“Finding things that make you happy shouldn’t be so hard. I know you’ll face pain, suffering, hard choices but you can’t let the weight of it choke the joy out of your life. No matter what, you have to find the things that love you… run to them.

There’s and old saying. ‘That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ I don’t believe that. I think the things that try to kill you make you angry and sad. Strenght comes from the good things – your family, your friends, the satisfaction of hard work. Those are the things that’ll keep you whole. Those are the things to hold on to when you’re broken.”

- Jax Teller (Sons of Anarchy)

I’ve heard these words last week and I found myself wondering weather if there’s something true on them or not. I always held this saying “Which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” very close and I always thought that’s it true. But this quote made me wonder a bit.

It’s true what he’s been saying. All the things that pull us down, all the things that we have to face in life, the difficult stuff that comes across our paths – they sure make us stronger, but before that can actually happen there’s something else. Something that I never put much thought in, but Jax did point it out.

I think that, before we can say that those things, those crises and difficulities that we face in life, made us stronger we have to master them.

It’s a process.

1. We have to face them, accept them, find the reason.

-> I think in exact that state happens what Jax is talking about. As soon as we realize WHY things went wrong we start to get angry and sad. We start to search for someone to blame – maybe ourselves, maybe someone else.

2. When we achieved that we can start to find a solution for it.

-> Here starts the second part of the quote I posted above. To find a solution for our problems is one thing, but most of the time we need to help for that. We need someone to pull us out of the black hole, someone to build us back up and make us look forward. That’s where family and friends come into the picture. Those are the people we can always turn to, those are the people we can always ask for help. Our friends (true friends) and our family will always be there for us. And here it doesn’t matter if it’s family but blood, or not.

I have met a few people in life so far, not much, I can count them on one hand who I consider as family – even though they are not related by blood. Those people have always been there for me, with those people I went to rough times, those people helped me when I needed help the most – and I did the same for them. Family doesn’t always define itself by blood, but by what you feel for someone. Never forget that.

3. Working trough the problem.

4. Let the things behind. Put the to rest and move on for good.

So after all… I think both thoughts are correct.

The things that try to kill us make us angry and sad, but they also make us stronger after we worked trough them. But maybe… maybe it’s not really those “things” that make us appear more stronger, more powerful then before maybe it’s really our friends and family – the fact that we once again moved closer together and mastered another crises together. The more you go trough with someone, the closer you get, the more you’ll come together – the more trust and faith is build.

I, for myself, think both theories are right and true and it always depends on HOW you see things, how they appear to you. But the bottom line in all this is… trust your friends, your family – those who actually really care for you. Keep those people close and never let them go again. Sure there will be bumps in the road but never forget – such people are valuable and you may never find someone like that before. So think clearly before you end a friendship or a bond to a family member. Think clearly if there really is NO way to repair things and fix them. Take your time.

Because at the end of the day THOSE are the people you go home to. Your friends, your family. Those are the people you can always count on and who you love the most. Love if everything and family is the most important thing in the world.

Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As you can see by the title of this post, I’ve been living thankfully for almost 3 months now. In that time, I’ve put myself out there emotionally by being thankful for friends and family. However, I feel that there is a large part of my personality that has not been well represented by the thankful living posts to date and it is time for me to come clean.

Very few things in life make me happier than the start of a new television season. I love getting a chance to see the new shows, catch up on returning favorites, and everything else that comes with it. I realize that, with the rise of cable as a mecca for quality scripted programming, the old models of a fall start to the new television season is quickly going by the boards but I can’t keep myself from thinking of September as the start of the new television season. I could make this a blanket statement that I am thankful for the new season but that is a bit more broad than I really want to be.

Today, I am thankful for the new season of one of my favorite shows of all-time, Sons of Anarchy on FX. This show, which is a drama dealing with the daily trials and tribulations of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club-Redwood  Original(SAMCRO), is one of the best written and acted programs on television today. It is dark, funny, and intense as hell. I know that many of you will not be fans of SOA with its intense violence, crime, and general nastiness but it is, without a doubt, one of the highlights of my television watching week. And the love story of Jax and Tara is as sweet as the relationship between Gemma and Clay is acerbic. It is an acquired taste but, if you can stomach it, it is one of the best shows on television.

So, thank you, Kurt Sutter and your wonderful cast and crew for putting out quality television week after week.

Until next time.

This weeks episode was a bit snoozy compared to last weeks… then again perhaps it’s just what the audience needed. I don’t know about you but I’m still trying to erase the image of Tig’s daughter being set on fire.

Speaking of that atrocious incident, the guys find Tig and make their way to his other daughter, Fawn’s (not to be confused with Dawn, who was just burned) house to warn her to get out of town. Once inside the house, they hear what seems like her crying for someone to get off her and Tig busts down the door. All Tig sees is a black man having sex with his daughter and immediately decides he must be raping her. Alas, it is her boyfriend. Quite possibly the most hilarious scene amidst all the horrific scenes Kim Coates is working with this season. After all is settled, Fawn realizes that Dawn is dead and another heartbreaking scene for Tig occurs as she is carried from the room screaming “I hate you.”

Elsewhere, Clay visits Opie to remind him that Jax needs him by his side. This was a fairly odd scene to me because I don’t think Opie needs Clay to remind him of anything, lest of all any type of loyalty to the club. Furthermore, I don’t really believe Opie would have let him stay long enough to get the words out. Then again, we all know Clay just does as he pleases… either way it prompts Opie to deliver the most kick ass scene of the episode as he decks out the police officers and gets himself arrested alongside Jax, Tig, and Chibbs.

