The best episodes of Sons of Anarchy highlight one of the most intense shows in recent memory. The series follows the SAMCRO motorcycle club and specifically the young member Jax who is following in the footsteps of his father while finding out that the club is not all that it seems. The show gripped audiences for seven seasons with its violent crime story and morally complex characters. Through the countless memorable moments, the best Sons of Anarchy episodes stand out among the rest.
The show takes a Shakespearean approach to this story of the motorcycle club and its various crimes, as Sons of Anarchy shares a lot with Hamlet. It does so by showing the complicated family dynamics, the shocking betrayals, and plenty of deaths of some of the most beloved characters on the series. This ambitious approach is shown to be a success with the best Sons of Anarchy episodes fans can revisit over and over.
15 Ablation (Season 5, Episode 8)
The relationship between Jax and Gemma has always been a strange one but "Ablation" takes it to another level. The episode takes place in the aftermath of Gemma getting in a car accident while drunk with Jax's children in the car. It adds another element of tension to the already wrought family dynamic. However, Jax's insistence on how Gemma can make it up to him shows their relationship is damaged beyond repair.
The episode is also filled with revelations that fans have been waiting to have uncovered for a long time. The biggest comes from Juice who finally tells Clay about how he has been blackmailed by the FBI. Though SAMCRO has plenty of enemies, this episode cements that some of the biggest ones are in their own club.
14 Gilead (Season 2, Episode 7)
Given all the illegal activities the SAMCRO club has been involved in, it is not surprising that they end up in prison. "Gilead" dedicates a whole episode to the gang behind bars while their loved ones on the outside desperately try to get them out. This leads to Jax and the others making some creative decisions to stay alive and make deals while locked up.
The prison setting is a great device to add to the tension of the story as the gang is isolated from back up and relying only on each other while being surrounded by a lot of potential enemies. The intensity is amplified by the ongoing tension between Clay and Jax which finally boils over, promising that nothing will be the same once they are released.
13 Family Recipe (Season 4, Episode 8)
"Family Recipe" is an episode that sees drastic changes in how the audience views two key characters. The first is Clay who is finally confirmed to be the one who killed Jax's father John Teller. Along with the confirmation, Clay shows how far he is willing to go to cover it up as he kills Piney.
The episode is also an important one for Juice who was initially seen as a comic relief member of the gang. However, with a secret threatened to be exposed that could get him kicked out of the gang, the viewers see the heartbreaking reality of how much he needs the gang and how devastated his life would be if it was taken from him.
12 Hands (Season 4, Episode 10)
Clay's path to becoming a true villain of the series hits a new stride in "Hands" as he makes some decisions he cannot come back from. The episode begins with Clay putting out a hit on Tara, showing that there are no limits to what he will do in order to keep the power he has in the club and to keep Jax right where he wants him. The failed hit only succeeds in setting Jax on a new warpath.
However, the most dramatic element in the show comes with Clay's confrontation with Gemma. Though they have much of the same blood on their hands, Gemma knows Clay has gone too far, leading to an explosive and brutal fight between the two. In the end, the episode leaves the viewers with the tease of Gemma finally realizing she needs to kill Clay.
11 J’ai Obtenu Cette (Season 5, Episode 13)
Since the beginning of the series, fans were waiting for the day that Jax took over as leader of the club. With Clay's self-serving and villainous ways showing themselves very early on, it seemed like things would go a lot smoother with Jax's more noble personality leading the way. This finally happened at the end of season 4.
As much as that seemed like a small victory at the time, season 5 of the show proved that Jax struggled with his new position and it was far from easy. "J'ai Obtenu Cette" marks the end of that tale and the episode that finally sees Jax find his place as leader. As it turns out, it may have been the wrong thing for fans to be rooting for as his ultimate choices in dealing with the club's biggest issues suggest he might not be as different from Clay as he likes to think.
10 A Mother's Work (Season 6, Episode 13)
In what was one of the most harrowing moments of the entire series, Gemma, who was grief-stricken at the thought of never seeing her grandchildren again, came down on Tara in a final confrontation between the two. Drunk and depressed (particularly after her breakup with Nero), she bashed in Tara's head with an iron, forced her head into a kitchen sink full of water and stabbed her in the back of the head with a carving fork.
This gruesome death eliminated any chance that Jax may have had to escape from Charming with his family intact in pursuit of a better life. It was also incredibly tragic because while Gemma killed Tara due to assuming that the latter had turned on Jax, the opposite was true. With the right information, Sons of Anarchy could have been avoided.
9 Aon Rud Persanta (Season 6, Episode 11)
Even after losing his SAMCRO Presidency, Clay remained a necessary asset to the club, due to his stable relationship with Galen O' Shea and the Irish Kings. This meant that Jax was unable to take revenge for his father's death as well as those of Piney and Donna; a fact that frustrated both Jax and the rest of the club.
It is perhaps for this reason why many fans found themselves breathing a heavy sigh of relief once Jax finally pulled the trigger on Clay, ending one of the bloodiest eras in SAMCRO's history. In addition to this defining moment, a thrilling prison transport ambush as well as SAMCRO turning on O'Shea resulted in rollercoaster ride from start to finish.
8 The Sleep Of Babies (Season 1, Episode 12)
Like Tara's death, this episode contained yet another murder that could have been avoided with the right information. After ATF Agent June Stahl detained Opie for questioning and later attempted to get him to collaborate, Clay became increasingly wary of him. Despite Opie refusing to rat on his club, Tig found that Opie's truck had indeed been wiretapped which resulted in Clay ordering a hit on Opie.
After Abel's homecoming party, Tig was ordered to follow Opie's truck and subsequently shoot him. Unfortunately, Donna was the one who decided to take Opie's truck for a spin, and once Clay found out that Opie was innocent and attempted to Tig, the deed was already done.
7 Darthy (Season 5, Episode 12)
This was one of the most important episodes in the series in regard to club politics. After considering Clay's confession about the break-ins with the Nomads, what he did to Piney and the John Teller letters, the club needed to vote on whether or not he would be required to lose his patch, and perhaps, his life.
While he was able to keep his life, viewers were treated to vivid scenes of Clay losing his patch, all of his SAMCRO-related tattoos being blacked out by Happy with the club looking on. Also featured in this episode was Jax's brutality; after Wendy threatened him with legal action because of Abel's abduction, he threatened her in her apartment. Then, Jax heinously injected an illegal substance into her arm.
6 The Culling (Season 2, Episode 12)
The penultimate episode of season 2 saw SAMCRO go into complete lockdown; all club and their families taking shelter at the clubhouse while stocking up on food, weapons, ammunition and other supplies before having their final showdown with the League of American Nationalists.
Following Jax's crafty arrangement for A.J. Weston's kids to be taken in by Child Family Services was an intense battle between the revenge-driven Sons and the Aryans, as well as a long-awaited confrontation with the mastermind behind the League of American Nationalists, Ethan Zobelle.
