Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, Mark Boone Junior, Kim Coates, Tommy Flanagan, Maggie Siff, Ron Perlman, Ryan Hurst, William Lucking, Theo Rossi, Dayton Callie
Creator: Kurt Sutter
Creator: Kurt Sutter
Genre: Crime, Drama, Action, Comedy
Rating: A-
Rating: A-
Have I mentioned yet how much I love the music in Sons of Anarchy? I don’t
think that I have. A lot of the series’
music is stuff from lesser known, newer artists with a traditional rock and
roll tone to it, although a few artists who are more established are also
briefly used. There’s also a lot from
series composer Bob Thiele’s band The Forest Rangers, often featuring a vocal accompaniment by another artist. There are also frequent covers, done in a way
that feels different but at the same time totally fits with the tone of the
show. If you haven’t already, you should
definitely check out the soundtracks.
I think the third season of Sons
of Anarchy managed to both improve on the previous seasons and lose some of
the charm. The plot continues to grow in
direction and become less overly complicated, but I think some of the elements
of it were a bit rushed and I found at some points I really needed to suspend
my disbelief. I really liked the note
that the season ended on and the implications that it had for the next season,
but some of the journey was a bit bumpy.
Season three picks up a bit after where season two left off: Gemma
(Sagal) has fled from Charming and is in hiding with Tig (Coates) and SOA
members from another charter guarding her while the other Sons are searching
for Cameron (Jamie McShane) and Abel.
The search is not going well, however, as Cameron flees to Belfast,
Northern Ireland, where he seeks help from his cousins Maureen Ashby (Paula
Malcomson) and Father Kellan Ashby (James Cosmo), the latter whom acts as an
intermediary between Jimmy O’Phelan (Titus Welliver) and the Real IRA. Rather than simply hand Abel over to the
Sons, Father Ashby and the IRA begin to weave their own intricate plot in which
the Sons of Anarchy are just pawns.
Meanwhile in town all the violence is beginning to catch up to the Sons
and following a drive-by shooting at Half-Sack’s wake the townsfolk begin to
turn against the club and those associated with it. In order to maintain their standing the club
has to restore order, but they’re being opposed by Jacob Hale, Jr (Jeff Kober),
who is now running for mayor and is even more determined to remove SAMCRO from
Charming. Gemma, meanwhile, is longing
for her family and, unable to return to Charming, goes to visit her newly widowed
father, Nate (Hal Holbrook), who suffers from dementia. I kind of love how I just wrote a summary of
the season’s events while only mentioning two of the series’ stars by name. The creepiest moment by far, however, is the
guest appearance of Stephen King, who plays a man named Bachman. That man is just… yeah.
So, I'm going to look at this season in two different lights; on the one hand you have the plot with Gemma in the US, and on the other hand you have the plot with the search for Abel in Ireland. I loved the plot with Gemma and the way that we got to see her relationship with people beyond the Sons. We got to see a bit of who she was before she became an Old Lady. I also really love the development of her relationship with the Sons who aren't Jax (Hunnam) and Clay (Perlman). We really get to see that she is as much a part of the club as the members; we see that she is as loved as any of the men in it, possibly more so. I really get the feeling that if Clay wasn't around, any one of the older men in the club would make a try for her, even Tig who's sexuality is a reoccurring joke on the show. I also love that the issues that Gemma is trying to overcome here bring up cause to develop the relationship between her and Tara (Siff). That's a really great relationship, and I like seeing where it goes.
So, yeah. While I loved the plot with Gemma, I kind of question the Abel plot. There were great elements of it, but in the end it was a bit much. I can really see how this whole thing is going to end up completely screwing the Sons over, especially Jax. Sometimes, I think the show is being set up for a massive kill-them-all ending - a thought that is only reinforced by the Shakespearean themes to it - and the whole thing with the Irish was one of those moments. Can't you see the show ending like that, with everyone dead? I do.
So, I'm going to look at this season in two different lights; on the one hand you have the plot with Gemma in the US, and on the other hand you have the plot with the search for Abel in Ireland. I loved the plot with Gemma and the way that we got to see her relationship with people beyond the Sons. We got to see a bit of who she was before she became an Old Lady. I also really love the development of her relationship with the Sons who aren't Jax (Hunnam) and Clay (Perlman). We really get to see that she is as much a part of the club as the members; we see that she is as loved as any of the men in it, possibly more so. I really get the feeling that if Clay wasn't around, any one of the older men in the club would make a try for her, even Tig who's sexuality is a reoccurring joke on the show. I also love that the issues that Gemma is trying to overcome here bring up cause to develop the relationship between her and Tara (Siff). That's a really great relationship, and I like seeing where it goes.
So, yeah. While I loved the plot with Gemma, I kind of question the Abel plot. There were great elements of it, but in the end it was a bit much. I can really see how this whole thing is going to end up completely screwing the Sons over, especially Jax. Sometimes, I think the show is being set up for a massive kill-them-all ending - a thought that is only reinforced by the Shakespearean themes to it - and the whole thing with the Irish was one of those moments. Can't you see the show ending like that, with everyone dead? I do.
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