Sons of Anarchy

[Vanguardian]

Is anyone gonna be watching this? The ironic premise of this show is what I really like. It's essentially about criminals battling other criminals. The motorcycle gang are a group of unscrupulous individuals who work together to prevent OTHER unscrupulous individuals from horning in on their turf in the fictional town of Charming, California. The way I see it is that this motorcycle gang doesn't mind criminal activity as long as THEY'RE the ones perpetrating it. Interesting!

[MarkH]

I watched this the first time tonight, basically based on chatter here.

I thought it was very engaging, even though it seemed to plumb some of the same territory as OZ, Sopranos, and even Prison Break.

I have a few questions:

- What did Katey Sagal do for the girl who was raped? Who was the rapist?

- What exactly did the raped girl's daddy owe to the Club? It sounds like they were working for him.

- Who was the young woman with Katey watching Opie's kids? I'm assuming she's Jax's sister? What happened to the bridge of her nose--the explosion?

- What was Alley Walker's beef, beyond being a good cop? Who is the Kohn (?) Jax talked about?

- Is Zobelle head of the Irish? Why is he so well dressed?

[Juliajms]

I'm watching season 1 of this on DVD right now and I really like it so far. Katey Sagal is a stone cold bitch in this and I like it. I mean, she does have a heart, but she is not afraid to get down and dirty either. And Jax is just His kind of character is always hard for me to watch. You just know he would be a good guy if he had been born to different people in better circumstances.

[Lucid]

HA! Finally my kind of topic I pimp this show out to anyone who will listen

I think this is the best show on TV, so complex & smart. It makes you run the gamut of emotions. Kurt Sutter, the show creator, has said this show has a Hamlet undercurrent running through it.

Mark let see if I can't answer your questions, ask me anything, I've watched each episodes more times than I care to admit out loud

Gemma (Katey Sagal) helped Tristan with the rape, comforted Tristan after it happened. The rapist was a guy who was part of the carnival in town. Tristan’s father, Elliott, went to Clay and the MC and asked them to bring him the rapist, which they did, but when it came time to exact revenge in the form of castration, Elliott couldn't do it, he dropped the knife he was holding.

The MC killed the rapist and Clay has the knife Elliott was holding, basically the MC has the murder weapon with Elliotts prints on it and they know where the body is buried, if Elliott doesn't play ball with the MC, they have him sent to jail for murder.

The young woman is Dr. Tara Knowles, she is Jax's girlfriend and high school sweetheart, she left Charming about 10 years ago to become a Dr.. Gemma accidentally elbowed Tara in the face when Tara went up behind & startled Gemma.

Ally Walker, Agent Stahl, is an ATF agent and has been trying to get the MC on gun running charges, this goes back to last season. She now says she doesn't want to go after the MC but is after bigger fish, the Irish, True IRA, they are who the MC buys their guns from.

Kohn is also an ATF agent out of Chicago. He & Tara were an item, but he went all stalker on her and followed her to Charming, he tried to rape Tara, Tara shot him in the stomach and then she called Jax. Jax & Tara were trying to figure out what to do, when Kohn kept calling Tara a slut and yelling insults at her - Jax had enough and shot Kohn in the head, burned & got rid of the body.

(the scenes play out in this vid - NSFW -

)

Zobelle is part of LOAN, League of American Nationalists, a white power separatist group, he is a business man, owns several cigar shops a new one in Charming. In the first episode of season 2 Zobelle approached the MC and told them to stop selling guns to 'color' or else......... the or else part was brutal to watch.

[MarkH]

Okay, Lucid/Julia. I'm looking forward the answers as I figure this show out...

I definitely thought the show had overtones of ancient Rome, with all the rival fiefdoms, the father/stepson conflict, and Ally Walker's "divide and conquer" strategy.

[Lucid]

I just submitted my modified post, yeah Stahl is trying to divide Clay & Jax, she knows there is already a fracture in their relationship, Jax wants to make changes, Clay is dead set against it. This season has been about the power struggle between the two and members picking sides.

[MarkH]

Okay, this explains all the ties between Elliot, Tristen, and the MC. I gather Katey Sagal is not exactly the "heroine", eh? She's more like Lady Macbeth?

So, why is Tara sticking around in Charming? She seems to have outgrown in? Is Jax sucking her back into her past? It seems like Gemma and Tara get along?

How is Opie related to this bunch? Is he just a member of the MC, or is he related?

Interesting. Adam Arkin seems to play such an upright businessman. It seems hard to believe him as so evil.

[Lucid]

No, not the heroine, she is straight up badass, opportunist, do not get in her way. Lady MacBeth is an apt description. She’s no Peg Bundy

Tara sticks around for love, she & Jax have very deep, old ties in each other. Tara grew up in Charming, got into trouble with the law with Jax. I don’t know if she’s outgrown Jax or Charming. Tara is uneasy with the MC lifestyle, as she said, she is trying to find her place.

