For a long time running, Sons of Anarchy was the best show on television. It revived the career of many actors, launched several others, and had some of the best writing on the planet.
Kurt Sutter said that even the most die-hard fans may have missed something that he was sneaking in all the time.
The number 47.
“From the Belfast charter to their bloody relationship with the Real IRA – SAMCRO had deep ties to the Irish,” Sutter posted on social media alongside the Sons of Anarchy logo.
“I was always looking for ways to nod at that relationship throughout the series,” he continued. “One of my favorite bands is the Celtic-American band, Black 47. Their name of course, a reference to the worst year of the Great Pamine that plagued Ireland – 1847.” In another image, Sutter added, “So, in tribute to both the band and the historical event, the number 47 shows up numerous times throughout the series – on walls, documents, buildings, bodies, etc. We also used Black 47s song ‘The Big Fellah’ in episode 308 when SAMCRO first arrives in Ireland. Big Fellah was a nickname for Michael Collins, and the song documents the complicated relationship he had with the people of Ireland and their struggle for independence.”
Sutter also provided a couple of examples to the masses showing that the number turned up plenty in the series.
In episode 605, an Irish inmate hands Clay a book and tells him, “It gets real good around page 47.”
Another example Sutter shared was, “in episode 213, when Jax kills Weston, there’s a 47 on the stall door.”
Then, in a follow-up tweet, Sutter invited fans to let him know “if you can spot any other 47s.”
Time to rewatch and get back to Sutter on other 47s.
