Who would have thought a drama about a biker gang would last seven years? Who would have thought a drama about a biker gang would be riveting, well-written television … for five of those years. Yes Sons of Anarchy has grown a bit long in the tooth and finally taken out to pasture, and while it was a wild ride it petered out in the end. Without a clear adversary like Clay Morrow, the show has felt unfocused for the last two years. Where the first five seasons felt like they had a clear direction, Jax struggling with his outlaw ways and the wishes of his dead father to legitimize their club, these last two seemed to forget that and dive headfirst into the seedy criminal world of Samcro. The series finale tries to rectify this somewhat, returning to a Jax who knows that he and his brothers in arms are bad men that do bad things. If it did nothing else, this change redeems the mess the series had become. We get to see our anti-hero reconcile what he is and what he’s done and finally take responsibility for his sins… on his own terms of course.

Kurt Sutter has been more and more self-indulgent with the show; he could easily be called the Peter Jackson of television. Where the first seasons were packed to the brim with character development and action, we now spend most episodes — including this finale — with three-minute bro hug-offs and discussions of finances. Not what we expect from a show that started with gang wars and burning tattoos off of mens back with a blowtorch.

There is a good finale buried in this mess though, one that is an hour, maybe an hour and twenty minutes long.. Once Jax gets his house in order we get to see him clean up the neighborhood one last time. One more trip with mister mayhem and while not the most violent or bloody battle the show has had Jax seems like the focused man with purpose he started the show as. We get another visit from the strange homeless girl who always seems to pop up before pivotal events on the show. While her appearance had never been explained before, there are allusions to her being some sort of angel. Whether a guardian or an angel of death is left up to us, she is definitely an otherworldly guide of some type for Jax. While this character’s mysterious appearances and motives are effective for the most part they also come off a bit pretentious. The leader of a vicious biker gang has a supernatural entity watching over him … when you read it out loud it’s almost laughable. To their credit they kept it vague and grounded enough that people could interpret her comings and goings in a number of ways.

After all of his battles, losses, trials and tribulations, Jax’s fate is pretty much inevitable at this point. He rides off into the sunset but also go out in a blaze of glory: Jax visits the site of his father’s fatal crash. The crash that has been called an outright accident, blamed on his mother and Clay as murder, and suggested as a possible suicide. How fitting that Jax speaks one more time to his father, the man whose writings and teachings gave him such turmoil in his soul. Also fitting that from here he launches, after firing at a cop, his last ride. On his fathers bike Jax takes off down the highway and eventually is chased by what looks to be easily a hundred officers. The show has one of its greatest shots here as the camera flies above the action swerving from left to right just over the police cruisers. It is the kind of staging you’d expect from Breaking Bad or True Detective. Jax sees an eighteen wheeler coming in the other direction and has a beautiful moment of clarity. Just like his father, on the same bike Jax goes out riding free.

Most longtime fans have always assumed there would be no happy ending for Jax Teller and while they were right. Jax was able to fulfill his father’s wishes and get his club out of guns and get his children away from the club. While the show may have lost that objective for the last two years it was a fitting, perfect way to cap off the show. Sons of Anarchy may not go down as one of the greatest shows of all time, but it sure was one hell of a ride.

The Sons of Anarchy season 6 premiere had no shortage of horrors. Every terrible thing that happened in the first 85 minutes though, was quickly eclipsed by something even worse: a school shooting. With Sandy Hook still fresh in everyone’s mind, tackling a school shooting in a television series is a risky move. It’s so easy to look like you’re exploiting the events that ended many lives and ruined even more. However, as a long-time fan of Kurt Sutter‘s work, both on Sons of Anarchy and The Shield, I was confident that he was doing this for a reason; that instead of looking to cash in on a national tragedy, he was trying to make a very specific point.

In my review of the premiere, I talked about how such an event was likely to shake Jax and the club to the core and change both SAMCRO and Charming forever. Kurt Sutter himself seemed to confirm this in the latest edition of his YouTube show, WTFSutter. In it, he talks about the larger narrative and how naïve it is to think that there would be no repercussions from the club’s gun running.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=p13WHCTq9zI

All of this combined is why I was expecting a very different episode from the one we got this week.

Instead of a town shaken to the core, the shooting is treated as a mild inconvenience. It’s mentioned in passing. “Hey, you know that kid who shot up that school…” as if they’re talking about some confused senior citizen who ran his car into a farmer’s market and smashed a bunch of melons. Jax, of course, immediately understands the implications of having one of the guns the club sold being used to carry out this unspeakable act, but instead of questioning himself and his club, instead of grieving for the children not much older than his own, he goes straight into survival mode.

