Taking off fast, Season Four of Sons of Anarchy keeps up the drama where it left off in this ruthless tale of motorcycles, power and fast money.  I am a fan of this series that features fine acting, a high powered storyline, good direction and on Blu-ray excellent High Definition Television. Recently released on both Blu-ray and DVD you get all the action of the TV show plus some fine bonus features that includes a special treat from actress Katey Sagal.
 
Season four was a barn burner and adrenaline pumper from the first episode through its season ender episode 13.  In between the fine cast lead by Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, Mark Boone Junior, and Ron Perlman find themselves up to their arm pits in trouble.  Getting out of jail after a 14 month hitch for Federal weapons charges this season finds the gang in a deal involving large amounts of cocaine, a marriage, Tara gets a death threat, misplaced trust, threats to the business and a bad riff between Clay and Gemma, just some of the plot points that make this season both interesting and exciting.
 
I like the tone of the series where it's not all dramatic with writers inserting some dark comedy that breaks the tension now and then.  Even if you haven't seen the previous seasons of Sons of Anarchy, each new episode reacquaints you with the characters and shows their personality allowing you to continue or begin as a regular viewer from that point on.  But, you will want to see some of the earlier seasons when you realize you can't get enough of the bikers and their challenges to stay on the wild side.
 
If you are a biker you probably are already tuned into the weekly drama keeping up with the action and the awesome choppers.  The script for Season Four gets really intense with the whole cast giving top notch performances. My favorites are Jax played by Charlie Hunnan who took over the presidency of SAMCRO and has grown to be a prolific leader. He's a strong willed biker who never gives up and becomes very uptight, especially if his love interest Tara played by Maggie Siff finds herself in any danger. His stepfather, mentor and former President of the gang is Clay played by Ron Perlman a sometimes vicious advisor who grabs at any chance of kicking butt.
 
But my favorite character is Gemma played by Katey Sagal.  The strong willed matriarch of the gang who treats the members like family, but outsiders need to keep their distance from this dangerous lady.  She's smart, cautious and resilient holding the ‘family' together as best she can.  I become captivated with Sagal when she played the hilarious, ditsy yet sexy Peggy Bundy in Married with Children a fun weekly sitcom that still entertains.  It's fascinating to see this tough woman develop from such a naïve character that got her start in Television some 25 years ago.
 
The Blu-ray comes with a lot of extras that are enjoyable to watch and some of the better ones include:
 
Anarchy At House of Blues- In this bonus you'll be treated to a surprise singing performance by Katey Sagal who movies around the stage like a pro.
The Gag Reel- This fast paced series of outtakes are cool, ‘Butt' watch out you are going to get mooned.
Piney's Farewell- A touching goodbye to William Lucking who plays the character Piermont "Piney" Winston.  It's a tender tribute to one of the shows most interesting characters who took a lot of punishment. But Piney's had to go as his loyalty to the "family" changed leaving no choice but elimination.  You have to watch the series in order to see how Piney meets his maker.
 
The Blu-ray has many additional features on each of the discs including:
The Fans of Anarchy
Deleted Scenes- all three discs
Extended Scenes- all three discs
Commentary with Peter Weller, Kurt Sutter, Katey Sagal and Maggie Siff
SOA Gear- all three discs
 
Also included in the Sons of Anarchy disc box are flyers for a chance to instantly win a custom motorcycle and information on how to download a brand new SOA app featuring "New Ways to Live the Ride" where you can explore the Virtual Clubhouse and unlock exclusive behind-the-scenes content, character bios and trivia.  You can also purchase SOA gear. 
 
A NOTE: The Blu-ray disc presentation is in Television High Definition and may not play as you would like if you have an older Blu-ray player.  Go to your manufacturer's web site for information on how to upgrade your player.
 
Season five starts September 11^th with 13 new episodes promised to thrill and chill.
 
FINAL ANALYSIS: An engrossing tale of motorcycles and mayhem. (B)
 
Specifications and additional film information:
Cast: Charlie Hunnam , Katey Sagal , Mark Boone Junior , Ron Perlman , Tommy Flanagan , Kim Coates , William Lucking , Theo Rossi , Maggie Siff
Directed by: Several
Created by: Kurt Sutter
TV Rating: TV-14A
Genre: Drama, TV Series
Running Time: 656 min
Street Date: August 28, 2012
Original Television Release Date: September 8 thru December 6, 2011
Language: English
Format: Blu-ray
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Video: Widescreen: 1.78:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Number of Discs: 3 discs
Distributed by: 20^th Century Fox