TV Review: Sons of Anarchy 1.3 – Fun Town

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on September 18, 2008

Sons of Anarchy, FX, Airs Wednesday 10/9c

Episode: “Fun Town” (Season 1, Episode 3)

Synopsis: When the young daughter of a prominent Charming family is assaulted during a visiting carnival, Samcro races the authorities to capture the assailant. Meanwhile a new shipment of guns arrives from their IRA connection with an additional price.

Review: There’s a bad moon rising in Charming, and as we’ve come to learn, it all ties back into the dealings of Samcro. And as we peel back the layers of the series’ third episode, there is dissension in the ranks of the Sons of Anarchy, dissension that could come to a head in the weeks to come. It appears as if show-runner Kurt Sutter and the creative team behind FX’s new gem wanted to throw us for a loop — let the first two thirds of episode three sputter around, only to bring it all back and remind us why we are very quickly becoming hooked on their aggressive new property. Nothing says edgy like a little castration.

What we are really seeing with Sons of Anarchy, as I explained yesterday, is the slow build to the big burn. In the chase to find a rapist, and the lackluster action sequences that ensued, it could have been easy to get lost in an almost serialized plot. Half way through the episode, it was hard to see where this storyline fit into the grand scheme of escalation, whereas the Sons of Anarchy are finding it more and more difficult to operate their gunrunning business. But like any great show can do, it all comes full circle after the final commercial break, exposing the fact that Clay (Ron Perlman) will do anything for the sake of the club, and that he and Jax (Charlie Hunnam) aren’t always on the same page. As well, we also get the addition of Agent Kohn (Jay Karnes) right at the end, a character who could create both personal — as it relates to his oh so obvious love for Tara — and professional problems for Jax.

What I love about this series is the feeling that the back half of season 1 is going explode with equal parts of violence and intrigue. What worries me is that we might not ever get there — as the creative minds seem to be either holding the good stuff in their back pocket, or bluffing completely. My hope is that the escalation continues, but brings with it all the reasons why FX has become known as the network that delivers on that Mature Audiences warning it runs prior to many of its shows — for Sons of Anarchy, the time has come to bring out the big guns — could it happen next week? I know that I’ll be watching.

Up Next Week: The club travels to Nevada to store arms with a brother club known as The Devil’s Tribe. When the Mayans pose a threat, Clay decides to “patch-over” the tribe, making them an official SOA charter. Tara’s ex, ATF agent Kohn begins investigating Samcro.

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Did you see Sons of Anarchy this week? If so, feel free to discuss below.

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