‘I haven’t seen such a unanimously negative response since the Fraiser spin off Hey Roz’ – Jack (30 Rock)

The opening of season 6 and true to its usual witty self 30 rock opens with a satire to Americas got talent, this hilarious opening that has a dig at the state of television was a great way to kick off another season of the show. This particular episode has several story lines, my favourite of which revolves around Kenneth- I mean lets face it who doesn’t enjoy a good Kenneth story line! He believes that the end of the world is coming- my favourite part of this story line is when Kenneth tells everyone which type of heaven and hell they will be going too. This episode also see’s Jack become weak when he see’s Jenna shout at a little girl called Liddy, in her role as panel judge. Jack forces Jenna to be nice, and that’s where this piece title comes from inevitably the ratings drop and Jack realises his mistake. I particularly enjoy the way 30 Rock makes comments and digs at all networks (including NBC) and other shows, and this particular episode is full of it. A great way to start the new season and a particularly funny episode- watch out for the costumes- particularly Kenneth’s apocalypse number and Liz’s Christmas sweater! 

'Blame Canada' - South Park

For those of you who don’t know me I have left England and boarded a 10 hour flight to Calgary, just outside Calgary is a small (and I mean small) village called Kananaskis…this will be my home for the next 6 months. Due to this I will have very limited access to television therefore, as no doubt you can already see; my blog will become slightly lax. However I do intend to pick it up when I get back home, but during this interim I will write about the series which I have brought with me, so be prepared for old reviews of Modern Family, 30 Rock, Summer Heights High and White Collar, as well as the 1^st season of Grimm- which I am attempting to make my way through now. All I can say is stick with me and eventually I will get back to writing and posting as much as I can! Thanks for reading and enjoy! 

‘Don’t let the World spoil you’ – Lori (The Walking Dead)

If I could pick one word to sum up episode 4 of season 3 of The Walking Dead I would chose traumatic; because for me the entire episode had me on edge. This episode combined both the group in the prison, and the group in the town…it focused predominantly on emotions, however still contained a fair amount of zombie action. It was the second half of this episode that particularly got to me; the first half I guess was meant to be a little sentimental, showing that the world can still be a safe place. Inevitably though the zombies come and the World goes to shit again, but we as the audience are warned of this impending doom in the opening scenes of this episode (where we see an unknown person open the gates and welcome the zombies in). It is an attempt to keep the audience on edge, which if I’m honest I didn’t find particularly shocking…after all watching The Walking Dead we know that eventually the zombies will ruin it. So it’s the second half of the episode that we see the zombies over-run the prison, and suddenly no-one is safe and the group scatter. It is during this separation that we see Lori say the lines from the title of this piece, she has gone into labour and it’s all gone wrong. She is aware of her impending death and offers words of advice to her son…just before she is sliced up and shot (this is not recommended for those of you who are squeamish, I was gagging at this point). Whilst the divide has happened all the characters are in danger and some get killed, eaten and go missing- this is an interesting set up for which I will be interested to see how the characters develop after this crisis. I enjoyed this episode however, after the last episode with the focus on the town I expected to see more action from both sets of stories. Even though this episode did show the town and the Governor, it wasn’t particularly memorable, as once again the focus is back on to Rick and the prison…this was a little disappointing to me as I would like to see the focus to be on both stories rather than predominantly focussing on one or the other.  

‘Not to worry Jack you won’t be lonesome long’ - Emerson Hauser (Alcatraz)

The final words of Emerson Hauser as the pilot episode of Alcatraz comes to end…and all I’m left with is one question, what the fuck?! I have just watched the first episode of Alcatraz and somehow am left wondering what the hell is going on, I’m already questioning the characters and their motives, who is good and who is bad. The most intriguing character for me was Hauser, my opinion of him kept changing throughout the episode; first I thought he seemed like an idiot, then like he had something to hide, then I felt like he was a good ally to main character Rebecca Madsen, and then this his closing line made me feel like he has something to hide. I am intrigued by this series, I felt like this pilot was kind of all over the place…yet it still had my attention. To me it seems like a mix between prison break and CSI, a new crime/ prisoner to hunt down each week, all with a back story, all linking back to the Alcatraz prison. The series also has an interesting cast; the guy from Jurassic Park, the girl (not Kiera Knightly) from Bend it Like Beckham, and the fat guy from Lost, they all team up to hunt down the missing prisoners of Alcatraz. This series seems to have an interesting story with a lot of scope; there are many routes which the writers can take with each of the characters. Because of all the characters and the story so far, I will be interested to see where the series takes us, and for that reason I will continue to watch Alcatraz.

