Set in the fictional (and rather ironically named) town of Charming, California, Sons of Anarchy follows the exploits of its eponymous gang, a group going back to the supposedly halcyon days of 1967, led by Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman, finally unearthed from the mounds of makeup he so typically wears in so many roles, looking strangely like the Lee Marvin character in Wild One). Clay is mentor to his stepson Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam), whose deceased father was one of the original founders (along with Clay) of the gang. Clay's wife and Jax's mother Gemma (Katey Sagal, as impressive as always in a role diametrically opposed to Peg Bundy), is both nurturing and malevolent, one of the more sharply drawn characters of the series. There are a coterie of supporting roles surrounding this main trio, including other members of the gang, one comedy relief prospective member ("Half Sack" Epps, named for a peculiar anatomical anomaly, well played by Johnny Lewis), and a whole sidebar of personal relationships, especially with regard to Jax.

As the first episode opens, the Sons are dealing with their chief nemeses, the Mayans, who have stolen a contraband shipment of automatic rifles and other guns that the Sons were about to consummate a deal with. On a personal level, Jax's junkie estranged wife Wendy (Drea de Matteo), gives birth prematurely to Jax's son, one born with a host of major birth defects. Jax is also drawn to Tara (Maggie Siff), a doctor with whom he's had a previous relationship who volunteers to help minister to his newborn son. Tara, by contrast, is running from an obsessed ATF agent, and it just so happens the ATF very much wants to bring the Sons of Anarchy down, big time.

Sons of Anarchy is obviously a show still trying to find its way, and in its first season seems a bit schizophrenic at times, trying to decide whether it wants to feature the, yes, Sopranos-esque machinations of the gang and its inner workings, or the more intimate personal stories of the members and their attendant satellite characters. The only character who seems fully drawn and able to easily traverse both of these worlds is Gemma, a character who is one part Machiavelli, one part Borgia, and, oddly, one part nurturing Mother Goddess.

The equally obvious callbacks to Hamlet, something that Ron Perlman made some mention of when the show was first airing, are certainly interesting, but aren't yet fully developed enough to be paying dividends. One obviously expects Jax to start more actively suspecting the obviously duplicitous Gemma of not exactly being a sweetly nurturing mother as the series moves into its second season. (I for one can't wait to see who Rosencrantz and Guildenstern turn out to be). This first season does at least an adequate job of setting Jax up as a conflicted character, if not quite at the existential mess level the Prince of Denmark attained. If the show sometimes tries too hard with these literary ambitions, you have to at least give it props for trying, something far too few series even attempt.

If Sagal is the most immediately compelling performance in the series, Perlman also does great work here, with a rough-edged brittleness mixed with surprising amounts of tenderness at times that reminded me of his work in City of Lost Children. Hunnam makes a charismatic and appealing leading man for the younger set, and has a rather striking resemblance to Heath Ledger at times. Creator Kurt Sutter (The Shield) obviously knows how to craft intelligently written and developed characters, and if Sons of Anarchy needs a season to adequately set up the interrelationships and backstories of this motley crew, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, at least until the second season is well underway.

The show portrays the bikers as just a little too clean cut for their own good (despite every effort to "dirty" them up, which can lead to laughs when you see an actor like Mitch Pileggi, whom most will remember as the button down Skinner from X Files). Otherwise, there's a very real grittiness to the proceedings here, including some fairly shocking scenes of mayhem and what is, for the gang, "routine" violence. Hopefully that grit factor can spread more to the characters themselves as the show enters its sophomore year, at which point Sons of Anarchy may indeed be able to rise to the mantel of Sopranos excellence.

The Blu-ray

Video:
Sons' 1.78:1 AVC image is pretty muted a lot of the time, with some processed, overly grainy images that may bother some viewers. A lot of this entire first season is on the dark side, despite the show's fictional California setting. That said, contrast is strong, and the palette, while subdued, is lifelike with abundant detail. Very occasional passing artifacts are noticed in things like grille work at Clay's mechanic shop, but they're fleeting.

Sound:
As might be expected, the DTS HD-MA 5.1 mix is pretty heavy on the low end, what with all the roaring motorcycles rampaging here and there. Also prepare yourself to be momentarily surprised, if not outright shocked, at the "thump, thump" of bullets being fired. There's not a great deal of subtlety here, but everything is perfectly directional, with good balance between the dialogue and omnipresent rock song underscore cues.

Extras:
Three OK if party hearty atmosphere commentaries once again serve to remind the participants that, yes, it's all well and good that you're seeing each other again and enjoying each other's company, but you're here to provide information about the show to viewers. Four nice, if brief featurettes, all in HD, offer subjects like the motorcycles in the show, the tattoo artists who create the body art in the show, casting the show and a more generic making of segment. Over a half hour of deleted scenes and a gag reel round out the extras.

Final Thoughts:
This is a show that doesn't quite fulfill its potential in this initial season, but which holds enough promise for the coming years that it may indeed turn into "must see television." Sagal is yet again a revelation, Perlman is equally magnetic, and Hunnam is a new star to keep an eye on. As the show moves past the set up phase, we should finally be getting some real pay offs as the second season opens next month. Recommended.

____________________________________________
"G-d made stars galore" & "Hey, what kind of a crappy fortune is this?" ZMK, modern prophet