Sons of Anarchy, Episode 2.2

In this episode, Jax causes problems between The Club and its customers by disposing of a body, and Gemma starts her recovery from her recent trauma.

Watch it quick. This one expires on October 15.

Crime Beat

A woman reported her car was stolen at 10 a.m. Sept. 11 from the Ellison Park parking lot at 1008 Penfield Road. According to investigators, the woman parked the car, left it unlocked with her keys in the vehicle and went for a walk in the park. When she returned a half hour later, her car was gone.

For her next trick, she's going to see if gravity really is an immutable law of physics.

Sons of Anarchy, Episode 2.1

F/X does anti-heroes better than anyone. Let's look at what they've done: The Shield, Rescue Me, Damages, The Riches, Thief, Nip/Tuck. Heck, even Over There, if you're looking to expand your definition of anti-hero.Then, last September, timed to coincide with the last season of The Shield, F/X premiered a new show that surprised me and pleased me with its dark characters and vicious and (in)human storylines.

Sons of Anarchy is the story of Jax, a young member of a the motorcycle gang SAMCRO (the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original). He has recently been promoted to Vice-President, the right hand man of his step-father, who was an original member of The Club with Jax's father. Meanwhile, Jax has just become a father to a sick child that his drug-addicted girlfriend gave birth to. Jax's true love, who has come back to town, is the doctor at the hospital. While cleaning out his father's storage, Jax finds a manuscript where his father lays out how The Club has gone wrong, and how they've sacrificed their pursuit of freedom at the altar of economic prosperity.

At the beginning of this season, Jax's best friend, Opie, is recovering from a tragic loss, while The Club tries to get its feet back under itself by making a new deal with the IRA at the same time they're trying to prevent neo-Nazis from moving into town. And Jax has to handle all of this while deciding if justice is attainable, or just an illusion.

It's less noir than it is 1930s gangster film, with some Oedipal undertones. It takes the standard Gangster film-critique of the capitalist American Dream and contrasts it with the original American Dream of individual freedom. It's sort of like, THE GODFATHER meets EASY RIDER meets HAMLET. It features great performances from Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal and The Awesome Ron Perlman. And with the additions of Adam Arkin (lately of another favorite, the canceled Life) and Henry Rollins, it promises to be an intense year.

Watch the video here or catch up with it on Hulu.com. But do it quick. This episode is only up until October 8.

Crime Beat

At 8:35 a.m. Sept. 1, a man on John Jay Drive reported that in February, he received an e-mail from a lottery foundation in England that said he had won a $200,000 prize, but needed him to send money to cover fees and taxes. He said that on 10 occasions, he sent in amounts between $1,000 and $2,500, but has never received his “lottery winnings.” He said he has used his entire savings up.

Sigh...This still happens?

Crime Beat

At 9:07 p.m. Aug. 19, a stroller left unattended by a ride at Seabreeze, 4600 Culver Road, was reported stolen. The victim’s purse containing a $200 digital camera and a wallet with credit cards was in the stroller. The stroller and purse were later located in a rest room near a main gate. The contents of the wallet were gone. Security personnel told officers that a large number of purses and wallets were taken from guests in the park this day, but most of the items were recovered in the same rest room.

Crime Beat

Three suspects between the ages of 17 and 18 were charged with making graffiti and/or committing felony-level criminal mischief. The three are suspected of painting graffiti in Brighton, Pittsford and Rochester between April and August. Tag names used were “SKAR,” “A-CAP,” “Scarface,” and BreH.”

And with this sad final chapter, the HERB saga comes to a close. Not with a bang, but with a whimper. I only wish I knew more.

Crime Beat

Somebody stole a golf cart from Executive South Family Golf on East Henrietta Road and drove it into a fence a short distance away from the course sometime between Tuesday, Aug. 11, and Wednesday, Aug. 12.

Shanked it on the getaway.

Crime Beat

Somebody stole the “Welcome to Henrietta” sign off the property at Locust Hill Country Club sometime between Sunday, June 28, and Thursday, Aug. 13. Deputies said the sign was sawed off from its wooden posts.

I'd look strongly at these people. Or anybody with a saw.

Crime Beat

At 8:56 p.m. Aug. 9, a manager of a store on Empire Boulevard reported seeing three men pushing a large safe in a shopping cart from outside a convenience store on the 400 block of Empire Boulevard. When the store clerk was contacted by police, he said he was not aware of any problem, but when he went to check a locked, separate office area, he found the lock broken and the door wide open. The $200 safe containing $8,000 in store and lottery receipts was gone. Damage to the office door is estimated at $50.

It's so hard to find good help these days. "No officer, I did not see or hear the three men break a locked door in my store, steal a safe that was heavy enough that three men couldn't carry it, and instead took one of my shopping carts to haul it off. But it was Monday. The Bachelorette was on."

Crime Beat

A resident of the 3000 block of East Avenue said a man came to her door at 3 p.m. July 22, saying his name was Joe and that he was doing work for the neighbors behind her house. He asked her to look at a fence he was going to work on. When she returned to the house, she found her diamond tennis bracelet missing, along with checks. The neighbors stated they did not have work scheduled. The suspect was a white male between the ages of 30 and 40. He was described as being 5-feet-4, weighing around 155 pounds and having brown hair.

Despite rumors to the contrary, I am not a "person of interest" in this investigation.

Crime Beat

A deputy found a vending machine in a ditch on the side of Willard Road on July 21. The machine had been pried open, and the coin collection box was missing from the machine.

It's an epidemic now! All the kids are doing it! It just seems like an awful lot of effort for $20 in small change.

Crime Beat

At 10:15 a.m. July 21, an eight-foot rowboat valued at $800 was reported stolen from behind a garage in the 5300 block of St. Paul Boulevard.

Mary Lee strikes again. Oh, Mary Lee, Mary Lee, Mary Lee, Mary Lee. What is life like for you?

Crime Beat

At 9:37 a.m. July 21, after a traffic stop on Empire Boulevard for a driver talking on a cellular phone, Jose K. Rivera, 35, of Vayo Street, Irondequoit, was charged with the cell phone violation as well as driving with a suspended license and unlawful possession of marijuana.

I mean, I'm glad to see the cell phone law working and all, but, is that really your lead on this story? What with the drugs and all?

Crime Beat

Somebody stole a vending machine from the Burlington Coat Factory on West Henrietta Road at about 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 18.The suspect, described as a white male in his 30s, wearing a blue shirt, used a dolly to remove the machine.

Deputies later recovered the machine near the intersection of Clover Street and Mendon Center Road.

Hmmm... Well-planned binge eating. I'd search the MENSA meetings for bulimic truckers.