Sons of Anarchy

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The Shield has gone now and nothing can possibly replace it . So the question on everyone’s lips is: how can we possibly replace it? Well, you could create a motorcycle gang drama based loosely on Hamlet, with a team headed up by Kurt Sutter, former writer and producer on The Shield. You know, if that’s your thing. The Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original (Samcrow as they like to call it) is an outlaw motorcycle gang, controlling the smalltown small town of Charming, Northern California. They are seen as a more or less benign institution with their hooks into the local police and numerous legitimate business fronts for their off the books activities. Somewhat like the Conservative party. But benign.

"The Sons are seen as a more or less benign institution with their hooks into the local police and numerous legitimate business fronts for their off the books activities. Somewhat like the Conservative party. But benign."

Jackson "Jax" Teller (Charlie Hunnam) is our Hamlet. He’s just a good-looking rebel who plays by his own rules. Vice-President of the gang and son of now deceased founder member John Teller he struggles with his conscience as he reads his father’s journals that map out the original and decidedly hippy vision for the gang which categorically did not include gunrunning and beatdowns.

And the man in charge of gunrunning and beatdowns is Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman) our King Claudius and OG original member of The Sons. He dishes out the roughneck summary justice in Charming, organises gun deals with the True IRA (and their 100% untrue Rent-a-Mick accents), runs up against rival Hispanic motorcycle group The Mayans and the white supremacist Nords. And in his spare time Clay is the lucky son of a bitch married to Jackson’s mother.

"Old ladies need to know their place and ait’s either sucking dick or pouring beer (Gemma is no stranger to either activity)."

And how about that mother? The woman who put the fuck into motherfucker Gemma Teller Morrow (Katey Sagal) is our Gertrude, a vicious matriarchal control freak who bullies, intimidate and manipulates the female population of Charming, letting everyone know who the Queen of the chapter is. You have to be a tough bitch to survive in the patrician world of motorcycle clubs. Old ladies need to know their place and as Gemma is happy to point out to a fledgling groupie, it’s either sucking dick or pouring beer (Gemma is no stranger to either activity).

Jax wants to move the gang in a new direction – presumably holding hands and picking posies but Clay and the rest of the crew ain’t trying to hear that shit. He has his hands full anyway dealing with his smackhead soon-to-be ex-wife Wendy (Drea de Matteo) and premature currently residing in an incubator son Abel (or DisAbel as he is bound to be known on the streets). Not to mention his piece of ass childhood sweetheart Dr. Tara Knowles (Maggie Siff) who hangs around the hospital looking at him all "I’d totally still do him". What’s a thinly drawn Shakespearean analogy to do?

"Jax’s piece of ass childhood sweetheart Dr. Tara Knowles hangs around the hospital looking at him all "I’d totally still do him". What’s a thinly drawn Shakespearean analogy to do?"

Sons of Anarchy is an enjoyable and eventful ride through motorcycle club culture dealing with family, betrayal and loyalty with intelligence and verve. It’s got something of The Shield’s willingness to go to the dark places and it’s certainly earned its second season pickup. With Mayans, Nords, a possibly treacherous stepdad and a psycho mother to contend with, our hero looks to have quite a time ahead of him. Aerial Telly looks forward to watching it all unfold.

The best thing about it: Some quite impressive violence.

The worst thing about it: Jackson sitting on the roof reading his idiot father’s idiot hippy bollocks. It’s a fucking motorcycle club not an encounter group, you big Mary-Anne

The verdict on Sons of Anarchy: Shut up and ride.

Marks out of 10: 7.5