Stupidity Reigns: Sons of Anarchy

Sometimes, no matter how much I hear about something, I don’t check it out. Whether it’s me being belligerent or busy – Maybe both – but things ineviteably get swept under the carpet. These shows are often sold as something and put on a plate but something puts me off or steers me clear. In recent memory I can name three – Sons of Anarchy, The Wire and Friday Night Lights. Follow me as I push this journey through the ups and downs of some of the most critically acclaimed TV of our modern generation. The name, Stupidity Reigns, comes from my own stupidity in not watching these shows the first time around.

Sons of Anarchy: Season One

Starting, rather arbitrarily, with Sons of Anarchy I went in knowing one thing: Sons of Anarchy was a motorcycle club that operated much like we all presume these things do, skirting away from the law and hiding their indiscretions in unmarked graves.

Back in 2008 I was watching very specific shows, Lost and Battlestar Galactica reigning over my weekly viewing times so much so that when someone tried to sell a show that seemed to have no hook, no over arc story and, in all honesty, nothing sinister going on behind the scenes I wasn’t interested. I wanted something to draw me in and to never let me go, much like the previous mentioned series did. I went in expecting little and came out with a rather distorted view of my own expectations and a greater appreciation of focus driven television.

The Sons of Anarchy (SoA from here on) are a motorcycle crew who deal arms from their base in Charming, California. The violence and oppressive nature of the club is quickly established before the pilot is out and the dominance throughout the small town is shown with little filter, trying to look deeper in to the effects a crew of outlaws living next door actually has on a community. SoA is a family. The crew are supported by wives, girlfriends and friends who all frequent the legal front of the operations – Teller Morrow Automotive.

I expected the violence and went in with an expectation as to how the crew would pan out. The soft spoken, cultured lead that serves as the gangs vice president serves not only as the oft unheard conscience of the group, but as the driving force throughout the season. It is established very quickly that Jax (Played by Charlie Hunnam) still has problems dealing with the death of his father and holds something deep within him that screams at him, vocalised, in this case, by a manuscript he happens across written by his father before his death that idolises the group, a paper trail of the wrongs they have committed and his belief in where the Sons of Anarchy went wrong. Jax’s arc over the season stretches out with each passing episode as he slowly loses his faith in the leadership he has followed blindly his entire adult life. The excerpts that are read in moments of calm provide a bold face to the decisions Jax makes throughout the season, handing answers to the audience and wiping away any hints of subtly throughout.

Ron Perlman was the perfect choice when casting the stout, unchanging leader of the SoA. The reverence given to the character is earned throughout the season, although obvious to the audience that his leadership, while broken, remains intact because of one reason – Fear. He kills what he doesn’t understand or control and this is never more apparent than in the season finale when he orders the shooting of one of his own men. Perlman plays it straight, much to my pleasure, and doesn’t rely on his chops of hamming roles up. The strength his character so obviously drives from the club is amazing to watch as he rides the ups and downs, never quite in control and yet not so out of control that he relinquishes the reins.

The most surprising role for me was Katy Sagal playing the role of Gemma Teller Morrow, the matriarch of the gang, a stoic figure that has outlasted her first husband and brought her forever in to the group. Through manipulation and deception it is more than apparent that she has a greater influence over the comings and goings of Teller-Morrow than anyone knows. Sagal’s character pushes the boundaries without directly getting her fingers in to the pie, perhaps the one with the most deniability to all the illegal activity and yet, episode to episode, she is in the thick of it. It’s great to see a show push a female lead that is both powerful and unwavering, her flip of emotions a great scene filler as she switches from evil pack leader to warm and loving mother in a matter of minutes.

I could write about everything, could spoil things for you and not make you watch for yourself. Of course I could, but there is so much more to this show than just the stories. Half way through the season I found myself pondering the reasons I was continuing on with the show and couldn’t come up with an answer. Yes, it is an incredibly well made show from the mind of former Shield writer Kurt Sutter and yes, it is enjoyable and yet, there isn’t a hook. I usually rely on something drawing me in to a show that is out of the ordinary or something that runs in the background and this has neither. The violence is throw away and sporadic enough not too spoil and the big bad bikers wrestling with emotions and morality is a pleasure to watch, especially when done right, and this show has that in spade fulls, but nothing else.

I suppose, I want to know what happened to Jax’s father (Although, by the end of the season, we kind of do) and some of the other loose ends need tying up but other than that I just can’t seem to stop watching. The show has a pace that is refreshing and the concept is different from anything TV is offering right now. Season One ended on an extremely emotional note, a scene that led me to cupping my hand over my mouth in disbelief as I figure out when my Season Two box set arrives to see the conclusion. The show takes some risks and, for the most part, that pays off with great television. Ultimately a shaky first season that doesn’t really offer much for the sporadic viewer but I’m definitely in for season two. Also, I should probably note, for all the shows faults I did watch the entire Season One run in the space of two days.

Have you ever watched Sons of Anarchy? Ever thought about it? Discussion, comments and feedback always welcome!