Sons of Anarchy season one is probably one of my favorite seasons of the series. if not actually my favorite. In this season, we meet the members of SAMCRO (Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original), which is the original charter. There's Clay, Jax, Piney, Opie, Bobby, Tig, Juice, Chibs, Happy, and Half Sack, to name just some. We also meet some of the clubs many rival gangs when they cause SAMCRO major problems.
This show doesn't take long to get right into the action either. Which is something most other shows do not do. The audience gets to see the interworking's of the club and all of the complications they face running guns and living day to day life as outlaws. Kurt Sutter brilliantly spends just enough time characterizing everyone in the season, in my opinion.
The main character, Jax Teller's drug addicted ex wife Wendy overdoses while pregnant with their son. She has to have an emergency C-section, and the baby, Abel, is born 10 months premature. He struggles to survive throughout the season as a result. Jax's mother Gemma visits Wendy in the hospital and threatens her not to fight for custody of Abel. Which ultimately leads to her providing Wendy with drugs to overdose on because she wants her out of Abel's life for good. (She survives). It is amusing to say the least! Not because of the situation, but because we get our first look at just how crazy Gemma is. She is overprotective, manipulative, and sassy. She's basically the queen of Charming and the matriarch of SAMCRO. Throughout the season and really the whole show, she continually shows that she will do anything for the club and for her family. Which, in some ways, I admire and like about her.
Tara, Jax's high school sweetheart comes back to Charming after being away for awhile. She now has an M.D. and works at the local hospital. She plays a big role in saving Abel's life.. Over the course of the season, we see her and Jax grow close and rekindle their old flame. It doesn't happen in the most conventional of ways though. Her ex ATF Agent Kohn shows up to town, threatens her and stalks her. Jax steps in to save her, ultimately killing him and burning the body.
Early on in the show he comes across a manifesto his now deceased father "JT" had written outlining his wishes for the club to go in a less violent direction. Jax is torn between his fathers wishes and how the club actually is being ran all season. We get to see how that takes it's toll on him and by the end of the season, how much he resents the clubs president (and his stepfather Clay Morrow) for taking the club in the direction that he has. JT and Clay were best friends and they created the club together back in the 60's. So I guess Jax feels even more hurt that he could not respect his best friend's wishes like he did.
When the club finds themselves being watched by the ATF, they head out of town for a bit to "patch over" another motorcycle club. Clay sleeps with a girl named Cherry who starts to develop a crush on the club's prospect, Half Sack. Once back home, Clay lands in jail when guns sold by the club are used in a shootout. Cherry decides to move to Charming and when Gemma finds out about her sleeping with Clay, she smacks her in the face with a skateboard (which is totally badass). That scene is so memorable and hilarious! She gets arrested for it.
Opie, Jax's childhood best friend. fellow club member (and my personal favorite character in the show), messes up a hit he was supposed to do as a favor for the IRA (a gang the guys are good with). Bobby tries to help but the two are spotted and arrested. ATF Agent June Stahl interrogates the women who are known associates of the club hoping to get info from them to help her investigation. When that fails, she arrests Cherry on outstanding warrants. Chief Wayne Unser (who is in the club's pocket), helps her escape Charming. This is really our first look at how Unser isn't so true to his job.
Otto, another member of the club who is incarcerated, attacks Stahl when she pays him a visit because she plans to destroy the club with racketeering charges. To retaliate, she sets Opie up as a rat. Clay and Tig totally fall for it and let's just say, Clay does something really, really dumb that further creates a rift in his relationship with Jax.
Overall, I really liked this season. I loved the crazy family dynamics, the drama, and so many of the characters. I was hooked almost instantly and couldn't wait to watch the next season. I loved Chibs. His accent was just heavenly and something about him just stood out to me. He's probably my second favorite character. Tig is totally loyal to Clay and it was obvious from the beginning. He's a nutjob for sure, though. Unser is the cop that helps the guys out of sticky situations and you can just tell that he will be a valuable asset to the team in the future. Stahl, is a biotch. I hated her from the very beginning and was just dying to see her get what she deserves. And Bobby is the voice of reason for the group. Oftentimes, he acts as the mediator when there's friction in the club. I really liked Piney too. Poor thing (If you've watched you'll understand why I said that). Juice is pretty cool, too.
I love that even though the club is running guns and live like outlaws, that they still do so much good for their town. They try their damndest to keep drugs out of their town and away from children, participate in benefits for charity, and help out the locals when they need it. The Finale is so good too. It foreshadows so much to come in such a great way.
I give this season 4.8/5 Stars!