Sons....

Not the ethics of the character, but I thought he did a very convincing job of the role and played it well (the kudos are to MM and not the character). He had me convinced more in the three or four episodes of his character being on than Maggie Siff did with Tara the whole time she was on.

 

I wrapped this series up this evening. Typically I say binging a series like that spoils me for having to watching more current shows in 'real time', but with this one I'm left wondering if I wouldn't have been better served being forced to wait a bit. At times I could see where the the larger arc was going, and expected it to join back up with it within a few episodes - but it didn't always do that, making it feel a bit exhaustive.

Examples would be like Season 4 when it was known Tara had the Ireland letters, but seemed ambivalent to them; they were brought to light by Gemma seeing the note Abel had taken from Tara's purse. Even then it took until the end of the season before much was significantly advanced there. The end of S4 into S5/6 saw Jax become corrupted with his power as president to strike out against his hate - against anything threatening his club or family. But this transition was presented with a lot of ambiguity, to the point I really got agitated with the character. Sutter isn't one for subtlety, so the way the show didn't go full bore on this transition (as it did with Clay once Jax discovered the truth about his dad, e.g.) made it hard to tell if he was actually meaning to paint Jax as the psychopathic a**hole he was at times during this period, or justify his behavior against badder men. He probably could have helped with this by eliminating a few of the more clunkily written dialogues where other characters would profess to Jax what a great/loyal/caring person he was.

There was also Tara's flip-flopping of whether or not it was a good idea to be in a relationship with Jax throughout S3-5; this became a bit tedious. Of course, it also became a bit ironic when Jax would hop into the sack with the ex/porn star/(nearly) his half-sis whenever such stresses arose, given that Tara was one of Jax's biggest supporters in the great/loyal/caring club. In the midst of this I kept wondering if Jax to find out that his mom signed off on his dad's death as well, but this never seemed to come to fruition - not that it necessarily needed to.

Another thing that bothered me a bit was some of the deus ex-like tropes that were pulled at times to make Jax look smarter than everyone else. Like I said, Sutter isn't a particularly subtle guy; he'd tend to either show his hand, or not. But popping up with game-changers out of nowhere has to be excercised with caution, otherwise it can become a suspension of disbelief killer. I know I began to wonder often through S6/7 if there wasn't some elaborate hoax in play with some of the goings on.

It sounds like all I'm doing is griping, but these are just the bones I had with the show - some possibly due to the binge. S1/2 were great, S3 in Dublin was flat, 4 was good, 5/6 were hit and miss, 7 was good. It doesn't post among my all-time favorites, but it was a good show. I think the writing could be a bit clunky/cheesy at times, the plot and subplots a bit convoluted; but the cast was great with a lineup of solid (though occasionally under-developed) characters.

Agreed. I need to see if they compiled a soundtrack for the show. Some I knew, some I didn't - had me taping the x-ray button on the Amazon player.

 

I know I'm three years late to the party, but I'm interested to hear the thoughts of others who took this series in. Good, bad, or ugly.

 

There are SPOILERS in here. There will be too many to tag, so if you haven't watched this yet, don't read!

Yea I'm late too. But I loved this show.....up until the last season.
Jax had been going one direction for 6 seasons but when Tara died, he completely turned around & the only thing that mattered to him was revenge. I hated what happened with Gemma. I don't think too many people like her, but I did. She loved her family & wouldve done anything for them. If Tara would've gotten out of Charming with those kids, or if she would've resisted when Jax caught up with her in that park, there's a good chance Jax would've killed her when he did catch up with her. I don't think Gemma woke up that morning & decided she was going to kill Tara. I think it just happened & she was trying to save her Thomas & Abel. (BTW, The actor that played Abel was bad & creepy.)
I hated what they did with Juice & how Jax treated him. It's not like he went & gave club secrets away. He told Nero something after he'd taken pills & pretty much attempted to kill himself. It's not like Jax never made mistakes.
Look at the bodies the Jax left behind. Gemma, Unser, Juice, Bobby, all those prostitutes, & most of the Chinese gang. Then he leaves those kids with Wendy. I know she's sober & doing better but she realapsed a bunch of times. Those kids are gonna be really really screwed up as it is.
I honestly have the seasons on DVD, but I refuse to get the last one. To me, the show ended when Gemma ended Tara.
What did yinz think of the show & the last season?

 

Lol, I said the same to myself a couple of times.

I can see where you wouldn't have liked S7 - friends of mine who really liked S5/6 didn't care for it much either. But I saw Jax as breaking down before the final season - whether the show actually meant it that way or not I'm not really sure; his actions tended to stop just short of outright antagonist, and they would script different characters to giving him lip service about how good he was.

But for me, his path down the life of chaos he mentions in his final words to his dad's site started just before he became president of the MC, and kicked in full bore somewhere in S5. He may have had the good intention of clearing the club of gun and drug running, and creating a safer life for his family, but to do so he marched head-on into the world of lies, sex, and violence and became too fixated on righting the wrongs by any means necessary.

