“Sons of Anarchy” made its return to television on September 6th, with its season 4 premiere. Over a year has passed since we last saw the club, and a select group have found their prison sentences complete. On their return home, they quickly find out things were not how they had left them in their town of Charming. And amidst the smiling faces, cigars, and booze, trouble is brewing and it seems everyone is stirring the pot.
New Sheriff
The gap left by former Sheriff and SoA sympathizer (and friend) Wayne Unser has been filled by Eli Roosevelt (played by Rockmond Dunbar), a hard-nosed officer who has a familiarity with gangs and how they operate. He doesn’t take too kindly to SAMCRO, and immediately plants a foot in the middle of their business and makes his presence felt.
Assistant US District Attorney
To think of how much trouble the DEA and Agent June Stahl were for the Sons, they now have a District Attorney setting up quite the case against them in what appears to be a massive sting operation. Agent Lincoln Potter (played by Ray McKinnon of Deadwood fame) has it all mapped out, looking to bring down the Sons, Russians, and the Irish with RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) charges. One can only imagine what might rain down on them with Lincoln Potter on their backs. They barely escaped with a minor sentence against the charges Agent Stahl was bringing against them, but there’s now more firepower than ever lined up where they can’t even see.
Charming Heights
A new development is being built by Mayor Jacob Hale, with the hopes of bringing in some…..well, residents with deeper pockets. This position is heavily contested by Clay, who says he will not let Charming Heights happen, one way or another.
Done With SAMCRO
From the outside, nothing appears to have changed within the club, except now Opie is a married man again. The club is all back together, and they’re handling their business like they always have. What the rest of the Sons don’t know, however, is that Jax is planning on leaving the club. He announces to his girlfriend Tara, after proposing to her, that he is done with SAMCRO for good and as soon as he can get out, he’s gone and he isn’t coming back. If anyone in the club catches wind of this, there will be quite the internal thunderstorm, especially from Gemma, who learns at the end of the premiere that Jax has been reading his late father’s letters, pages of discontent and a desire to no longer belong to the Sons. With the suspicion already planted, there’s going to be a lot of tension in the upcoming episodes.
Sons of Anarchy True to Its Name
The first episode of the new season delivered everything you’ve come to expect from SoA: bad boy staredowns, cop chases, a quirky yet sentimental party, a business deal turning into a revenge play, and everyone not involved with SAMCRO talking about plans to take them down.
They’ve got a lot on their plate, more than they even realize. Will they be able to make it out of the AUSDA case unscathed? Are they headed back to jail? Will Jax really walk away forever? Will Gemma let him? The beginning of season 4 has opened up the bag of questions, and we have the rest of the season to watch them get answered.