Just in time for the holidays, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has released the Sons of Anarchy: The Collector’s Set featuring the first six seasons of the series packed in a special replica of the the iconic SAMCRO Clubhouse table.

Sons of Anarchy is a gritty, gripping drama that follows the exploits of the SAMCRO Motorcycle Club—a tight-knit group of outlaws involved in many illicit businesses, including guns and drugs. The club always seem to find itself in trouble with the law, or squaring off with other rival MCs and gangs. The president of the MC is Clay Morrow (Ron Pearlman), a tough leader who seems to be leading the club down an increasingly dangerous path in order to get rich quick. Clay is married to Gemma (Katey Sagal), whose husband JT used to run the MC, before he was killed. Her son Jax (Charlie Hunnam) doesn’t like the direction the club is headed in. Reading his father’s journal, Jax discovers that his father had wanted to leave the club, but had a rising concern for his life. Jax decides to investigate his father’s death, as well as try to change the club from within.

Over the course of its run, the series explores in depth the drama of life as part of an MC, and the struggle to balance the club with personal life. Each season builds off the the previous one, and is filled with action, suspense, violence and death. There is also a nice dose of humor to help temper some of the really dark places the series goes.

All of the characters are well-defined and explored. You really get a sense of each of the MC members, but also have to try not to get too attached because anyone is fair game, and may be the next to experience some gruesome death. This is one aspect of the show I really appreciate—you never know what’s going to happen, so it keeps you on your toes. The stakes always feel real because you never know who is going to make it through the season.

For the most part the series gets better and better with each season, with the only stumble being the “Irish season” (season 3). I (and many others) found this a bit slow at times. However, it does have some high points, and sets up some major developments that shape the rest of the series.

The series itself comes highly recommended and is definitely worth checking out. I have heard some people compare it to The Sopranos, but set in the world of MCs, and I think that’s pretty accurate.

The series looks and sounds amazing on Blu-ray—even better than the first time I watched on the HD FX channel. This set also comes with a huge array of extras, all of which are detailed below.

This box set is a repackaging of the discs from the previously-released individual seasons. The contents of these discs have not changed. We have previously reviewed the individual releases of seasons four, five and six.

While there is no new material on the discs, the packaging for this collector’s set is quite nice. Everything is packed in an outer cardboard box that is made to look like a crate. Inside this padded box is a replica of the SAMCRO clubhouse table. I’m not sure what material it is made of out, but it feels very solid and has some nice weight to it. Small magnets in the corners keep the lid securely on the box. The cover lifts off to reveal a book inside, as well as a coupon for $5 off the Season 7 Blu-ray or DVD. There is a ribbon to help left the book out of the case.

The book is very nice (though it seems prone to attracting fingerprints) with really thick, detailed pages. Each season comprises two pages of the book. First there is a page announcing the season, and on the next page there is gallery of photos, along with a quote. There are slots at the top of this page to hold the discs. It is fairly easy to slide the discs out of the cardboard slots—though not without leaving fingerprints on the bottom of the discs. The pages of the book can be seen in the next section.

The discs themselves are exactly the same as what was already included in the individual releases, just with new disc art to make them all uniform. The discs still have the same menus and trailers for old fox releases.

The book contains pages with empty slots for the final seventh season, which should arrive on Blu-ray early next year. This allows folks to pick up this collector’s set in time for the holidays for the SoA fan on their shopping lists, and not worry about having to buy another Complete Series set later on. However, I suspect Fox will eventually include the final season in a future version of this set, as they did with the James Bond 50th Anniversary box set which originally came with an open slot for Skyfall, but now ships with it included. The one drawback is that the Season 7 discs for the individual release likely won’t match the others that say “Sons of Anarchy Collector’s Edition” on them.

It’s a little disappointing that there was nothing new included in this set—even a digital copy of seasons 1-6 would have been a nice addition so there was at least some new content included. However, the existing collection of bonus features is quite extensive.

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What’s Included:

There is no new/exclusive material included in this box set. The contents are the same as the existing Blu-ray releases, in premium packaging.

The box also contains $5 coupon off the final season of the series

Discs are contained in slots on pages of a photo book, which is housed in a high-quality box that is a replica of the SAMCRO clubhouse table. This comes packed in an outer cardboard box made to look like a wooden crate.

