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Sons Of Anarchy: Season One
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Ethan C. Stevenson (7th October 2009). |
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The Show
 Motorcycles. Guns. Sex. Violence. Drugs. Shakespeare. No, I’m not talking about Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of “Romeo + Juliet” (1996). Believe it or not, I’m actually talking about “Sons of Anarchy” a new series on FX (based very loosely on “Hamlet”), the first season of which has just recently hit Blu-ray. There was once a time where premium cable was the go to for superb, award winning, hard-hitting, and adventurous programming. Network television has continually produced (at least partly, anyway) shows that are passable and cable has always had some decent programming, but HBO and Showtime once had the shows everyone wanted to watch (“The Sopranos” (1999-2007), “Sex and the City” (1998-2004), [insert whatever else here]). But, times have changed. Premium cable, although still producing some excellent material (“Weeds” (2005-Present), “True Blood” (2008-Present) and “Dexter” (2006-Present) all come to mind instantly as examples), there is no question that recently it has had some serious competition from the bigger non-premiums. AMC’s “Mad Men” (2007-Present) is a smash hit (with more awards than I care to count) and retains surprisingly high ratings. Quite possibly the greatest Sci-Fi epic to ever grace the small screen, “Battestar Galactica” (2004-2009), just finished it’s well received run. And over the past few years, FX has become home to such controversial yet successful shows as “The Shield” (2002-2008), “Nip/Tuck” (2003-Present), “Rescue Me” (2004-Present) and “Damages” (2007-Present) Now, the “Sons of Anarchy” join those prestigious ranks, sitting comfortably somewhere near the top, and that’s an amazing feat considering it’s only had a mere 13 episodes to get there. Something is rotten in the town of Charming, California and I think it might be all those dead bodies precariously buried around the county. The young “prince”, Jackson Teller (Charlie Hunnam) has recently had a visit from his dead father, in the form of an unpublished memoir titled “The Life and Death of Sam Crow: How the Sons of Anarchy Lost Their Way.” Second in command of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Originals (or SAMCRO for short), “Jax” is unsure that the club is what is father, the founder, really wanted it to be. As Teller reconnects with his deceased father through pages upon pages of text, he realizes the “Sons” were supposed to be about family and really nothing else. Jax describes the vision in his Dad’s memoir as something resembling a “hippie commune”, a far cry from the gun running, thuggish crime bosses that the SOA are today. Not helping matters, the “vice president” has fatherhood thrust upon him when his son, conceived with his now ex-wife, is born 10 weeks premature to a junky mother, Wendy (Drea de Matteo), and this only complicates Jax’s already conflicted mindset. Of course, although second in command and the son of the clubs founder, Teller really has little say in the direction that the Sons of Anarchy sway. His mother, (the Queen) Gemma (Katey Sagal), and her new husband, the clubs current president (or King), Clay Marrow (Ron Perlman) run the show; and they’re fairly content on continuing down the illegal but highly profitable path they have laid down for themselves. Many of the other club members are equally satisfied with the direction the club has taken. Most of them ex-cons, the other Sons of Anarchy or “Men of Mayhem” as they have stitched to their jackets, find stealing, strong arming, blackmail and gun running ideal. And, as I said, highly profitable. I struggled with the first few episodes, if I’m honest. I was already judging the book by its cover (so to speak) and had decided during its initial broadcast run that “Sons of Anarchy” was not a show for me. The whole “biker” element seemed uninteresting and therefore I didn’t have even an inkling of desire to watch the show. As I worked my way through the first disc, I honestly felt justified in my initial decision. Although harmless, the first few episodes do little with a continued narrative, playing more like standalone adventures and I frankly expect more (layered, deep, intricate storylines) from cable shows. An early episode has the crew hunting down a rapist and providing justice in an unjust world. As I said, harmless, but many of these first few episodes feel like episodic television and not the developed arc-like structure the show ends up being. The rapist episode, titled “Fun Town”, felt like something ripped from the “The A-Team” (1983-1987), not up to the standards of hard-hitting cable TV. Luckily, the show does a 180 almost immediately following “Fun Town” and the long journey to the end of the season is one continuous, compelling arc. Power struggles abound, and not only within the