Gemma is being a mentor of sorts to Tara, I don’t want to spoil you, unless you want me to, but something happened that has bonded Tara & Gemma. Trust me Gemma hated Tara and wanted her dead, Tara tried to convince Jax to leave Charming with her all those years ago, Gemma didn’t like that at all

Opie is Jax’s best friend, they grew up together, Piney is Opie’s dad and a Samcro original 9 along with Clay & John Thomas Teller (Jax’s bio dad). Again, I don’t want to spoil anything for you but Opie’s been through some bad crap.

In addition to AA, Henry Rollins plays AJ Weston, a LOAN member like Zobelle.

[Juliajms]

Thank God. Married with Children is a low point in American culture as far as I'm concerned. It saddens me that such a piece of trash monopolized the time of two (and maybe even three) very talented actors. No offense to anyone who liked it.

I've only watched up to episode 3, I'm waiting for the rest to come from Netflix. But so far Gemma seems like she is actually the Head Bitch in Charge to some extent. At the very least she's pushing Clay to make sure that Jax doesn't turn out weak like his father. It's clear she's very manipulative and will do just about anything to get what she wants. I'm not sure how much has been revealed about what she is hiding, but it wouldn't surprise me if Jax is actually Clay's bio son or if Gemma had a hand in John Teller's death.

She left and came back. I think that tells us all we need to know. She has a medical degree. She wouldn't have come back to charming if it wasn't to get Jax back. She's sucked herself back in as Gemma points out early on.

[Lucid]

I caught up on all the episodes here

http://www.ninjavideo.net/video/13144

Then I went out & bought the Season 1 DVD

btw, Katey Sagal is married to Kurt Sutter.

Juliajms I agree with you on Married with Children, horrible show.

[Juliajms]

Thanks! I was wondering if there was a place I could catch up on season 2, so that I could start watching weekly. I'm the type of person who can't jump in mid season. I can definitely see how this show would be addictive, so I'm sure I'll be up to speed in a few days. LOL!

[Juliajms]

I'm on episode 9, so I thought I'd post some of my thoughts so far. I like the way these characters come off as very human for the most part. Like when Gemma hit Cherry with the skateboard for breaking the code. You could see so much on KS's face. You could see that she recognized herself in that girl and felt bad for being so brutal, but she was going to protect what was hers. I also liked the way Cherry just sat down and cried and asked who Gemma was and why she hit her.

I don't quite understand what's in it for the female groupies. Why let yourself be passed around until someone decides to make you an "old lady"? I did like the scene with Emily and Jax, where he asked her to "take one for the team" and she agreed as long as he did the same. It cracked me up when she asked Jax to put on his jacket and he just smiled and said he was all about the service. He definitely won me over by being charming, instead of bullying her into doing what he wanted.

I also like the scene where Clay was going to kill that mechanic (Floyd, maybe?), but he put him in Samcro rehab instead. This show reminds me of the Soprano's just a bit, but these characters seem a little less ready to kill anyone who stands in their way, which I like.

That first love scene between Tara and Jax was brutal. Don't get me wrong, I think they are hot together, but the dead body of her attempted rapist was on the floor. I don't know how anyone could have sex under those circumstances. As hot as Jax is, hiding the body would have been my top priority. Maybe that scene was some sort of symbolism. Like lots of blood is going to be spilled if these two are going to be together or maybe we are supposed to think they are doomed from the beginning.

I'm interested in learning more about what makes Gemma tick. Why wouldn't she want Jax and Able as far away from all this violence as possible?

[Lucid]

KS is fantastic in this role, and if possible even better during season 2.

Jax is very very charming, in episode 4 when they go to Nevada, when Bobby called him the James T. Kirk of the MC world, I was

On the DVD commentary, Sutter said he got alot of flack for that scene, but I thought it was brilliant, even the music, using that Andy Williams song. I look at it this way, they haven't had sex in 11 years, dead body or not they will not be denied I think they are amazing together, he'll say something to her in the season finale which will make you weak in the knees.

[Juliajms]

I'm finally caught up. I just have to say the end of last week's show was so romantic. I'm so glad Gemma turned out to be wrong about Clay's reaction to her rape.

I think the single saddest thing about this show is the SAMCRO that that Able has worn from birth. It makes me think the cycle of violence isn't going to end. Jax wants it too, but I don't think walking away completely is something e's ever going to manage.

[Lucid]

Juliajms, what did you think of the rape reveal?

I was shocked by Tara this week, dayum girlfriend went to town on that hospital admin

Maybe Abel will break the cycle, maybe he won't want the Harley & the cut...