 

The 19-discs of the set are broken down by season:

Season 1 – Discs 1-3

Episodes: (594 min)

• All 13 episodes of Season 1: “Pilot”, “Seeds”, “Fun Town”, “Patch Over”, “Giving Back”, “AK-51”, “Old Bones”, “The Pull”, “Hell Followed”, “Better Half”, “Capybara”, “The Sleep of Babies”, “The Revelator”
• 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, Spanish Dolby Surround
• English SDH, Spanish, French subtitles

Extras:

• Audio Commentaries
  • “Pilot” (57:11)
    Series creator Kurt Sutter, and stars Charlie Hunnam, Ron Pearlman, and Katey Sagal talk about what they knew about the MC world before starting work on the series, and what surprised them.
  • “The Pull” (43:32)
    Series creator Kurt Sutter, director Guy Ferland and stars Maggie Siff and Charlie Hunnam talk about this episode which plays a pivotal role in Jax and Tara’s relationship.
  • “The Revelator” (59:49)
    Series creator Kurt Sutter is joined by cast members Charlie Hunnam, Ron Pearlman, Kim Coates, Mark Boone Junior, Theo Rossi, Ryan Hurst, William Lucking, Johnny Lewis and Tommy Flannigan to talk about the season finale.
• The Making of Sons of Anarchy, Season 1 (8:59)
  The cast and creators talk about the premise of the show, the characters and the MC world. Includes a tour of the clubhouse set, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with producer Jack LoGiudice, executive producer/creator Kurt Sutter, production designer Anthony Medina, costume designer Kelly Jones, and stars Charlie Hunnam (“Jax”), Kim Coates (“Tig”), Katey Sagal (“Gemma”), Ron Pearlman (“Clay”), Theo Rossie (“Juice”), Johnny Lewis (“Half Sack”) Tommy Flannigan (“Chibs”), and Sprague Grayden (“Donna”).
• The Ink (4:50)
  A discussion of the logos, patches, lettering and tattoos used on the show. Includes interviews with production designer Anthony Medina, executive producer/creator Kurt Sutter, tattoo artists Freddy Corbin and Derrick Snodgrass, and stars Kim Coates, Charlie Hunnam, Theo Rossi, Katey Sagal, Mark Boone Jr., Ron Pearlman, and Mitch Pileggi.
• The Bikes (7:08)
  I look at each of the charachters’ motorcycles. Includes interviews with mechanic John Landon, executive producer/creator Kurt Sutter, and stars Charlie Hunnam, Theo Rossi, Katey Sagal, Kim Coates, Mark Boone Jr., Tommy Flannigan, Johnny Lewis, and Ron Pearlman.
• Casting Sons of Anarchy (14:47)
  Casting director Wendy O’Brien talks about all of the various characters and actors who play them. Includes audition footage and interviews with Mitch Pileggi (“Ernest Darby”), Taylor Sheridan (“Deputy Chief David Hale”), Johnny Lewis, Tommy Flannigan, Theo Rossi, Kim Coates, William Lucking (“Piney”), Ryan Hurst (“Opie”), Sprague Grayden, Mark Boone Jr, Maggie Siff (“Tara”), Katey Sagal, Ron Pearlman, and Charlie Hunnam.
• Deleted Scenes (35:08)
  A collection of 29 deleted/extended scenes. Play All or select from “Original Pilot” SC 63/64, SC 65, “Revised Pilot” SC 62, “Seeds” SC 19, SC 55/56, “Fun Town” SC 4, SC 17 Extended, “Patch Over” SC 2, SC 22, “AK-51” SC 8, SC 17, SC 20 Extended, SC 22, SC 26, SC 36, SC 44, “Old Bones” SC 36, “The Pull” SC 12B, “Hell Followed” SC 19 Extended, SC 23, “Better Half” SC 15 Extended, SC 26, SC 28 Extended, “Capybara” SC 3, SC 35, “The Sleep of Babies” SC 7, SC 15, SC 39A/41 Extended, SC 42.
• Anarchy on the Set (Gag Reel) (6:55)
  A fun “viewer discretion” leads into a montage of some of the show’s most graphic scenes, and then we get the usual fare of cursing, flubbed lines, and general fun on set.

