Mentions of domestic abuse, substance use, sexual assault, murder, and torture.

Summary

• The Cartel/CIA storyline in Sons of Anarchy felt forced and unnecessary due to a plot twist involving undercover operatives.
• Clay's domestic abuse towards Gemma showcased a dark side, leading to a brutal beating and Gemma eventually wanting him killed.
• Sons of Anarchy had shocking and disturbing moments, including Gemma's sexual assault, Dawn's death, and Opie's tragic demise, leading viewers to quit.

Sons of Anarchy was packed with action and drama, but there were times when the show went too far, and some moments made viewers quit the show. Back in 2008, Kurt Sutter took the audience to the fictional town of Charming, California, to meet the motorcycle club Sons of Anarchy. Led by Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman), the club’s President, and Jackson “Jax” Teller (Charlie Hunnam), the VP, the Sons of Anarchy club was a one-of-a-kind type of family where everyone had everyone’s back, but there was also a lot of ambition and betrayal between them and with other clubs.

The events of Sons of Anarchy kicked off when Jax found his father’s manifesto, in which he detailed his vision and plans for the club as he founded it alongside his friend Piney Winston. Throughout the whole series, Jax did his best to honor his father’s plans but was eventually corrupted by revenge, anger, and ambition, as he learned some painful truths about his family and took over the club as its President. Sons of Anarchy was full of twists and turns, and some moments were shocking or frustrating enough to make viewers stop watching.

10 The Cartel Was The CIA

Sons Of Anarchy’s Cartel/CIA Plot Twist Was Awful

The addition of the cartel in Sons of Anarchy was already unnecessary, but the plot twist in that storyline was even worse. The Galindo Cartel was introduced in Sons of Anarchy season 4, and their business was drug trafficking. Clay made a deal with the cartel to mule cocaine for them, which was one of the lowest points in SAMCRO’s history and one of Clay’s worst decisions as President of the club. Clay made the deal with Romeo Parada (Danny Trejo), the cartel’s Lieutenant, but there was a big twist in their agreement.

This twist in the cartel storyline was unnecessary, hard to believe, and felt forced.

Romeo and his partner, Luis Torres, were actually undercover CIA operatives, and this stopped Lincoln Potter’s SAMCRO investigation but also gave them the power to use Potter’s RICO case against the club. Parada used this when Jax tried to end the club’s deal with them, as they needed SAMCRO to get the leader of the True IRA, Galen O’Shay. This twist in the cartel storyline was unnecessary, hard to believe, and felt forced, and the solution to it (the deaths of the people from the IRA and the cartel) was an easy way out.

9 Clay Hitting Gemma

Clay Showed A Dark Side In His Relationship With Gemma

Another terrible moment from Sons of Anarchy season 4 came as a result of Clay’s paranoia. When Piney told Clay he knew about his involvement in the death of Jax’s father, John “JT” Teller, Clay went to extremes to make sure he wouldn’t say anything. However, Piney had already shared what he knew with Jax’s wife, Tara (Maggie Siff). Increasingly paranoid and violent, Clay and Gemma (Katey Sagal) discussed the situation and agreed to keep Piney’s death a secret, but Gemma told Clay not to hurt Tara as she would talk to her.

Gemma confronted Clay, which led to a fight in which Clay brutally beat Gemma.

However, Clay ordered a hit on Tara that failed, and Gemma wasn’t happy about it. Gemma confronted Clay, which led to a fight in which Clay brutally beat Gemma. That was the moment Gemma knew Clay was out of control and had to be killed, and she wanted Jax to do it. Domestic abuse is never something that the audience wants to see, but coming from the leaders of SAMCRO, who had the most solid relationship and were supposed to be the parent figures of everyone, it was hard to watch, and even more so as Gemma was the strongest female character in the show.

8 Gemma’s Sexual Assault

Sons Of Anarchy Season 2 Went Too Far With Gemma

Zobelle and company went to extremes to send Clay a big message.

Before Clay hit Gemma, Sons of Anarchy put her through another horrible and traumatic situation in season 2. The antagonists in that season were a group of white supremacists known as the League of American Nationalists, led by Ethan Zobelle and his Lieutenant AJ Weston. Zobelle arrived in Charming to open a business and tried to force SAMCRO out of business but failed. Zobelle and company then went to extremes to send Clay a big message.