Speaking of their arrest, Jax and the boys decide they are going to turn themselves in, after Romeo promises to get them out in a timely manner. This prompts Jax to FINALLY make the move and marry Tara. Yes, Congratulations are in order, as Tara Knowles became Tara Teller! I’ve been waiting for this since Season 1! Gemma, scorned by her non-invite, shows up anyway… I mean really it was at the brothel… and gives Tara her and John’s wedding rings. A sign of good faith? Or another reminder to Tara that Gemma pulls the strings?

Jimmy Smitts shines once again as Nero. He is such a great addition, though I have to wonder if he’s as great as he seems. First he’s visiting his sick kid, then he’s out running Pope’s men with Jax because “he doesn’t get out much.”

Random scene of the Nomad’s perusing some of Clay’s documents…

Overall this episode was a bit slow but again, after last week perhaps it’s just what we needed.

Now what kind of wedding gift does one send to the new Queen of the club????

I’m not entirely sure. Don’t get me wrong, I was as happy to see Clay go down as anyone, and delighted to see Jax take his rightful place as the president of SAMCRO.

I just don’t know….is it weird to say he seems too….good…to be able to do it? And that conversation with Clay at the end – what is he up to? Don’t let the oxygen tank fool you; he’s as cunning as ever.

I am not crazy about the way last season ended, with Tara posing behind Jax as Gemma once did behind JT. And the Tara action turned me off. So lets discuss.

I liked Tara the Doctor. Every good MC needs someone to patch them all up after a good shoot up, no? Hell, every good criminal NOT in a motorcycle club needs a good doctor on their side. I enjoyed watching her get reeled in by her love for Jax, and honestly, we have all been there at some point in our lives: “I love them so much, and I know they are SO bad for me, but I don’t care. It’s love.” Come on – they were each other’s first love (which grosses me out a little bit – that should never be allowed to continue), so of COURSE they’re going to stick it out no matter what. IT’S LOVE.

That being said, I did not love watching her become the tough biker chick we see today. That role should be reserved for Gemma. We can’t have two hard-nosed women, the show can’t take it. It has its female following because every girl loves a bad boy (don’t deny it, you do too), but tough women like that – unless we are one – scares the crap out of us and we can’t relate. Every show needs at least one or two relatable female characters to appease the female portion of your audience. No matter what any writer or director thinks, you will hook your audience with hot, badass dudes but you will lose it with unsympathetic female roles. Women don’t want to see women as tough if not tougher than the men in a show about motorcycle gangs. Now, we don’t want to see snivelling criers either, who clearly don’t have the cojones to hang with the men in the gang. I digress – the bottom line is we have to be able to relate to the female characters. I cannot relate to Gemma at all anymore; not since the first or second season. I related to Tara all the way up until the last few episodes of season 4. We’ll see what happens.

So, Gemma. Even though she has always been a tough broad, she at least had some positive qualities in her outside of her over-bearing need to protect Jax at all costs (we’ll address the weird fight over Jax between Tara and Gemma at a later date). She had a parent with dementia, she took care of the birds at her house as well as her husband; hell, she even made sure the police chief had what he needed when she found out he had cancer. She was good underneath the toughness, and you could almost sympathize with her despair when her men went to jail. But when the duplicity of her wanting Jax to off Clay for killing John Teller, when she had everything in the world to do with it, sort of started to turn me against her. Wait – don’t yell yet. Yes, I know that this is a show essentially BASED on duplicity, in some form or another. That’s why we watch them so obsessively. It’s the one thing that annoys me in every show, and I suppose, in real life: hypocrisy. It’s one thing to display utter duplicity in everything you do – the ends always justify the means. But to cut down someone for doing something you yourself had a hand in, or would have no problem doing on your own, while absolving yourself of all wrongdoing…I don’t know, I just can’t get past that.

But that’s all part of what makes us watch some television shows more than others, right? The things that piss us off, make us righteously indignant at one moment and make us cry at the next? That’s good writing, and if you read my reviews of other shows you know I value good writing above all else. Writing that makes me feel – feel anything – is good writing.

And I also guess that’s why Sons of Anarchy set a new network record for a season premiere at 4.5 million viewers.

Good writing will do that. Just don’t tell Kurt Sutter I said so.

All photos from IMDb.

Image via FXNetworks.com

I hear the guitar strum … then my heart beats, and I nod my head in rhythm …

Riding through this world
All alone
God takes your soul
You’re on your own
The crow flies straight
A perfect line
On the devil’s bed
Until you die
Gotta look this life
In the eye …

Me … the sporty nerd was part of the masses. I was one of the 5.4 million viewers that tuned in this week to watch the season premiere of  Sons Of Anarchy.

Charlie Hunnam … dude.  Charlie. I took no phone calls. I turned off the computer. Made sure the kids were asleep by eight-thirty and then I ignored everybody in the household. It was SAMCRO time.

Image via FXNetworks.com

I wasn’t with my feet up, relaxing on the couch. I was on full edge of the couch alert mode, completely engaged in all the drama and action.

Why is it that I found myself completely ignoring the what’s-for-dinner question? I mean other than Charlie Hunnam … dude … Charlie. Hmmmmmm. He plays Jax Teller. Hmmmm. Jax Teller. No it wasn’t only the hot dude. It was  his opening monologue.

