Sons of Anarchy: Season 3

All caught up at last (save for Tuesday night's Season 4 premiere that is still on my DVR and awaiting a viewing, that is). A number of people were disappointed in the third season of Sons, and I can completely see why that was. It becomes clear in the first episode that the club is going to need to head overseas to Northern Ireland to take care of both business and personal interests, but they spend half of the season just preparing for the trip. By the time they get there, they spend three or four episodes there, then return home to deal with more business and personal interests. The main conflict stems from an out-of-nowhere cliffhanger that Season 2 ended on, and I guess the whole ordeal kind of serves as an example of "cliffhanger clean-up gone sloppy." All of this is not to say that I personally was disappointed in Season 3. Of course, I'm sure it played out a lot better on DVD than it did in weekly installments; I didn't have to wait two months for the club to get to Northern Ireland, as I could get through seven episodes in a few days' time. The writing felt a bit sloppy and rushed at times, but only compared to the normal higher standard I've come to expect from the show. It's certainly one of the best dramas I've seen and warrants consideration for placement in that elite tier that includes Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and perhaps Boardwalk Empire. Season 1 pulled me into the world of this motorcycle gang, Season 2 raised the stakes with multiple conflicts for the Sons both internal and external, and Season 3 kind of took its foot off the gas and veered off course for a chance of pace and style. Not everyone was a fan, but I'd rather see showrunners try new things than let a good show turn stale with formulaic story arcs. (If you think I'm excited for another season of Dexter, think again.) This'll be the last time you hear from me on this blog about Sons of Anarchy for at least another year, so I'll end with one tiny pitch: watch this show. It's worth catching up on and it's something you'll enjoy. Yes, you.