Sons Of Anarchy’s 10 Most Shocking Moments

While many crime shows use unexpected moments to create drama and tension, very few are filled with quite as many shocking scenes as Sons of Anarchy. The series follows a group of outlaw bikers and while they are initially presented as anti-heroes who look out for their local community, it quickly becomes apparent quite how flawed SAMCRO really is. The club’s violent actions spiraled out of control, resulting in many innocent people losing their lives, and these crimes eventually caught up with the central characters, as very few SAMCRO members survived Sons of Anarchy‘s ending.

Kurt Sutter’s biker drama was easily one of the most controversial shows on TV during its seven-season run, and it refused to shy away from even the most extreme topics, hence why the series remains so iconic. Unfortunately, some of the brutal deaths and triggering content led to some viewers quitting Sons of Anarchy before it reached its conclusion, proving how divisive it is. Still, despite its polarizing nature, Sons of Anarchy managed to become one of the greatest shows of the 21st century, and fans still aren’t over its most shocking moments almost a decade later.

10 Tig Accidentally Kills Donna

Season 1, Episode 12

Although it’s difficult to narrow Sons of Anarchy to just 10 shocking moments, one of the earliest scenes that left viewers stunned came towards the end of season 1, when Tig accidentally killed Donna. Firing the gun was no accident, but Tig was attempting to kill his fellow SAMCRO member, Opie, not his wife. After gaining false intel about Opie ratting on the club, Clay (SAMCRO’s president) orders a hit on him with Tig set to do the deed, but things don’t go to plan whatsoever.

Unser informs Clay that Opie isn’t the rat, but he can’t contact Tig in time, who unloads several bullets into the driver’s seat of Opie’s truck. Given the shooting happens late at night, Tig doesn’t get a clear visual of who was driving until after the event, when he sees Donna lying dead against the steering wheel. Although Opie eventually forgave Tig and Clay for this horrific event, it was still a huge moment early in the series that set the tone for what was to come, while highlighting the heartbreakingly brutal nature of Sons of Anarchy.

9 Gemma Is Sexually Assaulted

Season 2, Episode 1

Season 1’s finale dealt with the fallout of Donna’s shocking death, but season 2 decided to get even more extreme. Gemma was arguably the most polarizing character in the entire show, but that didn’t make what happened to her at the beginning of season 2 any less horrific. Despite only being in the series for one season, Ethan Zobelle remains one of the most hated villains in Sons of Anarchy, as he and his group orchestrated Gemma’s sexual assault simply to send a message to Clay and the club.

While the show’s antagonists often crossed the line when it came to opposing SAMCRO, very few scenes were as sadistic as this one. Zobelle’s group already had the controversial label of being white supremacists, which was more than enough to make audiences root against them. However, one of Sons of Anarchy‘s strongest characters being subjected to such extreme torture emphasized just how graphic the story could get, and it remains one of the most shocking moments in the show’s history.

8 Abel Gets Kidnapped

Season 2, Episode 13

Given Jax was one of the most important members of SAMCRO – even as early as season 2 – someone kidnapping his son was hard to see coming. After Gemma was framed for killing IRA member Edmond Hayes, his father set out for revenge by invading Jax’s home and taking his son Abel to Ireland. Given the club was so caught up with Zobelle and the Mayans, no one could have anticipated the IRA turning on them, especially as the biker gang had a fairly good relationship with them, and even had an Irish charter.

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Unfortunately, Stahl’s devious plan to frame Gemma had much bigger consequences than anticipated, and Cameron’s kidnapping of Abel set up season 3’s arc in Ireland. While Jax did manage to reunite with his son eventually, Abel’s abduction came out of nowhere and caught both viewers and SAMCRO off-guard. Opinions are split on the events that followed, as some fans were disappointed with season 3’s time away from the US, but season 2’s finale undoubtedly created plenty of talking points, and it’s hard to forget the moment Jax watched Cameron sail away with his son.

7 Tig Watches His Daughter Get Burned Alive

Season 5, Episode 1

Seasons 3 and 4 undoubtedly had their fair share of shocking moments, but season 5 is when Sons of Anarchy really began upping the stakes. An incident involving Tig led to the death of Pope’s daughter in the previous installment, and the antagonist was less than willing to let it go in a truly disturbing scene. Having captured Tig’s daughter and imprisoned her inside a pit, Pope forced the SAMCRO member to watch as his men doused her in petrol and set her on fire, with Dawn screaming out for her father in the process.

The show had featured some grizzly deaths beforehand, but nothing was as personal and sinister as making a man watch his daughter burn alive. Tig would eventually get justice for Dawn by killing Pope in season 5’s finale, but it will never make up for such a traumatic scene. Fans knew things would get bad for Tig after he unintentionally killed Veronica, but it was hard to imagine Pope’s revenge being quite so cruel despite his reputation, making it one of the most memorable scenes from all seven seasons.

6 Opie Sacrifices Himself For The Crew

Season 5, Episode 3

Opie’s sacrifice is perhaps one of the most famous scenes from Sons of Anarchy, as losing the fan favorite hit incredibly hard. Just two episodes after the horror of Tig losing his daughter, Jax, Opie, Tig, and Chibs find themselves in prison, with one of them being forced to fight against a group of men in a seemingly unwinnable scrap. Jax claims they’ll decide their own fate, hinting at all four men battling against Pope’s wishes, but Opie instead sacrifices himself by headbutting a guard, resulting in him being locked in with four other prisoners.

