Sons of Anarchy, FX, Airs Wednesday 10/9c
Episode: “Capybara” (Season 1, Episode 11)
Synopsis: When one SOA member is arrested for murder and another goes missing, Jax must choose between friendship and the club. Meanwhile, Abel grows stronger and is soon to be released from the NICU, but he’s not the only one coming home.
Review: You know, there are still people out there who would tell you that there isn’t anything good on TV anymore. More specifically, there are people who have given up hope on Wednesday nights. And who could blame them — NBC had to retool Wednesday nights and bring in Life as ratings on Knight Rider and the now canceled Lipstick Jungle plummeted. But that is all just network TV, for the really great drama it is important to look deeper into your channel directory — because truly great drama does exist on Wednesday nights. And it resides on FX.
Once again this week Sons of Anarchy has proven why it is one of the best shows on television. We saw the return of guest star Drea de Matteo as Jax’s crackhead wife, throwing another wrinkle into the infinitely complicated existence of the show’s main man. It is just another example of the SoA writing team’s ability to add layers as other layers are being peeled back, something that gives the show its week-to-week freshness and keeps its audience on edge.
Also this week we are beginning to see the emergence of the show’s true villains. On one side we are seeing the resourcefullness and devious nature of Agent Stohl, played by longtime TV journey-woman Ally Walker. She has really brought the character front and center, the first real threat to the sanctity of SAMCRO. Her strong performance, like the performance of Katey Sagal in the past, has allowed her to shine through in a primarily male-dominated show. But then again, she’s a total badass who will stop at nothing — and I mean nothing — to get what she wants. Also in the villains category is Clay Morrow, played by Ron Perlman. There is something either deeply evil about Clay that will put him at odds later with Jax or something weak about him that is being manipulated by others — namely Tig, played by the always excellent Kim Coates. If I had to take a guess at this point, I am betting on Clay being bad — it appears to be in his nature.
And speaking of natures, my final thought about this week’s spectacular episode is that we are beginning to see part of Jax (Charlie Hunnam) that we had only previously assumed was there — he’s not a bad guy. In fact, he appears to be a very compassionate, albeit confused man. The question is whether or not this is genuine or if it is just another layer being added by the writers to keep us from seeing something much bigger down the road. Hard to say, but I can tell you this, I will certainly be sticking around to find out.
Up Next Week: In need of cash to fund Bobby’s defense, Clay’s solution leaves Samcro in a vulnerable position. What’s supposed to be a happy homecoming for Abel ends in more turmoil for the club.
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Did you see Sons of Anarchy this week? If so, feel free to discuss below.
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