The first thing he does is enlist Nero and his men to get the shooter’s mother out of Charming and up to the cabin and away from the police and reporters. Perhaps it’s naïve of me, but I don’t think Jax brought her up there to kill her. I really think he just wanted to have her hide out until the heat died down and they could figure out a plan. However, once she goes rogue and Nero shoots Arcadio, Jax feels as if she’s too much of a liability. So it falls to Juice to fulfill his “no questions asked” promise and kill her as well. Of course, what Jax doesn’t find out until afterward, is that she had two more children who are now without a mother, thanks to Jax’s self-preservation.

In the video, Sutter does say that the shooting leads to a bigger narrative arc that flows through the remaining episodes of the series. My hope as a fan is that Jax’s behavior in this episode is merely a delayed reaction; that the true weight of what he has done will come crashing down around him. Dead children have to have consequences beyond added attention from a retired U.S. Marshall. Having an event like this in a television series has to be a game-changer, or else, what was the point?

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Charlie Hunnam is hot. That fact is already in evidence. He’s also a talented and charismatic actor. So casting him as the lead in the film adaptation of one of the most popular book series of all time seems like a win for Charlie Hunnam fans, and by extension, humanity (especially since he’s bound to get naked). However, when I heard the news that Hunnam was cast as Christian Grey in the 50 Shades of Grey adaptation, I wasn’t pleased. In fact, My reaction was more on par with this:

Why wasn’t I pleased that one of my favorite actors from one of my favorite television shows got this huge break? Because even though Jax Teller, Hunnam’s character on Sons of Anarchy, is an adulturing, drug-running, arms-dealing murderer, he’s less dangerous as a character than Christian Grey. Grey’s crimes are more insidious, smaller: Emotional abuse. Taking away a woman’s autonomy. Physical abuse. But even though Grey isn’t murdering people in cold blood, the key difference is this: Teller’s actions aren’t excused. Grey’s actions are sold as romance.

Sons of Anarchy is a show about criminals making fucked up decisions that hurt people. They constantly pay for their actions, either with physical pain, emotional pain, or sometimes with their lives. What they do, while sometimes justified in the universe of the show, is never presented as a how-to guide to life. 50 Shades of Grey, on the other hand, is presented as just that: “Women, this is how your man should be.” Let me unequivocally state one thing:

Your man should not be like Christian Grey. If he is, get out of that relationship. Now.

Why? Because Christian Grey is a manipulative, abusive piece of shit. Now, before everyone gets all riled up about their favorite fictional sex god, I am not saying that Christian Grey is abusive because of his “Red Room of Pain,” or the fact that he is into BDSM. If two consenting adults enjoy getting tied up, whipped, spanked, or anything else, I say that’s great. In fact, whatever two consenting adults want to do in their bedroom (or kitchen, or dining room, as the case may be), is totally a-okay by me.

My problem with 50 Shades is that Ana, while technically an adult, doesn’t consent to a lot of what happens to her, and instead of BDSM being portrayed as sexy fun times, it is portrayed as an actual punishment for non-bedroom activities and something that only “broken” people are into. After they get married, how many times does Christian tell Ana, “You’re my wife, not my sub?” Dude. In a healthy BDSM relationship, she can be both! But instead, because he puts a ring on it, she is somehow elevated to a higher level? One in which he doesn’t have to beat her? Except he still does? Look, the whole thing is fucked, is my point.

Jenny Trout is an author of erotic fiction, among many other things. She spent a great deal of time on her blog excellently recapping the 50 Shades series and ripping it apart, piece by piece. Besides the fact that it’s Twilight fan fiction and written terribly, she often brings up the ways in which it glorifies domestic abuse and disguises it as romance. Most pointedly, she wrote a post titled, “50 Shades and Abusive Relationships,” in which she takes a list of “red flags” for abusive relationships and shows how all of them apply to Anastasia and Christian.

Personally, the part that sends me into a rage blackout comes in Chapter 3 of the final book in the trilogy, 50 Shades Freed. Ana and Christian are honeymooning in France. They’re on a nude beach, and Ana dares to take her top off, which infuriates Christian. Later that night, he covers her body in hickeys. Not as a natural byproduct of sex, but as a punishment. An act meant to temporarily disfigure her and ensure her modesty throughout the rest of their vacation.

“Look at me!” I pull down my camisole to reveal the top of my breasts. Christian gazes at me, his eyes not leaving my face, his expression wary and uncertain. He’s not used to seeing me this mad. Can’t he see what he’s done? Can’t he see how ridiculous he is? I want to shout at him, but I refrain – I don’t want to push him too far. Heaven knows what he’d do.

So they’re on their honeymoon, he covers her in hickeys, she’s furious, but she doesn’t want to “go too far,” because she’s afraid of him. Lord knows I’m not a relationship expert, but you guys, that doesn’t seem like a great start to a healthy marriage.