‘You’re a dirty little whore and I’m going to send you home to your parents covered in cum’ ‘oh don’t do that they are gonna be so angry’ - Adam and Hannah (Girls)

The title of this piece comes from the opening scene of season 1 episode 2, where naturally as normal for their characters Adam and Hannah are having the most awkward sex I think I have ever seen. I have never watched something and felt so uncomfortable as I have whilst watching this new (what I assume is meant to be a comedy) show from HBO. Its so awkward yet its hilarious…every time I have seen Adam and Hannah have sex its been awful, she is so matter of fact, and he is so in his own world that the pairing is just bizarre and so is there sex life. I think by far Hannah is my favourite character from this series, she is so open and awkward that she just simply makes me laugh…especially in the opening scene of this title. I started watching the girls at about 11 o’clock last night and I only have 3 episodes of this series left, its highly addictive and highly amusing…its Sex and the City but with real people, its not glamorous, its how living in New York would actually be. Ironically one of the characters Shoshanna is obsessed with Sex and the City and compares her life and her friends to each of the characters. 

The Girls explores the lives of 4 different women in their early 20s; I have already discussed the awkwardness of Hannah, her best friends are perfect Marnie, wild Jessa, and Jessa’s cousin Shoshanna. The series thus far has seen Marnie struggle with her boyfriend of 4 years, whom she is no longer attracted to and has started to see him as an uncle. Jessa going for an abortion, arriving late for everything, and having a sexual attraction with her boss. Shoshanna attempting to loose her virginity and become an adult. And as for Hannah, she’s in a weird relationship, her parents have cut her off, and she’s being sexually assaulted by her new boss. The thing I like most about this series is that the characters are relatable in situations that I can imagine being in, they are realistic and represent what life would actually be like living in New York in your early 20s. I had this series recommended to me, and I can see why, for anyone who hasn’t yet experienced HBO’s controversial new show Girls I would recommend you get yourself in front of the TV and watch it, I’m sure you will become as engrossed as I have…and lets just hope and pray for a second season!!

‘Now, how’s about a hug for your old pal Merle’- Merle Dixon (The Walking Dead)

So episode 3 of the Walking Dead and interestingly there seems to be a strikingly less amount of action and zombie over kill than the previous 2 episodes, and yup as the title suggests they have brought back Merle. This episode focuses predominantly on Andrea and Michonne with no appearance from Rick and his gang of zombie beaters. This episode was particularly intriguing as it focussed more on plot progression and introduced new characters to us, the most obvious of which is the character of the Governor. What is most interesting about this character for me is that we meet him with Andrea and Michonne, and much like them at first we don’t trust him, why would we he’s a stranger who is seemingly hanging around with a rough crowd (particularly with the re-introduction of Merle, who we know is bad). But as the episode progresses I for one was more on Andrea’s side slowly warming to this new character that has provided a safe haven and built a town of survivors. For me that was what was so brutally shocking when he gave orders to kill innocent men who were not yet infected with the curse. I shouted at the television set as they brutally gunned down and murdered men who were about to trust them. What was most infuriating for me though is the fact that the towns people have no idea…the only one who seemingly suspects the Governor id Michonne and he has somehow managed to drive a wedge between her and Andrea. I have enjoyed this season so far as the two plots working in parallel with each other seems to work well, it suggests that maybe Rick and his team may at some point cross tracks with Andrea and the town in which she’s living. This is particularly evident with Merle in search for his brother Daryl, whom the Governor also seems interested in. Although this episode didn’t particularly show as much gore as the previous episodes of this series, it was my favourite so far as it shows that there is room for progression of characters, and I will be interested to see where the story is going from this point…quote simply I want to know more about the Governor and what on earth he plans to do with those heads! (Watch the episode you will see what I mean!!) 

