Competing with other high-caliber shows like Breaking Bad and Mad Men, one which always wins awards and one which always gets snubbed, Sons of Anarchy managed to set itself apart with its unique setting and flavor. It’s as much a Shakespearean drama as it is a mythological tale of betrayal and fraternity, and the fact that it unravels in the form of the wheelings and dealings of a motorcycle club (MC) just makes it that much more interesting. After a great but admittedly expository first season, Sons of Anarchy kicked into a higher gear in its second season and earned itself a new level of street cred with the outstanding story of SAMCRO (Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original) taking on the local neo-Nazi group. It reached impressive heights for a sophomore season and frankly it’s hard to say if the third season ever had a chance, but even so, it’s still a great season of television but it feels quite fractured in how it tells its overarching story.
The third season of Sons of Anarchy can be broken down into three respective parts: the lead up to Ireland, the time in Ireland, and the fallout once the MC returns. The division creates an almost unreal feel for the first two-thirds as the stage is set by the closing of the second season, wherein a member of the IRA kidnaps Jax’s infant son and takes him to Ireland. As you might expect, the first few episodes of the third season then deal with the MC’s attempts to get the boy back before he can be shipped overseas – but to no avail. This is where the season experiences its biggest hiccup. The time spent as the club mills about, dealing with the charges leveled against Jemma (Katey Sagal) by corrupt ATF Agent Stahl (Ally Walker) and what effect the MC’s leaving the country to give chase will have on her case, stretches a bit long and ultimately makes the season feel quite slow in the first third.
Things pick up, however, once the MC reaches the emerald shores of Ireland and they reunite with the Belfast chapter of SoA (SAMBEL). Themes of loyalty and brotherhood fly fast and loose as SAMCRO, led by Clay (Ron Perlman) trudges through the quagmire of violence that embroils the MC and the IRA, all of which is overshadowed by a revelation that comes unto Jax (Charlie Hunnam) about his father and his allegiance to the MC. Once the business in Ireland is resolved, SAMCRO returns to the US where they wrap up the last trace of their IRA problems and put into motion the final steps of their plan to deal with the crooked dealings of Stahl. The final third of the season carries on the momentum the mid-section built up, and by the end we’re left with about 8 solid storylines throughout the season that sufficiently gave depth and conflict to the members of SAMCRO, both new and old.
When it comes to Jax’s devotion to the MC, the theme that dominated the second season, the writers introduce not only a new wrinkle and resolution, but a new font of conflict which will flow from somewhere beyond the complicated relationship of Jax, Clay, Jemma, and the late John Teller. While the story of the third season doesn’t spend as much time with Jax mulling over his father’s manuscript of MC revolution, it does give us quite a bit of insight into an aspect that up until this point had received little to no light: how and why Jemma came to hate Jax’s father and gravitate towards Clay. It was a badly needed piece of missing information, and the writers managed to slot it in nicely.
Of course, Sons of Anarchy as a show wouldn’t work at all without its three powerhouse leads, and after the second and third seasons, it’s fair to say neither Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman, nor Katey Sagal have ever performed better in their careers than they have here. Granted, that says different things for each of them, what with Hunnam being a relative newcomer in that trio, but what it should impress upon you is that Perlman and especially Sagal are phenomenal in their respective roles. With each season, Jemma’s role as the MC matriarch grows ever more complicated and her methods ever more Machiavellian. She pushes and pulls the emotions of those around her to just the right point until they break, blink, or bark exactly when she needs them to. Sagal receives considerable screen time this season, and while nothing happens to her at the same magnitude as the second season, she’s exerting far more power than ever before and it makes the relationships among the MC that much more interesting to watch.
The supporting cast also deserves high praise, with Tommy Flanagan taking front and center during the few days in Ireland, Maggie Siff taking Jax’s girlfriend to increasingly shadier places on the moral spectrum, and Kim Coates being the primary driver of side action between the big plot points. Without Coates, it’s a safe argument that Sons of Anarchy would feel rather empty, as his presence adds quite a bit of ambiguity to the nature of Jemma’s relationships and motivations and it’s increasingly hard to tell where his loyalties lie within the club. It suggests interesting things for the future of the series and the growth of its cast. Theo Rossi, Mark Boone Junior, and Ryan Hurst also deserve mention for playing steadily strong supporting members.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
The set includes four brief scenes to give you a taste of the recently started fourth season of Sons of Anarchy, a roundtable session with the show creator Kurt Sutter and the writers where they answer questions posed to them off twitter, a modest blooper reel, select commentaries on episodes, a featurette on Sutter’s filming of the season finale, deleted scenes, and optional extensions for three episodes.
"Sons of Anarchy: Season 3" is on sale August 29, 2011 and is not rated. Action, Crime, Drama. Directed by Bill Gierhart, Guy Ferland, Gwyneth Horder Payton, Paris Barclay. Written by Kurt Sutter, Dave Erickson, Chris Collins, Liz Sagal. Starring Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, Kim Coates, Maggie Siff, Mark Boone Junior, Ron Perlman, Ally Walker, Titus Welliver, Theo Rossi, Ryan Hurst, Tommy Flanagan.
