The end of season two left the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, a.k.a. Samcro with a lot of loose ends. To begin with, everyone in Charming, California is a bit scattered. Jax’ (Charlie Hunnam) infant son Abel was kidnapped and taken to Ireland. At the same time, Jax’ mother Gemma (Katey Sagal) is staying away from Charming with help from her husband and Samcro President Clay (Ron Perlman), in an effort to avoid a murder charge. While the Sons got rid of the local skinheads, some of the community remains very angry at them. Particularly, after a drive-by shooting at a funeral for a Sons member results in the death of the town Deputy Chief, which leaves Sons friendly Wayne Unser (Dayton Callie), in charge.
Meanwhile, Jimmy O (Titus Welliver), armed with some hints as to where Abel is, must help find the infant, while reconciling the relationship between the Sons and IRA. After all, both groups have extensive dealings in weapons. Several Sons travel to Ireland to retrieve Abel, where they meet up with the Belfast chapter of Samcro where the Tellers and the Morrows learn a bit about their family.
Back in Charming, the Mexican gang, still angry over the murder of a business associate a year earlier, is hot on the heels of the Sons until Clay is able to broker a deal just before leaving. However, things don’t stay calm for long, when an outcast from the Mexican gang wreaks havoc all over town, causing all sorts of trouble for Tara (Maggie Siff), Jax’ fiancée and mother of his children. He does some of this business with the approval of Jacob Hale (Jeff Kober), the brother of the slain deputy chief, who abhors the activities of the Sons. He wants to force the gang out of town, while gaining a monopoly on a potential business renewal in Charming. In the midst of all of this, ATF agent Stahl (Ally Walker) wants to bring the Sons to justice for their weapons dealings, no matter the cost.
For me, the subplot in Ireland went on too long. As if kidnapping the baby wasn’t bad enough, we were subjected to learning about the abductors cruelty. In this case, I think they should have gotten the Sons over there earlier. When they did arrive, there was more time spent before they got Abel back. The best part of all of that was the friction between Tig (Kim Coates) and Kozik (Kenny Johnson), a Sons member from another chapter looking to transfer. That whole storyline has potential for next season, one that looks to potentially explore the mythology of of the Sons a little more and the relationship between Jax’ late father, his mom and stepfather (Gemma and Clay, respectively).
The unexpected gem of the third season was the appearance of Hal Holbrook who plays Gemma’s estranged father, now suffering from dementia. A brief role, Holbrook delivers wonderfully as he almost always does, and it gives us a brief look at the deeply emotional side of Gemma.
From the day it debuted three seasons ago, The Sons of Anarchy has proven itself to be one of the most original, well written, and well acted dramas on television. The third season continues a high standard of excellence.
Spread over three BD-50 discs, the thirteen episodes are presented in 1:78 widescreen. The transfer is very good, with solid detail in both the foreground and background. Fleshtones are normal throughout. Blacks are inky and contrast is even. Colors are bright and vivid when called upon. Very nice transfer,
All of the episodes come with a DTS-HD Master Audio lossless 5.1 surround soundtrack which accompanies the proceedings well. Continuing with the tactic of using new artists to cover older songs like “Bird on a Wire” and “Hey Hey My My,” the songs sound great, using a broad soundstage that utilizes the music. The show’s abundant clamor of motorcycles rumble through the speakers with convincing clarity and channel panning that is effective. Environmental sounds come through with equal effectiveness and dialogue is clear.
The following special features are included:
- Audio Commentaries: Like the sets for seasons one and two, there are only three commentary tracks included here, but they’re all worthwhile. Kurt Sutter, Dave Erickson, Chris Collins, Regina Corrado, Liz Sagal and Marco Ramirez have a writer-centric chat for the season premiere, and the “Firinne” and “NS” episodes feature discussions with creator Kurt Sutter and various members of the cast.
- Extended Episodes: Three extended cuts for the premiere and the last two episodes.
- Season Mode: Turn on season mode and you can watch every episode in series without interruption. As soon as you pop a disc back in your player, it will take you straight to wherever you left off.
- The Future Begins Now (1080p, 9:41): Four short vignettes—Pay Phone, Tara and Piney, Jax Meets Thomas, and Mexican Basketball—that bridge the gap between season three and the upcoming fourth season premiere.
- Writer’s Roundtable (1080p, 18:14): Show creator Kurt Sutter sits down in a steak house with his team of writers to field submitted questions from fans.
- Bike Customizer (1080p, 15:45): The show teamed up with Illusion Cycles to build a custom bike to be auctioned off for charity, with proceeds going to the Wounded Warrior Project. The guys at Illusion guide us through the process of building a motorcycle from scratch.
- Directing the Finale with Kurt Sutter (1080p, 5:32): Sutter discusses his storytelling/directing process.
- “NS” Table Read with Cast (1080p, 44:05): Just what it sounds like.. Worth checking out.
- Gag Reel (1080p, 3:02)
- Deleted Scenes (SD, 10:24, 14:10, 3:19)
- Fox Movie Channel Presents: World Premiere – Sons of Anarchy Season 3 (SD, 5:12): Red carpet interviews with most of the Son of Anarchy cast members, along with clips from season three.
- BD-Live Exclusive – Sons at Comic-Con 2011 (720p, 4:57): Perlman, Sutter, Katey Sagal, and Charlie Hunnam give some love to fans at this year’s Comic-Con.