‘Remember who you are trust your instincts and nothing else’ - Marie Kessler (Grimm)

The dying words of an old lady with a secret, this is how episode 2 of season 1 of Grimm ends. After having watched Once Upon a Time, I decided to watch Grimm and see how the two compare…having watched two episodes of Grimm I think it is safe to say the two are not comparable, although they both focus on a fairy tale theme both programmes do this in very different ways (see my previous blog on Once Upon a Time for comparison). Grimm is set in modern day and focuses on a police officer who has just discovered he is a Grimm, an ancestor from the brothers Grimm who wrote fairy tales to explain the real life danger of the monsters they see. The first episode focuses on the big bad wolf, and the second on the three bears, this program is a mixture of crime and fantasy and has me on edge all the way through with its almost horror like element. The creatures aren't particularly impressive, but I was still scared of them…for me the most horrific element is that only a Grimm can see them, it plants the idea that these creatures could actually exist, this combined with its crime genre sets up for some very tense viewing. Whilst watching these couple of episodes I was trying to think what it reminded me of, Grimm for me is an up to date remaking of Buffy the Vampire Slayer- and who doesn't want that! I will definitely continue watching season 1 to see where the story takes us.

'The world is about to end and we are all standing around having a fucking conversation' - Carrie Mathison (Homeland)

So I have finally watched the last few episodes of Homeland season 1, all the build up of a big terrorist attack, and surprise, surprise nothing happened. That is not to say that the episodes weren't interesting, I fact I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see if Brody was going to bow up the Vice President…I think I was more on edge about how it was going to look, after Brody’s detailed description of his body being obliterated but his head remaining in tact. Aside from the immanent assassination of the Vice President, our other main character, Carrie is having a mental breakdown after being taken out by a bomb on a mission that turned sour. Carrie is in hospital and therefore away from her meds, Saul visits her everyday, and after her release begins to recognise her illness. Carrie under strict orders is told by her sister to relax, and predictably goes against this and continues to work…this is ultimately her downfall as now everyone recognises her lies, and no-one, not even Saul believe what she’s saying (hence the title of this piece). 

The last few episodes of Homeland were if I’m honest a bit of a disappointment to me, I was expecting a big explosion and the department to be in disarray as they try and work out what happened. I accept that if they kill off Brody in a suicide bomb, the series would pretty much end but surely a man like Nazir would have other plans if the first should fail. I also found it hard to believe that Nazir would just let Brody get away with not following the plan, however I can see from a scriptwriter’s point of view how this will allow the story to progress. Another point of frustration for me was Carrie piecing everything together just before she underwent shock therapy, I think this was meant as a cliff hanger for the next season, but I don’t think it was particularly well executed as it should have ended on this, but the program somehow seemed to continue for a little longer. I have to say, as much as I’m complaining about details, the final episode was two hours long, but did not feel like this at all. The whole episode I was in anticipation of what was about to happen, and although the story predictably didn’t flow the way I wanted it to, it still had my full attention. For this reason and many more I will continue to watch Homeland, and intend to fully catch up with season 2. 

'Then get used to living in a brothel because hookers and bangers are gonna be your only family' Jax (SOA)

Season 5 episode 8 follows on after Gemma has crashed into a tree with the two boys in the car and the Sons were attacked at roadside. The episode follows Jax and the Sons trying to discover who attacked them, and most importantly to Jax who attacked his family. Although this episode was not particularly striking, as unlike most other episodes of sons this did not have anything horrific that I had to turn away for, however it still had me hooked. This episode should have been titled vengeance, as it follows Jax getting slowly more ruthless and out of control, in an attempt to re-gain control of the club. With Clay trying to sabotage Jax’s reign and take the gavel for himself, Juice being threatened as being declared a rat, the death of the nomads, and the inevitable death of Tigs, I can’t help but wonder if anyone will be left at the Sons of Anarchy table by the end of this season. This episode suggests that Jax has finally found a way to take down Clay; through the prostitution of his mother, he will get Clay to pass on all his little secrets. The final line of the episode is where this piece takes its title from, Jax is offering Gemma an ultimatum, family or nothing. It is the first point in the series where I have had a sense that Jax is really in control, but I can’t help but ask at what cost. He seems a shadow of his former self, and you can see that shit is about to go down- series 5 just got really interesting.

