TV on DVD: Sons of Anarchy Seasons 1 & 2 (2008, 2009)

I don't know what it is, but basic cable seems to be the only place to find good television anymore. There are a few exceptions, but overall, this is the place to be. One of those places is FX. I haven't watched all of their shows, but you can't really find a bad title in their roster. Sons of Anarchy is a part of that brilliant lineup.

Buy Sons of Anarchy Season 1 on DVD or Blu-ray
Buy Sons of Anarchy Season 2 on DVD or Blu-ray

In the small town of Charming, CA, the motorcycle club Sons of Anarchy run an auto repair shop. They also run guns, the police department and the entire town. Ron Perlman stars as Clay, the President of the Sons, also known as Samcro. Charlie Hunnam is Jax, Clay's stepson and VP of the club. The two butt heads constantly over the vision of the club. Clay wants to stick to assembling and selling firearms, but Jax's life is changing. His junkie ex-wife just had his baby. He found a book that his father wrote before he died. Apparently his dad's vision differed from Clay's. Jax's high school sweetheart has also come back into his life with her own baggage.



As most FX series do, SoA puts its characters in dangerous and often absurd situations. The crazy thing is that these situations all fall in line and make plenty of sense in the context. The show deals with a Mexican biker gang, a Chinese heroine ring, a black gang who buys guns from Samcro, Aryan meth dealers, a national white supremacy group, the IRA, local police, county sheriffs and even the ATF. Can it get any crazier?

The characters are great. It doesn't matter if it's a member of the club, one of their wives or girlfriends, or a character with a two episode arc. They all get developed enough for you to care about them. They all have personality. The best thing about these characters is just when you think you know them, they do something that surprises you. An assassin gets a conscience. A good cop chooses a lesser evil. Friends become enemies. It's all great, and all worth your time. I watched two seasons in about four days, so it's hard for me to separate one from the other. It doesn't matter. The story continues flawlessly. Do yourself a favor, and get into this show. I'm looking forward to season three's DVD release and season four will be on FX this fall.