“Finding things that make you happy shouldn’t be that hard … There’s an old saying ‘that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, I don’t believe that. I think the things that try to kill you make you angry and sad. Strength comes from the good things. Your family. Your friends. The satisfaction of hard work. Those are the things that will keep you whole. Those are the things you hold onto when you’re broken.”

Who does that? Who writes nitty-gritty awesome life advice like that? A genius.  A genius with a beard. Kurt Sutter.

If you haven’t watched the show … it’s O.K. I forgive you. They’ve got Hulu and Netflix now. You can catch up. But in short … it’s about an outlaw motorcycle club  in the city of Charming, California and their struggle to protect their club’s existence and semi-peaceful way of life. It’s got drama, violence, dark humor, and motorcycle stuff. It’s also got my undivided attention every Tuesday night.

Jax Teller is trying so hard to do the right thing, leave the motorcycle club, and make a new life with his family far away. But the drama, the past, the ties to his father who was an original member of the club, the revenge for his father’s death, the feud with his step-father who’s also a club member — a sneaky one, and his controlling mom whose all up in the club’s business,  keeps pulling him back in.

All this keeps me coming back every season.

I like watching Jax Teller’s inner conflict surface. Not because I enjoy people’s troubles but because he’s genuinely a good guy with a pure heart in an outlaw world, living by a code and trying to do what’s right for everyone.  He’s trying to stick to his father’s manifesto and bring the club back to a good place, but conflict arises and he tries his best to deal with it. He’s just like everyone else on earth … conflicted … except everyone else isn’t the president of an outlaw motorcycle club.

I was glued to the television this week, and will probably do so the entire season. So if it’s Tuesday night you’ll know where I’ll be … sitting on the edge of my couch along with the other 5.4 million people who watch.

Dude. FX rocks.

When last season of Sons of Anarchy ended, Clay had been dethroned and Jax was sitting at the head of the table. The club said goodbye to Piney, Kozik and Miles leaving the club a few members short. Clay was outed for killing both Piney and John Teller leading to a brutal attack in his life by Opie. Trying to keep things a secret, Jax and Clay blamed a rival gang for the attack, and Tig promptly repays in kind. But instead of killing the leader of the group, Tig accidentally kills the man’s daughter. This leaves Jax with a very tension situation to try to diffuse.

On The Road Again

The episode opens with the crew making a run with an unexpected attack by a rival gang. This as well as a rash of home invasions is the local Niners trying to tell SOA they don’t approve of the death of the daughter of Damon Pope. Jax has more to deal with than just the Niners as the sheriff threatens the club and relations between Tara and Gemma become even more tense. Both of the ladies are on hard times imbibing in drugs, alcohol, and, for Gemma, black out sex with pimps. Opie has stepped back from the club letting the newly released Bobby to step up as VP. The majority of the first hour of the show is used to set up the season.

The King Becomes the Old Fool

Appropriately entitled “Sovereign,” the viewer sees what happens to the old king once the new one has taken his place. Even though Piney is gone, it seems there is a new fool to take his place. Fragile Clay is trying to deal with his diminished state and in a sad scene fails to hold up his bike. Clay is shrunken, slumped, and low voiced. When he comes to the table, plops his oxygen tank on the table and sits in Piney’s old seat, we’re left to wonder, is he going to loose it in alcohol?  He has lost his wife who, after a brutal beating and learning that he tried to have her daughter in law killed, can’t stand to look at him. His state proves he is only weaker without Gemma.

Clay makes the one power play he has left: confesses to Piney’s murder. When I say confessed, I mean the only truth was that he pulled the trigger. This sad tale of self defense he spun does three things: takes away any blackmail threat surrounding the murder, makes the guys feel sorry for him and therefore loyal, and screws with Jax’s head.

But Clay hasn’t just lost his position in the club and his wife; he’s also lost his best friend. When Tig finds out he killed an innocent girl, Tig starts to truly second guess his relationship with Clay. The split that has been building up from last season is c0ming to a head.

Getting Tiggy With It

It’s the last half hour when the episode that takes viewers to reaches only SOA will go as Tig struggles with the consequences of his actions. In fact, Tig is a running theme in the episode. At the beginning, he is friendly with Jax and there seems to be no animosity between him and Jax. Even the club as a whole doesn’t seem overly angry with him for killing Pope’s daughter. He goes from accepted to humiliated as Clay reveals his lie. Not only is Tig dealing with the fact he killed an innocent girl, but now he knows his best friend lied to him. He and Clay have a frank discussing that leaves the future of their friendship in peril.

Things really heat up when Tig gets a phone call from a detective saying that have his daughter Dawn in custody. Tig has to pick her up so she will not be charged. Instead of finding his daughter, he finds Pope’s men and a detective ready to escort him to jail. But when he is handcuffed, he is not taken in a squad care but chained next to a dumpster. In the dumpster is Dawn. As Pope’s men cover her with gasoline, Tig begs Pope to kill him instead. It’s heartbreaking to watch this strong man beg for his daughter’s life. And for a moment you think Pope might. But Pope’s henchman dowses her in flames, and Tig can only call to his daughter as she is burned alive. Pope then leaves him to mourn. Tig manages to get loose enough to kill the two men Pope left behind. Only once this is done does Tig let the rage dissolve into grief.

