Sons of Anarchy - Season 3 [DVD]

Sons of Anarchy is one of those shows that for some reason seems to have been largely ignored in the U.K., only being aired on Bravo and now on Sky, the Bravo channel being now defunct.

Those who have watched the first two seasons and were left hanging after the big cliffhanger of Season Two (Jax's baby Abel being kidnapped by the IRA), be prepared for a drastic change of pace. Season Three is fast, very fast. The action never stops, there are constant obstacles and mess-ups sending the characters to different, unforeseen directions. You will be glued to the edge of your seat right until the very last minute of the last episode. Be prepared for constant surprises - nothing will go the way you expect it.

In Season Three, most of the action moves from Charming to Belfast - and at this point you will need to humour some of the cast's attempt at Northern Irish accents and let your disbelief be suspended. The writing is so good that you can easily ignore them.

Three seasons into 'Sons', writer Kurt Sutter has really developed the characters so well that they are really real and not the usual cardboard cutouts seen in a lot of TV shows these days. Jax, played by British actor Charlie Hunman (whose American accent is, by all accounts, superb), emerges as a real tortured soul, torn apart by the abduction of his child and the toxicity of the Club's lifestyle. He loves his girlfriend Tara but he doesn't want to ruin her life and her career as a doctor. The Club is his life but then again, he also sees how his father's ideals, around which SAMCRO was built, have been gradually corrupted since his death.

The other character that for me, makes the show, is Katey Seagal's Gemma - Jax's mother. I started off hating her in Season One, then I felt her pain through her ordeal in Season Two, and by now she is my favourite female TV character ever. She also gets some of the best and funniest lines.

As usual with Sons, Season Three is accompanied by a cracking soundtrack, with cover versions of famous songs reinterpreted for the show, some of them sung by Katey Seagal herself. I could go talk extensively about the soundtrack but...that's for a separate review.

I could not recommend this show enough and watching the DVD is absolutely the best way to enjoy it: episode after episode, back to back, without interruption and without the frustration of having to wait a week to know what will happen next. I will leave you with a health warning: this show will turn you into a nervous wreck and you might need a large bourbon to steady your nerves while you follow Jax along the streets of Belfast, in search of his son. It will be a very emotional journey indeed.

Went off SoA midway through Series 2 but this was recommended and delivers in spades.

There is still an element of playground invincibility to all the principle characters but the change of location does some good with a very satisfying conclusion.

Breaking Bad is still the best program on TV but SoA is back on track.

Opens plenty of material for Series 4, will be very interesting to see how some of those plot lines develop.

My husband persuaded me to start watching the 'son's' with him from season 1. I admit I was dubious at first as even though I have always ridden motorcycles I was not sure about watching a programme about bikers and judged it before watching (for the worst!). I have to say that Gemma is really my favourite character and she really makes the series what it is, I disliked her at first but by series 3 she had me hooked. She is the rock and keeps all of the family together, sacrificing her own happiness for others (as most mothers do). I did find that some parts especially with the cara cara porno girls a bit droll, boring and predictable and was glad when that was over and done with. Setting that aside the story line got me hooked and I loved the way that humour was entwined into what was some really moving scened that moved me to tears. I was even known to watch 3 in a row and had to hold back so I could go to work, ha ha . I am now a Sons convert and am waiting for series 4 with baited breath. Roll on October.