Something is rotten in Denmark… urm Charming, California. It’s the homebase of the motorcycle gang Sons of Anarchy and the basis for this fantastic television show.
The Sons of Anarchy is a motorcycle gang that was founded in Charming, California. Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) is the son of the late founder of the gang and is next in line to lead the gang.
His mother Gemma (Katey Sagal) has remarried the current head of the gang Clay (Ron Perlman), the youngest of the original founders. The gang is involved in all sorts of illegal activity.
Jax finds himself reflecting on his rough-tumble life when his ex-wife Wendy (Drea De Matteo) nearly kills their baby with her drug addiction. He also meets his old high school sweetheart, Tara Knowles (Maggie Siff), who is now a pediatric doctor.
Other members of the gang include explosives expert Bobby Munson (Mark Boone Jr.) and muscle Chibs Telford (Tommy Flanagan) and Tig Trager (Kim Coates). The gang runs Charming, but always find themselves in the eye of the local constabulary.
Sons of Anarchy owes a lot to the Bard. Just a quick scan of the plot description should put you in the mind of Hamlet. Jax, the prince Hamlet figure, doesn’t exactly see the ghost of his father, but he does have his journals so his “spirit” is always with him. Katey Sagal’s might have more of Lady Macbeth to her than Queen Gertrude, but we imagine that she and Clay had a hand in the death of Jax’s father so that Clay could gain the “kingdom.”
The Sons of Anarchy also play on the theme of the antihero as none of them as truly white but are shades of grey. In doing so they call to mind another excellent television series, the Sopranos, as well as making the characters do things you may not expect them to do.
Yet our antiheros do have moments of justice and conscience that don’t make them complete monsters. What the series does offer are some excellently acted characters, you’d expect less of something influenced by Shakespeare, as well as some intelligent storylines and character relations. It’s a series well worth checking out and once you do check it out you’ll come back for more.
Sons of Anarchy is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include a commentary on disc one on the Pilot episode with executive producer/creator Kurt Sutter, Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman, and Katey Sagal.
Disc three has a commentary on The Pull with Sutter, Guy Ferland, Maggie Siff, and Hunnam. Disc four has a commentary with Sutter, Hunnam, and nearly every cast member on Revelation.
Disc four also has a 9 minute making of, the 5 minute “The Ink” on the show’s tattoos, the 7 minute “The Bikes” on the motorcycles, the 14 minute “Casting Sons of Anarchy” about the casting process, 34 minutes of deleted scenes, and the 7 minute “Anarchy on the set” blooper reel.
Sons of Anarchy is an excellent show and takes the find pedigree of Shakespeare and roughs it up a bit in the presentation (meaning more in the violence department than in the actual presentation). It’s a well-acted show that is another example of quality television. To be or not to be.
Sons of Anarchy: Season One is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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