This Means War

With the death of Tig’s daughter, viewers know there can be no truce with Pope. The club will have to balance this war while three of their members are on the lamb. It seems that Jax, and Chibs have been fingered for the truck explosion, and the law is out for Tig’s involvement in the Pope murder. Jax will have to manage a club that has no idea where its loyalties lie as each member tries to understand the events that transpire. Things will become increasingly difficult as Abel’s mom returns (so looking forward to that), and Romeo puts pressure on Jax from the CIA deal.

With this as the premier, things can only get more mind blowing and violent as Kurt Sutter takes us into the farthest reaching of his mind. Who will make it out alive?

Related articles

• Sons of Anarchy – An Eye For an Eye, and an Eyeful of Ass (televisionwithoutpity.com)
• Five Fall Favorites (starsinhereye.wordpress.com
• Sons of Anarchy: Season 5 Begins in Flames (rr.com)
• TV Review: SONS OF ANARCHY Season 5 Premiere (badassdigest.com)
• FX’s Sons of Anarchy’ recap: The fifth season starts with shocks in ‘Sovereign’ (examiner.com)

This is the part of my life reality show where perhaps a script  might be a good idea, one that says “Marti  exits the scene and tucks her exhausted self into bed early, setting a good example for all of her readers”.  But then if you look to me for a good example of anything, you are seriously in the wrong place.  Unless of course you need an extra for a movie about the zombie apocalypse, in that case I currently look every bit the part and without the help of special effects artists or makeup.  I am the walking dead this morning.  Please don’t shoot me in the head unless you are firing extra caffeine.

This is so cute! I found it while hunting for booger images. Maybe I should buy one and name it after the stalker?

The Booger has finally stopped sticking to me (and my daughter) via our Pinterest boards.   “Booger” is the less than affectionate name I’ve assigned to our stalker.  We’ve all had it happen at some time in life, where we sneeze, covering our nose and mouth with our hands, only to have some nasty, sticky thing end up on our finger and with  no tissue handy try to shake it off but it won’t go.  Then we find some something to wipe it off and it still seems to be there, unrelentingly hanging on.  *Note to my readers:  you are welcome for the visual, no need to thank me!*  That is our stalker, but she finally got the picture and stopped following us.  I have a few more hanger-ons but as long as they keep their snotty (pun intended) comments to themselves and off of my boards and blog posts, I won’t sweat it.  If I had to guess, though, my money says she still looks at the boards, Facebook, Twitter etc, because she is obsessed with knowing what we are doing.   *waves hello to Booger* – Yep, you are still looking aren’t you?  Hopefully not but just in case, I didn’t want to be rude.  I always find it humorous when someone looks at your social media to  see if you are talking about them, then gets their panties in a wad, when if they just didn’t look in the  first place they’d never know.  People can talk bad about me all they like, as long as it is not on my own outlets.  What is that saying, “love me or hate me, either way you are thinking about me!”.  Yeah, I am really powerful like that, occupying folks thoughts, it’s how I roll. *insert wicked, evil laugh*

I really need to find a new allergy medication, the one  I have been using for years is no longer cutting it.  Suggestions welcome!

Happy National Chocolate Day!!!  Think I’ll grab a Hershey Special Dark and celebrate!

Having just returned to the laptop with the umpteenth cup of coffee of the morning, I have to say that is one of the positives of working for myself, from home.  Aside from the fact that I am sporting my zombie attire, is knowing that no one takes the last cup of coffee, leaving a swallow behind, then slinks off without starting a new pot.  Here in the Diva Den it is just assumed that more coffee is wanted and  someone makes a fresh pot.  At the very least when one of us takes the last cup we quickly take a poll to see if another one should be made or if everyone has reached their ideal level of adult ADD meds.  Seems coffee drinkers, I mean serious ones, not those one cup a day types, are believed to be adult sufferers of ADD.  Like the medications for kids, the stimulant of caffeine helps us focus.  Considering I can drink an entire pot (as can the others here) and then go to bed and sleep like the dead, I think there is some accuracy to this line of thought.

Oh look at the time, need to go get ready for a conference call.  Might have to freshen up my look and smear my mascara further down my cheek.

The Crow Flies Straight

Also here’s a crash course in Sons of Anarchy. The Sons of Anarchy are a motorcycle club/gang located in the Northern California town of Charming. They run guns, and scheme and plot against each other.

Also just about every episode of Sons has some character saying that. Whether it means their actual family, (Jax and Tara deciding to put Abel and Thomas in day care instead of letting Gemma babysit) or their “family” the club, (Jax agreeing to cover up Opie shooting Clay).

But the thing is, this world has become so twisted, that no one can possibly actually do what’s right for either family. First of all, while I am 100% for Tara keeping her children away from Gemma, especially after Gemma got so wasted that she didn’t remember having sex with Jimmy Smits. (Side note, how do you not remember having sex with Jimmy Smits? Even gross, tattooed, Sons version of him. His is such a beautiful man.) We see this plot at the beginning of the season every year. (At least this year, Jax isn’t promising Tara that they’re getting out of Charming. That dream is dead.)

I love Sons of Anarchy. I really do. And I’m glad that this season they seem to have moved past the things that happen every season. (Jax promises Tara that they’re leaving Charming. Seriously, this is normally like half of the season premier.) Namely because last season was a huge game change. Namely, Jax got himself trapped. He can’t leave, he has to protect Tara from Clay, he has to protect Opie from himself, and he has to stop Gemma from…OK, look I’m not sure what her deal is this season. But I can’t wait to see, because Train Wreck Gemma is the best.

