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Sons of Anarchy Season 1 Episode 1

Pilot

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7.1

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AIRED: 9/3/08

Jax grows weary of the increasing lawlessness of the motorcycle club he is involved with. His life becomes more unstable when he discovers his late father's true vision for the Sons of Anarchy, and his crank-addicted ex-wife gives birth to his son.

FAN RECAP

Fan Episode Reviews (10)

WOW!!

10

By Akis89, Aug 05, 2012

I Cant belive this episode is rated 7.0! I've watched all seasons and i just started again on ep 1, And this is definently a 9.5 at least! Who the fvck rates thiis 7 or lower!
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The pilot.

4.1

By thefanof, Dec 01, 2011

Sons of Anarchy premiered on FX to much hype, yet failed to live up to any of it. Everything from the dialogue, to the storylines are just incredibly unbelievable and unrealistic. The actors fail to have any presence and it's as if anyone could portray the main characters on the cast. Katey Sagal may have been mediocre on 8 Simple Rules and Married With Children, but she is just horrid in this fiasco.

Jax, is like a cartoon character. His facial expressions are the same whether he's angry or sad and the idea that he is a dangerous threat is a joke. This show is too white trash to appeal to the masses, but more importantly, it wasn't researched properly. Nobody acts like this, whether they're in a drug ring or just part of a biker gang.

You would think being on FX would mean this drama is intense and exciting, but the complete opposite is the case.moreless
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Something with a welcome difference.

8.5

By AvatarBlue, Jan 28, 2011

Finally a show comes where good and bad are blended into the a very murky and gritty mix.

A very apt pilot that perfectly introduces the main characters, contrasting situations, opposing emotions and contradicting philosphies of a typical/not-so typical Hells Angel biker gang.

Combines a decent amount of intrigue, drama and action into a very enjoyable episode. Dialogue is fairly okay for the most part with some great one-liners sprewn throughout various scenes of importance or during some perfectly arranged light-hearted moments.

Liked the characters, setting, intrigue, drama and action - all of which combined to demonstrate the potential of this underwhemingly marketed show. Most of all, I loved the conflict that unpins every aspect of this particular world of fiction, that ebbs and flows through every character, all aspects of life, caught and touched upon in every scene.

I for one shall be watching a lot more of this show.moreless
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A gritty look into the lives of members of the outlaw motorcycle club "Sons of Anarchy" in the fictional city of Charming in California.

8.5

By big_haircut82, Jan 28, 2011

This pilot did a great job of introducing the story and main characters while keeping the viewer interested. Sons of Anarchy focuses on the gun-running motorcycle club in the fictional city of Charming, CA. It was originally started by John Teller and Clay Morrow, and now after John's death, his son Jackson (Jax) has become a pivotal member of the club. John's wife Gemma has also since re-married - to none other than Clay.

Jackson's ex-wife is a junky pregnant with his son at the start of the show. In preparation for his son's birth, Jax talks to his mother about getting some of his old baby things out of storage. Here he discovers some old papers that lead him to believe his father never meant for the club to become involved with any illegal activities.

When the SOA's guns are stolen, they set out to get their inventory back and make whoever stole from them pay. There seems to be turf struggles amongst the various gangs in the area. Within their own club, there also seems to be a power struggle between Clay and Jax. Outside of the club's problems, Jax is also dealing with the medical issues of his prematurely born son. His ex-wife had been found unconscious on crank and they had to surgically remove the baby early to try to save him. He was born with a tear in his abdomen as well as a heart defect.

As the show progresses you see that the true mastermind of the club and everyone who is involved is the mother Gemma. There is a Hamlet-esque quality to the story. Gemma is married to John and after he mysteriously is killed by a semi-truck, she marries Clay. She is trying to sway Jax to follow in Clay's footsteps and keep him in the dark about his father. She also threatens Jax's ex and gives her drugs in the hospital so she can't stay clean and keep her baby. There even seems to be a history between the former SOA member turned Dr. (Tara) and Gemma.

I really enjoyed the action-packed pilot and can't wait to see what happens next.moreless
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A show about a motorcylce gang that keeps drugs off the streets, but runs guns. I'll give it a shot.

8.0

By Steve509, Jan 28, 2011

I was a little skeptical about this show because I was not sure how they were going to do this. I mean, there has not been a show about motorcycle gangs before and I think that this could be another mega-hit for FX. The pilot episode was decent, definitely worth checking it out again, and I love the fact that Katey Sagal is in this show, although her husband, Kurt Fuller, is the writer/creator of the show. Fuller, who also does The Shield is coming to the end of that show, so this is a good thing for him to focus on for hopefully a long time.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Charlie Hunnam	Jackson "Jax" Teller
Katey Sagal	Gemma Teller Morrow
Mark Boone Jr.	Bobby "Elvis" Munson
Kim Coates	Alex "Tig" Trager
Tommy Flanagan	Filip "Chibs" Telford
Johnny Lewis	Kip "Half-Sack" Epps

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Michael Potter	Simon	Guest Star
Stevie Long	Long John	Guest Star
Jon Jon Briones	Asian Elvis	Guest Star
Nicholas Guest	John Teller (Voice)	Recurring Role
Drea de Matteo	Wendy Case	Recurring Role
Ryan Hurst (I)	Harry "Opie" Winston	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (4)
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- Goof:: When Donna tells the children to go inside, she refers to them both as boys. But clearly, one of them is a girl. Opie and Donna have a son and a daughter.
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- Theme Song Lyrics
  