'Where every story book character you have ever known is trapped between two worlds' - Once Upon a Time

This past week I have dedicated my time into watching all of season one of ABC’s Once Upon a Time. Yet I have put off writing this review for some days now…this is mainly because although I watched the episodes back to back (almost additively  I have almost nothing to say on the series. Firstly I should explain what the program is about, in fact the key purpose of the plot is summarised in the title of this piece; it is a modern twist on the fairy tale where the evil queen has cursed all the characters to forget ho they are and to live in our world. The two plots are cleverly intertwined with each other and give a real unique modern day twist on the traditional fairy-tales  As each character develops you see how each of their lives combine in both the story book world and our world. The show itself is relatively harmless and easy to watch, I do not feel any particular attraction to any of the characters, but equally I do not strongly dislike any of them. This is the type of thing that you would sit down and watch on a lazy Sunday morning. As I write this I find myself asking why I became so addicted to it, as much as it pains me to say it I saw the show almost as a soap opera, you know the characters and your invested in their lives (because of childhood memories not the way they are portrayed in this series!). It was the familiarity of the program that I enjoyed, however I do think it could be made more interesting by being a little darker. I would be interested to see how this show compares to NBC’s Grimm which I am intent on watching next. All I can say about Once Upon a Time is that it has made me realise (once more) the appeal to fairytales…and although not a particularly gripping show I will continue to watch and see what season 2 has in store for me.

'Holy shit!!'- The Walking Dead

Holy shit indeed season 3 of the Walking Dead has come back to our televisions in both the UK and the USA through the beauty of FX. AMC’s hit TV show based on comics written by Robert Kirkman has been a huge success and one of my favourite programmes, as well as graphic novels. The series starts with an intense opening as the group are trying to find a safe house to stay at, of course this is not so easy with an ongoing pursuit from zombies. The opening scenes of the new series are intense to say the least, none of the characters speak for the first 10 minutes, there is just a lot of killing and suspense music; from the start I was on edge. This suspense was held throughout the episode, I was on the edge of my seat with my hands covering my eyes waiting for the impending doom to sweep over the characters and for all of them to die (which of course doesn’t happen).

The episode see’s Rick find a prison, where all the inmates are zombies. The first task is for the group to get into the yard and make it safe to stay in, I must emphasise this episode contains a lot of over kill, and is not for the squeamish. As well as the zombie slaughtering there is also a lot of tension within the group itself, particularly between Rick and his pregnant wife Lori. I have to say I am not super keen on the relationships between the characters, particularly these two as there always seems to be an extra bit of added drama, which in my opinion is unnecessary and not key to the zombie storyline. As the episode progresses and the team explore further into the prison the tension builds even further, the music builds up and each turn of the corner gradually gets more and more traumatic, until inevitably we find the zombies. But for me this wasn’t the shock, of course in a zombie programme the characters will run into zombies, the shock came from bumping into other living prisoners! Hershel loses his leg after being bitten by a zombie (obviously the only answer is for Rick to cut it off with an axe!) and as he’s bleeding out on the floor, the camera pans to several dark shadows, who I assumed to be more zombies, but no its living prisoners. The episode ends on one of the prisoners saying ‘Holy shit’ and that’s how I felt at the end of the episode…Holy shit!!

'TV the opiate of the people'

Title taken from Edward R Murrow, who borrowed it from the following saying ‘religion is the opium of the people’ from Karl Marx. This makes television comparable to religion and lets face it who doesn’t worship their TV on a daily basis.

