Pilot

Great show
The Shield may be lamentably gone from TV, but prominent alumnus Kurt Sutter seems to have taken it upon himself to carry on its legacy with Sons of Anarchy, and if the show's first season is any indication he's more than up to the task. Anyone who enjoyed The Shield's combination of intelligence and testosterone will certainly find a lot to like here, as SoA quickly established itself as among TV's most unique and consistently compelling shows and only got better from there. Striking a near-perfect balance between grit and sensationalism, it takes viewers through a world marked by violence, double-dealing, and racial division, with an emphasis on the ambiguous morality and personal and familial baggage that come with a life lived between the straight world and the criminal one. The machinations of the characters and the twists of the plot are almost operatic, but the show remains rooted in the harsh realities of gangland.

The premise is sort of...

A Fable for People Who've Never Known Real 1 Percenters
The timing of Sons is obviously gauged to take advantage of the latest mid-life crisis which requires men my age to buy Harleys and spend their weekends pretending to be outlaw bikers.

Sons of Anarchy shows real potential as a worthy successor to The Sopranos - The Complete Series episodic brand of voyeurism. Sons offers to take us into the lives of those who live outside the social contracts (or constraints) most of us take for granted. However, unlike The Sopranos, the Sons are not a criminal version of royalty (a status bestowed by endless viewings of The Godfather DVD Collection .) Instead they are, (as described by another reviewer) "relatable." These are, for the most part, average joes, who've chosen to live outside the requirement to be a part of the herd or to "go along to get along."

Whether we actually...

Awesome show, great Blu
Had not watched this show during the first season run, but I had customers asking about it for months now, so in seeing the Blu option I took a chance. The demand has been huge and the feedback has been excellent. A well produced show, a great cast, a gritty yet flowing soundtrack (Primal Scream, Lions, Bob Thiele, Curtis Stigers) all put together onto a solid Blu package.

The picture quality through all 13 episodes maintained decently, with only a few failures here and there depending on the night footage. The DTS is mixed just well enough to hear such gems as a cigarette burning while the Harley floods the outer channels, or a dog barking out a rear channel that makes you jump, or one of the few bass scenes (thumping music) when they enter the Niners Club in Oakland. The music was actually done just right in each episode as to not drown out any peripheral chatter or relevant goings-on. The supplements are placed entirely on disc 3 and include:
* Making of - 9 minutes...

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