As for the other plots, which, when you get in to it, mean that Jax is not doing a good job of protecting his other family, the club. I understand that his whole deal with CIA to get the IRA bosses requires him to keep Clay in the club, fine, I buy it. But making Bobby VP? Patching in the Nomads? These decisions make little to no sense. And Opie leaving Samcro is also the saddest thing to happen in this episode where Tig’s daughter also gets burned to death. And Juice still belongs to the sheriff, which will probably be vaguely important in like the last two episodes.

Do you know what the best part about this is?

It means that TV Season has begun. I have premiers to watch, new shows to decided on. 24 hours until I decide if I’m going to watch Glee again this season…

The answer is probably yes. I will probably watch Glee again this season.

But yay! Sons of Anarchy!

II mean, with a star like Charlie Hunnam, how can you NOT be???

We’ve seen his character Jax Teller morph into the now SAMCRO President.  He’s now a husband and father.  And he’s got his head in order.  And he’s on the path to turn the club into something that he believes his father JT wanted it to be. And most of all, while keeping his family safe and working on getting out of this life that his stepfather Clay has led them to. (more on Clay to come.)

“You have to find the things that you love and run to them” – Jax Teller

We see him in a new role this season. He’s grown, he’s changed and he’s got a plan.  I have every reason to believe that everything about this show is only going to keep getting better and better.  I read an article by series creator and director and actor (although not seen in the premiere) Kurt Sutter, who said that he sees this show going another 2 seasons after this one for a total of 7 seasons.  He says that he can’t imagine the show without Jax, Clay or Jemma, so it’s safe to say that as long as this show is on the air, those 3 will always be at the helm in some way. (which for the overly emotional is a relief to me!)

They did something I didn’t expect, they picked up right where they left off from Season 4.  Tara’s hand still bandaged, Clay still hospitalized, Opie still grieving for Piney, his father and the club in turmoil as the seeds of change have started. They stayed true to history, and they stayed true to storyline. I watch A LOT of TV, and rarely if ever, have I seen a season premiere that did such a great job of keeping it honest and true to its past.

Tara’s morphed from the surgeon she was in Season 1, Jax’s, one that got away, to being the NEXT Jemma Teller is more than obvious in the Season 4 finale…..and even more apparent in the premiere when she agrees to begin carrying a gun regularly.  It’s physical. It’s mental. And you see and feel it in small ways through the past 4 Seasons, but as of the Season 5 premiere, she’s taken her place, and she’s supporting her man no matter what her beliefs were before, Jaxson Teller is her one true love and she will do anything for him, and their boys Abel and Tommy.

Jemma has changed a lot too. She starts off the episode absolutely unlikable, and you don’t feel sorry for her like you thought you would after the end of Season 4.  She’s completely hit rock bottom and while I know we will see her work her way back up to the strong-headed, leading bitch she has always been, you see signs of her vulnerability and signs that she’s human.  She can’t keep those secrets anymore. She can’t keep living with the lies she’s lived with for the past 30 years. And in the end, her son Jax IS the most important thing to her, no matter what has gone on in th past.

Poor Opie is really all I can say there.  He blames everyone for his father’s death, which has brought up wounds from Donna’s death. He hates that he’s being asked to keep quiet about what actually went down in the Season 4 finale.  Opie blames the club and he can’t accept the route that Jax is taking, but that’s all about to change we find out as the episode moves on. Jax swears to Opie he won’t become Clay, and Opie says his biggest fear is he’s becoming Jax.

Clay has passed the gavel.  Clay holds no power.  Clay is diminished to the role that Piney once had.  He wears an oxygen tank, he can barely walk.  He talks like he can barely get the words out.  He’s lost everything, and he’s about to lose even more.  He can’t even ride.  It’s the best visual any show has done that shows the downfall of the villian, Clay and the rise of the hero, Jax.  And the fact that they’re stepfather & stepson just makes it that much more dramatic.

The addition of Jimmy Smits as Nero Padilla, is questionable to me right now, but in the end of the episode I started to see what I had heard Kurt Sutter say in that interview that Padilla’s going to become somewhat of a mentor to him. I love Jimmy Smits, Detective Bobby Simone from NYPD Blue is one of my favorite characters of ALL time on TV………I want to love this character. So far, I’m not convinced he fits.  His accent is awful, and I can’t quite figure him out yet.  But I anxiously await the morphing of his character.

The other new character we finally see is Pope of the rival gang.  He’s not the right actor for the role, or maybe the role is just so far-fetched and out there, you can’t quite figure him out yet (I even think he looks like a woman dressed as a man, no joke!). He’s a vicious motherfucker and he’s relentless and I don’t think the damage he’s done to SAMCRO so far is anywhere near the damage he WIL bring upon them in the coming weeks.

Overall, this show rocked my face off. I’ve saved it on my DVR to watch again because I know there are things that I’ve missed and it was a 90 minute episode and I was exhausted, but man, Kurt Sutter and his crew as ALWAYS never disappoints.

I’ll leave you with this quote that Jax Teller says while writing, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it all night long……..the truth of it? The rawness of it?? The sadness it brings to think about, I don’t know, but here I share.