What do all these quotes mean?! I friend of mine upon reading this blog commented on the quotes I use at the start of each post, it suddenly dawned upon me that I have never explained myself and what these quotes mean. Firstly lets start with the title of the blog ‘Television the triumph of the machine over people’, this quote was taken from Fred Allen a US radio comedian (1894-1956). I chose this to be the title of the blog as we often watch films, or television programmes or read articles about the idea of machines taking over the world, think about, I Robot, Dr Who, The Matrix, Terminator and many more. What seems to be a genuine fear amongst people, Allen claimed has already happened with the invention of television. This idea fascinates me as I believe, although perhaps Allen said this way before his time, in this day and age television is slowly taking over more and more of our lives. It is used to form routine, think of daily soaps, used as a babysitter when mum needs some piece and quiet, used as a recipe book, think of shows like the Great British Bake Off, I even used it to help improve my French (which as it turns out wasn’t a great idea and still received a U at A-level). TV is more and more integrated into our daily lives and I believe that Fred Allen was correct ‘Television (is) the triumph of the machine over people’ which is why I found it apt that a blog writing about TV should have such a title.

The other quotes I have used are taken from each of the TV episodes which I discuss in each article. The first article written takes a quote from 30 Rock which is my favourite TV show (my ambition in life is to be Kenneth). I chose this quote, ‘If I could push a button and five people in the world would die, but I’d get free cable for life, I’d do it’, I chose this as it made me laugh, and is something I can relate to. It’s the sheer honesty that makes you laugh, but also made me question my own morals…I think I would do that (wouldn’t you?)! The following article about SOA ‘I ain’t no Spiderman nigga’ was the most memorable quote for me from the new series so was very appropriate for an article about the series. I particularly enjoyed this line as it came after a quote from Spiderman and required this knowledge to find it funny, I felt like it was a joke specifically aimed at me, and I enjoyed that! ‘Its better to carry a tune than to carry a grudge’ was taken from Modern Family and was one of my favourite quotes from Cam; it seems almost philosophical in a funny way. A strange outlook on life, but I found it particularly humorous because of the character of Cam who is always melodramatic and over the top. ‘Why kill a man when you can kill an idea’ was taken from Homeland and again was one of the quotes that particularly stuck with me. I found this quote quite chilling as it was said by a terrorist who has reportedly killed thousands of people. I chose this to go with the Homeland article as for me it sums up the show, nothing is predictable. The final quote ‘In that life I have no future, only distraction’ is taken from SOA and again it summed up the episode for me…nothing happened I saw the episode purely as distraction.

So there we have it...and from now on I have learnt my lesson and will tell you what each quotation means as part of the article!

'In that life I have no future, all I have is distraction'- Jax Teller (SOA)

After my previous homage to all things Sons of Anarchy I regrettably have to say that season 5 is lagging a little bit. Although only on episode 5, with an opener as good as the first few episodes I would have expected something a little more…shall we say special of episodes 4 and 5. I have to firstly admit for me episode 4 was a tear jerker, the funeral of Opie was pretty sad towards the end; however nothing especially memorable happened and sadly episode 5 followed in the same suit. Although there was a shooting, it was not a particularly memorable character that got shot, and until this episode I forgot she had even existed. I feel like, or at least I am hoping that this is a big build up towards the police and the sons teaming together to create some kind of ultimate force…failing that it should be building up to something. Little things happened that could lead to big things in a later episode, and I am all for them fabricating an epic story line (or at least a good one!) but from the way they opened this season I have to say I was expecting a little more. I was a little disappointed with this episode, however with the return of the Irish and the cartel perhaps as I say big things are yet to come.

'Why kill a man when you can kill an idea'- Nazir (Homeland)

So I have to be honest its never appealed to me and not something that I actually wanted to watch, but with everyone going on and on about it…and season 2 starting on channel 4, I decided it was about time to watch Homeland. Firstly I should point out I am only up to episode 7 of season 1, and I have to say, for me it wasn’t living up to the hype, that is until episode 5. Now I am 100% hooked I care about the characters, and they intrigue me…I want to know what happens between Saul and his wife, what is really going on with Sergeant Brody, and if Carrie will manage to keep her job for the rest of the series!

I wouldn’t say so much that the show had a slow start, but more that it didn’t really appeal to me. There wasn’t much mystery in it, you knew from the start who the bad guy was, and for me it was purely a matter of time before the CIA caught him; it initially appeared to me as a prolonged episode of CSI, which to be honest has been over done. However mid way through season 1, and everything I was almost certain of has changed, it’s been one twist after another. The characters I was sure I knew aren’t what they initially seemed, and the past two episodes have ended on cliff a hanger, which of course has meant I have had to watch the next one. I am now addicted I cannot wait for the next episode, to see what’s going to happen and how the previous cliff hanger will be resolved. That being said I have been sat here writing for far too long…on to episode 8!

