bunkaroo

So you liked it? I'd sincerely like to hear a cogent argument for why this season was good.

uteotw

Wow--I see I'm not the only one. In fact, only "buh-bye" seemed to have supposedly liked it.
Just dreadful all around. At LEAST Opie wasn't at the table, but Clay murdered his father. There's just no way he'd just kinda ignore that to be the BIG VP. And the CIA--really? They just happen to show up for the big reveal RIGHT at the moment they're about to move it after "96,000" hours of work? Right.

Just awful.

superfro

Sure there is. Just watch the Season 5 premier.

Dragon Tattoo

Opie has to be the most beta male ever. Clay murder you wife? Alright, murder an IF agent that has the most tenuous connection and be satisfied...Start dating a pornstar who has had like 100+ other guys unload their prebirth on her face...Clay murder your father? Alright, make a halfhearted attempt at killing him. When that doesn't work? Show your opposition by not sitting at at a table.

No one is going to ask where the fuck Bobby is? Tig? Irish dude with the joker scar? No one? Sure, Jax knows but they don't know where the hell he is!

Also, even Juice must know what a shit show he's in if he has to watch The Shield, in prison, to escape from it. Did Sutter think that reminding us that he used to work on a MUCH better show would be a good idea?

Ropes Pierre

i enjoyed fat bobby having no shoes in prison, presumably so he can't hang himself, strumming a guitar with 6 strings.

Presumably next season Clay does something to get Opie's kids killed and Opie looks at the camera and sighs "Good Grief"

So the whole point of nonsense writing and silly character motivations was to craft an end were jax and tara can duplicate John and gemma, in sepia tones. couldn't they have paid more attention to logical writing and then just had them go to a carnival and dress up like Custer and an indian, for the sepia picture?

Is jax moonlightng as the Green Arrow, with that facial hair?

I see the old CIA is behind everything trope is alive
Toilet backed up? "CIA ate Mexican last night"
The sky...it's cloudy "CIA did a rain dance"
car won't start?? "CIA was making shadow puppets in your headlights and drained the battery"

pelenor

I did enjoy Happy's grin and nod as he saw that Jax was sitting at the head. Although the CIA came out of nowhere, I still enjoyed the season and look forward to next year. Of course the girl Tig kills just happens to be the daughter of the most dangerous gangster in Oakton smells of a cheap tack on for a villain. I would rather have seen Jax try to get the club from under the CIA and see Opie kill Clay. That's the biggest disappointment.

SkullOrchard

My predicted ending was better. Much better.

Unlike some of you, I've actually enjoyed most of this season, even with all of the highly implausible plot lines. I was hoping against hope for some sort of payoff, but the finale just felt like a huge slap in the face. Sutter wasn't satisfied with merely slapping us with the back of his hand, so he slaps us across the face with his dick, like we were his bitch.

I actually felt the puke rising from my belly and into my throat when that final shot of Jax and Tara morphed into that old photo of John and Gemma.

Tarantino

Horrible finale.

HN

That wasn't John Teller?

Gunde

Yes it was.

And that's all I'll say about this finale. It was so bad it left me speechless.

SkullOrchard

Brain fart, excuse me.

cleaver

No wonder Potter was so weird. He was an alien from planet Poochie!

SkullOrchard

Clay has to stay alive because the Irish won't deal with anyone else. Will the Irish still want to deal exclusively with Clay once they discover that he has been demoted in rank to a status that is barely above 'prospect'?

wirefan

I mentioned this in my rant.... the writers make up this contrived story where only Jax knows what is going on and No Sack (Opie) knows a little since obviously he shot Clay... yet they have the characters acting in a way where you'd think everyone knows what's going on based on how they are acting - everyone seems to be OK with a bunch of key club members missing in action, don't seem overly concerned about being at war with the Niners, and don't seem to be too eager to get revenge for the president of the club being shot? (Tig doing that ridiculous hit and run is the only character who seemed bothered by the president of the club being shot)

I'm sure Sutter thought it would be funny/cute to have Juice watching the Shield, but like you I thought it was just another thumb in the eye and a reminder of how this show has fallen off a cliff.

Red Dog

mdc3000

I thought it was fine - you know they want seven seasons, so they had to find a way to keep things moving along like they have been, so I knew we'd get something to keep Jax and Clay in town. I'm fine with what they went with, the CIA is one of the only things that didn't feel like a total cop-out to me - it makes sense why Jax and Tara will have to stick around. Sure it wasn't the fireworks some were expecting, but I think it was foolish to have those expectations, full well knowing that Sutter wants 7 seasons.

