tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post3050065076821701767..comments2024-03-18T13:50:45.615-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Sons of Anarchy, "Service": Meet your unmakerAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-9851115532590332542009-11-28T13:42:07.878-05:002009-11-28T13:42:07.878-05:00I love that a Mad Men director made this episode, ...I love that a Mad Men director made this episode, because there was a shot in there (Maggie Siff standing in a doorway) that was very Mad Men. I mean visually, but since it was a also a Mad Men actor, it was a bit of a shock.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-54222866947761997492009-11-20T11:59:24.676-05:002009-11-20T11:59:24.676-05:00@Dtor: SoA is a great show and I love it, but Mad ...@Dtor: <i>SoA is a great show and I love it, but Mad Men is in a different universe. Mad Men is literary; it’s allegorical… Sons of Anarchy is not. It’s a great, fun tv show, but it’s not anything more than that.</i><br /><br />I can't argue whether SOA is better than Mad Men since I don't watch MM.... but if you think Sons is neither literary or allegorical than you're missing a LOT of the underlying motifs and allusions. <br /><br />Any show can be watched for entertainment value alone - either MM or SOA - but looking at it with a critical eye, SOA is deeply literary and allegorical.Carolynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09412645118253860411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-62363669141958555222009-11-19T16:33:10.822-05:002009-11-19T16:33:10.822-05:00My issue only with the episode was Bobby.
Does he ...<i>My issue only with the episode was Bobby.<br />Does he have amnesia? His reaction to finding out about Clay having Donna killed was ridiculous coming from a person who heard it from Stahl.</i><br /><br />True. Then again... it was <b>Stahl</b>.Jim Treacherhttp://jimtreacher.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-82947645014896719912009-11-19T14:40:45.644-05:002009-11-19T14:40:45.644-05:00Yeah, this show is the best. But strangely enough...Yeah, this show is the best. But strangely enough, I predicted all of the crazy developments in this episode. Maybe that's not a big deal, but from Tig's confession to Opie's mercy to Piney's attempt, I called them all. Didn't make it any less riveting though. I don't know how the last two can top the previous three, but I hope they do.<br /><br />I will say, however, that the explanation for Chuck and Darby getting cut is sloppy. I mean, it's safe to assume they're dead, but for no one to even mention it at all for two episodes is unbelievable.Hatfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01184680741873873714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-76196649187809137392009-11-19T12:54:14.229-05:002009-11-19T12:54:14.229-05:00Got to see this last night and was mesmerized thro...Got to see this last night and was mesmerized throughout. The show's been so good that I'd completely forgotten about Chuck and Darby. Is it next Tuesday yet?deznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-7733573020046386452009-11-19T11:16:23.578-05:002009-11-19T11:16:23.578-05:00Ally Walker as agent Stahl came through in bunches...Ally Walker as agent Stahl came through in bunches this week. I had to go back and watch her scene with Opie a second (okay, fine, third time). <br /><br />I'm curious to see what happens resolving Luann's situation. I find it hard to see how they could tie in Georgie and Zobelle. They might have to be two separate incidents. I mean, how much of an amazing mastermind would Zobelle be if he'd also reached out to Georgie?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-64886007643842530872009-11-19T06:12:40.891-05:002009-11-19T06:12:40.891-05:00I agree with whoever said that Luanne and Caracara...I agree with whoever said that Luanne and Caracara are a huge loose end right now. Are they sure it's Georgie's fault? Shouldn't the SOA be more upset about this? I know Gemma means a lot to everyone, but Luanne had a long history with the club as well.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06595253772380762153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-74607089701046145522009-11-19T05:25:34.288-05:002009-11-19T05:25:34.288-05:00I agree with Alan that it's exactly the restra...I agree with Alan that it's exactly the restraint in this episode and the character-based resolution that made it so awesome.<br /><br />In fact, even though as a whole it's too early to call this show better than The Shield (not that I feel a pressing need to), I find this character-based approach much more satisfying than the way The Shield often handled it.<br /><br />Can't wait for the finale, that's the one coming up, right?