I'd like to think one of the messages of Jax's journey is that no matter how strongly you feel about your own convictions being pure and right, using the end to justify the means is the battle cry of every corrupt leader out there. You start crossing that line and pretty soon you don't find your way back.

I liked Gemma's character, even though I viewed her as an antagonist. In a way, she embodied exactly what Jax became - she wanted the best for her family, but her drive in doing whatever it took to keep them close led to some epically bad decisions. But who isn't guilty of rationalizing their own behavior?

Agree that Juice got the shaft (no pun intended) in the end. I didn't they did much to develop his character in the first few seasons, but did better the last two. Jax's behavior toward him was, IMO, more arrogant lashing out at a person that he simply saw as opposing him. He didn't care about how or why's.

One thing I found funny about Wendy riding off raising the kids is that this is the person who admitted to still loving Jax to a few people down the home stretch, despite the fact that Jax barged into her home after she was clean and forcibly shot her up with heroin so she couldn't lay claim to Abel. Wtf? How do you write that one off, "Oh, he's just a sweetie looking out for his kids."

Lastly, I wondered about he scene with Abel in the backseat looking down at the JT's Son ring Gemma had given him. Jax, in his narrative to his dad at the end, said his sons would never know this life of chaos. Would not Abel someday decide to find out more about his dad and grandfather? Does the ring lead him to the MC?

 

I agree with what you said about Jax's path down the life of chaos starting just before he became President. The way he became President didn't help either. Piney's death put a big wedge between Jax & Ope and sent Opie into a downward spiral which ultimately led to his death. After all of that happened, you could really see Jackson starting to break. It's crazy to me that Opie wanted to kill Clay to get revenge- and Jax wouldn't let him basically because of the club. When Tara died, Jax went after his revenge & he didn't seem to care about who got caught in the crossfire.
Season 7 just felt so hurried to me. The other 6 seasons were so thoughtfully done & the loose ends were tied up like a bow. I knew this show was going to end bloody- especially for Jax. I just wish they would've taken one more season to wrapped things up a little neater
As far as Wendy, Like you said, Jax forcibly shot her up with heroin. He threatened her life, and he spent the whole show trying to keep her away from Abel. But she's still there when Jax needs her. She's stupid. But then I guess he is too because she just relapsed last Season after helping Tara try to run away with Thomas & Abel. He just gives her the kids. They're a pair!!
I really liked Jimmy Smits character Nero. I really liked him with Gemma. I wish they woulda brought him in sooner. That poor guy really got screwed over though!!
"Agree that Juice got the shaft in the end."
I have the WORST timing because I was taking a drink when I read that. I choked on my Dr. Pepper. I love Juice- so that shouldn't have been so funny to me. But it was.
I liked that Chibs took the Presidency over. I would've loved to see how he handled things.
About Abel & the ring::
You'd think as he got older that he'd remember certain things about Jax, Tara, & Gemma. (Or he won't remember anything & he'll wear the skin of his victims.) Seriously though, I don't know what will happen. Gemma or JT had a storage unit, maybe the club will keep it going. I remember Jax burning the SAMCRO book JT wrote but that whole unit is probably full of club stuff. I did like that about the finale. It's cool to think what could happen with Abel & Thomas.
I'm excited about the prequel. I'm anxious to see the JT/Gemma & Gemma/Clay relationship. Also, I want to see the friendship between a young Jackson & Opie.
I'm sorry I'm going on & on & on.

 

It's hard for me to judge how the final season was paced, I think, because I was on the binge and wanting to see how certain arcs turned. I was getting antsy through part of S5 and through 6 because I was having trouble understanding where the show was ultimately going to fall with regard to who Jax had become. Shame that is was, Tara's death at the end of S6 helped definitively throw the cards down that some things were going down in S7. But yeah, looking over how some of the conflicts that played out in the final season likely would have run a season's worth of arc by themselves if they'd not be drawing to a close.

Totally agree on Nero. I think he would have served well as a moral center as Jax started to veer further offline. Smits did a great job with the role.

Some lighthearted sidenotes...Did anyone see a surgeon spend less time being a surgeon as Tara? Lol, in the first couple of seasons whenever somebody walked in the hospital, she seemed to be right there at the nurses station. In later seasons she was always in her office meeting with lawyers, Gemma, etc. I also started noting how a lot of episodes (it seemed like every one once I started noticing it) had a moment where there was a sound of coffee being poured into a cup. (It always made me crave a cup, but since I was mostly bingeing in the evening, not a good idea. )

 

That's funny about Tara. Now that I think about it, she was always in that office. I'm not even sure what she did in there, besides fight with people. I never much liked Tara because she always looked like she was miserable. Even when she was happy.
I think Jax spent more time writing to his kids in that little notebook than actually spending time with them. Unless you count picking them up, kissing them on the head, then handing them off to whoever.
How about Jackson's white shoes that NEVER got a mark on them. He could be covered in blood from head to shin- but his shoes were still spotless.
Some if the things Otto did cracked me up too- even though they shouldn't have. Like when he bit off his own tongue & threw it. Who does that?