“There’s an old saying, that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, I don’ believe that, I think the things that try to kill you make you angry and sad, strength comes from the good things. your family. your friends. the satisfaction of hard work. those are the things that’ll keep you whole. those are the things to hold onto when you’re broken.” – Jax

Do you watch?? Share your thoughts and opinions, I’m so curious!! I tried to write this without any real spoilers, my apologies if you felt otherwise. I look forward to the rest of the season and I hope to hear what you have to say about it! ~ traci xoxo

Today was quite uneventful, as is everyday lately. Not that I’m complaining, because honestly, I like just being here at the house and not feeling any pressure to be doing something at every single moment like I do when I’m at home. At home when I feel that I don’t do enough I feel unaccomplished and then overwhelmed because I still have so much to do. I’m telling you there’s a comfort in doing nothing sometimes.

The premier for season 5 of Sons of Anarchy came on tonight! And even though I haven’t seen a lick of season 4 I still watched tonight’s episode; was completely lost and confused but did NOT care because sexy ol Jax Teller graced the screen with his beautiful face. I’m obsessed, I don’t care, I love him.  Thankyou.

I’ve realized I’m rambling. As a matter of fact the boyfriend just asked “So what’s the topic?”, and all I could say was “I don’t know, I just write.” Isn’t that the beauty of all this though, having a blog? You’re not confined to writing based on a specific topic or even in any correct grammatical sense. You just write about what you please and when you please. That’s the way I’ve always looked at it. Take anything too seriously and I think you could make yourself sick! Nobody wants to be unhealthy so take heed to that advice guys. Seriously.

I want to say that I have something amazing to discuss with you guys but, unfortunately all inspiration has come and gone. What a small little burst of inspiration it was, no fair. I honestly thought I would be sitting here for at least a good hour with some amazing thoughts on my mind to write about, but it seems they’ve all left the building. I’d chalk it up to the lateness of the hour and sleepiness drifting upon me. I hope you guys don’t get bored with me already! I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone thinking I was so dreadful a writer that they summed me up to being boring. Horrible. I really am just tired and the boyfriend gave me a good tidbit of advice earlier “You can’t keep you readers just waiting for days without you writing something“, and I’ve gotta say, the kid actually had a valid point!!

All that being said guys, I think I’ll be calling it a night. Hope everyone has sweet dreams of cotton candy and rainbows!

Why you ask? Well there are a number of reasons…which I will count down for you in no particular order:

1. A super productive day at work.

2. Survived my first non-on ramp cross fit class–attending said class was scary as now I would be on my own.

3. Checked the damage after my horrible eating weekend and it was only 1.6 lbs of damage. Much better than my anticipated 7 million…er five. Lol.

4.I had another meeting with another bank and I stood up to my old financial planner and told him I was switching financial institutions because my investments with him weren’t performing (so kicking butt on challenging fear today).

5. A second email from my set up in progress. Best part is that the email is so nice, normal–not like some others I have received during my dips into the line dating world. I only hope that this is a reflection of him as a person–I could definitely use a nice, normal guy in my life…and the fact that he is cute would just be the icing on the cake.

6. Cute guys at cross fit (provided the whole set up above doesn’t work out).

7. Awesome rehab session of foam rolling, stretching ice and heat after cross fit. I feel like I just had a massage.

8. I came in last in my wod–it was 5-5-5-5-5 presses, 8-8-8 push presses and a 1000m row. I did fine on the presses and push presses (tho form needs a bit of work), but the rowing. I finished that 1km in 4:27.5. It was a hard 4-5 minutes but I did it…heck I was even the “last” person in the group to finish and I didn’t die or feel embarrassed or anything. Good bye fear of losing=failure. Plus, what is better is that I can only get better.

9. Sons of Anarchy started up for the season tonight. Yay Jax Teller! So hawt!

10. Homemade kale chips–a super delish and healthy snack to enjoy while icing/heating down and watching SoA.

Anyway, my bed is calling me–here’s hoping tomorrow will be just as good!

Much luv,

Leesah

Images from FX.

by Akeya Dickson

Kurt Sutter posed an interesting question in a spring interview while Season 5 of “Sons of Anarchy” was being filmed:

“With Jax at the head of the table, … can he be the president of an outlaw organization and not become Clay? And if he chooses not to become Clay, does he suffer the fate of his father?”

Sutter said that Jax will be forced to choose from these two paternal figures, I can’t help but think of the Mike/Walt struggle for Jesse in “Breaking Bad.” Except where Jesse kind of bumbles along, sometimes leading with his thought and struck with the occasional awesome idea, Jax is shrewd, diplomatic and taps into natural leadership.

As far as I’m concerned, Jax can do no wrong. I first documented by love for “Sons of Anarchy” earlier in the year, when I was all too ready to patch over myself and roll over to Charming with the SAMCRO crew. And with Tara by his side (please don’t let that little Tartini “film star” who’s in lust with Jax pop up again), I’m sure he’ll be all to the good.

I know that leading the club won’t be without its challenges, and just the fact that Clay, and ALL the dirt he’s done, has to be around … I don’t know if I could live with that kind of irritation and everyday reminders.

I can barely remember the details of all of the drama that was underfoot with the Niners and , but I cannot wait for this season’s premiere…less than 24 hours now!