Season 2 – Discs 4-6

Episodes: (583 min)

• All 13 episodes of Season 2: “Albification”, “Small Tears”, “Fix”, “Eureka”, “Smite”, “Faix Cerebri”, “Gilead”, “Potlatch”, “Fa Guan”, “Balm”, “Service”, “The Culling”, “Na Trioblóidí”
• 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1
• English SDH, Spanish, French (Quebec), French (Paris), Portuguese, Cantonese, Korean subtitles

Extras:

• Audio Commentaries
  • “Albification” (46:33)
    Series creator Kurt Sutter is joined by director Guy Ferland and stars Ron Perlman and Adam Arkin to discuss the season premiere.
  • “Balm” (54:16)
    Series creator Kurt Sutter is joined by director Paris Barclay, writer Dave Erickson and cast members Ron Perlman, Katey Sagal, Maggie Siff, and Charlie Hunnam.
  • “Na Trioblóidí” (59:17)
    Kurt Sutter is joined by nearly all of the cast members (Ron Pearlman, Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, Maggie Siff, Theo Rossi, Mark Boone Jr., Tommy Flannigan, William Lucking, Dayton Callie and Taylor Sheridan) to discuss the season finale. This commentary can also be viewed via picture-in-picture.
• Gag Reel (3:57)
  Another collection of excessive cursing, flubbed lines, prop malfunctions and general chaos/fun on set.
• Deleted Scenes (40:08)
  Deleted scenes appear on each disc for the episodes contained on that disc. Each disc has a Play All option as well as per-episode playback.
• The Moral Code of Sons of Anarchy (10:33)
  A discussion on how the MC develops its own moral code, rules and laws. Includes interviews with executive producer/writer Kurt Sutter, stars Ron Pearlman, Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, and Mark Boone Jr.
• Sons of Anarchy Roundtable (40:29)
  Kurt Sutter is joined by cast members Ron Perlman, Charlie Hunnam, Theo Rossi, Tommy Flannigan, Ryan Hurst, Mark Boone Jr, William Lucking, Taylor Sheridan, Dayton Callie, Katey Sagal, and Maggie Siff to answer questions submitted by fans of the show. It’s really fun to see pretty much the entire cast in the same room.

Season 3 – Discs 7-9

Episodes: (588 min)

• All 13 episodes of Season 3, four of which are included in both standard and extended creator’s cuts: “So”*, “Oiled”, “Caregiver”, “Home”, “Turning and Turning”, “The Push”, “Widening Gyre”, “Lochan Mor”, “Turas”, “Firinne”, “Bainne”, “June Wedding”*, “NS”*
• 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1
• English SDH, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Mandarin subtitles

Extras:

• Audio Commentaries
  • “So” (49:50)
    Kurt Sutter is joined by writers Dave Erickson, Chris Collins, Regina Corrado, Liz Sagal and Marco Ramirez for a discussion on the season premiere.
  • “Firinne” (44:51)
    Kurt Sutter is joined by stars Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, Maggie Siff and Tommy Flannigan.
  • “NS” (59:54)
    Kurt Sutter is joined by stars Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman, Mark Boone Jr., Kim Coates, Tommy Flannigan, Theo Rossi, Ryan Hurst and Dayton Callie to discuss the season finale.
• Extended Episodes
  Includes both the original and extended versions of four episodes: “So” (301), “June Wedding” (312), and “NS” (413). It’s nice that the Season Play feature shows these extended versions of the episodes.
• The Future Begins Now (9:41)
  A collection of shorts that serve to bridge the gap between the end of season three and start of season four. Play All or select from “Pay Phone”, “Tara and Piney”, “Jax Meets Thomas”, and “Mexican Basketball”. It would have been great if this had been included on the first disc of the season instead of the last so it was easier to watch before starting the season.
• Writer’s Roundtable (18:14)
  After an intro from stars Ron Perlman, Maggie Siff, Kim Coates, Charlie Hunnam, Tommy Flannigan, Theo Rossi, and Ryan Hurst, Kurt Sutter joins writers Dave Erickson, Marco Ramirez, Brady Dahl, Chris Collins, and Liz Sagal to answer questions submitted by fans on Twitter.
• Bike Customizer (15:45)
  The producers of the series built a custom bike to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project. After a brief intro from Kurt Sutter, bike builders Rusty Coones and T-Rod take viewers into their shop as they design and build the motorcycle.
• Directing the Finale with Kurt Sutter (5:32)
  Creator/writer/executive producer/director talks about directing the season finale each season. Includes footage of Sutter on set with the cast and crew.
• “NS” Table Read with Cast (44:05)
  It’s always fun to see this cast all together in one room, and not only is the entire cast present but also the writers/producers. As they read through the script for the season finale, clips from the final episode periodically appear in the corner of the screen.
• Gag Reel (3:02)
  The usual gag reel antics of flubbed lines, prop malfunctions, and the cast having fun on set. (And, with this cast, lots of cursing.)
• Deleted Scenes (27:53)
  Deleted scenes appear on each disc for the episodes contained on that disc.
• Fox Movie Channel Presents: World Premiere – Sons of Anarchy Season 3 (5:12)
  Tava Smiley interviews the cast from the red cart of the world premiere for season 3—Kurt Sutter, Charlie Hunnam, Maggie Siff, Kim Coates, Ron Pearlman, Katey Sagal.
• Sons at Comic-Con 2011 (4:57)
  Exclusively available via BD-Live. Footage from the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con Panel with Kurt Sutter, Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal and Ron Perlman.

