Tag Archives: Jax Teller

Sons of Anarchy “Aon Rud Persanta” Live Blog/Review (6×11)

19 Nov

All times central.

9:06-Yeah, forgiveness is impossible at this point. These characters are at a junction in their lives where they can’t go back; still, I like how Nero respects Gemma’s decision here. If you think about it, he and Unser are the most clear-headed ones left in town.

9:13-See? Unser gets the kids!

9:14-“She seems really sad.”

9:19-Hopefully this is the only montage we get in this episode.

9:28-Unser’s asking all the tough questions here; this show needs someone like that to prevent everyone from tumbling down those paths of immorality. The love he has for Gemma, as long as it doesn’t actually turn into a full-blown romance storyline, is a sweet, grounded character motivation that fits in well.

9:35-This is a pretty well-done action scene, something Sons has always been good at.

9:35-Aw, not Bobby.

9:44-So Jax is going ahead and eliminating everyone. It just goes to show you; even though he wants to get out of guns, we’re at the point where there just really is no way to do it without violence and bloodshed.

9:48-So it seems like we’re getting a scene that’s emulating the earlier seasons; everyone’s together in one place, Tara’s putting aside her beefs and reprising her role as the “Mob Doctor”, and Clay’s in the presence of the club. However, everything’s different now; that tension is simmering on the surface, and everyone’s carrying the burden of past events.

9:54-I gotta say, I’m pleasantly surprised that the show’s ridding itself of Clay. Perlman’s a great actor, but the guy’s been dead weight for a while. It’s as good enough a swan song as he’ll get; Clay gets in a few words with Gemma and comes to terms with the club’s decision. In fact, I’m sure he accepted it a while back; he can’t have been expecting much sympathy, even from his wife.

10:00-It’s nice to see everyone bonding over Clay’s death; he’s wronged them all in some way, and before the other shit goes down, they’re taking some satisfaction in what’s happened.

10:12-I’d like to see Nero adopt Jax.

10:20-These Justified and The Americans promos are getting me pumped.

GRADE: B+

This is a solid episode that gives Clay a nice send off and paves the way for some interesting roads in our final two episodes; there’s probably more tragedy to come. It may not be death, but with Tara still, understandably, putting her family first, things are bound to get messy.

Credit to FX and Sons of Anarchy for pictures. I own nothing.

 

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Sons of Anarchy “Salvage” Review (6×06)

16 Oct

627-6Just thought I’d check in on the season with a few quick thoughts…

-This is the most entertaining and optimistic the show’s been in a while. Sometimes it’s necessary to just let the characters breathe for a second; not everything has to be dark and violent, and this episode is a nice digression from the depression-laced nature of the first five episodes.

-Jax’s long speech to the club is fantastic; not only is it sensible, but it really emphasizes that brotherly connection among the members. This moment was a long time coming (perhaps a bit too long), and it’s acted perfectly by Hunnam.

-The episode also serves as a nice transition into the second half of the season; we start to see some trouble on the horizon with Juice, a guy that’s always been quietly falling into his own hole. That starts to come out in this episode. In addition, CCH Pounder’s Patterson is starting to become increasingly involved in the proceedings, and she’s set to be the club’s greatest adversary on the cop front. She’s fueled by a need for justice and anger over Toric, and it’s exciting to see how she interacts with Gemma and Tara. She can hit the club on the home front.

-The moment when Patterson takes off her wig (“Time to go hood, sista”) is pretty awesome.

-The scrap between the corrupt cops and the club is superfluous, but it’s just fun to watch. The scene where they escape on the bikes is reminiscent of earlier seasons, and I realize that I’ve missed the old Sons.

-Bobby’s storyline turns out perfectly, and it alleviates my concerns about his character. He’s just been trying to do the right thing, recruiting members for the club; it’s in character for him, and it adds to the strength of Jax’s speech.

-Walton Goggins returns as Venus Van Damme, and he’s once again brilliant. The scene feels a bit shoehorned in, but it showcases a different side of the character and opens up the possibility of future appearances.

GRADE: B+

Credit to FX and Sons of Anarchy for all pictures. I own nothing.

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Sons of Anarchy “Straw” Review (6×01)

11 Sep

Tig

Sons of Anarchy is an entertaining, pulpy show that’s always a delight to have on television. This doesn’t change in the Season 6 premiere, which opens with Tara and Clay in jail and the club at a breaking point. Even within jail, (the magnificent) Donal Logue’s Lee Toric is trying to tear SAMCRO apart. He visits Tara, Clay, and Otto, and it’s obvious that he has an immediate effect. Tara breaks down and attacks another inmate, Otto is already beaten down due to a rape, and Clay is forced to comply with Toric’s demands. All of them try to maintain a facade, but Toric is able to weasel his way into their minds and tweak a few things. Yet, Toric is also wearing a mask. We see that he’s essentially a crazy person, a drug user that strips naked and likes mirrors for some reason. Everything is at a breaking point.

Outside, Jax and the club confront a group of torture-porn filmmakers after they rough up one of SAMCRO’s girls. It provides for the necessary action, as well as introduces Kim Dickens’s character as a new love interest. I guess it kind of makes sense that Jax would jump into bed with her, as he’s hurt by Tara’s refusal to see him, but I thought he had more principles than that. In fact, it’s almost as if he’s transforming into a Clay-type figure. I really wish the show would commit to his character one way or another, though, giving him closure somehow. It would tie up his and Clay’s storylines, as well as Opie’s death. However, I feel as if that won’t happen until later on.

As for Tig, we’re starting to see remorse seep through that hard exterior. He’s truly hurt by all that has transpired, and even though he drowns someone in urine and follows that up by urinating himself, we can see the struggle taking place in his mind in the subsequent scenes.

Now, on to the more controversial storyline. We have a young kid in the background of several scenes throughout. Near the end of the episode, he sits down on a bench, rolls up his sleeves, takes out a gun, and proceeds to start shooting in a school. It’s certainly a shock, but I question the ability of Kurt Sutter to handle something like this. I love Sutter, but he tends to be better at violence for violence’s sake. When the show starts attempting political messages, I’d imagine it would get a bit strange. It’s certainly effective in the context of the episode, however. Anything can explode in a second, and since the kid draws striking similarities to Jax, it reflects how he’s lost emotionally and capable of anything.

627-2

Overall, it’s a solid premiere that effectively sets up the rest of the season.

Grade: B

-The show has always suffered from having to juggle multiple storylines at once, so I’m not sure whether Bobby’s storyline will amount to anything compelling.

-The Chibs-Juice scene is heartbreaking to watch. It’s really well acted, and it’s emotionally affecting.

-Peter Weller is awesome. “Persia hasn’t been a country since 637 AD. They’re called Iranians.”

-Gemma’s rising while everyone else is falling. Her relationship with Nero is well off, and she has control over her life.

-Kurt Sutter, always finding a way to abuse himself on screen

-Wendy shows up.

Credit to FX and Sons of Anarchy for all pictures. I own nothing.

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