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-2403495109492385942009-11-19T02:30:29.144-05:002009-11-19T02:30:29.144-05:00loved the glimpse of a nobler, better future with ...loved the glimpse of a nobler, better future with opie opting for outlaw forgiveness and locking step with jax.<br /><br />that said, can't help thinking sutter is setting opie up to be sacrificed in the future. <br /><br />change won't come easy. blood will be shed. and like so often in life, sometimes the good have to be lost for the wicked to find their way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-40076015813773681422009-11-19T00:13:43.514-05:002009-11-19T00:13:43.514-05:00What Bobby has is his own secrets: The embezzlemen...What Bobby has is his own secrets: The embezzlement Luann committed at Caracara before her death, and his acceptance of her in trade, to keep silent. <br /><br />He wasn't going to start a war over Donna, if breaking the club wide open revealed all the shit going on. He hasn't told a soul -- and it's up to Sutter whether Chuck also knew about the cooked books, before the fire.<br /><br />verif: quitrap -- what Jax found himself in once Gemma started talking.cgeyenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-35420124769753531432009-11-19T00:11:49.824-05:002009-11-19T00:11:49.824-05:00I just saw that someone posted the name of the son...I just saw that someone posted the name of the song i requested.<br /><br />Thanks!Dennishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09130711642386374186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-5038086121515985102009-11-19T00:09:45.524-05:002009-11-19T00:09:45.524-05:00I was only thrown off my Tig's confession beca...I was only thrown off my Tig's confession because it came almost matter-of-factly and so early in the show but of course that was because it was the genesis for everything else that happens - events like Chibs being found out inadvertantly by Opie and Opie's father attempting to avenge Donna's death lead to a very cool scene where Opie looks on as Clay considers Op's opinion, knowing that's the only call he can make.<br /><br />The only thing that rang false with me was Stahl's reaction to being on death's door. I would've preferred a more shocked facial expression or perhaps even throwing up and I thought her play was really an overact.<br /><br />Finally, what was the name of the song that played for like 10 seconds over the scene of Op reading the club's manifesto? I knew it was too early in the show to go into a montage but it was odd for a song to play for that short of a time frame, no? Anyway, I hope someone knows what that was.Dennishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09130711642386374186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-73167421373284994082009-11-18T22:31:33.626-05:002009-11-18T22:31:33.626-05:00My issue only with the episode was Bobby.
Does he ...My issue only with the episode was Bobby.<br />Does he have amnesia? His reaction to finding out about Clay having Donna killed was ridiculous coming from a person who heard it from Stahl. I re-watched the season 1 finale last night and she told him verbatim. In one scene you have Hale telling Jax and the next scene is Stahl and Bobby in the interrogation room where she tells him that Donna is dead and how she set Opie up and what Clay must have ordered.<br />Its all starts at the 32 minute mark if anyone wants to see.Jerseynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-55808718067246508822009-11-18T22:15:57.456-05:002009-11-18T22:15:57.456-05:00@brett the Two Gallants song "Fly Low Carrion...@brett the Two Gallants song "Fly Low Carrion Crow" was the best song of ep<br />@zzzdog <br />"how surprising and much more realistic that it come on an ordinary enough morning from a character who just can't keep the secret anymore"<br />It think that's what makes the show so great the character relationships are so real that they don't the dramatics for a reveal.Jerseynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1693681066379787332009-11-18T21:29:00.965-05:002009-11-18T21:29:00.965-05:00this show has reached spectacular levels. i honest...this show has reached spectacular levels. i honestly think it is currently better than the shield ever was (no disrespect to a show that i loved). the emotions that sutter & co mine from these characters is intense and always touching. last ep damn near brought a tear to my eye, and this one continued that brilliance. the fact is that gemma's unveiling of her rape at THIS stage in the season truly united the club. the show takes unexpected directions and comes back with pure quality. is it too early to consider SOA S2 for your best seasons of the decade?