If I had to consolidate into one word all of the unpleasant emotions I've undergone in my painfully slow journey through five seasons of this cartoonish series, the term "frustration" would fit the bill perfectly. If you plan on diving into this show expecting the universe in which this story takes place to even remotely resemble our own, you too will feel this frustration. I am actually thoroughly appalled to see such high praise for this show, and it troubles me to think that this might somehow be The Best Thing On Television Right Now.
The show centers on the follies of a gun running motorcycle gang in a fictional California town, ostensibly ran by a young blonde man named Jax who appears as though he was ripped, pixel for pixel, right out of an Abercrombie and Finch magazine ad. His mother, stepfather, and girlfriend get much focus as well, and a handful of other gang members get minor attention in an attempt to give the ensemble a little substance. However, each and every one of these characters are completely unlikable. They're nasty, manipulative, murderous, sexist criminals. This group of alcoholic racists (the non-allowance of blacks in the group actually becomes a plot-line) runs guns (and later, drugs) and seems to pull in huge profits in the process, and yet still live relatively meager lives in modest homes. There is never an explanation as to where these funds go, and there is only a half-attempt to explain why the gang even carries out this type of shady business in the first place.
Now, stories centering on anti-heroes CAN be enjoyable. Nabokov's Lolita, American Psycho, Dexter come to mind. However, this show feels as though it actually endorses the actions of our biker friends, and I felt as though I, as the viewer, was expected to give myself a high-five every time the Sons of Anarchy (the name of the gang) killed an innocent bystander or screwed someone over. The main pull for this show is simply watching to see if these thugs ever actually get what's coming to them. (Spoiler Alert: they don't. Not in the first five seasons, anyway). This brings me to my main peeve: the characters outside the inner circle.
Rest assured, any character in this show that is not a member or affiliate of the Sons of Anarchy is going to be a cartoonish, one- dimensional, unintelligent tool that always seems to be just one step behind our lovely Sons. Authority figure, public official, rival gang member, it doesn't matter. For example (spoiler here), one character sets a scenario in motion in which Jax's best friend is beaten to death right in front of him. Then, this same character instructs Jax to turn over ANOTHER member of his gang to be murdered, and then leaves himself completely open for a strike from Jax as he carries out the task of killing the second member. This character is supposed to be a super- intelligent, insanely powerful person in the story, and watching him and other characters do insanely stupid things that allow Jax and crew to constantly get the scoop on them is absolutely cringe-worthy. Furthermore, none of the gang members, save for one named Opie, ever have to experience the consequences of their lifestyle.
As I mentioned before, I don't mind rooting for the bad guys from time to time, but this show makes it impossible. The characters are invincible, and therefore completely unrelatable. The story lines are easily predictable (hint: Sons always win. Always). The acting is pretty good, particularly from Katey Sagal, but it's hard to revive the believability of such poorly written characters. Watch Mad Men or Breaking Bad if you actually want a story in which the characters are human beings. Watch this if you like motorcycles and brawls and gunfights, because that's about as deep as this show is willing to go.
The show centers on the follies of a gun running motorcycle gang in a fictional California town, ostensibly ran by a young blonde man named Jax who appears as though he was ripped, pixel for pixel, right out of an Abercrombie and Finch magazine ad. His mother, stepfather, and girlfriend get much focus as well, and a handful of other gang members get minor attention in an attempt to give the ensemble a little substance. However, each and every one of these characters are completely unlikable. They're nasty, manipulative, murderous, sexist criminals. This group of alcoholic racists (the non-allowance of blacks in the group actually becomes a plot-line) runs guns (and later, drugs) and seems to pull in huge profits in the process, and yet still live relatively meager lives in modest homes. There is never an explanation as to where these funds go, and there is only a half-attempt to explain why the gang even carries out this type of shady business in the first place.
Now, stories centering on anti-heroes CAN be enjoyable. Nabokov's Lolita, American Psycho, Dexter come to mind. However, this show feels as though it actually endorses the actions of our biker friends, and I felt as though I, as the viewer, was expected to give myself a high-five every time the Sons of Anarchy (the name of the gang) killed an innocent bystander or screwed someone over. The main pull for this show is simply watching to see if these thugs ever actually get what's coming to them. (Spoiler Alert: they don't. Not in the first five seasons, anyway). This brings me to my main peeve: the characters outside the inner circle.
Rest assured, any character in this show that is not a member or affiliate of the Sons of Anarchy is going to be a cartoonish, one- dimensional, unintelligent tool that always seems to be just one step behind our lovely Sons. Authority figure, public official, rival gang member, it doesn't matter. For example (spoiler here), one character sets a scenario in motion in which Jax's best friend is beaten to death right in front of him. Then, this same character instructs Jax to turn over ANOTHER member of his gang to be murdered, and then leaves himself completely open for a strike from Jax as he carries out the task of killing the second member. This character is supposed to be a super- intelligent, insanely powerful person in the story, and watching him and other characters do insanely stupid things that allow Jax and crew to constantly get the scoop on them is absolutely cringe-worthy. Furthermore, none of the gang members, save for one named Opie, ever have to experience the consequences of their lifestyle.
As I mentioned before, I don't mind rooting for the bad guys from time to time, but this show makes it impossible. The characters are invincible, and therefore completely unrelatable. The story lines are easily predictable (hint: Sons always win. Always). The acting is pretty good, particularly from Katey Sagal, but it's hard to revive the believability of such poorly written characters. Watch Mad Men or Breaking Bad if you actually want a story in which the characters are human beings. Watch this if you like motorcycles and brawls and gunfights, because that's about as deep as this show is willing to go.