Smallscreen News
Sons of Anarchy finale Tuesday, Dec. 1 on FX, some thoughts
By April MacIntyre Nov 30, 2009, 17:59 GMT
Mother and son - Katey Sagal (Gemma) and Charlie Hunnam (Jax)- FX\'s "Sons Of Anarchy" Season 2 Premiere Screening - Arrivals - Paramount Theater - Los Angeles, CA. USA © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos
A sadness surrounds the excitement over Tuesday night's finale of the engrossing season two of the FX drama "Sons of Anarchy."
Fans will understand the mixed feelings I am currently wrestling with, wanting the classically-themed tale set in a world of motorcycle clubs to go on; the show has become an adult drama of epic proportions.
No wasted frames, and each character written with a precision that makes you love them all, even the most derelict and criminally inclined of the lot. I am as interested in the chief's (Dayton Callie) back story as I am the mystery surrounding Jax's deceased SAMCRO founding dad John Teller and Clay's (Ron Perlman) murky past, still a wild card reveal in the plot. The secondary roles have all had a chance to shine and show what they bring as actors to this beautifully crafted story.
Kurt Sutter's leather-clad pastiche of bikers and outlaws has filled a needed void on the smallscreen, with deeply layered tale-telling for grownups that packs an emotional punch in each turn.
He even acts in the series (Otto) and holds his own in scene with the intense fair-haired star Charlie Hunnam, an Englishman who has just absolutely morphed himself into a Cobain-esque rough American biker, no trace of the motherland in his patois.
The Sons are painted with themes of a loyalty and the strength of a brotherhood that speaks to so many diverse groups of people, many who would never consider becoming engrossed with an outlaw biker yarn. The epicenter is Sutter's fiercely talented wife, Katey Sagal, the matriarch Gemma Teller Morrow who pulls the hidden strings within the club.
So, I mourn and celebrate the season conclusion (Tuesday at 10 p.m. EST FX): The series has been well served by guest stars Adam Arkin, Henry Rollins and even Tom Arnold, who pulled off a deeply disturbing turn as a homicidal porn purveyor. Rollins as Weston was spot on, and Arkin's understated Zobelle made his well-heeled villain all the more chilling.
For me, the characters that I am most fascinated with are the three henchmen of SAMCRO: Opie (Ryan Hurst), Bobby (Mark Boone Junior) and Tig (Kim Coates).
Hurst's Opie is a tragic figure, but his quiet strength and fury simmering under the skin has pulled some surprisingly passionate and riveting performances. Boone's Bobby is larger than life, the adjudicator of the lot, with his "big Jew brain" keeping Clay's wheels on the pavement. He has a charm and largess in scene with the other actors. Coates' Tig is my favorite breakout performance of the season. Tig is charismatic, feral, profane and unpredictable. He has been well-served in key SOA moments, and his scene when he comes clean to Opie about killing Donna was astounding. The lusty scene with Sagal was a stand out too.
There are so many compelling moments; Titus Welliver's badass IRA chieftain Jimmy O', William Lucking's character Piney apologizing for his whoring, drinking ways to his ex wife was touching. Appreciated was Theo Rossi's Juice as a voice of reason and willingness to go the extra mile for the club in the fateful prison scene. Mitch Pileggi's Darby facing off with Rollins' Weston was electric. Taylor Sheridan's Hale making peace with his hometown loyalties while trying to keep his ethics in check, and Chibs' (Tommy Flanagan) ballsy Irish temper rearing up to Ally Walker's Agent Stahl, another strong female performance this season.
Also enjoyed is the palpable chemistry between Charlie Hunnam's Jax and Maggie Siff's Tara, and I love how Siff's character is crossing over, her hometown loyalties and love for Jax outweighing the straight and narrow life she thought she wanted.
So many great performances this season. What were they for you? Tell me.
