When I got done burning through the first season of Sons of Anarchy this summer, the fine folks at FX were kind enough to send me the first episode of the second season, to whet my appetite for what was to come. At least, that’s how I want to imagine it. Never mind that they sent the same thing to other critics around the world. I’m special!
When we last left SAMCRO [SPOILER ALERT if you haven’t watched season one but are still reading this for some reason], the gang was at Donna’s funeral, and only Jax and Piney knew why she was really in the ground. This set the stage perfectly for the Sons of Anarchy to implode from within, and as the new season begins to unfold, it looks like that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
In the premiere, Opie continues his quest for revenge over the death of his wife. Unfortunately, Jax has convinced Piney that the secret of her true killer should remain with the two of them for now. Which means, Opie is moving in the wrong direction.
As that scene played out, I began to worry for the relationship between Opie and Jax. Where once Jax had Opie’s back 100%, now he’s withholding key information from his supposed best friend. Yes, he’s doing so because it’s incredibly sensitive information for the stability of the club, but it’s still going to be seen as a betrayal.
That’s not even the real conflict at the heart of the series. Jax is going to have to confront Clay about the direction of the club. I was glad to see Piney receive a copy of the manuscript Jax’s dad left him. Jax needs an ally in this, and Piney was there at the beginning, before the club became the criminal operation Clay’s turned it into.
I doubt we’ll get full resolution on that conflict this season, as it seems to be at the heart of the whole series. Nevertheless, the rift between Jax and Clay is widening over the lie that Clay tried to tell Jax regarding Donna’s death.
I’m still not sure why Clay lied when he knew for certain Jax already knew. Why not admit it and try to smooth it over as a regrettable mistake? Clay feels true remorse over the mistake. Damn pride. Gets in the way of progress, and healing, all the time.
Apparently internal conflict isn’t going to be enough for creator Kurt Sutter, though, so he brings in the unlikely pairing of Adam Arkin, and Henry Rollins. While Rollins is completely believable in this world of violence and anger, Arkin is strikingly disturbing. His demeanor is so calm and professional, and yet I’m just waiting for him to explode.
They come calmly enough into Charming, looking to expand their legitimate national-chain business into the city; something Sam Crow’s been fighting hard against, on principal, for decades. By the end of the episode, their presence is felt in an explosive way. These boys are every bit as crooked as the Sons, and in some ways far, far worse.
Sons of Anarchy isn’t a show I would have expected to like, but I trusted Sutter through seven amazing seasons of The Shield, so I gave it a shot. I’m not a biker or a “motorcycle enthusiast,” so I feared that world might be too foreign for me to enjoy.
But that’s part of its charm. These people are brutal and inhuman on one level, but they truly are a family. They even have the baddest mother of them all in Gemma. And it looks like Sutter is taking her through a hell of a ride this season. And as the heart of the club, where she goes, we all go.
Clacked by Jason Hughes 
on Sep 08, 2009 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
