I get sent a lot of screeners here at the office, a fact I bring up not merely to brag (OK, maybe just a little) but to stress how much of an event it is when I receive something I was actually looking forward to. Think of it as a handwritten note from an old friend amid a sea of junk mail. The new season of Sons of Anarchy is like that. The second I get it, I pop it in the computer and catch up with the foulmouthed, violent and infinitely compelling adventures of SAMCRO, a ruthless California biker gang.
The previous three seasons have brought such breathtaking moments as the mistaken assassination of a member’s wife, the kidnapping of the main character’s infant son, a jail-cell brawl between the main character and his stepfather, a murderously duplicitous FBI agent, and a really cool Stephen King cameo. I’ve had problems with some of the storylines in the past, specifically the show’s main romantic pairing of leader-in-waiting Jax Teller ( Charlie Hunnam) and Tara Knowles (Maggie Siff), his high-school flame who has moved back to town and become a doctor. Tara’s involvement with Jax smacks of self-destruction, and her continuing embrace of the outlaw lifestyle is hard to watch. Jax, meanwhile, has been struggling with his identity since the beginning of the show, not happy with the way his stepfather Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman) has decided to run things after Jax’s father’s death. There’s a definite Hamlet vibe, too, in Clay’s marriage to Jax’s mother Gemma (Katey Sagal), especially in light of the writings Jax’s father left detailing how he believes SAMCRO has been led astray.
That’s all still very much in play as Season 4 begins. The gang is just completing a prison stay resulting from some Season 2 shenanigans, only to find that there’s a new sheriff in town. Rockmond Dunbar, who was so good on Prison Break, shows he can play both sides of the law, as he embodies Deputy Sheriff Eli Roosevelt, who isn’t going to let the Sons run the show the way Unser did. There’s also an eccentric, but deadly serious about his work, new prosecutor, Lincoln Potter, played by Ray McKinnon. He has his sights set on the Mexican drug cartel, the Russian mob and the Sons, and you get the sense right away that he’s going to be a formidable opponent.
I saw the first three episodes, which present plenty of great moments, but unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) don’t get me to the episodes featuring David Hasselhoff as a porn star. Ostensibly, a cheesy nimrod like The Hoff has no place on a quality show like Sons of Anarchy, but I have complete faith they will pull it off. More at home is Danny Trejo as a Mexican cartel leader, who is actually scarier when he’s being nice.
If I have any complaint so far, it’s that it’s really time for Jax to put up or shut up in his talk about reforming the club. He assures Tara that he’s done with the lifestyle, and he begins to set things in motion with Clay, but everybody knows his chances for getting out are about as good as Michael Corleone’s. We’ve heard all this before, so hopefully this season will go a long way toward resolving the issue one way or the other. It’s the Sons of Anarchy version of “will they or won’t they,” and it’s on the brink of getting stale. I’m also missing Tig (Kim Coates) who hasn’t yet had much to do this season, but I think the fact that I’m that interested in a supporting character more of a plus than a minus. Sagal continues to impress as Gemma, one of the more complicated roles on TV. We know she loves everyone — Jax, Clay, the club — but I’ve never been sure who would win out if she had to make a choice. Gemma herself probably doesn’t know, which makes her struggle so compelling. I’ve never been all that taken with Opie (Ryan Hurst), who this season is set to marry his porn-star girlfriend Lyla (Winter Ave Zoli), but he does seem to be figuring more into the club’s future with his designs on leadership. He’s been most interesting when he’s conflicted on whether the group truly has his best interest at heart, and he seems poised for a big blow-up with Jax this season. Can’t wait.
If you haven’t taken a ride with the Sons, don’t be afraid. Season 4 is actually a pretty good entry point, tying up a lot of loose ends early and paving the way for more irresistible mayhem. But if you’d like some rundowns of episodes from past seasons, you can catch up with some recaps I did, along with a few interviews with the stars. Season 4 kicks off tonight at 10 on FX with “Out.”