 

Here's an article I found about the prequel from crossmap.com::

Sons of Anarchy is not yet over, as it seems like Kurt Sutter is planning a spinoff and a prequel for the series. The first to be released is a prequel that will focus in Nam and will compose of 10-12 episode, but will only be for one season. In the prequel we'll be seeing John Teller and Piney's story from the past.

Previously it was rumored that the upcoming 'Sons of Anarchy Prequel' is going to be a movie involving Brad Pitt rather than a series. But recently Kurt Sutter confirmed that it'll be a series composing of 10-12 episodes. In an interview with Deadline, he said;
"At some point I do have plans to hopefully do the prequel, which I do see as a one-off 10- or 12-episode thing where we begin in Nam and see John Teller and Piney and see how that relationship got created, and bring them back to the States and the obvious external dynamics that were going on with the country and the perception of the war and what an odd kind of perception these vets got when they returned home. And then have it be the development of the club, ending before we start to get too close to some of the mythology that's already been established."
Previously, Charlie Hunnam (actor who played Jax Teller in 'Sons of Anarchy') revealed that a prequel for 'Sons of Anarchy' is in the works however the upcoming prequel will have a totally new cast. But it's not really a sad news since the new cast includes Brad Pitt, who will play Jax Teller's father, so it's all good.

Back in 2014, we saw Jax Teller die in 'Sons of Anarchy' to the fans' dismay but it's great that it seems like we'll be seeing him again.
In Charlie Hunnam's interview with Men's Magazine, he revealed that he was sad about the cancellation of the show and knowing that his character died in the end. He shared his discussion with 'Sons of Anarchy' show runner Kurt Sutter and said,

"At the end of it we both realized that it would have been more tragic to let him live after what he had gone through. In my heart Jax has found peace."
After this statement, he shared that 'Sons of Anarchy' has a prequel in the works and it will involved Jax Teller's father, John Teller which will be played by no other than A-list star, Brad Pitt.

Whilst we're all excited about Jax Teller coming back, Charlie Hunnam is not so sure about reprising his role. He added,
"I'm not sure when it would happen though, he's got another TV show he's working on. I don't know if he needs me as a lead actor on that too."

However recently his showrunner Kurt Sutter guarantees fans that 'Sons of Anarchy Prequel' is still very much on his mind. In this interview with E! he said,
"It's something that we have talked about. It's something that we have interest in. We are interested. I think the timing of it really depends on what unfolds. I think for me, and the network, it's taking the next obvious and right choice and (The Bastard Executioner) is the energy we're moving in now."
He added that he wanted a break from the show for now since it just ended back in December,
"I didn't want to come right off of that and do a prequel or anything like that. I wanted to give it a couple years to breathe before we came back to do it, so none of that has gone away. We'll see how the next couple years or at least the next year with (The Bastard Executioner) unfolds and then we'll have to see."
When it comes to the storyline of 'Sons of Anarchy Prequel', Sutter added,
"It's always about character and relationship. As it was with Sons. The outlaw motorcycle club became the backdrop to a very conflicted hero. That is what will happen here."

He wants to, "Give it a couple years to breathe"?? Ugh.
I'm not sure they'll really 6have Brad Pitt- but you never know!

 

Lol about the shoes. I often wondered about that, too. The only time they showed anything on them was the last episode when he changed into the biker boots - there were a few blood droplets on them. Maybe he had a running account with Zappos.

I also noticed what you mentioned about the kids. In a way I thought that part of things paralleled the Corleone's from the Godfather. There, many mob elite would assume a religious and family-orientated role one minute, while planning a gruesome murder of some arch rival the next. I think at an early stage of development for both this may have been necessary (kill or be killed), but as time goes on the philosophic minds question more the morality and ethics of the actions and lifestyle, and to me that's where JT arrived. He saw the club had strayed from the pure freedom/family/brotherhood focused center and swerved more into the darker elements that led to anger/revenge/violence/distrust, and questioned why it had to be like that, and whether it could ever really be changed.

Tara's character was an enigma for me - I could never really decide if I liked her or not. I liked how she could feed it right back to Gemma in the earlier seasons, but aside from that she really didn't have much of a place (which, to some degree, was presumably part of the point). I agree that she never seemed happy - she came across as dysphoric much of the time. Again, understandable later on as it became obvious she wanted out of Charming, but bland in the earlier seasons when she should have been establishing more chemistry with Jax. I think Maggie Siff is a good actress, but there was something off about that role.

I'm a big Walton Goggins fan and got a kick out of seeing him pop up later on as Venus Van Dam. He did a great job (as usual), as did the show with the character. Loved the interplay with Tig, leading to Jax's "should I be worried?"