‘Sons Of Anarchy’: Shocking Death Signals The End Of An Era

Motorcycle opera 'Sons of Anarchy' has never been shy about killing off members of SAMCRO, but the Nov. 19 episode brutally axed a crucial main character who we all thought was basically untouchable! Let's discuss. Throughout most of Sons of Anarchy's sixth season, two beloved main characters have been teetering on the brink of death. Tara (Maggie Siff) has been playing dirty behind Jax's (Charlie Hunnam) back, while the devious Clay (Ron Perlman) has had a very large target on his back in prison. The Nov. 19 episode found one of these two "Meeting Mr. Mayhem" in the most brutal, shocking fashion that this brutal, shocking show could possibly deliver. Read on for more details, and know that spoilers -- obviously -- lie ahead!

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Reading Time: 3 minutes
November 20, 2013 11:50AM EST
Sons Of Anarchy Clay Dies
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Image Credit: Courtesy of FX

‘Sons Of Anarchy’ Shocker: Jax Kills Clay

Yep, you heard it — Clay’s formerly faithful stepson (and our hero) Jax pulled the trigger, right after Clay finally escaped from his prison hell. This will forever change the shows for many reasons, especially since the vote to kill Clay was unanimous, meaning the club has finally moved on from his long rule. Also, since Gemma (Katey Sagal), Clay’s ex-wife, was seemingly okay with it. I mean, she essentially proposed to her new boyfriend Nero (Jimmy Smits) immediately after the brutal shooting went down. I get that PTSD is a very real thing, Gemma, but maybe you could have waited until Jax washed the blood off his shirt?

Now, Clay was SAMCRO’s controversial (read: evil) leader throughout the first four-ish seasons of the show, so having him out of the picture will change everything. Even though he had been in jail throughout this past season, he finally atoned for some of his sins — and now Jax, the club’s new leader, will have to face the emotional fallout from killing his own father figure in cold(ish) blood.

Is there an upside to this? Absolutely. Clay’s death should help SAMCRO get out of that brutal gun business with the Irish — the gun business that led to the horrifying school shooting back in the premiere — since Jax, Juice (Theo Rossi) and co. only killed Clay to make it look like Clay had killed the leading members of that Irish cartel.

But still — this was brutal, you guys.

Clay’s Death: What’s Next For Jax?

Poor Clay. No one (except for maybe the emotionally fragile Juice) seems to be truly mourning him — I think they all did that when he betrayed them two years ago — so Jax’s next steps will be finalizing the split with the Irish, then dealing with the even bigger threat that is his own wife, Tara.

That’s right — another shocking move, the episode ended with Tara seemingly gathering evidence for the RICO case against Jax and his club in exchange for witness protection for the doting mama and her two boys. She asked the DA for 24 hours to think on it, and though getting rid of Clay is what Tara has always wanted, all of this horrible violence might sway Tara away from Charming and SAMCRO once and for all.

But what do you think, HollywoodLifers? Are you sad to see Clay go? Has Jax finally gone too far down his deep, dark path? Does Juice just need a giant hug? Let us know in the comments!

— Shaunna Murphy

More ‘Sons of Anarchy’ News:

  1. ‘Sons Of Anarchy’ Spin-Off Planned: Kurt Sutter Talks Prequel Series
  2. ‘Sons Of Anarchy’ School Shooting: Why It Didn’t Cross A Line
  3. ‘Sons Of Anarchy’ Season 6 Premiere Stuns Viewers With Horrific Twist