Until then, here’s a glimpse of some behind the scenes clips from the filming of this season:

When SAMCRO (Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original) takes to the streets next season on “Sons of Anarchy,” the club will be under new leadership: Clay (Ron Perlman) is out and Jax (Charlie Hunnam) is in. But there are more changes than that, so XfinityTV.com caught up with executive producer Kurt Sutter to find out what viewers can expect when the fifth season picks up just weeks after the Season 4 finale on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Here is what he had to say:

DVR the Season Premiere of “Sons of Anarchy”

How will the club change with Jax as the President?: There’s not a lot of changes yet because it’s only about a month after the end of Season 4. Jax is definitely at the head of the table. All the things that were in play last season are in play, meaning the deal with the cartel. Clay is out of the hospital. It’s one of the reasons why we skipped a little bit of time. I didn’t want to play hospital scenes with Clay. We have the ongoing threat of Damon Pope, who we introduced in the finale last year, who Harold Perrineau is playing. He’s set up as more of a traditional antagonist in the beginning of the season, and, I think, that will turn on its head a little bit. This season is really about seeing Jax at the head of that table and [question is]: What kind of leader will he become? I like the idea of seeing a president inherit the mess of the previous president. How does he deal with that? And can you be the head of an outlaw organization and not become Clay? Is that possible? Or, if you don’t become Clay, are you perceived as weak and end up like John Teller? It’s really the challenges that are presented to Jax, and what kind of leader he’ll become.

How lost is Clay going to be?: I really wanted to acknowledge the physical and emotional wreckage that Clay has brought on himself, so we will see him physically debilitated. He took a bullet to the lung, so he’s moving slow. He’s hurt. And, I think, he’s dealing with the ramifications of his actions. I think he is broken — emotionally and physically. The loss of the club was devastating for him, and the greater devastation, I think, at least in the first half of the season, is the loss of Gemma (Katy Sagal).

Will Gemma ever be able to forgive Clay?: I don’t know. We’re really playing that arc out. I think the two of them are bonded in a very deep way by a lot of things. But initially, that is very damaged and broken. We will see over time if that can be repaired.

Last season, Juice (Theo Rossi) was really propelled into the forefront, but the Juice storyline wasn’t entirely resolved. Are there going to be ramifications from that?: I think so. I think it’s more of a second half of the season arc, but, I think, some of the maneuvers that Juice was forced into making last season will come up and play out towards the end of the season. It is interesting. We really see that this is a case of my actor informing the character. Theo is such a sweet guy. He’s the guy that takes care of everybody else, and, I think, that’s really bled into Juice. So this season, he really is the guy who, because of the divide between Clay and Tig (Kim Coates), that Juice really becomes a confidante of Clay and will be in Clay’s circle. I like thematically the idea that these guys both have these secrets about killing other members of the club, that neither one of them is aware of, but in a strange way, they’re attracted to each other because of that. We’ll play some of that out, in the first half of the season.

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Juice has always been on Jax’s side, so will that cause a divide between them if he is more veering toward Clay?: I don’t really see it as being on anybody’s side. It’s not like we begin this season with sides. It’s not Clay versus Jax. Clay is a broken guy, and Juice is there to help him out. So, I don’t think there’s a perception of, “Oh, he’s on Clay’s side now.”

Can you talk about the unresolved dynamic between Jax and Opie (Ryan Hurst) and how that might play out this season?: There was a part of me that, last year, would have found it very neat and satisfying for fans if Opie showed up at that table, at Jax’s side. I think that in earlier drafts I was thinking of that. But then, with everything that happened with Piney (William Lucking), and if you throw Donna (Sprague Grayden) into that mix, it just didn’t seem realistic that Opie could easily just go, “Okay, I’m your guy, Jax,” no matter how deeply he felt about Jax. For Opie to come back at that table, there really would need to be a sense of him figuring that out and Jax sort of earning his trust to get him back. That’s really what we do in the first few episodes. And then you will see, towards the end of episode two, Opie start to make those moves back to the club, and being in Jax’s camp. We’ll move that relationship forward, but at the end of last season, it just felt like it wasn’t the right thing to do, to put him at that table.

What about some of the new additions to the cast this season?: First, the idea of Ashley Tisdale … we have Joel McHale doing a couple episode arcs. For me, we had so much fun when we brought Stephen King on to play these ironic little pops. And David Hasselhoff, last season — that is really what those are. We had this episode where we had this high-priced escort that the guys have to protect, and her whole hook was that she was like a Disney girl. So I thought, “Well, why don’t we f*#*ing just get a Disney girl?,” so we did. We looked into it, and we got Ashley to do it. It’s just the irony of that. And, she’s great! She’s in two episodes. She gets to be in a couple action scenes, so she was very excited about that. And then another new cast member — we have Harold Perrineau playing Damon Pope. Harold is just a fantastic actor. Sometimes when you present these big, iconic antagonists, you have the trap of guys coming and playing the big antagonist. The history of this character, Damon Pope, is that he’s like a Frank Lucas guy, who made his money in drugs on the street, and then worked his way up and is now this legitimate businessman that is very smart, in terms of how much he gives back to the community. He’s embraced by the community and by politicians, but yet he still makes his money, to a certain extent, on the street. He’s a dangerous dude. The trap would be to have a bad-ass to play that role, so I really wanted to go with somebody who came across with a certain amount of intelligence and just different energy than a gangbanger. I think that’s what Harold brings to the role. Jimmy Smits will play a character, Nero Padilla. Nero is a gangbanger, as well. He’s a guy who will cross paths with Jax, early in the season. He and Jax will get into a business venture together. I guess he becomes a mentor for Jax, to a certain extent, in that he’s a guy who has been in the life a long time — longer than Jax — and really his whole thing is that the gangster life and the life I want outside of the gangster life do not mix. His whole thing is about making his money to get out, to have the life that he wants, and Jax can relate to that. So, he becomes this role model for Jax in the pursuit of that.

