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[Hock]

Okay, I am now officially hooked.
The Sons of Anarchy, FX TV show.

It took two years for me to finally watch some of the reruns.
It's the Hamlet plot.
It's the Sopranos with bikes, violence, sex...
It's a soap opera with just enough of the aforementioned, (did I mention bikes?)

I am hooked and will be watching the season 3 opener next month.

http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/soa/

My only "plot/background" problem is the writers don't give you the feel that SAMCRO is the head of a national charter bike club. They say this but, the scope is too small, with too small a cast.

Hock


 

[JimH]

I like the show also.
Been watching it since the start.

Yes a national chapter with the  headquarters having 10-12 members
and calling for charters to come in and they show 20-30 bikes  is a stretch but it is a good show.

The show sort of lends itself to which is better the Criminal you know who lives in the town and will protect it to a degree,or the criminals you don't who try to take over.

[Hock]

It's a guilty, guilty pleasure...

Hock

[Kelly Knight]

One of the best shows on TV, period. Truly epic. There are other shows that come to my mind of equal quality...most no longer running (Life, Carnivale, Big Love, BSG, Jericho are a few of my other favorites that are similarly epic in scope).

Annent the chapter size issue...my understanding is that because of the "laws" laid down by Teller Sr and Morrow, that is why they are HQ, not because of club size (realistic or not). Additionally, gaining acceptance to the inner circle is clearly very difficult. Gaining your cut is clearly a rare occurrence.

Removal of your back tat is free of charge, apparently.

Additionally, I think Gemma and Clay would want to keep the club tight and controlled, for so many reasons. Look how they try to control Jax at every turn! That would be extremely difficult to do with lots of members. They don't need that many members to control tiny Charming (especially with Chief Unser happily in their pocket) and run the daily business(es). Besides, one cell phone call and they've got hundreds of guys at their beck and call. CA is like that out in the desert...tiny town after tiny town. This ain't Sacramento, LA or any other big city... a perfect town to lay low and ride under the radar.

The creator of the show, Kurt Sutter, plays Blind Otto, is also Katy Sagal's real life husband. His previous experience is on The Shield. He is quoted as saying that he created Sagal's role specifically for her to stretch her considerable acting talents. He was absolutely right on the money, without a doubt.

There are too many really, really interesting things about this show to even get started. A body could go on and on and on! The only disappointment that I can recall is wondering what the hell was going through the actor's mind who played Half Sack wanting off the show?!?! Some people are nuts! He's going to get a better gig?

I love this show. But, I rarely recommend it to anybody. It's rough, brutal in fact. Still, I'm jumping out of my skin for the next season!

Kelly Knight

[arnold]

Why don't they have any cool Italian motorcycles? Any noodlehead can own a Harley. I've had over 20 of them. But I don't have any tatoos. But I do have a few weapons.... maybe I should have my own show....
That's it! The return of "Guns, Bikes and Hooters!"
More on all of this later.....

[Kelly Knight]

The much anticipated start of season three is tomorrow! I can't wait.

Kelly Knight

[Hock]

I will be there with my short helmet on and a sarsaparilla.

Hock
President, ONAESC
Original Nephews Of Anarchy,
Expensive Suburbs Chapter 116

[Kelly Knight]

Get on your white sneaks and ride!

Kelly Knight

[Hock]

MAN!
What a season opener. Two main players killed. Non stop surprises. A trip to Belfast. Drive-by shooting at a funeral.

Hock
(I guess I am in for the new "Terriers" show too.)

[JimH]

Poor Jax, was on the edge,uncertain and I think he has now found his direction for the Club.

Belfast trip in the near furture for sure.

Chief ? Chief ? Who will be the Chief.

Great opening season.

[Kelly Knight]

Wow, I don't want to talk poorly about this show. But, I gotta say...I thought the opener was a bit of a dud! With a running time of 70 minutes (Why? What for? They couldn't squeeze it into 60 like every other episode?), nothing much happened except a bit of review and some character development that was completely unimportant if you've watched the show all along. Absolutely nothing new here.

