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[Warning: Spoilers ahead from Tuesday’s season-six finale, “A Mother’s Work.”]
Sons of Anarchy‘s sixth season wrapped up on Tuesday night with a shocking, bloody episode that resulted in more than one body on the floor.
It’s been a dramatic season already, with the death of Clay (Ron Perlman) several episodes ago, but things progressed ever further in the finale. Many fans called the episode where Clay died the “most shocking ever,” but we think that title might go to this finale.
The season-six finale episode saw Jax (Charlie Hunnam) and his motorcycle club dealing with the fact that Tara (Maggie Siff) had taken Jax’s kids, and likely made a deal with the D.A.
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The episode began with the D.A. discovering that Tara had gone missing with her two kids. She goes to visit Jax to find out if he knows where Tara is.
Jax meets with the club, and they decide they have to find Tara first, and convince her not to rat. Juice (Theo Rossi) and Bobby (Mark Boone Junior) will follow her new lawyer.
Tara calls her lawyer and says she’s ready to meet.
The Mayans meet with Jax and express their disappointment that Jax gave Damon Pope’s old group their gun business. The Mayans are also planning on opening a charter in Stockton.
Jax arranges a meeting between the two groups, but after SAMCRO leaves, the Mayans gun down their adversaries.
“It ain’t easy giving up the crown, boys. Every peasant and whore is going to be fighting for your jewels,” Charles Barosky (Peter Weller) tells the SAMCRO guys.
Nero (Jimmy Smits), who was working with the Mayans, says he can’t be part of this new dispute. The Mayans agree that he’s welcome to step away because things will get bloody for a while as they expand their territory.
Tara meets with her lawyer as Juice and Bobby look on. He gives her the paperwork, and says the D.A. is following through on everything she offered — immunity and witness protection, in exchange for the bullet and court testimony.
Jax surprises Tara at the park. She breaks down, crying, sure that Jax will kill her. But he says he’s not going to hurt her, and that she doesn’t need to run. “Just be a good mother, save our boys,” he says.
Gemma (Katey Sagal) meets with Nero, who is very much giving her the cold shoulder. He asks her if she would leave Charming and start a new life with him. She says she can’t because of her family, but he says he needs to go. She realizes he’s dumping her, it seems, and so she storms out.
When the D.A. arrives at Tara’s motel, she’s greeted by Tara — and Jax. Jax is offering to turn himself in as the source of the gun that was used in the school shooting. He says Tara has to be cleared of all crimes, and that she’ll be free to take her kids and leave. The D.A. agrees, and Tara and Jax … make up.
Jax tells Bobby and Chibs (Tommy Flanagan), and they aren’t happy. But Jax insists there’s no other option. He says Tara’s lawyer thinks he’ll get 25 years, parole in 10, maybe seven. Jax also says that Bobby needs to take over the club and focus on getting them on track with legitimate business. He adds that he was wrong about Juice, and that he feels he can’t be trusted. That’s because he found out that Juice — while recovering from his Oxy overdose — told Nero about killing the kid’s mom.
Unser (Dayton Callie), who dropped Wendy (Drea de Matteo) off at rehab, visits Gemma, who is nursing her heartache with booze and weed. He tells her he’s heard that Jax will be arrested. She tricks him into grabbing some pills for her in the restroom, and then she grabs his car keys and takes off.
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After Unser tells Jax that Gemma has run off, Juice volunteers to go find her. On his way out, Jax hugs him, and whispers “You betrayed me.” Juice freezes, and — just guessing here — probably sees his life flash before his eyes.
Eli (Rockmond Dunbar) drops Tara off at her house. They both notice Unser’s truck in the driveway, but don’t really think anything of it. Tara goes into the kitchen after Eli heads outside, and Gemma attacks her. They brutally fight, and Gemma shoves her head into the kitchen sink and stabs her to death.
Juice arrives and tells Eli that Gemma had Unser’s truck. They run into the house, but it’s too late. Gemma is sitting on the floor next to Tara’s body saying, “It had to be done.”
Eli tells Gemma that Tara didn’t rat — Jax volunteered to turn himself in to keep her safe. Before Eli can call in the murder, Juice shoots him in the back.
When Jax arrives home, he finds the bloody bodies of Tara and Eli. He breaks down, cradling Tara’s body, and the D.A. arrives on the scene.
It was a heartbreaking finale, and leaves plenty of questions unanswered for next season. What did you think of the episode? Sound off in the comments section below.
Email: Rebecca.Ford@THR.com
Twitter: @Beccamford
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