gang life, although there are those as well, with the “Nords,” headed by a man called Darby (played by a very un-Skinner like Mitch Pileggi), looking to open shop on the doorstep of the Sons. The towns own police force is divided, with a corrupt Chief (Dayton Callie), a right caricature of a small town lawman, and his under-Chief (Taylor Sheridan) facing off, one of them siding with the Sons, the other, not so much. Jax and Clay are at increasing opposition with each other, and so are the members of the club as they are forced to take sides. Gemma is fighting for her son’s affection as an old flame, Tara (Maggie Siff), comes back to town, luring Jax away from his family and the club. And things are about to get a whole lot worse for everybody when two ATF agents (Ally Walker and Jay Karnes), each with very different motives, come knocking on the doors of Charming’s citizens. The intriguing plot developments aren’t the only reason to like this show though. “Sons of Anarchy” has one of the best ensemble casts on television at the moment. I mean it’s gotRon effing Perlman in a starring role, what’s not to like? Katey Sagal is top-notch in her portrayal as the manipulative puppet master Gemma, controlling every aspect of the business and pleasure that surrounds the club. Hunnam is good, although, personally I don’t think he has enough screen time to himself to really develop his character beyond a surface-level layer (unfortunately, he’s a Skywalker-esque character that really only exists to get the viewers into the lives of the other characters). The other Sons are equally excellent, sometimes overshadowing the big names. Mark Boone Jr. and his portrayal of Bobby “Elvis” Munson particularly impress me; at times he really steals the show. Another standout, Johnny Lewis, as “Half-Sack” Epps, brings a nice sense of comedy to the program with his inwardly, removed, but likeable appearance. You’re constantly rooting for his underdog “prospect.” And, although his stay is relatively short, I have to say that Jay Karnes is eerily sadistic as Agent Kohn. His final moments on screen are without a doubt edge of your seat tension at it’s finest. Kurt Sutter, once “The Shields” best writer (at least in my opinion) now brings us an intriguing, highly watchable (almost addictively so) show with well developed characters and a tense, dramatic storyline. Add this to the fact that the show has excellent production values, strong direction and makes well balanced use of it’s 45 minute runtime, and I think we have a product that not only rivals some Premium cable offerings, but surpasses a fair few. After finishing this first season I will definitely be tuning into FX for more in Season Two (now I just have to find the 5 episodes I’ve missed out on already to get caught up. Hopefully they’ll be on Hulu or something….) All 13 episodes from the shows first season are included on 3 discs: - "Pilot" - "Seeds" - "Fun Town" - "Patch Over" - "Giving Back" - "AK-51" - "Old Bones" - "The Pull" - "Hell Followed" - "Better Half" - "Capybara" - "The Sleep of Babies" - "The Revelator"
Video
Despite some slightly overcooked contrast, a tiny bit of black crush here and there, and an attractive yellow filter invading most scenes, “Sons of Anarchy: Season One” looks mighty good. The 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded transfer preserves the original high def broadcast framing at 1.78:1 causing the image to fill the screen. Detail is strong with pores and facial features looking crisply rendered. Long and medium shots have the expected detail of a solid high definition transfer too, with exterior textures and writing on faraway objects clearly legible. The show has a gritty stylized appearance, with overblown, ultra-bright whites and an elevated color palette but I won’t knock it for this obviously creative-decision-based fault. Although the show is shot on Panavision Genesis HD cameras, a bit of artificial grain looks to have been added in, probably in the hopes to give the show a documentary-like aesthetic. Lots of hand-held camerawork and some long lens material help add to this style. Unfortunately, although blacks are deep and true, offering nice depth to the picture, sometimes I would say that the blacks are too deep and details get lost in some serious crush. Shadow delineation is often poor. And I did notice a few (extremely short) moments of aliasing one a couple of the first discs episodes. But, other than that, I think “Sons of Anarchy” looks very good. Not “picture-window perfect” but, then again, this show isn’t supposed to be a pristine Technicolor showcase. Each encode is strong (average bitrate is a respectable 23 Mbps) across all three discs with no severe blocking or other artifacts. I noticed no evidence of banding. Grain is nicely rendered, never looking like noise. And the series is unmolested by post-processing “tools” like Digital Noise Reduction (DNR) or edge enhancement. Fox has delivered a fine TV on Blu-ray release to be sure.
