I can't stop watching...Sons of Anarchy

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So, imagine you have this friend named I don’t know…Phillip Stoup (for those of you who didn’t go to Law School with us, just bear with me – his name isn’t that important because we all know someone like him - the sweet dude in the pink shirt above). On the outside he is sort a tool – he takes his polos to the dry cleaner so the collars pop in just the right way, he kind of sort talks down to you, he talks about his house in Telluride a lot, and he sort of has an air about him that is really off-putting the first time you meet him. Yet those who know him really swear by him – they claim he is a good guy and they are really good friends with them. You trust their judgment, but you just never became great friends with Phil because you cant get over the initial impression. But then you are forced to hang out with Phil because you are working in the same clinic and you are paired with him on a project. Through this project you spend a lot of time with him and you realize what others said about Phil was right – he really is a good guy. He is actually nice and funny and down for a good time – its just that when you first meet him its hard to get past that external appearance and general douchebaggery. But if you invest the time to get to know him you realize he is great and all of those things that once potentially turned you away from being his friend become part of the equation.

Sons of Anarchy is Phil Stoup. See it’s a show about a motorcycle gang, which on its face sounds terrible and boring and nothing I would ever want to be closely associated with. Everyone had been saying it was a great show for awhile, but I really just couldn’t get past that initial impression so I ignored it for a very long time. But I am without a real tv and thus forced to watch shows on my computer, so I gave the show a try and after about 3 shows I realized how amazing it was. As with most shows I like the plot is secondary to the characters, who are all amazing and complex. The story revolves around the son of the Motorcycle gang founder. His mother (played by the mom from Married with Children) is married to the current President of the club, but really her commitment is to the club itself. Her son has been bred to take over the club, and he is committed to it, but he is not entirely sure that is comfortable with the direction the club is going as violence increases and it focuses almost exclusively on running guns. He is a pretty amazing character as he has a lot on his plate and a lot to sort out (trying not to give too much plot away). The supporting characters are pretty phenomenal as well – it’s a lot like the Wire in the sense that motivation and context drives a lot of who you perceive as bad and good for any given show – a lot of it deals with obligations to family and the club and friends . And, there is a moment in this show that affected me more than almost any other TV moment since the famous Wallace season in Season one of the Wire. Truly astonishing. All of this amazingness makes you appreciate the context even more and by about the third show the fact that you are watching a motorcycle gang merely adds to the enjoyment of the show. I just finished the first season and from all of the reviews I have been reading, it sounds like season two, which just wrapped up, is even better, so I’m looking quite forward to catching up on that.

So, I say this to you reader of the blog – especially Hilary Jay. Give Stoup a chance. By Stoup I mean Sons of Anarchy. Long live SAMCRO.

By the way, if you needed any more convincing about how awesome the show is, Raleigh-Durham hip hop superstar Joe Scudda also loves the show. Just check out his twitter page to see for yourself and cape up....