The first episode of season 2 is in the can after much anticipation, hype and reviews.
What can I say about last night’s episode? Whoo doggy! And there was an unscheduled full moon last night: helloooo Charlie Hunnam bum shot!
gratuitous nekkidness!
To be honest I had higher expectations for the season premier. First of all, there were way too many commercials for my liking and I thought the “horrible event” was a bit…cliché (but I think maybe I have more of a Teflon coating than most viewers). However, I do expect the show to escalate over the season, much like it did last season, and I think we’re all in for some good storytelling.
Highlights:
- Katey Segal still great as Gemma. And how many black, lacy shirts do you think that woman has in her wardrobe? Amazing.
- Rollins, Rollins, Rollins! He brought amazing coldness to his character. And unlike the majority of the SoA cast, those tattoos are real, kids!
- The title for last night’s episode was “Albification” which by definition means: the act or process of making white.
What did you guys think of it?
Sons of Anarchy news: warning some SPOILERS ahead
EW says aside from Katey Segal’s Emmy-worthy performance as Gemma, there are 5 things to watch for in Season 2:
1. The arrival of recurring guest stars Adam Arkin and Henry Rollins. They play white separatists determined to do whatever it takes to get the club to stop selling guns to gangs. “It’s no mystery how that’s gonna unfold ultimately,” Hunnam says. “It’s gonna be bloody.”
2. A brutal final few moments of the season premiere. Something happens to Gemma that will make you want to punch someone and/or your TV. Just know it serves a storytelling purpose. “There’s a slow build in the resentment between Clay and Jax that comes to a head in the middle of the season in a very explosive and violent manner, and we needed something that huge to bring us back together. The event is concealed from the vast majority of the club until Gemma realizes that she needs to pull the trigger and finally reveal this awful thing that happened to her in an attempt to unify us,” Hunnam says. “I think it was a very smart thing that [creator Kurt Sutter, Sagal's real-life husband] has done actually. I totally agree that it could potentially put people off a little bit because it is just so horrifying, but if you stay put through the course of the season, there’s a really nice payoff at the end.”
3. Jax getting the club involved in the porn business. Big Otto’s wife Luann runs into trouble keeping her porn studio afloat, and Jax brings the club in as a partner to bail her out. In addition to affording an opportunity for much-needed levity, it gives Sutter a chance to fulfill Hunnam’s one request for season 2: That Jax play a much bigger role in the day-to-day mechanics of the club. “Through the course of the first season, Jax was very reluctant to engage in a lot of the business of the club, mainly running guns, which is something I always liked that he was against. But I also felt like Jax is a gangster, and gangsters like to make money. He needs to prove that if he was the president of the club, he’d be a strong leader, bring in some money, and do a better job than Clay.”
4. Jax’s son, Abel, being a quiet baby. Drea de Matteo, who played Abel’s mother, Wendy, is headed to Wisteria Lane, which means Jax is now a full-time father. “Which is fun, but boy, it’s kind of hard working with babies,” Hunnam says. “It’s all adorable and very sweet when they’re cooing and inquisitive and playing with my beard and grabbing my hair. They stay at that level for a couple of minutes, and then they get bored and start crying and we have to bring in a rubber baby. We’ve just opted for Abel sleeping a lot.”
5. Two shower scenes! Jax is committed to making his relationship with Tara (Mad Men’s Maggie Siff) work, though their ongoing issues ruin what could’ve been a romantic shower scene in the season premiere. But, Hunnam promises, “the second shower scene later in the season is a little more hot and steamy.” The actor doesn’t have a problem with nudity. “I had such a baptism of fire since my first job was [the UK] Queer as Folk, and I had to be 18-years-old, fully naked, and engaging in pretty graphic sex scenes with another man,” he says. “After that, anything that Sons of Anarchy can throw at me is pretty much a cakewalk. I’d still say the baby is more difficult.”
Katey Segal & Ron Perlman as "Jemma and Clay"
Ron Perlman has been making the rounds with two similar sounding but different enough interviews, one at Pop Culture Zoo and one at IESB.com. I liked hearing his take on the show and of his character, Clay. Oh, and it would seems he’s finally put some decent time in the saddle and gotten a little better with his riding skills!
Chicago Tribune thinks SoA has definitely upped it’s game this season.
“The pacing is better, the plotting is tighter and the supporting cast is full of gems.”
TV Gal from Zap2It falls into the camp that is too squeamish to watch SoA:
“I’ve watched the second season premiere and the show simply isn’t for me. But I can appreciate why so many of you enjoy it and I’ll continue to check in on it as the second season progresses.”
She should just stick to Vampire Diaries and So You Think You Can Dance. This show is way out of her league.
Clay & Jax, Sons of Anarchy Season 2
*Tweet tweet*
Kurt Sutter is on Twitter (at least for the time being until he deletes his account “’cause i will feel frivolous and shameful“): @sutterink
Katey Segal is also on the tweets as well: @kateysegal
SoA Party in a Box giveaway is still happening!
The FX network is encouraging fans to throw Sons of Anarchy viewing parties and are having a Party In a Box giveaway! All you have to do is register and the first 100 fans to register will get an exclusive Sons of Anarchy Party-in-a-Box with branded party gear including SOA shot glass, banner, tattoos and more.