  Ride into this world
  All alone
  God takes your soul
  You're on your own.
  The crow flies straight
  A perfect line
  On the devil's back
  Until you die.
  Gotta look this life in the eye.
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- The show takes place in the town of Charming, which has a population of 14,679.
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- One of the toys that Jax finds in the storage locker is the classic fighting robot game Rockem Sockem Robots.
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QUOTES (4)
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- (Half-Sack towes in a BMW with a deer in the windsheild)
  Jax: Some days you're the Beamer, some days you're the goddamn deer.
  Chibs: Some yuppie creamed it out by the streams.
  Jax: He run into it or hit a tree while it was giving him head?
  Half-Sack: How the hell you want me to get it out of there? (Jax gets a chainsaw) Come on. Jesus, man.
  Jax: Just pretend its carve your on steak night at the sizzler.
  Half-Sack: I don't eat meat, man.
  Jax: Figure it out, grunt.
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- Gemma: Looks like the boy might actually see his first birthday.
  Wendy: He made it? Oh, Abel, thank God!
  Gemma: Yes. Thank you, God. Maybe we should say a little prayer?
  Wendy: Okay. That'd be good.
  Gemma: Dear God, thank you for saving this boy... from his murderous junkie mom, who cared more about a $40 rush than she did her own flesh and blood.
  Wendy: Don't you dare...
  Gemma: Don't I dare? You pathetic whore. Guess the D.A. was impressed with your Bible studies. Here they're not gonna press charges.
  Wendy: When I check out of here, I'm going to Promises.
  Gemma: Let's just throw money at those 12-step freaks. How long's it gonna last this time? Six months? Three? Couple of weeks?
  Wendy: It's gonna be different this time. This time I have my baby to live for.
  Gemma: That's where you're wrong. You have no baby. You lost that privilege. (Grabs Wendy by the throat) You so much as cast a shadow on that kid, try to turn some legal screw and get custody, I will finish this job. He will never call you "mommy". (Releases Wendy, and throws a Bible on her table) I suggest you turn to Jesus. (Gemma exits)
  (Wendy opens the Bible, to find a needle filled with crank inside)
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- Gemma: You gotta go see him, Jax.
  Jax: I can't.
  Gemma: Why? He'll break your heart? It's called being a father.
  Jax: For how long? A day? A week?
  Gemma: You know, you were born with that same heart defect your little brother had. (She lightly punches his chest) Seems pretty sturdy to me. I've been through hell, landed on my feet. Your father was hit by a goddamn semi, dragged 178 yards. And that bastard lived for two more days. Teller's do not die easy.
  Jax: No, we just die bloody.
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- Clay: I never sold gun one to the Mexicans, now I need for you to show me a little respect, and give me a few more days for delivery.
  Laroy: Don't give a shit about history, or respect. This is about business, old man.
  Clay: And I'm telling you, brotha. Give me some more time: really smart business.
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NOTES (7)
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- International Episode Titles:
  
  Czech Republic: Gang
  Germany: Sam Crow
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- International Show Titles:
  Czech Republic: Zákon gangu (Law of the Gang)
  Slovakia:Zákon gangu (Law of the Gang)
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- Featured Music: "Hard Row" by Black Keys "Fool and You" by Year Long Disaster "Writings on the Wall" by Album Leaf "Plenty Strong, Plenty Wrong" by Maylene and the Sons of Disaster "No Generation" by The Lions "Machine" by The Lions "Kick Back" by Fireball Ministry "Like the River" by Sun Kil Moon "Bobilicious" by Gia Ciambottie "Tus Ojitos" by Campanas De America
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- Original International Air Dates:
  Canada: October 20, 2008 on Super Channel 1
  Australia: April 2, 2009 on Showcase
  United Kingdom: May 12, 2009 on Bravo
  Finland: March 9, 2010 on Sub
  New Zealand: November 20, 2010 on TV3
  Czech Republic: January 2, 2011 on Prima COOL
  Latvia: January 28, 2011 on TV6
  Slovakia: January 7, 2012 on JOJ Plus
  Germany: November 6, 2012 on kabel eins
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- The production team designed every motorcycle to reflect the identity of the biker riding it. For example, violent Tig's bike is covered in skulls and spikes, and Scottish Chibs' bike features his homeland's flag emblazoned on the seat.
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- Drea De Matteo is credited as Special Guest Star.
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- Scott Glenn was originally cast as Clay Morrow, before being replaced by Ron Perlman when the producers decided to make the series more of a dark comedy than a drama. Glenn's scenes in the pilot were then reshot.
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ALLUSIONS (2)
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- Fat Man and Little Boy
  
  Clay's response about the rival gang is that they play along or it will be "Fat Man" and "Little Boy" all over again. This is a reference to the Manhattan Project during the atomic era. Codenames for the atomic bombs were "Fat Man", which was dropped over Nagasaki, and "Little Boy", which was dropped over Hiroshima.
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- Name: Abel
  
  Jax named his son Abel, this is a biblical reference to the brothers Cain and Abel. They were the first sons of Adam.
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