The fifth season of “Sons of Anarchy” premieres on Tuesday, September 11 at 10/9c on FX.

Original Post

Gemma Teller Morrow (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SAMCRO Intelligence

Gemma Teller Marrow

AKA  Old lady

Faction SAMCRO

Status  Alive

Partner   John teller (Deceased) / Clay Marrow (Ass Hole)

Offspring  Jackson Teller / Thomas Teller

Grandchildren  Abel Teller / Thomas Teller JR.

Parents  Nate Madock / Rose Madock

Actor Katey Segal

Gemma is known as the ‘Old Lady’, the mother of the club, the mother of Jax Teller (aka Jackson), born 1978, and wife to the former president Clay Marrow. She has a Jewish background, and is from Irish and Russian decent.

Background

Gemma is a highly unpredictable and dangerous woman. She has been wanted for murder, kidnap and her involvement with the club that is in dealings with illegal substances and firearms.

Gemma was formally married to John Teller (deceased). We don’t know much about John Teller, but we do know he was the original president and the down turn started just before his death. He was hit by a truck in 1993.

We also know that Gemma had another son, Thomas teller, born 1984 who also died in 1990.This is because Gemma has a generic heart disorder that was passed to her two children, unfortunately resulting in the death of Thomas.

Approach with caution, she has a firearm at all times, and will even use a skateboard to attack you.

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• Gemma teller morrow wardrobe (ebenezaradams.typepad.com)
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Pilot (Sons of Anarchy) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sons Of Anarchy season 5 is currently in production and will premiere in September 2012. As far as I am aware there is no exact release date yet, but we can expect allot more drama within the club.

For those who have not seen the series so far its best to start from the beginning. Sons of Anarchy is a drama about a motorcycle club stuck in a loop of crime. The character Jax wants to find a way to make the club have a good reputation after reading the journal of his murdered father, murdered non other than his step father as we find out in season 4.

So what can we expect in the new season?

Well we know the father son relationship between Clay and Jax is only going to get more raw, and I don’t no about you, but I want the club to put Clay in the trash where he belongs.

However i doubt it will happen anytime soon, as he is needed in dealership for under cover agents/cops.

I honestly have no idea whats going to happen next, but if you do have any spoilers do share them below. But make sure you headline it as a spoiler first.

Related articles

• ‘Lost’ Star Joins ‘Sons of Anarchy’ (huffingtonpost.com)
• Sons of Anarchy Secrets Revealed (inquisitr.com)
• Jimmy Smits Joins Sons of Anarchy For Major Season 5 Arc (tvline.com)
• ‘Sons of Anarchy’ Video Game Riding to Consoles (gamerant.com)
• Meth, Gang Wars, Gun-Running, and Family Drama: FX is Working on a “Sons of Anarchy” Game (multiplayerblog.mtv.com)
• Sons of Anarchy game coming to consoles says series creator (gamesradar.com)
• Jimmy Smits Joins FX’s ‘Sons Of Anarchy’ (deadline.com)

Let’s be honest, there are a great deal of “crappy” shows that dominate tv right now and usually they focus on doctors, lawyers and cops.  To me, its really been hard to find characters that I like and respond too.  There have been a few over the last few years, and that is why this post is going to focus on the best 3…tv couples.  To me, these couples are just perfect.  They make me want to stay tuned for more and more and more.  I love watching them together!  and I love the chemistry that the actors are able to provide to make the characters/couple more realistic and likeable.   There will probably be a lot of people that would not agree with my best 3 but that is ok because this is my own opinion and for those that don’t agree or have others, please post your comments – I would like to see what other couples you might like.

So, here are the Best 3…TV Couples:

1.  Jax and Tara (from Sons of Anarchy)

2.  Eric and Sookie (from True Blood)

3. Simon and Alisha (from Misfits)

My first best pick should be obvious, as I’ve listed the Sons of Anarchy in this blog before (Best 3…TV Shows (on tv right now) and one of the reasons that makes the show great is the couple of Jax and Tara.  They were high school sweethearts, she leaves and then comes back and they can’t deny their attraction to one another and they fall in love all over again.  Trust me, if you have not seen the show or them, please do.  There romance is far from perfect…but somehow they just work and that is what makes them the best.

My second best 3 pick gave me some of my most favorite tv moments ever.  Putting these two together was pure genius.  Yes, I am team Eric.  Sookie and Eric together is this last season of True Blood was simply great (and the best season in my mind).  Their chemistry was amazing.  It pains me to think that they may not be together in the upcoming season.  There is just something about them that just makes their time together perfect.  All I can say is that if you were not fortunate to catch some of their scenes together, I encourage you to tune in…not only are they on a great show but together they fired up the season!

The last couple is from a show that many people might not be familiar with.  Like Sons of Anarchy, I have mentioned this show before (Best 3…odd bu excellent British tv shows) and it has been only recently (thanks to my awesome sister) that I have discovered the show and my last best 3 pick.  That honor goes to Simon and Alisha.  They were a couple that you would never imagine together especially after the first season but through great writing they come together.  I won’t go into a lot of details but they have a great story that will go on and on.

Thanks to all the people that posted these awesome videos!

AG

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• True Blood: Watch the First Season 5 Trailer (VIDEO) (tv.com)
• FX Renews ‘Sons of Anarchy’ for Two More Seasons (hollywood.com)