I searched and could find no thread on this show, so…
…is anyone else watching this? At first I found it way over the top and thought it was trying too hard. But I continued watching because the characters had a “train wreck” quality that made you want to see what developed, and now I’m thinking my initial impression was wrong.
I’ve found that the underlying theme of redemption, especially in the character of Jax, is interesting, and now that there are hints of a deeper secret buried within the SOA organization you can see the conflict coming and I’m interested in where it will end up. Some of it is still way over the top on the believeability scale, but the acting and the character development seem to counterbalance that, and the casting was perfectly done for so many of the parts. This show is on record every week now for me.
I like the cast of people you’ve seen as bit players on other movies or shows, like Tommy Flanagan as the Scottish biker, who was in both Braveheart and Gladiator; or the the deputy guy from Deadwood playing the sheriff here; or the older shaggy biker who was Gordon’s corrupt cop partner in Batman Begins; or the chief from the X-Files and starship captain from Stargate as the leader of the Nords. And, of course, Ron Perlman, who always rocks.
I stopped watching after they dug up two graves and covered the bodies in blood they got from a blood bank in order to fake a crime that never happened. That’s a point of ridiculousness that really turned me off to it.
The end of the last episode just had my wife and I looking at each other with that “are you f**king serious?!” expression on both our faces. Then we laughed. That’s how this show is, just when you think it’s surprising you with some tightly scripted drama it throws out something so incredibly over-the-top that you almost laugh at the absurdity. I think that’s a large part of why we like it. =)
Absolutely loving it. Great characters, great acting, great directing. Who cares if it’s over the top ? That’s why it’s so good, it mixes things from The Shield with stuff from Roadhouse (yes, the infamous Patrick Swayze movie). I’m having a blast.
I just got into this show. So far I’m digging it. Wikipedia page mentions this:
The family drama is loosely based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet;[6] indeed, star Ron Perlman has said, “I’m sure they’re going to stick to the structure of Hamlet all the way to the end” of the series.[7] Clay is based on the role of King Claudius and Gemma as a Gertrude figure. Jax stands in for Prince Hamlet himself; his reflective questioning of the SOA culture, brought on by the birth of his son, references Hamlet’s melancholy over the death of the king. Additionally, Jax “communicates” with his dead father by way of his late father’s unpublished journal/manuscript; Hamlet, of course, literally communicates with the ghost of his father.
Season 2 starts tonight! This was my favorite new show last year (yes I liked it even better than Fringe) and season 2 looks like it will be just as good. Henry Rollins as the second in command man of the skinheads continues the perfect casting. Possibly the best news is that Comcast now carries FX HD so I don’t have to wait until they get around to putting the HD shows up on demand.
Great start to season two, and Henry Rollins? Oh hell yes! Looks like the racist guys will be the common enemy that unites Charming this season, though how the hell they’re going to keep the SOA from imploding after their vengence is taken is anyone’s guess. I woulkd not be surprised to see Jax working with the fed chick by halfway through this season.
I see more Opie or his father doing that. Like Opie’s dad says is exchange for Opie not going way he will work with her. I say this b/c clearly the Sons are not taking care of his family like they should.
Opie could throw himself into his work (the sons) and slip up again like he did with the witness from the other job. He doesn’t have to go down for anything big. He’s already served time and he’s a single parent. He can’t afford to be sent away for any length of time now.
So this week’s episode had me laughing out loud several times. I honestly think there were at least half a dozen words and phrases I have NEVER heard on prime time television before! “Bukake Fest”? “Cum Factory”? Every time Ron Pearlman opened his mouth this episode another gem popped out! I hope they keep the porn business around awhile, as it makes for some lighter moments in an otherwise very dark show.
Man I love this show, 1st season was better than average but every episode this season has been early season of The Shield quality. I love how every episode ends with music that plays over several scenes.
