It was a long, drawn-out final season that definitely suffered from some serious padding. [Each episode was usually 90 minutes, and sometimes longer than that.] Since the entire season’s plot was mostly about revenge for the events of season 6, and not many new characters/storylines were introduced it felt like stalling until we finally got to the final two episodes of the season, which did deliver.
But even the series finale had a few too many “filler scenes” and you get the sense that the indulgent creator of SOA, Kurt Sutter, has never uttered the words “do you think we really need this second musical montage?”
Most of the characters we really cared about were dead before the episode began, and it rested mostly on Jax’s shoulders. [I’m left wondering about the future of SAMCRO since none of the surviving members of the original charter have much in the way of brainpower.] It showed just how strong a character he’s become over the course of the series since, for much of the first few seasons, I really thought he was an annoying whiner who hindered his motorcycle “club” (gang) more than understanding it.
The final motorcycle chase may have been cheesy and heavy handed—complete with flying crows, get it? Get the poetic imagery? And Michael Chiklis’ truck driver was borderline unintentionally funny—but it was a great way for the character to go out. It’s hard not to see that instantly-iconic image of Jax on his motorcycle being chased by a massive police entourage (a dozen squad cars deep and 5 bikes of their own) and not feel it as the perfect symbol of his transformation into California’s biggest outlaw. Grade for Final Season: C+…Grade for Series Finale: B+