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00009765337127816908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-81769624373341377192009-11-18T20:36:06.602-05:002009-11-18T20:36:06.602-05:00As usual, a great review. Man, I really really lov...As usual, a great review. Man, I really really love this show, especially this season and I think it's become hands down the best drama on television. Tight writing, believable acting (without over-acting, which would be really easy to do with a series like this) and just an overall great concept for a show. I'm loving it. <br /><br />I love how the Opie story line is taking shape, and can't wait to see where it goes from here. Also, I loved that they used the Two Gallants song "Fly Low Carrion Crow" - it's the song that plays when Piney is at his house and holding the gun in his hand...such a great 'Americana' tune that fits the show perfectly. (scene can be watched at : http://vimeo.com/7695650)bretthttp://displacedbrett.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-82477540194268048732009-11-18T19:47:27.552-05:002009-11-18T19:47:27.552-05:00I think we didn't see the talk between Opie &a...<i>I think we didn't see the talk between Opie & Piney for a reason. This Donna thing is far, far from over and for all we know they made a pact to take care of the problem together at a more opportune time later.</i><br /><br />My thoughts exactly. Clay and Tig have been granted a reprieve at best.<br /><br /><i>I feel it was a conscience choice by the writers/director that Opie removed his beanie/hat while reading the 'Manifesto'. If I recall, that's the only time you've seen him without it on since Donna's death.</i><br /><br />He also took it off to bang his pornstar girlfriend on the floor. But, y'know, that's just being gentlemanly.Jim Treacherhttp://jimtreacher.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-22469486130098247512009-11-18T18:49:04.697-05:002009-11-18T18:49:04.697-05:00I didn't see it mentioned in the review or the...I didn't see it mentioned in the review or the comments, but I feel it was a conscience choice by the writers/director that Opie removed his beanie/hat while reading the 'Manifesto'. If I recall, that's the only time you've seen him without it on since Donna's death. Seemed very symbolic to me.Zachnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-10060295072827722882009-11-18T17:37:51.171-05:002009-11-18T17:37:51.171-05:00In my previous post I mentioned Jax and Clay getti...In my previous post I mentioned Jax and Clay getting right with one another which sounded like I thought they'd made peace. I don't. I think they've been reminded of their place in one another's emotional lives and are willing to feel that again and honor that. They are family, they love and are loved by the same people. That got lost for both of them.<br /><br />I think the primal conflict still exists and I think the fall-out from all the reveals is far from over.zzzdoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953320741067210576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-87074668759254660932009-11-18T17:24:37.509-05:002009-11-18T17:24:37.509-05:00This show has taken off. Last night episode was g...This show has taken off. Last night episode was great and the fans finally got what we have all been waiting for. Opie finding out the truth behind Donna's death. I can't wait so see how season 2 ends and season 3 beginsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-17623125277460467362009-11-18T17:15:47.178-05:002009-11-18T17:15:47.178-05:00It would be the expected thing for the truth about...It would be the expected thing for the truth about Donna to come out in some kind of crescendo of tension and drama, but how surprising and much more realistic that it come on an ordinary enough morning from a character who just can't keep the secret anymore; that it come from just being said out loud. Much of the life changing information we receive seems to come in disconcerting ordinariness, and this had that same breath-taking quality that comes with hearing world changing news you never saw coming. I loved the rush and clear feeling of the big secret being swept away; I understood Opie's bewildered rage along with a kind of numbness. One minute he's tinkering with his bike, and the next minute the foundation of his world changed, and none of us saw it coming. I can well understand Opie not killing anyone. Tig and Clay come jumbled in loyalty and brotherhood and the fiber of the only world he's ever known. I don't think he could form a clear enough intent through all that, though he knows he's wounded and enraged. He's still reeling and doesn't know what he wants yet; but he will, and we'll get to watch that play out in character strokes as Opie reinvents his life with the club - same for all of them really. This is a tectonic shift for everyone who knows about it. I think he didn't kill Stahl because he's starting to find some healing and he wasn't willing to plunge back into the abyss by killing her; he doesn't need self-destruction the same way he did when everything was black and hopeless - before his meltdown and before starting to connect emotionally with Lyla.