The Sons Of Anarchy Season That Left A Lot Of Fans Filled With Questions
Mixing dark humor with heartwrenching storytelling, showrunner Kurt Sutter's brand is all his own. First getting his name out there by writing for FX's "The Shield," Sutter is perhaps best known for creating Shakespearean biker drama, "Sons of Anarchy." Full of violence and deplorable characters, the story of Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) and his gang of outlaws easily could have just been another gritty crime drama. Instead, the series focuses on complex family dynamics and themes of love and loss.
The biggest moments of the show are not what gang they are warring with this season, but Jax's connection to family. One of the most important character deaths in "Sons of Anarchy" is the loss of Jax's one true love Tara (Maggie Siff), a brutal act that will never be forgotten because of how much emotional impact it had. These types of conflicts make for compelling storytelling, but can also go the other way. Because of the twists and turns of each season, there are some seasons that take awhile to get their point across. And according to some fans, one season left them with a lot of questions.
What was going on in Belfast?
Unlike the fairly straightforward conflict between SAMCRO and Ethan Zobelle (Adam Arkin) in Season 2, Season 3 becomes far more complicated. After a season of trekking through Ireland to find Jax's kidnapped son Abel, "Sons of Anarchy" Season 3 resolves in the highest rated episode of the series (via IMDb). But before Jax and his brothers can find resolution, they must contend with complicated machinations that made many fans on Reddit confused.
"I'm doing a rewatch and I legitimately don't understand most of season 3 no matter how much I try to wrap my head around it," posted u/Kalruk. Other Redditors such as u/NordWitcher also complained about how the motivations for the characters did not resonate with them. Due to a misunderstanding about Cameron's (Jamie McShane) son, the former kidnaps Abel and takes him to Belfast. But once Jax and the rest of the Sons make it to the Irish charter, they are met with pushback. The IRA spins the Sons in circles before eventually leading Jax to Abel.
Redditor u/PineappleImpossible3 voiced their issues in no uncertain terms in one post: "[I] get that [A]bel was taken because [Cameron] thought [G]emma killed his son. [B]ut now [I'm] so confused as to why they are keeping [the Sons in Ireland.][A]nd now they are trying to find [J]immy so the priest can give back [A]bel. [I] feel like this story is getting confusing." Luckily for these fans, fellow Redditors came to the rescue with an explanation.
Season 3 is more of an open and shut story
Redditors may not have been prepared for how ambitious Season 3 came out to be, but there were fellow fans that were willing to lend a helping hand. The confusing aspects were due largely to what fans did not see behind the scenes. Many of the political moves made by the IRA were offscreen and only revealed later.
Fans such as u/doyouhaveanypaper gave thorough explanations to the motivations of the Irish. The IRA is aware that Abel is in Belfast the whole time, but the reason that they lie to the Sons about it are for different reasons. Jimmy O. (Titus Welliver) has no interest in SAMCRO being in Belfast since he is making deals with the Russians. In the meantime, Priest Kellan Ashby's (James Cosmo) plot to assassinate Jimmy can only be carried out by an outsider. He uses Jax's search for Abel to manipulate the Sons into killing Jimmy. Ultimately this works and Jax gets Abel back, wrapping up the season nicely as showrunner Kurt Sutter had intended.
"Not to get arty here, but if I'm looking at potentially six or seven seasons of the show, I feel like the end of season 3 is perhaps the end of the first act," Sutter told Entertainment Weekly. "So I think it will feel a little more complete, and definitely not as open-ended as perhaps season 2." Though SAMCRO goes to prison, the villains are dealt with in a satisfying conclusion.