Jax Teller, on the other hand, is certainly more obviously violent. He beats the shit out of people on a regular basis, has done time in prison, orders murders, frames people for murders, and, you know, actually murders people. He is not a good dude. However, he doesn’t bother me nearly as much as Christian Grey. Why? Because Jax Teller is not being sold to the public as the romantic ideal.

Yes, many people who watch Sons of Anarchy want to bone Jax Teller. But come on, have you seen him? I direct you to this lovely image, sent to me by our own Katie Schenkel:

It’s oddly mesmerizing, right?

But while Jax is sometimes portrayed as sympathetic, he is never portrayed as someone women should actively seek out or mould their man into. We have just started season 6, and at no point, have I heard women saying, “Man, I wish my husband would be more like Jax. There’s simply not nearly enough gun running and cheating in our relationship. And our children haven’t been kidnapped even once!”

Jax is a fucked up character who is portrayed as just that. Christian is portrayed as a fucked up character who just needs a good woman to fix him … at the expense of her own health and well-being. As happy as I am that Hunnam got this huge opportunity, my only hope is that Kelly Marcel, who wrote the screenplay, does a better job of making this a fun, sexy, healthy story than E.L. James did. Because everyone needs the opportunity to see Charlie Hunnam naked without feeling guilty about it.

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Sons of Anarchy has never been a show that’s pulled any punches when it’s come to violence. Gun running, murder, IRA enemies, drugs — there has been no shortage of action and bloodshed over the first five seasons. The season premiere, however, sends the series down a completely different path, with a horrific act of violence that is sure to change both the makeup of Charming and SAMCRO forever.

It’s easy to ignore the beautiful little blond boy in an episode packed with Otto getting violently raped in prison, Tara brutally beating a fellow inmate, Lila getting tortured, Tig murdering a dirtbag and Jax cheating with a madame, but by the end of the episode, the boy clearly shows that ignoring him is a mistake.

With his blonde hair and omni-present notebook, it’s easy to see him as a stand-in for Jax as a child, or even Jax’s children in the future, reading the thoughts he so painstakingly records for them. The boy seems quiet, innocent and introspective.

At the end of an action-packed, violent episode, we are confronted with an act of violence so heinous, that it actually manages to top the preceding 90 minutes. We end the season premiere with the boy revealing that not only is he a deeply disturbed self-harmer, but his rage extends outward, causing him to perpetrate what looks like a truly horrific school shooting. How does a boy like this get a semi-automatic weapon, and what does this have to do with SAMCRO? I’m sure the second question will be answered fully over the next several episodes, but the first one is easy to answer: Arcadio (Dave Navarro).

Arcadio is one of Nero’s (Jimmy Smits) men. We don’t know much about him, but we do find out at the end of the episode that he’s involved with the boy’s mother. Due to his line of work, it was probably pretty easy for the boy to obtain the gun. This simple fact is sure to have devastating effects on SAMCRO. First, the club has further strengthened their business relationship with Nero by partnering up in the brothel business. Because the two groups have been so tight lately, and have joined each other on enforcement jobs, it’s entirely possible that the gun the boy used to shoot up the school originally came from the Sons. Obvious legal implications aside, this is going to have severe moral implications for Jax.

Jax probably thinks he’s doing right by the club by moving the business more over to the sex side from drugs and guns, but

So what does this mean for SAMCRO? They’re barely holding on as it is, members and now even their wives, can’t seem to stay out of jail, and now they’re destroying the very town they love above all else. With the threat of Clay’s betrayal looming over them, it seems like it’s just a matter of time before the other shoe drops and the club ceases to exist all together.

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(All times below are Eastern, because we’re up earlier than all the rest of you!)

3:20AM – 7:20AM

• The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Fourth Season – $7.99
• The Big Bang Theory: The Complete First Season – $7.99
• The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Second Season – $7.99
• The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Third Season – $7.99
• The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Fifth Season – $8.99
• Criminal Minds: Seasons 1-6 -$72.99

7:20AM – 11:20AM

• Prometheus – $8.96
• The Matrix [Blu-ray] – $3.96
• Iron Man [Blu-ray] – $3.96
• Battle: Los Angeles [Blu-ray] – $3.96
• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter [Blu-ray] – $8.96
• Iron Man (Single-Disc Edition) – $1.96

11:20AM – 3:20AM

• The Hunger Games [2-Disc Blu-ray + Ultra-Violet Digital Copy] – $8.99
• The Blind Side – $1.96
• Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) – $4.96
• Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) [Blu-ray] -$7.96
• Moneyball – $4.96

3:20PM – 7:20PM

• The Amazing Spider-Man (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) – $8.96
• Green Lantern – $1.96
• The Dark Knight (Single-Disc Widescreen Edition) – $1.96
• The Dark Knight (+ BD Live) [Blu-ray] – $3.96
• Sherlock Holmes – $1.96
• The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] – $149.99