Audio
The default English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track (48kHz/24-bit/3.8 Mbps) is quite impressive, coming across frankly as one of the best sound TV on Blu-ray releases I’ve heard yet. Dialogue is well balanced, clear, precise and never unintelligible. Rears are populated by exhaust rumble from the Harley’s, as well as ambient and discrete effects like crowd chatter at the carnival and whispered dialogue is the hospital. Effects pan smoothly; gunfire is supported by the crisp crack of a stable high (and low) end. Explosions, of which there are a fair few in this series, have strong support from the LFE channel (which also rumbles from the passing Harley’s). Mixes of blues and rock music permeate the soundscape and help add an eclectic flavor, and nice attractive backing, to the show. Even more impressive than the extremely satisfying video presentation, “Sons of Anarchy” delivers on the lossless audio front, producing one of the most impressive television mixes currently on the market. Fox also includes a Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 surround mix and subtitles in English for the hearing impaired, French and Spanish.
Extras
Fox offers a supplemental package on this first season of “Sons of Anarchy” that is simple and decent, but entirely unextraordinary. Three audio commentaries, a batch of by-the-book featurettes, a series of deleted scenes, a gag reel and bonus trailers make for some interesting viewing but, honestly, there is nothing here that goes above and beyond. On the bright side, most of the material is presented in 1080p high-definition (standard definition features noted). Extras are spread across the three platters. Details below. DISC ONE: The "Pilot" episode features an audio commentary with series creator Kurt Sutter and stars Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman and Katey Sagal. The writer and three stars discuss the genesis of the show, how certain scenes played out on set, they talk about their characters and offer some interesting factoids and tidbits. All around, this is a good commentary. Pre-menu bonus trailers for: - “Sons of Anarchy: Season Two” on FX promo. Runs 12 seconds. 16x9 enhanced standard definition widescreen. - “24: Season 7” on DVD/Blu-ray trailer. 32 seconds. 16x9 enhanced standard definition widescreen. - “Lie to Me” on DVD and Blu-ray. 49 seconds. 4x3 standard definition. - “The Marine 2” trailer. Runs 40 seconds. 1080p 24/fps high-definition with Dolby Digital 5.1. DISC TWO: Disc two’s only extra is an audio commentary track on the episode “The Pull.” Participants include series creator Kurt Sutter, episode director Guy Ferland and actors Charlie Hunnam and Maggie Siff. Again, a good track with information on how the episode came to be, how certain shots were achieved and there is again a chance to discuss characters (and the actors playing them). DISC THREE: A majority of the sets supplements are housed on disc three. Kicking things off is a mega-audio commentary on the season finale, “The Revelator.” Executive producer Kurt Sutter helms this gargantuan track with most of the members of SAMCRO including: Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman, Kim Coates, Mark Boone Jr., Theo Rossi, Ryan Hurst, William Lucking, Johnny Lewis, and Tommy Flanagan. Although the number of commentators is a fun novelty at first, I have to say that there are just too many people talking (or trying to talk) here for the track to be that informative. "The Making of Sons of Anarchy: Season One" is your standard behind-the-scenes EPK featurette. The featurette has creator Kurt Sutter and most of the cast discussing the genesis of the show, their characters, working on the set and their favorite moments in season one. It’s fairly light, sort of commercialized, but ultimately harmless and worth a peek. Runs 8 minutes 59 seconds. Next, a trio of featurettes take a more specified look at certain aspects of the show. Starting things off is “The Ink.” This featurette discusses the various tattoos seen throughout the show, focusing on their design and application. Pretty neat. Runs 4 minutes 50 seconds. “The Bikes” featurette running 7 minutes 8 seconds, looks at each of the Harley’s seen in the show and cast and crew members discuss the personalization of each to fit characters personalities. Informative and a treat for motorcycle fans. “Casting the Sons of Anarchy” is the last featurette on the disc. It’s a meaty look at the various characters and the actors who play them. Kurt Sutter, casting director Wendy O’Brien and others discuss each major player and a few rough-looking audition tapes are even included. Runs 14 minutes 47 seconds. Deleted scenes, 29 scenes in total, fill in some gaps and expand on certain material seen in the show. The only downside to all of this is that the footage is presented in standard definition (albeit 16x9 enhanced standard def). Deletions and extensions include: - Bobby (Mark Boone Jr.) lays into “Half Sack” (Johnny Lewis) for beating up the other Elvis that was doubled booked with Bobby’s act. 1minute 10 seconds. - Deputy Chief Hale (Taylor Sheridan) finds a dead body in the brush and uses it to get a warrant to search the SAMCRO depot that was destroyed. This scene is reference too in the pilot but was not included. 