'Its better to carry a tune than a grudge'- Cam Tucker (Modern Family)

With Sky1 showing the first episode of the new season of Modern Family last Sunday, I feel now is a very appropriate time to discuss, what is in my opinion, the most original comedy to come out of the US since Arrested Development. I realise that this is a bold claim to make however I feel that Modern Family is a brilliant show, one to rival other comedies coming from America at the moment.

For those of you reading who haven’t yet seen Modern Family I would say shut down your internet get over to Sky 1 and start watching the repeats which are doubtlessly currently being aired. However if you are unsure, don’t have access to Sky, or if I am mistaken about the show being on, I will briefly summarise the plot of the series. As hinted at through the title, the series is about a ‘Modern Family’, it doesn’t just focus on the nuclear family unit but also the wider family. It does this by representing each nuclear family separately (so they can have their own story lines) and then brings them all together. Firstly we have the Dunphy’s they represent the traditional family; with a mum (Claire), dad (Phil) and three children (Haley, Alex and Luke). With the children going through various stages of the teenage years, the dad in denial about his age and still acting like a child, and the mum up-tight trying to keep the whole family in order, this traditional family unit provide a lot of unexpected comedy for the show. The second family are the (Delgado-) Pritchett’s this is the multi-cultural family; with dad (Jay), mum/ second wife (Gloria) and son/ stepson (Manny). But, as I previously mentioned the families are all connected, and Jay is Claire’s dad and therefore the grandfather to the first family. His wife Gloria provides much of the comedy from this family (one of my favourite episodes focuses around her getting a karaoke machine) she is Columbian and often uses her culture and background to convince Jay to do wacky things, it is also worth mentioning she is at least half his age. The third and final family are the Pritchett and Tucker’s they are the gay family; with dad (Mitchell), dad (Cameron), and adopted daughter (Lily). Mitchell is the son of Jay and brother of Claire. Much of the humour  for this family comes from Cameron who is flamboyant, over the top and eccentric, for him life is a show and we as the audience get an insight as to how not everything always goes the way Cameron plans. So that is a very basic structure of the plot of Modern Family, however for those of you who have not seen the show it may sound like a typical dysfunctional family comedy. Although strictly speaking that is true, where I believe the show is completely original and portrays true comic genius is through the style of which it has been filmed. It is shot almost as a documentary where the characters each have time to talk directly to the audience; this is particularly clever as we directly receive the characters point of view, it is in these candid moments that they make comments about each other and we get to know their agendas.

In 2012 Modern Family won a Golden Globe for ‘best television series’ and its easy to see why, with its originality, comical genius, and investigation into a ‘normal’ family I hope to see it on our TV screens for many years to come. I for one cannot wait to see what season 4 has in store for us; with Haley eventually off to college, Cam and Mitch trying to fill the hole which was suppose to be filled with a new baby, and Gloria potentially pregnant…either way we know its going to be good! With the series kick starting last Sunday (7/10/12) with a typically funny episode, the show is off to a good start. So for all of you that are yet to watch Modern Family I would suggest that you start now because you are seriously missing out! Hopefully season 4 will live up to the fans (and my) high expectations, watch this space to follow how the story lines progress!  

'I ain't no Spiderman nigga' -Sons of Anarchy

I claim to do no justice for Sons of Anarchy and I have doubtlessly missed out key storylines, this is by no means meant to fill you in on every detail of the past 4 seasons and is only to be read as a summary.

**spoiler alert**

After 5 seasons the writers of Sons of Anarchy still maintain the ability to shock their audience. It was this season of Sons that inspired me to write this blog, as it showed me that television is far from predictable. The episode in question was called Laying the Pipe, and it had me utterly breathless from beginning to end. The shock of the events that unfolded within this episode are something which I will discuss later; for now however I will state that it is this episode that reminded me that Sons is one of the best shows currently on our televisions. This article will look back over the past 5 seasons of Sons of Anarchy focussing on its highs and lows, in order to show you why I believe it is one of the finest programmes that we will see on our television in 2012.