While his impressive combat skills initially give him the upper hand and offer a glimmer of hope that he’ll survive, the 4:1 odds quickly overwhelm him. Jax, Chibs, and Tig watch on as Opie smiles before being struck and killed by a pipe in one of the show’s most emotional scenes. Opie’s Sons of Anarchy death lives long in the memory of most fans, as he seemed like too big of a character to be killed off in such bleak circumstances, but the sudden nature of his departure was a bold reminder of how unpredictable the series is.

5 Jax Forces Wendy To Relapse

Season 5, Episode 12

Watching his best friend die was a major turning point in Jax’s life, as any sense of hope and humanity he had left seemed to disappear inside the prison. His transition into an emotionless killer arguably happened earlier, but Opie’s merciless murder was the turning point, and season 5’s penultimate episode showed how far gone Jax was. Having suffered from drug addiction in the opening season, Wendy spent much of her time in the show away from the spotlight and went to rehab, managing to turn her life around.

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She returned to Charming a changed woman and wanted her son Abel back in her life, but Jax wasn’t willing to let that happen. Despite her past mistakes, Wendy was still a more suitable guardian for their son given Jax’s outlaw connections, and she threatened to take legal action, which proved to be a major mistake. To make sure Wendy stopped her pursuit, Jax threatened to kill her and forcefully injected his former wife with heroin in one of Sons of Anarchy‘s saddest and most unexpected scenes, proving there was no redeeming the protagonist.

4 Otto Bites Off His Own Tongue

Season 5, Episode 13

Despite being in prison during the entire series, Otto provided many of Sons of Anarchy‘s most shocking moments, but biting off his own tongue takes the top spot. Towards the end of season 5, Otto kills a nurse with a crucifix who happens to be the sister of a former US Marshall, Lee Toric. Lee manages to visit and beat Otto in prison and is present while the SAMCRO member gets questioned about what happened to Pamela Toric; however, rather than confessing, Otto bites off his own tongue, throwing it at the one-way glass that Lee is standing behind.

By season 5, viewers knew Otto wasn’t going to reveal the truth about killing Lee’s sister, but his response was still wild, even for his standards. Ultimately, this decision only led to the inmate being subjected to a life of pain and torture, but he at least had one last crazy scene before things fell apart. Given viewers thought they’d seen everything the show had to offer, this moment of madness remains a stand-out part of season 5 and sums up just how unhinged Sons of Anarchy could get.

3 The School Shooting Incident

Season 6, Episode 1

Although the show tackled many sensitive topics throughout its run, a school shooting definitely didn’t seem to fit into the narrative, yet Sons of Anarchy tackled it anyway. As if the series hadn’t already hammered home how crucial it was for the Sons to get out of the gun business, one of the club’s firearms happened to be the weapon used in this massacre, highlighting the damage caused by their business practices. Thankfully, the incident itself isn’t shown on screen, but screams and gunshots can be heard, leaving no mistakes about what happened.

While the show’s attempt to push boundaries and keep viewers on the edge of their seats was admirable, the harsh reality is that Sons of Anarchy went beyond the limit with this scene, and Sutter even apologized to those offended. The blowback didn’t stop him from continuing to write more controversial storylines, but it was perhaps an indicator of where the line was, as the triggering scene wasn’t exactly essential to the overall plot.

2 Tara Fakes A Miscarriage

Season 6, Episode 7

Season 6’s premiere may have contained one of Sons of Anarchy‘s all-time most shocking moments, but just six episodes later, Tara faked a miscarriage. Despite being one of the most innocent characters when she first appeared on the show, Tara’s love for Jax forced her to make some drastic decisions, and her desire to leave Charming alongside her husband and their children drove her to extremes. Although the protagonist attempted to leave town with Tara on several occasions, Jax’s relationship with his mother always seemed to get in the way.

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As a result, tensions between Gemma and Tara grew and reached a boiling point in season 6. In a last-ditch attempt to fracture Jax’s relationship with Gemma, Tara fakes a pregnancy followed by a miscarriage. After the two women get into a confrontation, Tara proceeds to drive herself into a table after previously planting a pouch of blood in her dress, making it seem like she miscarried. Although she was desperate to get away from Gemma and charming, watching Tara go this far made for a jaw-dropping scene that showed just how much she’d changed.

1 Gemma Kills Tara

Season 6, Episode 13

Naturally, Gemma didn’t take Tara’s actions lightly as the two continued to fight throughout season 6, culminating in the action-packed finale. Although season 7 had its own shocking moments, it was arguably Sons of Anarchy‘s weakest season, and nothing replicated the ugly showdown between Gemma and Tara in “A Mother’s Work”. After assuming Tara had turned to the police, Gemma waited for her to return home before brutally attacking her, eventually stabbing her repeatedly in the back of the head.

It was another surprising instance where the action came so suddenly, and just moments after thinking she was finally free from the outlaw life, Tara was dead. Very few central characters were truly innocent in Sons of Anarchy, but out of all of them, Tara deserved a happy ending with her children. Instead, this gut punch robbed the audience of what looked like it would finally be some peace for her, and it was executed perfectly, making it one of the show’s most shocking scenes ever.

Sons of Anarchy, created by Kurt Sutter, follows a notorious outlaw motorcycle club, the Sons of Anarchy, as they confront drug dealers, corporate developers, and law enforcement to protect their livelihoods and their hometown of Charming, CA. Loosely based on William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” Sons of Anarchy explores what happens when the seduction of money and power comes between family. The show follows the Teller and Morrow family legacies, with Jackson ‘Jax’ Teller handling his duties as the V.P. of the club while dealing with the new president – his stepfather – Clay Morrow.

Release Date

September 8, 2008

Seasons

7

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu

Showrunner

Kurt Sutter

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