Top 10 Darkest Moments on Sons of Anarchy

Throughout his time in prison, Otto Delaney took extreme measures to shield SAMCRO from law enforcement and rival gangs. However, when the club fails to protect his wife Luann, Otto’s relationship with SAMCRO turns sour, and he plots his gruesome revenge. After landing himself in the prison’s infirmary, Otto convinces the club president’s wife Tara to bring him Luann’s crucifix, a seemingly tender moment that this show has very few of. Otto then uses the crucifix to mercilessly attack and kill a nurse. Tara becomes implicated in the murder, leaving Otto with the most vengeance he can muster from behind bars.

By the middle of Season 1, Sons of Anarchy was still establishing its benchmark for shock value. That limit reached new heights when a former member of SAMCRO returned to the fold. Before the series began, Kyle was ousted from the Sons after fleeing the scene of a crime and leaving another club member to take the fall. When Kyle is invited to a party hosted by the MC, Jax learns that he never had his grim reaper tattoo blacked out, the equivalent of a cardinal sin. The club then gives him a gut-wrenching choice: fire or knife. Kyle opts for fire. Thankfully, we’re spared from seeing too much, but it’s an unfriendly reminder never to cross SAMCRO.

By the show’s final season, tension between the rival gangs of Northern California amplified. Henry Lin, leader of the Triads, catches on that Jax and the rest of SAMCRO have double crossed him. Lin’s retaliation is swift and brutal. He sends several of his men to Diosa, one of SAMCRO’s establishments. The Triads then proceed to slaughter 17 people inside. Thankfully, the violence happens offscreen. However, Jax arrives shortly after, and we’re treated to a grisly reveal of the aftermath. Among the victims is Diosa’s owner Colette, whom Jax had recently begun an intimate relationship with, making the hit even more personal for the club’s leader. The Sons of Anarchy are never short on enemies.

Wendy Case has one of the more interesting story arcs of the many side characters featured on the show. Season 1 introduces us to Wendy as a fiendish drug addict who shoots heroin even while pregnant with her and Jax’s son Abel. In later seasons, Wendy returns as a clean, sober, and calculating woman. In an effort to win custody of Abel, she threatens to blackmail Jax with sensitive information that would land him in prison. But Jax will do anything to protect his family. He visits Wendy at her home and injects a needle filled with drugs into her arm to undermine her credibility. It’s a dark, depressing moment on the show that continued to prove Jax’s occasionally ruthless nature.

Mr. Delaney makes an appearance on our list once again, this time mutilating himself in a seriously grotesque manner. There’s no question that Otto’s loyalty to SAMCRO sets a very high bar. His allegiance to the club is showcased once more when he’s interviewed in prison after murdering his nurse. To prove he’s not a rat, Otto sticks out his tongue and then slams his jaw down on the table. As a final act of defiance, he then throws his detached organ at the two-way mirror. Talk about commitment.

None of us were rooting for John Kohn to live, but it was pretty disturbing to see just how easy it was for Jax to take a life. As Tara returns to Charming, her ex-boyfriend, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent John Kohn, arrives shortly after to harass her. Things escalate, and eventually Kohn breaks into Tara’s house and attacks her. During the struggle, Tara incapacitates Kohn with his own gun. In shock, she calls Jax for help, who arrives to dispatch the disgraced agent once and for all.

If you weren’t aware by now that vengeance is a staple in Sons of Anarchy, this next entry will certainly drive that point home. After Tara’s death, Jax is riddled with grief and confusion. In an attempt to keep anyone from suspecting it was her, Gemma lies to Jax that the Triads are to blame. Consumed by his bloodthirsty need to avenge his wife, Jax and his crew kidnap a member of the rival gang. Jax then viciously tortures the man in a scene that’s made even darker by the fact that he’s innocent. Jax ends his life the same way that Gemma ended Tara’s, quelling his bloodlust for the time being.

Season 2 introduced us to an insidious and cunning antagonist, The League of American Nationalists. These white supremacists quickly made their presence known in Charming, buying up certain businesses throughout town. In an effort to end SAMCRO’s business dealings with people of color, several members of The League abducted and sexually assaulted Gemma. The scene was brutal and excruciating to sit through. Gemma Teller established herself early on as a fan favorite, and what happened to her was incredibly tough to watch.

During the series' progression, Gemma proved over and over that she would do what’s needed to protect the club, and her family. In this case, it came at a hefty cost. When Gemma thinks that Tara’s a snitch who is ready to sell out the Sons, she visits her with lethal intentions. The two engage in a struggle, ultimately leading to Gemma savagely taking Tara’s life. Even worse, moments later Sheriff Eli Roosevelt shows up, telling Gemma that Tara was never a rat, and her loyalty to the club couldn’t be stronger. Witnessing the loss of a strong female character like Tara was as sad as it was stupefying.

The club’s Sergeant at Arms was quite the character, and many fans agree that Kim Coates did a stellar job portraying him. Coates was really able to flex his acting chops during one of the toughest to watch scenes on all of Sons of Anarchy. After Trager accidentally takes the life of the daughter of powerful crime boss Damon Pope, revenge is served scalding hot. Pope kidnaps Trager’s daughter and forces him to watch as she is doused in gasoline and lit on fire while still alive. There’s nothing more difficult to imagine than losing a child before your very eyes. Coates depicted the intense anguish of a tormented father stupendously. Well done, Sons of Anarchy, you’ve officially left us heartbroken.