I am always amazed when people write off a whole season based on a disappointing finale - sure it wasn't mind blowing, but I was entertained along the way. It's about the journey and these eps have had great moments and kept me on the edge of my seat. I think this year was a huge improvement over the sluggish pace of Season 3. The show still has me hooked and I'll be back for season 5.

SkullOrchard

I was disappointed with the finale, but I'm already looking forward to season five.

bunkaroo

No offense but IMO that's a pretty low standard to have for serialized entertainment.

If I watch a 2 hour movie and the ending undoes all of what the movie was building towards, that's a failure. Same with a novel, or a video game or any narrative-based media.

Shamus McAnally

I didn't have as many problems with the season itself as it seems many did, but I have to agree about the finale. While they seemed to set up some storylines for season 5, they pretty much pissed all over all of the good work they did during the season to get to this point.

That said, as much as I enjoyed the ride to the finale, I won't bail. I'll definitely be waiting for season 5 to start, if for no other reason than to see if Sutter does the same thing (great build, shitty ending), goes back to the season 4 formula (good start, shitty all-the-way through, great ending), or if he can put together a season that won't disappoint at any point, even if it doesn't reach consistently great levels each episode.

Dragon Tattoo

Who really cares at this point. The Jax/Clay feud is the only reason to watch this show, and just like in Season Two, it's been reset to the status quo. I expect another season (or two) of bullshit and that Clay won't die until the very end of season seven.

Also, I'm pretty damn sure Gemma masterminded John's death at this point. Clay was obviously about to tell Jax something important regarding that, and Gemma took her letters out for a reason.

Ravenous

Im in the middle of the season now and just finished the ep where Clay beats the shit out of Gemma.... wow this season has been amazing. Its night and day not only compared to last season, but the first 2. I cant wait to see how this ends!

thelwig14

When Jax had the knife on Clay...I was waiting for Clay to come clean that he was DEA and then Jax to counter that he was a Navy Seal.

SpinalGuffman

I mostly enjoyed the season (a couple major flaws, but still), and I was mostly disappointed in the finale.


Alan Sepinwall's review of this ep and wrap-up of the season is spot-on imo.

This part of Sepinwall's piece is especially true for me:

"...the cartel/CIA connection came completely out of left field, and even Jax's rationale for staying didn't sound quite right. If it's clear that he'll be one of the guys doing a long prison stretch if Potter is allowed to move forward with his RICO case, then sure. But that's not how he frames it for Tara. He just tells her he can't stand to let the club die. He doesn't even say that he can't stand to see guys he cares about like Chibs and Bobby spend decades in prison, which would still be him putting other people ahead of his family, but which I would believe (and which Tara would understand, even if she didn't agree with it). But the idea that he's just doing it because he can't allow the end of what he's come to recognize as this cancer that's infested his life and the lives of everyone he cares about? No. That's not what the Jax Teller we've been following for four years would believe, and it sure as hell isn't something Tara would accept and keep herself and her sons in danger for."

That's just one small example of how Sutter doesn't stay true to his own stories. Sutter spent four years giving Jax a great set-up for that convo with Tara. I was glad that he decided to tell her about the CIA (that secret would have been an albatross next season). But then Jax's clarity disappears and he heads right back into the muck with his "this club is a part of me" speech.

Frustrating. A microcosm of the show's weaknesses.

DJariya

I thought it was okay, but I understand why so many here are disappointed. It lacked alot of punch dramatically and there was no real resolution to alot of storylines this season. I agree, the CIA twist with the Mexicans came out of nowhere. What a waste of Danny Trejo and Benito Martinez.

I do have to say that Maggie Siff was solid this season. Her character really evolved this season and I have really enjoyed seeing her transition from being scared and weak to a confidant and compelling character.

Overall, I thought season 4 was a good ride despite the lackluster ending. I'll be back next Fall.

I watched every episode this season 1-2 days after it aired. In season 3, I got bored and let 8 or 9 episodes build up and didn't finish it until this past summer.

BTW, Kurt Sutter must have been really confidant that FX would let him add a 14th episode this season. Because there was just no way he could cut down episodes 13 and 14 into 44 minutes that would make any sense. Even at 90 minutes it would have been a stretch. I know alot of shows are shot longer to give some extra room creatively for the editor, but going 44+ minutes over is alot.

DJariya

Also, you can say that Kurt Sutter is a hack and is a shitty writer/bad showrunner whatever. But, the guy takes risks whether they are good or bad and he's a fucking talented TV writer IMO...probably one of the best. Plus, he appreciates the fans of the show. Honestly, after Sons of Anarchy ends, I can't see Sutter pitching a show to the Big 4 networks. He would be handicapped big time creatively and seeing his personality on his Youtube channel and in interviews, he would go crazy. He will probably stay on cable the rest of his TV career.