actually practice it or not, the American ideal (or myth) is that of the rugged individualists, who band together to oppose the bureaucracy that wants to force these square pegs into round holes. Think of Rooster Cogburn in True Grit.

And that's the legend that Sons of Anarchy is based on. The basic concept is that the SAMCRO's (Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club - Redwood Originals) are latter-day Knights Errant. Following in the footsteps of Jesse James and John Dillinger (if you believe that they were only stealing from the villainous landlord or grasping banker and not the hard-working farmer) these outlaw bikers exist to protect their community from the evils of dope-dealing white supremacists and the rival Mayan motorcycle club. And that's where they lost me, at least a little bit.

I grew up in Fontana, California, with a family full of 1 %'ers (the one-percenter nom de plume arose after the 1947 Hollister riots, when the America Motorcycle Association famously proclaimed that "99% of motorcycle riders were decent citizens" and "1%" were outlaws.) The brotherhood is undeniable - every member was loyal to the patch and would do anything and everything he could to help another brother.

But the loyalty was entirely to the club - if you weren't patched you were just strangers, worthy of no more consideration than the bug that slammed into your teeth as you roared your Harley down Route 66. The idea of them banding together to protect their city, or even their block, just left me a little incredulous. However, I'm nit-picking - this is fiction and I need to be more forgiving.

So now that I've aired my petty grievances, let me tell you what I loved.

This is probably the finest cast on the small screen I've seen in a long, long time. Even though the story is theoretically about Jackson "Jax" Teller (played by Charlie Hunnam), it was Rob Perlman (of Hellboy fame) and Katey Sagal (finally escaping from Married with Children) that were the most realistic characters and really made the show. While Jax is an interesting character and was obviously designed drive the main themes of the show, I couldn't help but wonder how this brooding prince (think Hamlet) was able to rise to the level of vice-prez without committing some horrific act of violence, which the show promises to have a lot of.

Sons was created by Kurt Sutter, a writer and executive producer on The Shield so you know he's going to keep this series gritty and as realistic as possible.

Sons promises a lot and I'm looking forward to the next episode. Now if only I could convince my wife to let me buy a Harley...