Is there anything you love so much, you'd protect it no matter the cost, the damage it did to you?
alert: this is a sons of anarchy post!
1. Jax/Tara
Oh my God, I think this might be my favorite pairing since Logan/Veronica, that's how much I love these two together. They have everything I could want in a TV couple -- complicated history, fucked up families, off-the-charts chemistry and sexual tension, "good" girl / "bad" boy dynamic, hurt/comfort scenes, but best of all, they actually TALK ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP. MORE THAN ONCE!! Like, actual adult conversations about Where It Is Going and How Can We Make This Work and What Are Your Feelings About This, which is so rare! I won't speak more specifically about why I love them so much because I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll let the following gifs explain:
captaincatapult sums it up: The way they are handled makes me feel like a CRAZY PERSON, it's perfection.
2. The music
The music on this show is amazing and they have an EP on sale for each season. Here are my favorites (the Forest Rangers is the show's house band... yes, they have a house band, how fucking cool is that?) --
Curtis Stigers & the Forest Rangers - John the Revelator
Audra Mae & the Forest Rangers - Forever Young
3. The Queen Bitch
Holy shit, you see Gemma Teller-Morrow coming and you bow the fuck down or suffer the consequences! Seriously though, you better show the proper respect to this lady because not only is she the President's wife and the Vice President's mother, she is a maternal figure to all the bikers. She inspires the kind of loyalty that people kill and die for by being the one person all the guys can always rely on for emotional support. Gemma always says that the motorcycle club is "the glue" that holds everyone together, but SHE is the glue that holds the CLUB together.
4. The motorcycle club as a found family
The 'found family' is one of my favorite television tropes OF ALL TIME. While the MC is anchored by the Teller-Morrows (Clay, Gemma & Jax), the rest of the guys & their wives/girlfriends & children are treated like family as well. I love how fucking fierce they are about protecting each other and the SAMCRO name/reputation. I love Gemma's family dinners. I love that the same loyalty and friendship is offered to members of the other SAMCRO branches. I even love that the Prospect(ive member of the club) puts up with so much harassment and hazing because he knows that one day he will be a full-fledged member and it's worth the sacrifice.
5. The creator -- Kurt Sutter
Listen, I don't have a very high opinion of most showrunners (thanks, Rob Thomas), but from what I've seen/read, Kurt is fantastic. 1. He's married to Katey Sagal (Gemma). 2. Not only is he a writer and producer of SoA, he also plays the character of Big Otto (a SAMCRO member currently imprisoned). 3. He writes a very opinionated and entertaining blog: here! ("Don't marry until you're done fucking the loose change in the sofa. Once you do marry, don't cheat.") 4. (As far as I can tell) He genuinely respects and appreciates SoA fans. He doesn't talk down to them (or about them), but he's honest about what's going on with the show. 5. Relatedly, I haven't seen any negative press about any of the actors, they all seem to really love their jobs and the show, and I think Kurt's passion and enthusiasm is partly behind that.
Episode downloads are not hard to find (if you know where to look ;) but let me know if you want links!!