For those of you who have never heard of or seen Sons of Anarchy it focuses on the lives of a motorcycle club in a small town called Charming. The club protect the town from crime, and in return the town and the police allow the club to have free reign. This is the basic premise of the series; of course it’s not as black and white as it may seem, what with internal problems in the club and various gang wars with other clubs the sons often find themselves running into trouble. They are presented as a family, perhaps the most dysfunctional family on television but a family none the less, and at the heart of this club is an actual family. The family running the club consists of Clay Morrow (President), Jax Teller (Vice President), and Gemma Teller-Morrow (Clay’s ‘old lady’ and Jax’s mum). Each character from this family plays a vital role throughout the entire series, be that through Gemma’s manipulation, Clay’s control and need for power, or Jax’s search for the truth. It is these three characters which control and dictate the lives of everyone else in the series.

Season 1 begins with a bang, the audience are thrown right into the action as we discover that this isn’t an ordinary motorcycle club, and in fact the gang deals guns. Naturally this is not the only story line seen in this episode, as I mentioned before the show is about a dysfunctional family, and the opening is no exception; Jax’s drugged up ex-wife has to have an emergency C-section, which threatens the life of their child. As you can see even from the first episode the lives of these characters are fast paced and chaotic, and even now show no signs of slowing down or conforming to being orderly. As the series develops we see that the gang is involved with the IRA as well as other gangs, and their life style is threatened by these people. There is also disarray within the personal lives of these characters, inner turmoil with the club, threats from members turning and reporting to the police, as well as romantic interests all makes the audience very invested in the characters. On top of all these problems the club is being followed by the ATF and various other policing bodies. The series begins with murder, crime, tragedy, romance, action and at times flairs of comedy. From its very beginning the show outlines the lives of these characters and it immediately draws in the audience, we are emotionally involved in the lives of these people.

Season 2 sees a new threat to the club and focuses on racist groups supporting the idea of white power; these groups seek to remove the sons from Charming. They attempt to get rid of the club in any way possible, starting with a personal attack on the club, they kidnap Gemma and gang rape her. This effectively grabs your attention and again puts you on edge for the rest of the season. For me this was one of the most disturbing episodes of the series to date, I watched it late at night alone, it was such a moving episode that it made me uncomfortable; I came away from watching and felt as though I had been personally violated. This highlights the power that the scriptwriters have over the audience, even though the character of Gemma is a bitch it was still horrifying to watch and I still sympathised with her. I was even shocked that something so brutal could be shown on television- this brutality is shown throughout the seasons of the programme and is still shocking to me now. Also in this season the club moves into the porn industry and this causes tensions between Clay and Jax as well as romantic issues for a lot of the characters. The club are still under watch of the ATF and members are frequently in and out of prison. Tensions build between the IRA, the ATF and the club, and I am unable to do this particular storyline justice, however I can state that the series ends with Jax’s son being kidnapped.

Season 3 follows with the trail of Abel Jax’s son, they trace him to Belfast and the club reach out to another crew based there. This season for me got a little ridiculous as the club move over to Ireland, with an aim to fix things with the IRA and to find Abel. Although I didn’t particularly enjoy this season of Sons, as personally I found it all a little far fetched (more so than usual), I have to say the soundtrack for this season was brilliant. What it lacked in believability it made up for in music. Another crucial part of this season came from the introduction of the character Maureen Ashby, who had an affair with Jax’s father; this storyline creates another complication for the club. As the series continues more and more secrets are revealed about the Sons and Jax discovers things about his father and family. Maureen knows that John Teller was murdered and aims to tell Jax by sneaking letters into his bag. Once the crew leave Ireland the series improves again and sadly once more I can do the season no justice, many essential storylines have been left out, but I am hoping that this will encourage people to view Sons of Anarchy for themselves. Although season 3 is my least favourite of all of the seasons, there is a lot to be said for the story line, I felt as though the trip to Ireland seemed a bit off the mark, however the secrets revealed in Ireland are essential to the following seasons and were of great interest.

