Sons of Anarchy (Review)

Sons of Anarchy is a TV show centered around a motorcycle club, MC, called the Sons of Anarchy, who are based in a small town called Charming, where they were originally formed.

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Jackson 'Jax' Teller

The show's main character is Jax, who's the son of John Teller - the founder of the MC, who died in an accident when Jax was a kid.

Jax is the vice president of the club and from him, we are introduced to his mother Gemma, who is the old lady of the current president of the club, Clay.

The show opens up with the initial bit of drama involving Jax, who is a soon-to-be father himself, but his pregnant ex is a junkie and has been using on the sly, which then causes some damage to the kid who ends up prematurely born. While in the hospital he meets an old ex-girlfriend who's now a surgeon in the hospital and who recently moved back to town.

The show opens well as a drama, introduces us to the motorcycle club slowly, and chooses to focus on a very small-scale character-driven situation. Trials and tribulations are what usually allow characters to be tested, and in these opening episodes the main character's resolve is tested, and he runs back to escape his own reality by working on the club's nefarious deeds.

Namely, gun running and selling weapons they procure from the IRA to other gangs in their local area.

First Impression

I remember tuning in for this show when it was first released back in 2008, the name hit me straight away and I figured a show with that name, about bikers would be really cool and worth checking out.

After a few episodes, I stopped watching it because I just thought it was cringy and stupid, and also I thought it was misleading.

Had I given it a bit more time I would have found that the show is actually really good, and the characters are all likable. The situations they're put in always seem to raise the steaks and keep the audience guessing, and as each season passes new people they have to deal with enter the game ensuring that our characters or us as an audience won't get bored by the same old same old.

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Currently On Season 5/7

Me and my partner started watching it a few weeks ago, and I signed up for Disney plus specifically for it. We've both been really enjoying it and it's the first show in a good while that we've both watched together. Usually, I'll watch whatever she's watching and miss episodes throughout which have to be updated briefly each time I join back in.

This show is worth watching for anyone who hasn't seen it before, be warned though, there are a lot of instances of pretty extreme violence, and content throughout that has made my skin crawl. I kind of like feeling uncomfortable while watching shows though. Also, there is a lot of comedy sprinkled throughout, mixed with plenty of drama. The show isn't afraid of having fun, and it isn't afraid of making the audience squirm. Another thing I've noticed, is it really utilises cliffhangers.

Style-wise, the show is also very good. Anyone else would run out of ways to film bikers riding along in formation, but this show has done well to keep those shots interesting.

Let Downs

There aren't a whole lot of letdowns so to speak, but what I will say is, my god, the Belfast accents when the IRA characters come in are ridiculous. I mean, they're probably the worst thing to happen to Belfast since the troubles.

Also, for a part of a season, they go to Belfast itself - in the show - they didn't actually shoot that part of the season there.

It's weird though, it feels old. Considering the season was shot in 2010/ 2011, the house interiors look like they're stuck in the 70s or 80s. It's like someone on the crew visited once when they were a kid and said, "Ahh, yes, this is exactly what it looks like over there."

Apart from that though, the entire show has been great so far. The characters are all pretty likable, even the unlikable ones. The music is pretty decent, as is the filming, writing, and general plotline. All in all, it's well worth watching.