Sons Of Anarchy – Season One (2008/Fox Blu-ray)
Picture: B+ Sound: B+ Extras: C+ Episodes: B+
FX Network manages to once again deliver another
stellar series with Sons of Anarchy:
Season One. The series is
everything a television show should be as it is creative, captivating, edgy,
well cast, and visually stunning. For a
series that is slyly concealed under a thick layer of grit and grime manages to
be oddly graceful as it tells the tale
of a motorcycle gang (or “club”) that lives by their own rules to survive in
the chaotic world that has been thrust upon them. FX has for a long while now housed some of
the greatest television series to ever be on TV.
Clever, clever,
clever! With a cast like Ron Pearlman,
Katey Sagal, Maggie Siff and many more brilliant talents how could you go
wrong? It seems just as one great series
ends on FX there is another to fill its place.
In 2008, Sons of Anarchy seemed
to spring up out of no where to offer television viewers a series like they
have never seen before. It was dark,
edgy, and above all else extremely entertaining. In Charming, California Sons of Anarchy
Motorcycle Club reigns supreme and they are a force to reckon with. Ron Pearlman is amazing as Clay Morrow the
club’s (gang’s) president, but his wife Gemma (Katey Sagal) is seemingly even
more powerful; not surprisingly as she is the club’s founding member’s
widow. Clay and Gemma run a legitimate
auto shop and do their best to keep the small California town the same way;
legitimate and always within their grasp.
The only problem with trying to be legitimate is that the rest of the
world doesn’t always see eye to eye with your dreams. The Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, in order
to maintain power and the status-quo, takes part in “less than legal”
activities as they run an illegal gun-sales ring that gives them adequate funds
to preserve their lifestyle and grease the palms of slimy politicians. The club seems to be an ever changing entity
as it is pulled in a million directions at any given time. Whereas the rest of the club sees their
sketchy activities as essential to survival, Gemma’s son Jackson “Jax” Teller
(played by the brilliant Charlie Hunnam) wishes to depart from the dark path
his brethren have taken. As Jax looks to
take the higher road, it looks as though everyone else looks to stand in his
way. If bikers, police chiefs and ATF
Agents weren’t enough to stop Jax; there always seems to be one more problem on
the horizon, each more dangerous than the last.
The series is
wonderfully delivered, rivaling the even the best HBO or Showtime series. With an astonishing cast, an unbelievable
crew of writers who deliver again and again and an uncanny ability to make even
the scum of the earth seem captivating Sons
of Anarchy will be any viewers’ new guilty pleasure. So put on your helmet and kick it into gear
as Sons of Anarchy: Season One will
deliver an experience unlike any other; with each passing episode you will be
pulled even deeper into the odd and alluring evils that is this brilliant
series.
Sons of Anarchy: Season One has an amazing
technical presentation as the picture and sound are superb. The picture on this Blu-ray is presented in a
1080p 1.78 X 1 AVC @ 23 MBPS transfer that is well done in every way. The series is shot in High Definition, which
gives it a running start on its DVD/Blu-ray competitors. The image fantastically pops off the screen
with outstanding flesh tones, vivid and bold colors, solid blacks and an
overall quality that smoothly frames and details the image with ease. No flaw or skin imperfection escapes the
Blu-ray transfer; if a character has a pimple you will see it here. With all this praise there are also some
imperfections that should be noted. The
image does at time have compression issues as well as a degree of digital noise
with the occasional pixilation issue; it is far from distracting, but is
clearly noticeable from time to time throughout the season. Overall, the image is not perfect but can be
called one of the better TV on Blu-rays that has been released to date. The sound is presented in a Lossless DTS-HD
Master Audio 5.1 Surround Sound track that embodies each and every
episode. Whereas in most television releases
the dialogue will come solely from the front Sons of Anarchy: Season One manages to shine as it uses a more
diverse speaker range to place the viewer in the midst of the action. The bass booms and rumbles as the motorcycles
speed by and the soundtrack engulfs each scene with its creative and
captivating use of hard rock. Ambient
noises are heard throughout as no sound is too small for this DTS track to pick
up; it is as if you are right there with the gang. Overall, it is a great soundtrack.
The extras
include a lineup of diverse features that viewers more than happily to dive
into. The bonus features include Audio
Commentaries, a featurette entitled “The Making of Sons of Anarchy: Season
One,” a second featurette entitled “The Ink” that explores the creation of the
fictional club and the design process behind their many tattoos, a third
featurette entitled “The Bikes” that as the title suggests gives the viewer an
upfront look at the series Harleys’ and their special modifications, a fourth
featurette that gives a detailed account (as well as some audition tapes) of
the series characters and the actors that were chosen to portray them in
“Casting of Sons of Anarchy,” a hilarious Gag Reel, and finally some Deleted
Scenes that are nice to see, but do not add much to the experience.
I would never
want to be part of a club that wouldn’t have me as a member, but Sons of Anarchy: Season One is just too
good to pass up (especially on Blu-ray).
As one of the best series on television today Sons of Anarchy once again proves that FX Network is no stranger to
astounding viewers with unique brand of creativity and quality. Like the brotherhood be ready to live, ride
and die for this series.
- Michael P. Dougherty II