Season 4 opens on the club leaving prison, and to the realisation that Charming has changed a lot whilst they were locked up. Tara and Jax get engaged and Tara finds the letters from Maureen, Jax is yet to see them. Gemma learns that Tara has this information and tries to get rid of her. Meanwhile the club get involved in mulling cocaine for the cartel as well as running guns, as you can imagine things don’t run as smoothly as the club had planned. Pinney discovers that Gemma and Clay killed John Teller and threatens to tell the club, Clay kills him but blames the Niners, another gang in Charming, stating that it was black retaliation. Without revealing too much of the series I would state that this is the best season so far, a lot of major things happen to effect the club with the series culminating in Jax taking the gavel. The set up for the 5^th season left all of us in shock, anticipation and excitement, but surely season 5 cannot be as good as we all expect?

Season 5 and finally Jax is in charge, it’s only been 4 episodes so far and yet the series has been a rollercoaster of emotions. Now I come full circle, back to the episode that made me want to start blogging, the episode that has shocked all Sons of Anarchy fans episode 3 of season 5 Laying the Pipe. Prior to this episode we have seen Pope burn alive Tig’s daughter and as if that wasn’t traumatic enough to watch we see Tig’s reaction as he is forced to watch. We know that Pope has many men of importance on his payroll; judges, politicians and police. We know he is above the law, so surely when the club are imprisoned Pope can still get to them. Initially it appears not as the boys are protected through their links with the cartel, however when Jax is summoned by Pope we know that nothing good can follow. Pope demands that Tig’s rots in jail and a Son dies, Jax is to face the decision. Jax confides in Opie and the two search for a decision that will not result in death, I had every confidence that the two would find a solution. The guards gather and ask who is chosen, as Jax begins to speak Opie steps in and head-buts one of the guards. Opie is dragged away into a room with the rest of the sons looking through a window, he is beaten to death. Brutally murdered whilst the audience, and the sons look on helplessly. As I mentioned a the start of this piece I was breathless the entire episode, at times I was angry and found myself shouting at the TV I felt as though I was there in prison watching. The idea of watching and being watched appears to be a reoccurring theme in this season of Sons and I dread to think what else the writer have in store for us. The episode that followed was of Opies funeral, and although not much happened of substance I was emotional throughout. It is clear to see that the shit is about to hit the fan and I for one cannot wait to see what else season 5 has in store for us!

'If I could push a button and five people in the world would die, but I'd get free cable for life, I'd do it.' -Liz Lemon (30 Rock)

Television is something that on a daily basis we all come into contact to, whether that be through sitting down and watching a programme ourselves, or through walking in on our mothers getting their daily dosage of soaps. TV saturates our lives and that is why it is so important that we write about it and our understanding of it. Television is a shared experience, and it is through this blog that I intend to share my experience with you. TV can be shocking, inspiring, and controlling; it submerges its audience into a fantasy world and provides us with escapism from our daily lives. People turn to television for routine and security, knowing that Hollyoaks will be on at the same time everyday assures people. It provides distraction from our own problems by providing assurance that no matter what is going on with ourselves, we know that those living on Albert Square have got it much worse.

Firstly let me assure you that my references to British soaps in this introduction are the only time in which you will see them mentioned here. Much to my own disappointment I am whole heartedly more interested in American television than I am in British. My disappointment comes from the fact that firstly I am British, and secondly I spent the past 3 years at University studying film and television only to discover that in fact I prefer American content. Having said that this does not mean I will only look at such programming, I will of course be looking at British and American content. It is worth mentioning that I particularly have interest in HBO and my entire dissertation was built around the idea of HBO having a channel to broadcast from in Britain. My favourite shows on television at the minute are 30 Rock, Community, Sons of Anarchy, Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire; I tell you this purely so you can ascertain whether this blog will be of interest to you. My main aim of this is to keep me writing about a subject I have such interest in. I invite anyone who visits this site to write down their own opinions on what I have to say and in particular on the programmes of which I am reviewing. I hope that you find this site interesting and if you have any comments feel free to share them.

                                                                        Hayley Porter