Season 4 – Discs 10-12

Episodes: (656 min)

• All 14 episodes of Season 4, four of which are included in both standard and extended creator’s cuts: “Out”, “Booster”, “Dorylus”*, “Una Venta”, “Brick”*, “With An X”, “Fruit for the Crows”, “Family Recipe”*, “Kiss”*, “Hands”, “Call of Duty”, “Burnt and Purged Away”, “To Be, Act 1”, “To Be, Act 2”
• 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1
• English SDH, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese subtitles

Extras:

• Gear Up with the All New SOA App
  Download the free SOA App from iTunes or the Android app store and sync up for a second screen experience while watching the Blu-ray. I found this a bit disappointing—while some shows use the second screen feature to give extra facts and footage, the primary focus of the SOA App is to sell you SOA apparel based on what the characters are currently wearing in the episode.
• Extended Episodes
  Includes both the original and extended versions of four episodes: “Dorylus” (403), “Brick” (405), “Family Recipe” (408), and “Kiss” (409). It’s nice that the Season Play feature shows these extended versions of the episodes.

• Audio Commentaries
  Cast and crew give their perspective on the episodes, behind the scenes tidbits, and also answer some fan questions. A highlight is the full cast attempting to sing along with the theme.
  • Cast/Crew Commentary on “Out” (401) – Paris Barclay, Kurt Sutter, Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman
  • Director Commentary on “Hands” (410) – Peter Weller
  • Cast/Crew Commentary on “Hands” (410) – Kurt Sutter, Katey Sagal, Maggie Siff
  • Cast/Crew Commentary on “To Be – Act 1” (413) – Kurt Sutter, Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman, Mark Boone Jr., Dayton Callie, Theo Rossi, Kim Coates, Tommy Flanagan and Ryan Hurst
  • Cast/Crew Commentary on “To Be – Act 2” (414) – Kurt Sutter, Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman, Mark Boone Jr., Dayton Callie, Theo Rossi, Kim Coates, Tommy Flanagan and Ryan Hurst
• Deleted Scenes (23:49)
  A collection of 25 deleted/extended scenes—Deleted scenes appear on each disc for the episodes contained on that disc.
• Gag Reel (2:44)
  I always enjoy a fun gag reel—messed up lines, cursing, etc.
• Farewell Piney (7:10)
  The title is a bit spoilerly if you haven’t seen the season yet. The cast and crew talk about the character of Piney.
• Fans of Anarchy (4:47)
  Interviews with Kurt Sutter and the winners of a social media contest for two fans to fly out to meet the cast and crew for the season premiere.
• Anarchy at House of Blues (10:20)
  Footage from the sold-out benefit concert to raise money for the family of deceased SoA family member John O’Brien. Among the performances are Katey Sagal singing “Bird on a Wire” and a live performance of the theme song.

Season 5 – Discs 13-15

Episodes: (895 min)

• All 13 episodes of Season 5, four of which are included in both standard and extended creator’s cuts: “Sovereign”, “Authority Vested”*, “Laying Pipe”, “Stolen Huffy”*, “Orca Shrugged”, “Small World”*, “Toad’s Wild Ride”, “Ablation”, “Andare Pescare”, “Crucifixed”, “To Thine Own Self”, “Darthy”, “J’ai Obtenu Cette”*
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD MA
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French, Norwegian, Portuguese, Chinese

Extras:

• Deleted Scenes (14:43)
  A nice selection of 12 deleted these that include both fun and more serious moments. Scenes appear on the disc that contains that episode. Episodes with deleted scenes include Sovereign (501), Laying Pipe (503), Orca Shrugged (505), Ablation (508), Andare Pescare (509), To Thine Own Self (511) and J’ai Obtenu Cette (513).
• Audio Commentaries
  • Sovereign (501)
    Writer/series creator Kurt Sutter, director Paris Barclay, and actors Katey Sagal, Maggie Siff and Dayton Callie provide a behind-the-scenes look at what went into making this episode.
  • Darthy (512)
    Director Peter Weller provides interesting insights into the episode as well as the series as a whole, while also sharing some behind-the-scenes details.
• Gag Reel (4:51)
  It’s always fun to see a gag reel on a drama series. Lots of laughing, cursing, flubbed lines, dealing with crying babies and just general fun on set.
• Opie Winston (6:48)
  Kurt Sutter and the cast talk about the character of Opie and his journey on the show.
• Kurt Sutter: Creating Anarchy (3:41)
  Kurt Sutter talks about the challenge of keeping the show fresh and exciting while also heading towards the endgame of the final seasons.
• Fan Concert at The Clubhouse (19:29)
  Footage from a fan concert event held at the clubhouse set used in the series. Features interviews with Kurt Sutter and the lucky fans in attendance along with musical performances by The Forest Rangers accompanying Audra Mae for “The Unclouded Day”, Battleme for “Lights”, Katey Sagal for “Come Home To Me”, and Curtis Stigers for “John the Revelator”.

