Sons of Anarchy is back for a second season. This is FX’s violent and crime-heavy replacement for The Shield, which bowed out last year. While Anarchy is not up to the high standards The Shield set for cable television, it is definitely finding a voice that could lead to great things. It is helmed by Shield writer and actor alum Kurt Sutter (he played bad guy Margos Dezerian in the series-topping season 3), who is married to Katey Sagal, a main character in the show and forever known as Peggy from Married with Children. Season one had all of the usual early jitters of a show that doesn’t have quite the full confidence of the studio or full confidence in itself. It was overall a good season, but ended on a low (well, boring, to be honest) note, postponing the collision of multiple plot lines for later (the only show able to consistently pull off a series finale in which nothing happens, but you feel an overall sense of calm and wellbeing, is Deadwood). Luckily, season two brings the pain.
The Sons of Anarchy, who are based in Charming, California, went through a lot of shit last season. The ATF was all over their gun-running operation, threats came from rival criminal concerns, and white trash family problems kept imposing. The story’s protagonist is Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam), Axl Rose writ large, who actually has a thoughtful look in his eye when he shoots enemies in the head. His step-father, and leader of the gang, Clay (Ron Perlman) and mother Gemma (Katey Sagal) are probably covering up his father’s murder back in the day. A rogue’s gallery of bikers rounds out SAMCRO (Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original). Jax’s best friend Opie (Ryan Hurst) is a little down right now. There was a tad of a mix up last season, and Clay ordered a hit on Opie, and Opie’s wife accidentally got a brain full of machine gun bullets. It was an honest mistake, but Jax knows the truth, and has to cover for his friend and the club.
The old threats are honestly a little bit tired, and what everyone is hungry for is the new danger lurking around the corner. The show hits a homerun by casting Henry Rollins as white supremacist A.J. Weston, all blank penetrating stare and vaguely religious formal attire. Henry Rollins isn’t a great actor, but brings so much fun and energy to his work that it compensates. Casting a powerful Aryan nation group as the antagonists was the right move, as they actually feel dangerous, not a bunch of cartoon bad guys like last season. Rollins spits off great lines like, “teaching children that everyone’s equal is a dangerous philosophy.” Aryan boss Ethan Zobelle (Adam Arkin), bearing a purposeful resemblance to Glenn Beck, comments that, “Black radicals are in power in this country.” This new group immediately proves itself to be a worthy opponent of the vicious SAMCRO gang, with vast manpower and financial resources.
The episode is pretty light on action, with a lone murder committed on a rival gang member. The murder itself is pretty gruesome, and the blood quotient is pushed up a notch, even for FX. Alas, when strippers strip, they still wear pasties on their nipples, and cursing is still fairly limited. FX has done a lot to push the censors to their limits on cable television, like ABC used to do with NYPD Blue in the broadcast market. I have to applaud every time they show brutally graphic violence, because for the most part viewers (particularly of shows like this) don’t like being protected for “their own good.”
I read a review of this episode over at IGN, which said: “…I’m hoping for a few changes to Season 2…the flagrant and unnecessary use of ‘n****r’—I could probably write an entire essay on that, but let’s just leave it at this: throwing it around on national television and using it in a perfunctory manner promotes the misuse of it to an audience that doesn’t understand its context.” I was expecting a lot of racial slurring, but only got one instance of it in the entire episode. I found it ironic that someone would be shocked by a white supremacist character using a racial epithet. I also found it incredible that viewers might be thought of as that easily impressionable and feeble-minded (I think we can garner the context and misuse just fine). The truth is, we don’t need anyone to babysit our eyes or ears, thank you very much.
And besides, the problem with this show has never been too much sex, violence, or language. It delivers plenty of all of that, to great effect. The big issue is the cartoonish reality that the characters are placed in, which allows a lot of comedy and gonzo action, but deflates any sense of danger. The Aryan nation plotline is definitely pushing the tone into darker territory this time around; I hope it gets darker as the season progresses. The rest of the episode is character work tying up loose plot lines and setting the stage for the rest of the season. For its credits, the show delivers an intense destabilizing event to rocket the story forward. Overall, a solid premiere, and a launching pad for a hellish season.
The usage of the N word in crime fiction by white writers is an ongoing concern. We discussed it a bit recently over at Adrian McKinty’s blog.
http://adrianmckinty.blogspot.com/2009/09/crime-fiction-and-n-word.html
Writing should be honest, regardless of who may be offended. I believe the audience has the maturity to handle any language, and the ability to turn off the television or close the book if they can’t. The focus is on telling the story, not walking on eggshells.
I know this story is about thug-ish bike gangs dealing guns, but it’s amazing. Jax is a complex character that is enthralling to watch. You should definitely check out all the episodes on this website, it’s where I caught them all.