So as you may have noticed my updates have become even more scarce than normally when I usually just get a little lazy. It’s due to the fact that I haven’t had an internet connection for the last few days due to the fact that I’ve moved (as mentioned in this post I made) and had to deal with getting a new hook up. I’ve also started a new job, at a big firm, and they monitor their network, so I’m not really into doing my blogging stuff while at work. This means that a lot of things are going to change. I’m going to do my best to write up posts and schedule them so that they still post in the day, but for the moment I can’t quite promise anything since I’m not quite sure how much time I can truly dedicate to it all. I still love film and plan on seeing as much as I can, but can I watch 7-14 films a week as I did while I was working at my last job (no I wasn’t watching movies at my desk there).
However, added to all of the blogging updates, I spent my last internet-less week watching the first season of the FX hit series Sons of Anarchy. Everyone’s been raving about this on the internet and its 4th season just started again on FX and I’m sure that I’ll be caught up in time. Everyone who talks about it always describes it as a “modern retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet”. I can see how the show is taking it’s time to do that. However I feel almost bored with the fact that that’s how everyone is basically pitching it.
Yes, it is a pretty honest way of describing the show, but it kind of sets it up for all sorts of disappointment that way. I’ve never been the biggest Shakespeare fan. I mean I won’t say that I’ve read all of his plays, but I read my fair share in High school and College. At the end of the day I always find it difficult to get through. However, there’re numerous instances of films retelling those stories and that’s the moment when I realise how great Shakespeare really is. Take a look at The Lion King, 10 Things I Hate About You and Ran, each of those movies come off as brilliant and while I’m not discrediting Bill for his part in the production of these films, but I find the window dressing always more interesting than the core values being retold. So while I sit here watching Ron Perlman and co. enjoying being outlaws and trying to make a buck the easy way and enjoying it very much, I feel making people up front talk about its origins in the English theatre is just a way to sell the fun drama that this show is.
I’ve come to the realisation that I love drama in TV, in film, in almost everything. As long as the writers are able to keep events relevant throughout the show and a level of “awww snap…” every time I see someone purposely (or sometimes even accidentally) refute or disobey the bosses ruling for his own reasons then I know I’m going to be enjoying myself. I don’t see this as a retelling of Hamlet, even though it obviously is, but rather the story of how Jax, the young talented soon to be leader, finally seeing the light as to what is wrong with his life and his club and gaining the strength to rise above those trying their best to restrict him.
Only 13 episodes in I wonder whether they’re planning to leave Jax’s rise over Clay till the series finale of the show or if we’re actually going to get to enjoy his reign in the Sons of Anarchy club. But then again, if Jax really believes that a legitimate lifestyle is what’s needed for SOA, will that be boring? Or will they go down the route of The Godfather where it is the unreachable dream and he gets to say things like “Every time I think I’m out, they pull me back in!”
What do you think of the Sons of Anarchy? Are You Watching It?