The only truly redeeming thing about the episode was the extremely strong ending, which almost saved what has to be one of the most boring, wordy episodes yet.

This show has been so explosive in the past. But, the season 3 episode wasn't any more exciting or shocking than a typical daytime soap.

I'm still a HUGE fan.

Kelly Knight

[Hock]

It is a soap opera.
ANyway I thought there was some character development, and Gemma' failed auto theft was a hoot.

The drive by shocked me and the new police chief done run over and dead. And we've moved over to Belfast.

It was more stuff than I expected. I expect a bit slower....

Hock

[Kelly Knight]

On consideration, that drive by irked the crapola out of me.

*SPOILERS*

Earlier, the dudes go check out the Irishman's boat that he made off with Abel in. Two guys show up and they give chase...ALL of the them give chase. What were there a dozen of them? Brrooom brooom...chase scene...gun barrel stare down.

Then, at the end, there's a drive by that happens in front of, what, 200 Sons? And NOBODY gives chase? Yeah, I get the shock value...but these are supposed to be badasses, not soccer moms (who I think would probably be even QUICKER to run down somebody that hurt their family). They all just stood around slack-jawed. Right next to their bikes. Like morons.

Made no sense whatsoever.

Here are couple of other things I found ridiculous:

They are messing with Jax' character, making him into an indecisive weeny. He should be stronger than ever, at this point. Still figuring out his place in the club, yes, but not as a man, as a person. It's bad writing.

They killed the Sheriff. Hello?!? Shades of Lewis/Half Sack all over again. An actor wants off the show, so they just kill him off. Lame.

There is no real promise that they will go to Belfast. The upcoming shots were too quick for me. The Irishman is in Belfast. There is no certainty that he will stay there and if the Sons do go there, there is no certainty that it will interesting.

I could go on, but the more I think about that episode, the more I'm disappointed.

The only really interesting thing about it that intrigued me is the possibility that Charming is turning against them and will be the next "bad guy" that they have to face.

I'm fearful that this show has jumped the shark.

The preview for Lights Out sure looked intriguing, though.

Kelly Knight

[Hock]

Can't make Jax too sure...after all this is Biker Hamlet...

The old blond-headed cop from the Shield is signing on to the crew, I'll bet anything that its a salary deal and poor Half-Sac had to go to make the budget.

They lost a little plot capital by killing the cop (WHO wants to leave a hit show? Like the Sopranos - they all knew they could be written off.) But there was story-line conflict ahead with this new chief. Now the city will probably turn back to the old chief.

And I read they took a film crew to Ireland. If they shoot prepared backdrops they can always do studio scenes made to look like Belfast.

That bike chase was sloppy and gratuitous. But when I sit down to watch this show? I am fully prepared for gratuitous sex and violence.

Hock

[Kelly Knight]

After two seasons Jax knows who he is, just not his place in the club. Pappy's "bible" has screwed up his brain cells.

The actors playing Half-Sack and Deputy Chief Hale got greedy and think they can do better.

http://blogs.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/arts-a-entertainment/tuned-in-journal/20558-sons-of-anarchy-shocker

Half-Sack (Lewis) was recently in the Joan Jett biopic and Hale (Sheriden) has been in...nada. Less than smart moves on both their parts, in my expert opinion. Okay, not so expert...

It would be interesting to have Chief Unser back in charge. Too bad he's dying...

I didn't find the first bike chase to be those things. In fact, it was important on many levels. Jax grows a set and walks straight into that thugs' weapon to get information. This after he stops for Oppie.

The contradictions between his character and Clay's is what set that episode apart for me. The two have been polar opposites, then came together, then apart, then together...are they opposites again? We'll see.

And what the heck was that with Hal Holbrook at Gemma's father? That had better lead somewhere interesting, or that was truly lame filler.

I'm being hyper-critical here. But, I expect a LOT out of this show...

Kelly Knight