7:20PM – 11:20PM

• Jeeves & Wooster: The Complete Series – $15.99
• Rich Man, Poor Man: The Complete Collection – $19.99
• Rumpole of the Bailey: Complete Series Megaset – $24.49
• W.C. Fields Comedy Collection (The Bank Dick / My Little Chickadee / You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man / It’s a Gift / International House) -$24.99
• Dean Martin Variety Show: Complete Collection – $89.99
• The Dick Van Dyke Show – The Complete Series – $104.99

11:20PM – 2:20AM

• Zorro: The Complete Series – $24.49
• Sons of Anarchy: Season Three -$9.96
• Monumental: In Search of America’s National Treasure – $9.99
• Spartacus: Seasons One and Two [Blu-ray] – $32.99
• Dexter: Seasons 1-5 [Blu-ray] -$104.99
• Dexter: Seasons 1-5 – $78.99

Other deals and stuff:

• Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax – $3.99
• Planet of the Apes: 5 Film Collection [Blu-ray] – $22.99 (54% off)
• Homeland: The Complete First Season – $19.99 ($24.99 on Blu-ray)
• Once Upon A Time: The Complete First Season – $19.99 ($24.99 on Blu-ray)
• Revenge: The Complete First Season – $19.99

Check back here for more Black Friday deals and other discoveries we’re on the lookout for!

It seems to be an accepted fact in Hollywood that if one wants to really act then they have to be diverse. I’m always captivated when I see talented actors and actresses taking on roles that are dissimilar and poles apart from their previous work. I think this sort of thing indicates a person’s aptitude. Apparently Jimmy Smits got the memo. After starting out in a series of roles that portrayed him as a kindhearted do-gooder — including a pretty cool gig in the Star Wars prequels — it seems that Smits has finally come to the dark side.

Color me intrigued.

I’m guessing that most TV watchers may recognize Smits from his work in the 90’s drama NYPD Blue as Detective Bobby Simone. Some viewers — especially women … and, let’s be honest, maybe a few men too — enjoyed seeing the always dapper Smits on their screens, and probably didn’t give a damn about the crimes he was solving. I was too young to watch NYPD Blue. I was still learning fractions when the show was on the air and was way too concerned about the Power Rangers to care about anything Smits was up to on television. However, I am aware of his brilliant work on NBC’s stellar The West Wing. I was in high school around the time that I really started paying attention to the program. I didn’t realize that it had won so many awards, but I was privy to another interesting fact.

What I realized was that NBC had Smits, a Puerto Rican dude, in a positive primetime drama as a man working for the president … and not doing anything foul, i.e. selling drugs, running a gang or doing something else terrible. I was impressed and pleased. No, scratch that — I was awestruck. If I was appreciative then, I can only imagine how the Puerto Rican community felt. It was certainly a positive role — even more so because Smits’ character, Matt Santos, ends up the president at the end of the series. That’s certainly a step in the right direction, right?

Nowadays, however, Smits is taking a different route. He’s gone straight-up rogue … not that there’s anything wrong with that. Sometimes you have to switch it up. Did anyone catch Smits in season three of Showtime’s spine-tingling Dexter? Whew. I still get chills from his portrayal of a corrupt district attorney. I won’t lie — I was left feeling a little disturbed when his character murdered Ellen. That wasn’t right. Alas, good guys suck — at least on TV. Everyone knows that the baddies have all of the fun. That’s probably why Smits seems to be having such a good time with his guest role on FX’s critically acclaimed Sons of Anarchy. You know, I wasn’t the least bit interested in that program. It never spoke to me. However, with the inclusion of Smits, I’m inclined to check it out.

So, with four distinctive roles on TV, it’s definitely safe to say that Smits has made a name for himself in Hollywood. To that end, which one of his TV roles is my favorite?

Well, neither actually. Being a nerd, I’m partial to Star Wars. I actually just rode the ride at Disney Hollywood Studios nearly twenty times two weeks ago. To that end, I’m going to go with Smits’ role as Senator Bail Organa in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. That movie was just all kinds of awesome. However, if I had to choose a TV role … maybe I’d go with the one he had in Dexter. The creepiness factor scored Smits some cool points.

Not that he needs it. Let’s be real — when it comes to acting, Jimmy Smits has it going on. Heck, I wish I was half the actor he is. Don’t get it twisted — I’m decent, but I’m certainly not Smits. Why doesn’t this man have an Emmy? I have a theory about that … but you know what? Let’s stay positive. I find it refreshing to know that he’s contributing to the diversity on television … and that’s all Clacking in Color has ever been about — diversity. Smits is awesome and his inclusion in any TV show is guaranteed to make it stellar. Unless, it’s Cane. Remember that clunker?

Exactly.

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