A Question for Sons of Anarchy Fans

by Watkins 6 Replies latest social entertainment

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  Watkins

  What is it about this show that compells you to tune in? Is it the cool choppers? Lol, no - really, I want to know.

  A friend of my hubby's, when he learned we like The Walking Dead, said, "If you like that show, you'll love Sons of Anarchy."

  As far as I can tell, the 2 shows have absolutely no common thread. One is about a group of misfits surviving a zombie apocalypse, and the other is about, from what little I've seen, violent rival outlaw motorcycle gangs, drug use, gun-running, the nitty-gritty profane lives the gang families lead.

  I don't want to rush to judgement, having never really watched it - hubby's friend recorded one recent show for us a week or so ago - one of the first few scenes was some poor guy in prison getting corn-holed by another fat, greasy inmate - and I thought, wow, I don't need to see anymore of this. :S

  There's got to be more to it that I'm not getting... Hubby's watching the first season dvd and says he 'likes it, but doesn't love it'. I can hear some good music wafting down the hall from the tv room. ;)

  So what is it about the show that you like - what's compelling, what are it's redeeming qualities? Thanks for your imput!

  ~W
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  Watkins

  No help? Hmm, I thought I saw mention of the show on the board in the recent past...

  Well, okay.
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  3rdgen

  First let me say hubby and I are rabid fans of Sons and we have asked the same questions about WD. We don't find Zombies the least bit interesting-go figure. Hubby asks: Why are people interested in Pirates? Vikings? Mafia? What is interesting to me about SOA is twofold. 1: Believe it or not, much of the plot centers around family issues: step father-son, mother-son, grandmother- grandbabies, mothers on drugs, mothers who want safety for their children, fathers who want to change occupations in order to protect the safety of their wives and kids. Loyalty issues surface nearly every week as well. The dilima faced is do I do the "right thing" or remain in an illegal, immoral lifestyle to please my family? Sound familiar? 2: The writing and acting are exceptional. I have lived in nearly every town mentioned in the show. All is accurate. My ex was married to and dated the same women as Gemma, and the moms of Jack's sons. The portrayal is spot on. My ex was a LOT like Clay and my son was a LOT like Jackson. Ex had friends a LOT like those in the MC. My ex's death was one that could have been on the show. Verrrrry strange circumstances.......
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  Watkins

  Thanks for your reply, 3rdgen!

  Yes, I understand how you can relate to it, 3rdgen. And you live in California, so that makes it more interesting to you. I've never known anyone like any of the SoA characters and live a simple, mid-western country life and find it difficult to relate to any of their situations.

  Why I like WD... well, the name of it drew me in the first place because that's what we've felt like being 'the shunned', wt-style. I've always liked horror, scary-themed books and movies. (when I bacame a jw I sold/gave away my Stephen King book collection which took years to accumulate :( )

  I never liked zombie thrillers, though. The first time I tried to watch 'Night of the Living Dead' some decades ago, I couldn't watch it all - was alone and just got too creeped-out. I'd seen the WD actors on some talk show and was initially interested, but we only have antenna tv, no cable or dish to view AMC. So we rented the 2 available seasons of WD at the video store and watched them in 2 long weekends - hooked and hooked!

  The thing I like about it is... killing the monsters, the threat. And it's survival - I like how the writers give the characters good decisions in their situations, or bad - and you see how it plays out. Also, unlike zombies of past movies - WD zombies shuffle/drag themselves along - they don't RUN!

  And it's not REAL - I like it that it's imaginary. Real-life dramas are sometimes too much for me... I have too many anxieties I guess. 0.o

  Thanks for the insight :))

  W~
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  cult classic

  Excellent writing and antagonist/protagonist situations. Someone told us to watch the 1st 3 episodes and we'd get hooked. We really did! It's a very good story with good character development.

  And it's also time for them to wrap it up. It can only be dragged on for so long.

  ETA: Yeah there are a few brutal scenes throughout the episodes. If you can let someone who's watched it know what episodes you're on they can give you a heads up on when to look away for a couple minutes. I can't stand torture or brutal killing/rape scenes.
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  Stand for Pure Worship

  I absolutely hate Gemma. Psycho-grandmother. Never thought I'd say this, but I cant stand Jax nowadays either. His decision making is almost as bad as Clay's. CultClassic, I agree, it's time to wrap it up. While its always been a bit outrageous, it was somewhat believable. Now it comes off like they're running out of stories to write about and are forcing themselves to make it interesting. I mean it took them forever to kill off key characters, and the latest hits seemed forced like they were looking for an excuse. Before the latest hit, they took out characters that barely had any screen time, so it was like no big deal. SOA is definitely not a Breaking Bad.
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  cult classic

  I agree SFPW. Because Jax came across so sanctimonious, he's more unlikeable than Clay at this point. And don't even get me started on Gemma. All that crying this past episode and acting like she has always hated Clay... I don't think so.