Sons of Anarchy was the best new show of the 2008 - 2009 Television season and the first season is now available on DVD. The gripping, bloody drama centers on the Sons of Anarchy motorcycle club, an outlaw motorcycle club in the fictional Northern California town of Charming. A poignant name for a town if ever there was one.
The club is led by Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman) who is one of the original members of the club. Second in command is Jax Teller, Clay's stepson, and the son of the club founder, John Teller. Jax's mom and Clay's wife is Gemma (Katey Sagal), sometimes referred to the Queen of Bikers.
The Sons of Anarchy are often referred to as SAMCRO, an acronym of Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original. The club's main source of income comes from the illegal guns they purchase from IRA militants that are sold to street gangs in Oakland and other parts of California. While outlaw, SAMCRO has a strong sense of honor, justice, and respect for family. The gang has managed to keep drug dealers out of Charming and often act as their own police force.
For example, in the episode "Fun Town" a young girl is raped by a carnival worker. It is not the police that find the scumbag, but rather the Sons who end up meting out a rather medieval brand of justice on the perpetrator.
SAMCRO has a number of rivals including the Mayans, a Hispanic motorcycle club who has been trying to make inroads into Charming; The "Nords" a skinhead gang who are trying to establish a drug trade in Charming. Their leader is Ernest Darby (Mitch Pileggi of the X-Files); and the 9'ers, a black street gang who are the Son's biggest customer for their illegal guns.
Season one juggles a diverse set of plot lines, meticulously woven throughout the 13 episodes. The main stories revolve around the birth of Jax's baby to his drug-addicted ex-wife Wendy; the return of Jax's ex-flame Tara, now a doctor at the Charming hospital overseeing the care of his son; and the investigation of the gang by agents of the ATF.
For Ron Perlman, this is a chance to step out of the usual genre roles he's used to playing and display his true talents as an actor without being covered in layers of makeup. His character is tough and authoritative, yet you get to see his softer side when he is alone with Gemma. Speaking of Gemma, this role is about as far away from Katey Sagal's most well-known role, that of Peg Bundy in Married with Children. She is brilliant as the aging Biker Queen, fully supportive of her husband, even in the face of his sexual indiscretions. Other stellar cast members include Charlie Hunnam as Jax; Mark Boone Junior as Bobby Munson, the gang's treasurer; and Kim Coates as Tig, the violent Sergeant-at-arms.
Sons of Anarchy is a gritty, violent show and yet, despite the outlaw nature of the show's anti-heroes, you cannot help but root for them and against the legal system which is attempting to bring them down.