<br /><br />I loved that after weeks of secrets and bitter rages that Gemma's reveal and the reaction to it not only united Jax and Clay in their love for Gemma, but in their need to be right with one another again. Even more so, it caused this chain reaction of truth-telling and air clearing. Each reveal seemed to birth the next as the force of either unburdening or throwing down moved through all these related characters who had been living under the burden of internal deceit. I thought it was a thing of beauty. The acting was flawless, shaded and powerful and just grabbed the viscera.<br /><br />I know there are some fine points and logistical points that seem to be left unshown, but with characters this rich and surprising and affecting, I'm more than willing to think more abstractly and live comfortably with spaces and holes. Close enough.zzzdoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953320741067210576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-8249256373984017292009-11-18T16:23:50.334-05:002009-11-18T16:23:50.334-05:00The Darby/Chuck explanation was cut from episode 9...The Darby/Chuck explanation was cut from episode 9 (this was ep 11). I'm told it will now be explained at some point in the final two episodes.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-32309521010901332982009-11-18T16:17:27.119-05:002009-11-18T16:17:27.119-05:00I don't have a problem with the way Opie respo...I don't have a problem with the way Opie responded because he seemed to have come back down to earth the past couple of weeks. If this would have happened earlier in the season when he was in his single minded focus vengeance mode, there's no way there's not a body count. And it is clear that neither he nor Jax has made peace with Clay. The reverberations from this should still be felt for a while, and that's why it's not a neat, tie everything together, solution.<br /><br />I would like to think that her encounter with Opie would have Stahl reconsider her tactics (after she goes right back to the weasel well with Chibbs), but if Donna's death didn't change her, I don't know that this will. I wonder if now that the Club knows about her plan, can they manipulate her to get amnesty and to also get at Zobelle.<br /><br />Alan, was there something in the screener about what happened to Darby in the fire (which I think you implied) that was subsequently cut?Gregnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-33452967670630969612009-11-18T15:56:40.340-05:002009-11-18T15:56:40.340-05:00As an avid reader of your blog I come here weekly ...As an avid reader of your blog I come here weekly and usually you and I are on the same page, but it seems like this week I am in the minority. <br /><br />I want to preface this by saying that SOA is perhaps my favorite show and, especially after Sutter’s showrunner blog, I have a deep appreciation for all of the work that goes into each episode. But I was disappointed with this recent one. <br /><br />SOA has always had such a great grasp on what propels a series through each season – the perfect balance of suspense and revelation. As the audience, we are privy to knowledge that the characters might not have and there is tension created watching the stories unfold. However in last night’s episode I felt like someone just shook up the bag of secrets and let it all rip all over the table. <br />In one episode: Tig told Opie about Donna, the core club members found out about it too, Tig "told" Gemma about his desire for her, Chibs confessed his fears, Piney acknowledged the situation with his ex, Tara told Jax about the suspension and her need for family and a future, Jax not only saw Zoebelle with the Mayans but also promptly shared this observation with the group, Opie saw Chibs with Stahl and also opted not to hold onto this info, Jax told Opie about John’s manifesto...<br /><br />Maybe this was all triggered by Gemma’s big reveal last week and they all felt the need to unburden themselves after realizing the damage that can be done by holding on to secrets. But for me, as the viewer it, just seemed a) an unlikely turn of events for these characters and b) like an easy way to things to get tied up nicely since the season is coming to a close.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02232656136592907908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-61490988722661567432009-11-18T15:33:50.315-05:002009-11-18T15:33:50.315-05:00Well said Matthew! Also, to respond to the anonymo...Well said Matthew! Also, to respond to the anonymous commenter above:<br /><br />I think we didn't see the talk between Opie & Piney for a reason. This Donna thing is far, far from over and for all we know they made a pact to take care of the problem together at a more opportune time later. For now, they seem pretty deferential not so much to Clay as to the MC, its interests and its established rules. It's their legacy too.<br /><br />Anyway, great review & comments as always!Marvel Me Is A Mutantnoreply@blogger.com