One day, Gemma was kidnapped by Weston and company and taken to a warehouse. Gemma was handcuffed to a cage and Weston and his men repeatedly beat her and sexually assaulted her, and left a message for Clay with her: to stop selling guns to the Mayans and Niners, or they would torture her again. This is one of the most shocking and disturbing scenes in all Sons of Anarchy, enough to make viewers quit at the beginning of season 2.

7 Dawn’s Death

Tig’s Daughter Didn’t Deserve To Die

Tig’s impulsiveness led him into huge trouble with drug kingpin Damon Pope after he killed his daughter in an attempt to kill the leader of the Niners.

The of SAMCRO had many enemies, and being part of the club meant their families weren’t entirely safe all the time, despite the club’s best efforts. Sons of Anarchy season 1 saw the shocking and premature death of Opie’s (Ryan Hurst) wife, Donna, as a result of Stahl’s meddling in SAMCRO and a last-minute change in Opie and Donna’s plans. Season 5 had another shocking death that was a lot more disturbing and unfair than Donna’s, and it involved Tig Trager (Kim Coates).

Tig’s impulsiveness led him into huge trouble with drug kingpin Damon Pope after he killed his daughter in an attempt to kill the leader of the Niners. In retaliation for his daughter’s death, Pope wanted Trig to go through the same, but he was unbelievably cruel. Pope kidnapped Tig and his daughter, Dawn, and while Tig was handcuffed and shackled, Dawn was thrown into a pit. There, Dawn was burned alive in front of Tig, who couldn’t do anything to save her. Although this showed Tig’s most vulnerable side, Dawn didn’t deserve to die, and the scene was too graphic and shocking.

6 Tara’s Murder By Gemma

Gemma Killed Tara Due To A Misunderstanding

Gemma still believed Tara had ratted on Jax and the club.

Tara and Jax had a roller-coaster relationship that began years before the events of Sons of Anarchy season 1, and it reached a tragic end in season 6. Tara got into huge trouble when she made various visits to SAMCRO member Otto (Sutter) in prison as requested by the club. These visits took a horrible turn when Otto killed a prison nurse with a cross Tara had smuggled for him, and so Tara was arrested. This led to a lot of trouble in Jax and Tara’s marriage as she feared for her sons’ safety and didn’t fully trust the club anymore.

After a lot of miscommunication between them, Tara and Jax finally came clean to each other and made a deal that would ensure her and their sons’ safety – however, Gemma still believed Tara had ratted on Jax and the club. Gemma attacked Tara at her and Jax’s home, forcing her head into the sink full of water and stabbing her on the back of her head with a carving fork.

Gemma got away with it and Jax found Tara’s body on the kitchen floor before he went to jail (as he had agreed), and the shock of Tara’s death, Gemma’s escape, Juice (Theo Rossi) helping Gemma, and Jax’s pain were enough to make viewers quit right before the final season.

5 Juice’s Betrayal Storyline

Juice’s Betrayal Could Have Been Avoided

Due to an outdated club rule, Juice’s spot in SAMCRO was in danger as his father was black.

Juice was SAMCRO’s hacker and intelligence officer, and though he was respected and valued within the club, outsiders saw him as SAMCRO’s weakest link. Due to an outdated club rule, Juice’s spot in SAMCRO was in danger as his father was black, but he never told Clay about it. This was used by Sheriff Roosevelt to blackmail Juice and get him to work with him, which he ended up doing. Jax eventually learned of Juice’s betrayal and let him know about it, and even though Juice tried to make up for his mistakes, he never regained the club’s trust.

Although Juice told Jax that Gemma killed Tara, that only granted him a quick death, which Jax arranged to thank him for his honesty, but Juice’s story didn’t have to go that far. Juice had been one of SAMCRO’s most loyal , and the rule was so outdated that no one cared that his father was black, only that he was loyal to the club. Juice’s betrayal storyline was frustrating because it could have been easily avoided had he told the club about Roosevelt’s threats, but instead, he succumbed to the pressure.

4 Bobby’s Torture & Death

Bobby Was One Of SAMCRO’s Best

Marks ordered his men to kidnap and torture Bobby.