Season 6 – Discs 16-19

Episodes: (791 min)

• All 13 episodes of Season 6: “Straw”, “One One Six”, “Poenitentia”, “Wolfsangel”, “The Mad King”, “Salvage”, “Sweet and Vaded”, “Los Fantasmas”, “John 8:32”, “Huang Wu”, “Aon Rud Persanta”, “You Are My Sunshine”, “A Mother’s Work”
• 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French, Dutch

Extras:

• Audio Commentaries
  • “Straw” (1:03:35)
    Series creator Kurt Sutter, director Paris Barclay, and actor Jimmy Smits provide an interesting running commentary on the season premiere. The guys talk about the sensitive subject matter of the episode and provide a lot of behind-the-scenes tidbits about the actors, the sets, and some of the challenges they faced with actor availability and how the course of the season changed as a result.
  • “A Mother’s Work” (1:21:06)
    Executive producers Kurt Sutter and Paris Barclay, and actors Maggie Siff and Katey Sagal provide an entertaining running commentary on the season finale. They bring a lot of humor while discussing one of the show’s most emotional episodes.
• “Anarchy Afterword” on Select Episodes
  Anarchy Afterward was a live after-show that aired on FX after the new episodes premiered. The guests would break down the events of that night’s episode and answer questions from fans who called in. The series was hosted by Chris Franjola.
  • Season Premiere (45:12)
    Guests include series creator Kurt Sutter, stars Jimmy Smits and Kim Coates, and actress Margaret Cho.
  • “The Mad King” (44:04)
    Guests include series creator Kurt Sutter, stars Theo Rossi and Tommy Flanagan, and actress Retta.
  • Season Finale (59:50)
    Guests include series creator Kurt Sutter, and stars Katey Sagal and Maggie Siff.
• Deleted Scenes (7:39)
  The first two discs of the season each contain two deleted scenes. These are interesting, fully-produced scenes that add some more background into the events of the season, and don’t just feel like Blu-ray filler. It’s great to see them included here.
• Gag Reel (2:57)
  A fun gag reel that includes sets falling apart, prop malfunctions, forgotten/flubbed lines, crack-ups and lots of cursing.
• The Reaper Calls (7:05)
  Executive Producer Kurt Sutter talks about this season’s three major character deaths. Also includes interviews with Katey Sagal, Maggie Siff and Charlie Hunnam.
• “Sons Ford Sandy” (19:55)
  Footage from a fan/hurricane Sandy charity fundraising event held in New Jersey. Executive Producer Kurt Sutter and stars Kim Coates, Theo Rossi and Katey Sagal talk about the tenth episode of the season and field questions from the fans in the audience. Then Katey Sagal takes the stage to sing an original song. Also includes interviews with fan winners Rosiland Jaussi and Kevin Orozco, and moderator Oriana Schwindt.

 

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Final Thoughts:

Sons of Anarchy is an excellent series, an engaging drama with well-defined characters that gives the viewer the perfect blend of drama, action and humor. This set repackages the existing top-notch (and highly-recommended) Blu-ray releases into new, high quality packaging for fans and collectors. As there are no exclusive new features to this set, current owners of the existing Blu-ray sets don’t need rush out to buy this—unless they are a die-hard fan who feels the special packaging is worth the premium price. Another drawback is that the set does not include the seventh/final season—while there is a slot for these discs, the disc art from the separate release likely won’t be consistent with the rest of the set, which are all labeled Collector’s Edition. Unless you are buying this to give as a holiday gift to some lucky SoA fan, you may want to hold off for the likely re-release once the final season is out on Blu-ray as well (as Fox did with the Bond 50 set). That said, this collector’s set would make a wonderful gift for any SoA fan this holiday season!

 
Update: This box set has been replaced by the Complete Series Gift Set which also includes the final season.