In Defense of "Sons of Anarchy"

     I have always had a fascination with organized crime and organized criminal elements. This fascination extends to everything from the Five Families of New York (Bonnano, Gambino, Lucchese, Colombo, and Genovese), the DeCavalcante Family of New Jersey (upon which the Soprano family was very loosely based), the Chicago Outfit, criminal gangs such as the Crips and Bloods, and prison gangs such as the Black Guerrilla Army, Aryan Brotherhood, and Mexican Mafia (or La Eme, whose story is recounted in Edward James Olmos's film "American Me" and was the basis for Taylor Hackford's film "Blood In, Blood Out" aka "Bound By Honor"). I have especially been interested in OMCs-outlaw motorcycle clubs. The histories of these clubs are very similar-most founding members were veterans returning from conflict looking to recreate the same sort of camaraderie that they enjoyed during deployment. The Hells' Angels, for example, were founded by WWII veterans in California. Numerous other OMCs were founded by Korean and Vietnam War veterans. OMC members also identify themselves proudly as "one percenters", a designation that supposedly arose from a quote by a member of the American Motorcycle Association in the 1950s, who stated that "99% of all motorcycle riders are law abiding citizens." This, of course, implies that the other one percent were outlaws. OMCs are extremely well organized, with hierarchies that exist on the local, state, national, and international levels. Most OMCs have officers that sound similar to those that might be found in any Rotary, Jaycee, or VFW club, with a president, vice-president, and sergeant-at-arms. Most OMCs are also highly organized criminal enterprises that specialize in the illegal distribution of both guns and drugs on a massive scale.
     In spite of this fascinating (at least in my mind) criminal architecture, few works outside of some older films and B movies (anyone remember the films "Stone Cold" starring Brian Bosworth?), prior to 2008, I cannot recall a television show or film that treats the OMC life as serious subject matter. That all changed with the broadcast of the first episode of creator Kurt Sutter's "Sons of Anarchy." Sutter had served as a writer for the critically acclaimed F/X series, "The Shield" and wrote some of that series most memorable episodes. In preparation for "Sons of Anarchy", Sutter spent a year with a real OMC studying the lifestyle and learning more about the motivations of the members (and, no doubt, soaking in the unique culture that is the OMC life). Sutter's genius was melding the organized crime aspects of "The Sopranos"-complete with memorable characters and stellar actors-with the Shakespearean drama of Hamlet, complete with characters who could easily be identified as their Hamlet counterparts. Charlie Hunnam was cast as Jackson "Jax" Teller (Prince Hamlet), Vice-President of the mother chapter (Redwood Original) of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, or SAMCRO. The SOA had been founded by his father, John Teller (King Hamlet), and his father's best friend, Piney Winston, upon their return from Vietnam, where they had served as paratroopers. Piney and John spent their time upon their return cruising through Northern California, eventually settling in the town of Charming, the hometown of John's wife and Jax's mother, Gemma (Queen Gertrude-played by Katey Sagal, who is also Kurt Sutter's wife in real life). Shortly after John's death in a motorcycle accident when Jax was only 11 years old, Gemma started dating and married Clay Morrow (Claudius-played by Ron Perelman), who was not only a founding member of SAMCRO but also John Teller's best friend. Clay rose to be president of SAMCRO and raised Jax as his own son after his father died. SAMCRO makes its money through the illegal sale of firearms, obtained through its Belfast, N.I. chapter (SAMBEL) to the gangs of California, including the One-Niners (a major gang from "The Shield"). SAMCRO's relationship with Charming is uneasy-many residents feel that the club's presence keeps the town safe from harm, as they ward off evil doers while conducting their illicit affairs well outside the city borders. However, throughout the series, SAMCRO's acts come back to Charming, and everyone has to pay.
     The underlying thrust of the series concerns Jax's struggle with his role in the club, his life as a single father, his issues with his mother, and the ghost of his father in the shape of a manuscript written by John Teller and left behind for Jax to find, outlining his vision for SAMCRO-a vision that is distinct from that embraced by his stepfather, the current club president. That is all one really has to know before watching the series. I find it compelling, and it has quickly become one of my favorite series. Sutter has created an immersive world in which the viewer can easily empathize with the challenges faced by the club (at least on the family side of things). Additionally, the show provides enough action and drama to satisfy fans of BOTH of those genres. To be sure, this is a series that is well suited for cable-the language and violence of the series alone would dictate that. It has become F/X's most successful and most watched series ever. However...
    When I tried to speak about it to others, however, people in my circle of friends seemed to be disinterested. I was surprised-I mean, who wouldn't be fascinated by this underworld of dark knights riding on their Harleys-antiheroes who are sympathetic one moment and viciously violent the next? I soon realized that the OMC world is something that not everyone is familiar with or even comfortable with. The OMC life appears to be a far cry from the "old world" charms of a Mafia family or the family-based drama of Compton street gangs. I find myself defending my love of the series to many people. Granted, as with any series, there are some downturns in story quality from episode to episode or season to season. However, on the whole, I put the series, the characters, and the storyline above most of anything else currently on television (with the exceptions of "Justified" and "Breaking Bad"). If you not yet experienced SOA, I highly recommend it (the first 4 seasons are available via Netflix's streaming service-in HD no less!).