Tuesday, Sept. 9, FX premiered the sixth season of its crown jewel, "Sons of Anarchy." Wrought with the gut-wrenching violence and volatile drama that fans are accustomed to, the season six premiere offered something different. Debuting all new characters, plot lines and tragedies, fans of the show were in for something unexpected.
Show creator Kurt Sutter, who also plays character Otto Delaney, was one of the first familiar faces shown last week. The incarcerated, now violent and unpredictable member of the California Charter of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club (MC) was also the star of the first brutality, being shown as the victim of a prison rape. As wretched a crime as it is, most followers of the show were torn by what they were watching. After seeing Otto deteriorate into a psychopathic killer in season five, most feel that he deserves the punishments being served to him by a retired and connected U.S. Marshall, whom Otto wronged terribly. Even so, most of us were horrified right from the start during Tuesday’s premiere of one of the grittiest shows on television to date.
The episode also inaugurated many new characters, including a networked former cop played by Peter Weller (“RoboCop,” “Star Trek: Into Darkness”) and a resourceful and experienced courtesan played by actress Kim Dickens (“Thank You for Smoking,” “Hollow Man”). The show’s main character Jax Teller, played by the ever popular Charlie Hunnam, interacted with these new characters in ways that were unexpected, to say the least. Jax is now the president of the MC after last season’s dramatic fall of former president Clay Morrow (a plot line that has yet to be closed), and it is clear that Jax is eager to stabilize the club after its checkered history. Jax has already laid the grounds for a beneficial relationship with the crooked ex-cop Charles Barosky in order to expand the reach of the Sons power and influence. To everyone’s surprise, Jax also slept with the aspiring high level employer of a new branch of escorts, shocking and intriguing the fan base even more in the last minute of the episode.
Meanwhile, Tara Knowles, Jax’s passionate medical professional wife, is facing hard times after recently being sent to prison for a crime she did not commit. Tension continues to brew in their formerly happy marriage as Jax betrays her trust and Tara shamefully pushes him away as she struggles to come to terms with her current predicament.
Without a doubt, the event that viewers are talking about the most involved an incredibly sensitive subject. A young boy, featured randomly throughout the premiere, was revealed to be the incredibly disturbed son of a club affiliate. After walking to his Catholic School, the boy brandished an automatic weapon and entered the school. The obvious tragedy was not seen and was particularly brief, yet the weight of the event was clearly conveyed.
The scenes following the shooting depicted a touching and heart-wrenching montage; a love letter, so to speak, to first responders and law enforcement, as well as a testament to the victims of various school shootings.
The season six premiere of “Sons of Anarchy” did not disappoint in any way. Blasting into our weekly lives once again with drama, violence and incredibly addictive plot lines, “Samcro” is here to stay.