One of SAMCRO’s most loyal and a fan favorite was Bobby Munson (Mark Boone Junior), whose loyalty was unwavering until the very end. Gemma’s lies after Tara’s murder unleashed a series of chaotic events and many deaths in Sons of Anarchy season 7. Following Pope’s death, the club had to deal with his right hand, August Marks, who was as cruel as Pope. To get information about SAMCRO, Marks ordered his men to kidnap and torture Bobby, who gouged out his right eye and sent it to the club along with a video of the mutilation, and later severed his fingers.

Despite this, Bobby never said a word and never betrayed the club, and Jax proposed a trade to Marks to rescue Bobby. Bobby, now also with his jaw broken, was released, but Marks had hidden a gun in Bobby’s belt. Marks warned Jax to never lie to him again, took the gun, and shot Bobby in the head. Bobby’s death was one of the most heartbreaking and shocking moments in Sons of Anarchy, and though it was close to the show’s finale, it was enough to make viewers not want to keep watching.

3 The Diosa Massacre

Lots Of Innocent People Died In The Diosa Massacre

Jax was involved in Nero Padilla’s business Diosa, an escort service, as he wanted SAMCRO to have a legitimate business.

One of SAMCRO’s biggest conflicts in Sons of Anarchy season 7 was with the Chinese Triads, led by Henry Lin, as Gemma told Jax that they were responsible for Tara’s death. By then, Jax was involved in Nero Padilla’s business Diosa, an escort service, as he wanted SAMCRO to have a legitimate business. Gemma’s lies led Jax to betray the Lin Triad, which Lin obviously didn’t take lightly, and prepared his revenge, which, like many other plans throughout Sons of Anarchy, ended up killing many innocent people.

After targeting SAMCRO’s ice cream shop clubhouse, Lin sent four of his men to Diosa, posing as clients so they could get in. Once there, they killed everyone at Diosa, both escorts and clients, leaving a truly horrific scene at Diosa. Sons of Anarchy season 7 was a lot more violent than previous seasons, and the Diosa massacre felt like unnecessary violence against a lot of innocent people.

2 Jax Provoking Wendy’s Relapse

Jax Went Too Far With Wendy

Wendy returned years later, now clean, wanting to be a part of Abel’s life, but Jax and Tara were understandably distrustful of her.

Before Tara and Jax got back together in Sons of Anarchy season 1, Jax had a relationship with Wendy (Drea de Matteo), with whom he had a son, Abel. Wendy had substance-use disorder and left shortly after Abel’s death. Wendy returned years later, now clean, wanting to be a part of Abel’s life, but Jax and Tara were understandably distrustful of her. Wendy told them she was the most stable adult in Abel’s life at that point and could easily get his custody if she wanted to, which Tara, Jax, and Gemma didn’t like.

After threatening Jax and Tara, the former paid a visit to Wendy. Jax threw Wendy against the wall and threatened her with reporting her and demanding a drug test. Immediately after that, Jax took out a syringe with heroin and injected it into Wendy’s arm, leaving her not only shocked but back into the pit she had worked so hard to get out of.

1 Opie’s Death

Opie Had The Most Tragic Story In Sons Of Anarchy

Their incarceration was part of Pope’s plan, and once in prison, the next phase in his revenge was revealed.

Damon Pope’s revenge plan didn’t stop with Dawn’s death. In Sons of Anarchy season 5, Jax, Chibs (Tommy Flanagan), and Tig were imprisoned, but Opie had himself arrested to them. Their incarceration was part of Pope’s plan, and once in prison, the next phase in his revenge was revealed. Pope wanted to make Jax choose which of them was going to die in prison so the rest could be freed, and Jax was going to choose himself. However, Opie stepped in and hit one of the guards, who took him away to kill him in front of the rest.

Opie’s final words as he looked at Jax were “I got this”, before he was fatally hit in the head. Opie had the most tragic story in Sons of Anarchy, and his close friendship with Jax, his place in the club’s history (as the son of one of the founders), his fierce loyalty to the club and his brothers, and his personal tragedies made his death one of the most shocking and heartbreaking moments of the series, enough to make anyone quit the show.