Sons Of Anarchy – Season Four (2011/Fox Blu-ray)

 

Picture: A-     Sound: B     Extras: C     Episodes: B

 

I love Sons of Anarchy, don’t get me wrong, but I feel after four seasons the series is getting a bit repetitive.  The situations are all the same, the characters haven’t grown much emotionally, and whereas a gripping action/drama series I find it hard to be overly invested in the characters at this point.

 

The discord and conflict that began in Season Three continues in Season Four, picking up where the ‘shocking’ ending of Season Three left off.  The antics of this season aren’t  as bizarre as the trip to Ireland in last season, but the  Jax (Charlie Hunnam) avenging his father angle is still the heavy focus.  After learning some deplorable details of his father’s death (involving Clay [Ron Pearlman] and his mother Gemma [Katey Segal]) Jax sets out to claim his birth right as leader of SAMCRO at any and all costs.

 

The series doesn’t so much switch things up this season as it starts to revisit plot points originally established in Season One; with Clay looking to profit from SAMCRO ventures and JAX despising his pseudo-father for taking what is his.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing (as Season One was simply amazing), but the follow through is weak at best.  We have SAMCRO getting deep and heavy into the gun smuggling (consequently drug smuggling) as they partner with The Galindo Cartel.  Danny Trejo joins the crew this season as the face (though a tattered and torn face) of the Galindo Cartel (Romero Prada) and does an excellent job (as always).  Romero Prada is almost a mystic figure this season as he has all the answers, gets things done, and is the savior on more than one occasion.  Later we learn that Prada is much more than he appears.

 

The season quickly escalates in lies, violence and stressed relationships; certain members of SAMCRO willing to take out whoever stands in their way.  The right side of the law changes up a bit this season with the inclusion of Ray McKinnon as Assistant US Attorney Lincoln Potter; a man building a RICO case against SAMCRO, Galindo Cartel, and the IRA.  McKinnon is only a hiccup in the misdoings and misdeeds of SAMCRO as their internal struggles seem more dangerous than any forces from the outside world.  Writer/Director, Kurt Sutter appears to be alluding to self implosion for SAMCRO all season; building the climax so much that this season ran one additional episode in the two part finale.  Sadly, however, the two part finale is so anticlimactic, so disappointing, that it almost negates and ruins the entire season.  After fizzling out at the end, viewers will be left wondering what is to come for this once promising series.  Sons of Anarchy still has the chops to follow through with something wonderful, but Sutter and his team seem to prefer cheap tricks, cliff hangers, and odd plot twists over solid, coherent storyline.

 

Extras this season include:

·         Deleted Scenes

·         Audio Commentary on select Episodes

·         Gag Reel

·         Farwell to Piney

·         Anarchy at the House of Blues (A nice charity event hosted by cast/crew to benefit a family in need)

·         Fans of Anarchy (Sutter flies a couple Anarchy fans out to the set to spend time with cast/crew)

 

The picture is 1080p AVC Encoded MPEG-4 1.78 X 1 image that looks awesome!  The series has a great texture too it while maintaining a wonderful crispness.  There is no digital noise to speak of and the depth that this Blu-ray displays with detail is astonishing.  This Blu-ray is practically cinematic.  With Sons of Anarchy having such a weathered, gnarled look one would expect it to look rather artificial, but quite the opposite.  Every detail, every wrinkle, every bead of sweat and blood is there is supreme clarity; just shy of perfect this TV series is demo quality.  The sound is a nice (though not as surprising as the picture) 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.  The sound comes heavy from the center, kicking in the surrounds for the actions sequences/gun brawls.  The good news is the gun fights are well balanced, taking up the entire soundscape and putting the viewer in the heart of the actions.  Whereas the action and music are amazing, Sutter should work on clearing up the dialogue so I don’t have to turn up my TV to hear what everyone is saying.

 

 

-   Michael P. Dougherty II