Chris Bryant | On 02, Oct 2014

What makes Sons of Anarchy one of the truly great television shows of this era is a cast of likeable, believable, flawed characters. It has very strong, very brave writing; an admirable sense of tone and music; and a poetry in its violence that makes every gunshot matter. This is a world where triggers are pulled for any and every reason. But the focus of the scene is always on who is pulling that trigger and why, rather than where the bullet is headed.

This last season of the show is not about having a bigger Harley, more ammunition and more recognisable bodies. The self-styled Final Ride represents seven seasons’ worth of guilt exploding over a cast of extremely deadly, extremely wise characters who trust each other implicitly.

Episode 3 takes the lead by turning Episode 2’s brutal reveal into palpable fear. Sutter has Jury keeps his time-bomb of a secret quiet – letting the audience’s terror grow and grow – while keeping everyone aware that Unser, Juice, Jax and Gemma all have tickers of their own. Creator Kurt Sutter has no end of tricks to pile on the tension. Clever cuts, wicked lines and hints about certain fates on social media mean that those who follow the show’s every motion spend Wednesday mornings hidden behind tough, bulletproof pillows as they download the latest episode.

Though it could be seen as another slow step towards the edge, this chapter’s pace is designed for those who hold the Final Ride aloft as a big, blood-and-oil-spattered, deal. It’s dramatic, it’s stressful and it’s rightfully self-indulgent. Playing With Monsters peaks with a diner-set face-off, which sees Theo Rossi’s exiled soldier, Juice (reminiscent of Breaking Bad’s Jesse or Game of Thrones’ Theon Greyjoy by this point), meet with the only member of the club he can trust. Chibbs (Tommy Flanagan’s unwavering pillar of a VP) reacts the only way he knows how – allowing Sutter and Peter Elkoff to write in another blaze of moral outrage and miscommunication that results in no good guys or bad guys, just survivors.

Dense with morbid chaos and fraught with fatalities that started out as little white lies, Sons of Anarchy’s Final Ride, only three episodes in, is already beginning to take shape. Every character is at the forefront and no-one is safe. Previously Sutter, Barclay and crew have produced character-driven dramas and family conflicts to distract from Jax’s overall plan for peace. But now that plan is complete (and has become a bloodbath), it’s both comforting and horrifying to know that the crew’s mission is still as unstoppable and confident as Jax’s ever was. Season 7 is a different monster altogether – it’s anarchy.

Sons of Anarchy Season 7 is available on Netflix UK, as part of an £9.99 monthly subscription, and on Amazon Prime, as part of a £5.99 monthly subscription.

 

Where can I buy or rent Sons of Anarchy online in the UK?

For more information, see where can I watch Sons of Anarchy Season 7 online in the UK?

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