45 seconds. - Tara (Maggie Siff) tells Gemma that the baby will be fine and is almost out of surgery. 31 seconds. - Floyd the Barber explains to his apprentice why he never charges any “Sam Crow” members. “Because they keep Charming, charming.” (Meaning they keep Super Cuts, Home Depot and big business in general out of their town). 43 seconds. - Jax and Clay converse about the events of the day. It’s easy to see why this was cut; it’s basically a recap of the episode. 1 minute 3 seconds. - This scene answers one of the nagging questions that fans may have had, “how exactly did the ‘oil’ drums (which really contained AK-47s) pass through customs?” 44 seconds. - An alternate take on a scene included in the show proper. Hales investigation of a rape leads him to the body shop where he wants to question Clay’s guys. It’s mostly the broadcast version, just edited a little differently. 1 minute 3 seconds. - Chief Unser (Dayton Callie) meets ATF Agent Kohn (Jay Karnes). Again, this is a scene, which is referenced to but not included in the episode proper. 38 seconds. - An extended version of Jax’s reunion with his uncle. 1 minute 8 seconds. - Chibs’ triumphant return to the family, whose been away negotiating with the Irish. There is also a tiny bit of dialog tacked on that explains why “Opie” is back at the table. 58 seconds. - Gemma needs to “cool down’ because of her menopause. 1 minute 41 seconds. - An extended version of Gemma’s visit to the pharmacy for her menopause medication. 30 seconds. - The buyers renege on the AK-47 deal. 1 minute 10 seconds. - Tara talks to the girl, now in the emergency room, who Gemma hit in the face with a skateboard. 1 minute 47 seconds. - Agent Stahl (Ally Walker) want an explanation from Jax as to why the oil drums are empty and have no evidence of oil ever residing in them. 32 seconds. - The payoff for the long running mystery of who’s been stuffing panties down the toilet. 37 seconds. - “Half Sack” and Rita (Taryn Manning) argue. 2 minutes 24 seconds. - Jax and Opie (Ryan Hurst) convince a truck driver that they are stealing from to drive said cargo to its destination. 40 seconds. - Deputy Chief Dale questions Chief Usner’s motive behind putting Clay and the Mayan gang leader in the same jail cell. 1 minute 5 seconds. - Clay is question by Darby (Mitch Pileggi), about where their business relationship stands, while in custody in the police station. 45 seconds. - An extended scene. The members of SAMCRO (and Chief Usner) discuss their plan to get Rita and Luanne (Dendrie Taylor) out of the police lock up. 2 minutes 58 seconds. - Clay tells Piney (William Lucking) that he should talk to his son. 32 seconds. - Luanne visits Otto (Kurt Sutter) in jail. 2 minutes 24 seconds. - ATF detains Chief Usner for “questioning.” 27 seconds. - Dale visits Usner in his cell, where he questions the Chief why got in “bed” with Clay. 2 minutes 46 seconds. - A montage of various characters as they wake up for the next day. 56 seconds. - Dale asks an ATF agent where Stahl (Ally Walker) is to which he get a cryptic answer. 29 seconds. - Tara and Gemma talk about the latter’s motives behind convincing Wendy (Drea de Matteo) that she actually has a shot at winning Jax back. 1 minute 40 seconds. - Opie talks with his mother. 1 minute 55 seconds. Rounding out the package is an overlong and overdone gag reel titled “Anarchy on the Set”. At 6 minutes 55 seconds, there’s time for two montages (one of which is a series of f-bombs) and loads of slip-ups, goofs and botched takes. Hardcore fans may find this amusing but I found this grating after a few minutes. Even worse is the fact that the material is presented in standard definition (although it is 16x9 enhanced). Pre-menu bonus trailer is included for: - “Dollhouse: Season One” on DVD and Blu-ray. 1 minute. 16x9 enhanced standard definition.
Packaging
“Sons of Anarchy: Season One” comes packaged inside a 3-disc Elite style case with a flip-holder in the middle. Each platter is a dual layered BD-50. Oddly, although the spec box on the rear art for the series says that the Blu-ray is locked to region A, I’ve confirmed that it is in fact region free.
Overall
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