Sons of Anarchy: The Complete Fourth Season

As the season starts, several members are released from prison, only to find that there's a new lawman in charge of Charming, the club's fictional California town, and he's a lot less accommodating than his predecessor; there's also a sneaky US attorney who plants a snitch among the Sons and is determined to take them and their various criminal associates down once and for all. Under Clay's less-than-honest leadership, the club also gets involved with a ruthless Mexican drug cartel and its leader (Danny Trejo, a former bad guy in real life whose face alone would be enough to scare most people straight), a move that goes against their core principles; like the Corleone family in The Godfather, they swore to never get involved in drug dealing (however, acting as cocaine mules for their new partners is apparently just fine). And there are numerous ongoing personal matters, including Jax's desire to quit and lead a normal life with his kids and spouse Tara (Maggie Siff), a doctor who's not a bit sure that the life of an old lady suits her, and a major storyline involving Clay's possible role in the death of John Teller, Jax's father and Gemma's first husband. Secrets are kept, lies are told, many are killed, wonderful music is heard (Dylan's "The Times They Are a-Changin'" in Spanish? Why not?)…. All in all, there's a lot going on, but series creator Kurt Sutter, who also plays the role of Otto, manages to keep a firm grip on the handlebars throughout. --Sam Graham