Sons of Anarchy: Season Three (DVD, 2011, 4-Disc Set)

It's taken a while for Sons of Anarchy creator and overseer Kurt Sutter to get the show back on track. Its third season starts with the shocking and ultimately contrived death of a regular cast member; for Sutter, character motivation is secondary in importance to getting a rise out of his audience. Though he's done an otherwise commendable job of turning his biker-gang protags into flesh-and-blood characters, he often runs Sons of Anarchy the way a carnival barker might. Sutter's motorcycle-riding barbarian thugs are pretty much what they look like, though they are noticeably more calculating and/or considerate than they initially seem. These bikers do in fact puff out their chests while considering how to chauvinistically protect their women and/or families. The Sons of Anarchy are sideshow attractions that only look human after you've spent enough time watching them vigorously screw both their allies and their girlfriends.

Season three operates with that staid understanding of the Sons while finally realigning the show's focus back to season one's central question: Is this the life that lead protagonist Jackson "Jax" Teller (Charlie Hunnam) wants? Jax spends all of season one poring over his dead father's journal entries, considering whether the Sons of Anarchy are now what his father originally wanted them to be and finds that they aren't. The first season ended with the understanding that Jax was getting ready to wrest control of the gang away from his stepfather, Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman), a close friend of Jax's now-dead father and the man currently boffing Jax's mom, Gemma (Katey Sagal). Jax's need to question Clay's authority was forgotten in season two and has only been remembered in season three.

Hunnam's ripped pretty-boy biker only reclaims his role as the thinking man's Neanderthal on the show after his baby boy Abel is kidnapped. Since family means a lot to the Sons, it makes sense that this abduction makes Jax go from a nigh-catatonic state to a towering rage in a matter of moments during season three's premiere. According to other concerned members of the club, Jax needs to do something to get his mind right again. Pummeling members of the Mayans, a sometimes-rival and sometimes-friendly biker gang, is apparently that something. The dark place that Jax goes to at the beginning of season three is maddeningly treated like a therapeutic necessary evil. He cheats on Tara (Maggie Siff), but that's okay because both Tara and the Sons innately understand that Jax is just mindlessly lashing out at the people he loves. There are no repercussions for his whiplash-inducing infidelity because Jax is just an alpha male doing what an alpha male does best: thinking with his dick.

The mistakes that family members make are forgivable in the Sons' eyes while everyone else's mistakes aren't. This is an interesting double standard considering that the show's main concern was originally Jax's fear that Clay isn't only steering the club in the wrong direction but also probably murdered his father. If only Sutter had remembered to retain that kind of tension in season three instead of just making it resurface during the last few moments of the season finale.

Sons of Anarchy's third season is ultimately only a bit better than its second season because the most crucial developments to Sutter's characters and world are all still just peripheral subplots.

Let me preface by saying that I do not by DVDs for the extras- cast interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, etc. I think that knowing too much about what goes into the making of a show takes away from the enjoyment. That said, I have always enjoyed the extras Kurt Sutter adds because Sons of Anarchy is so unique a show and he puts the utmost effort into realistically portraying the dynamics of a family involved in criminal activity. The deleted scenes are interesting, the cast interviews enlightening, and the writer's roundtables express why the characters act in the manner they do. On top of all of this is the show itself, a tour de force without comparison. In my opinion this is one of the best written, best cast, most exciting shows ever on television. Especially today, where every other show is "reality" nonsense or another Law & Order, this show stands out for its creativity and the talent on both sides of the camera. The third season deals mainly with the rescue of Jax Teller's son from the Irish, leading to the discovery of traitors in the club, and Gemma's being framed for murder by a rogue Federal agent. New relationships are formed, old ones are tested, and some are destroyed in the process- the Cosby Show it isn't, as things are rarely worked out at the end of the episode. I started watching the show during the original run of the third season, and quickly bought the previous two on DVD on the strength of what I saw. I was not disappointed! This show does not only remain excellent, it may get better every year (season four is running as I write this review, and wow!). If you are tired of insipid sitcoms, formulaic cop shows, and talentless irritating reality stars, SoA may be the show for you- a great cast, superb writing, beautiful sets, and a producer who knows his material add up to one heck of a series.

The Sons of Anarchy is the best series I've ever seen. Wish it was on all year round. September to December is just not enough! I will definately be buying each season as they are released on DVD.

I love this show. I admit that season 3 was my least favorite so far but upon a second viewing it still packs quite a punch.This time everything in the club and their town of Charming is in turmoil and the guys travel to Ireland where they encounter some very bad characters and trechery abounds.
The search for Jax's son leads down some murky roads and Gemma is still on the lam. I must say that this has the best season finale of any series I've ever seen. It had me cheering!The extras are pretty good, too, especially the custom bike build. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

I love this show and try to catch it on tv but usually can't stay up and end up missing it. So I was happy to buy the season so I can catch up on all the shows I missed. It was so easy to make a purchase on ebay even though I am pretty new to it. I found that buying movies is much cheaper than getting thru my cable provider. The Sons is a really great series and was watching the mail for my purchase so I could start watching. I got a good deal on ebay !!! YEA !!