Sons Of Anarchy is full of morally bereft characters who, despite their best intentions, end up falling victim to the violent, lawless lifestyle they have chosen to embrace. The show attempts to paint the futility of a life of organized crime, and the damage it can cause to entire generations who are caught in its wake.
One such character is Tara Knowles, the high school sweetheart of main character Jax Teller, who comes back into his life after a prolonged absence, and gets swept up in the whirlwind of criminal activity surrounding SAMCRO. Throughout the series, her character gets worse and worse, until the final act which finds her punished for attempting to do the right thing. Here are ten ways her character devolves throughout the show.
10 She Made Love To Jax After Killing A Man
The first season of Sons Of Anarchy saw Tara having to contend with the obsessive affections of an ATF agent named Josh Kohn, who was also in town to investigate SAMCRO, much to their dislike. After Jax antagonized Kohn several times and tried to drive him off, Kohn returned and attacked Tara in her own house, prompting her to shoot him in the stomach.
Jax came to house, and the two agreed Kohn would not stop, and needed to be dealt with. Jax finished the job by murdering Kohn, before the two gave in to the throes of post-murder passion. Creepy, to say the least.
9 Death Threats Galore
Season two saw Tara establishing her status as Jax's "old lady," a position of considerable prestige. It didn't do much for her medical career, however. After several unfortunate incidents, hospital administrator Margaret became antagonistic toward her, believing she was using her SAMCRO connections to keep Chibs in hospital, despite medical insurance issues.
When Margaret revoked Tara's privileges, Gemma convinced her to get tough and lay down the law. Tara confronted Margaret, beat and choked her, and threatened to murder both her and her children unless she reinstated her privileges and backed down. Not her finest hour.
8 She Covered Up A Murder
Gemma got into hot water in season three after she kidnapped her father's caregiver and tied her to a wheelchair in a basement, threatening her with torture unless he cooperated and gave her information. Tara showed up to tend to a wound inflicted on the caregiver, only to be knocked out when her bonds came loose.
Later, Tara would awaken, and a struggle would ensue between the two which killed the caregiver. With little in the way of recourse, Tara got herself deeper into trouble by disposing of the body, with Tig's help.
7 She Became Paranoid & Jealous
By the time season four rolled around, Tara was neck-deep in SAMCRO, and no closer to achieving her goal of leaving it all behind and starting a new life with Jax and their children. As club dealings dragged her further into the quagmire, Tara became aware of a series of letters that could have damning ramifications for her future. Realizing they could pull Jax further into club dealings, she refused to show them to him.
She would also became enraged when Wendy suddenly appeared, and claimed she wanted to become closer to her biological son Abel. Tara's possessiveness over Abel caused her to lash out in anger, and cling to the semblance of a life she wanted for herself.
6 She Hid Her Pregnancy
Tara's inability to come to terms with her relationship with Jax and, by extension, SAMCRO would have ramifications for her when she learned she was pregnant. Understanding the life her unborn child would have if she remained related to the club, Tara hid news of her pregnancy from Jax, altogether.
In the meantime, she almost went through with an abortion, rather than have the baby, fearing she might not have a way out once the news broke. While her motives might have been sincere, the lengths she was willing to go were disturbing.
5 She Put Out A Hit On Clay
After Clay's failed assassination attempt on Tara, he quickly became the target of her wrath. Believing that the death of Clay would give Jax an excuse to get out of SAMCRO altogether, she brought Jax up to speed, and planned her next move.
This involved convincing Jax to murder Clay with blood thinner while he was recuperating in a hospital, which he didn't follow through on. Nevertheless, it seems like a move born out of revenge, rather than desperation.
4 She Amassed Power With Threats
In season five, Tara had begun using her influence as Jax's girl to amass a heavy-handed degree of power, and affirm her status as the top female in the SAMCRO roster. With Jax having become President of the club, Tara's influence began corrupting her.
The first signs of trouble began when Tara prevented Gemma from visiting her sons while in daycare. Gemma retaliated by threatening to use Wendy to trigger a custody suit, which prompted Tara to threaten her with death if she didn't back down. By all accounts, she had become the very thing she never wanted to be.
3 She Infiltrated A Prison To Bribe Otto
With the threat of a RICO case looming over SAMCRO's head, Tara volunteered to infiltrate the state prison where Otto Delaney was being held, in order to convince him to recant his statement, and effectively squash the it altogether.
This involved bringing Otto a crucifix that once belonged to his deceased wife Luann, which he used to stab a nurse to death. This would set off a new chain of events that would implicate Tara in the murder, and ruin her chances of getting away from SAMCRO.
2 She Turned On SAMCRO
While her goal seemed justifiable, the methods Tara used to get away from SAMCRO were dubious, at best. After failing to escape the club's influence due to Jax's in-depth involvement, Tara felt the walls closing in around her, and turned to the authorities for help. She used a key piece of evidence in exchange for witness protection, which automatically made her a target for retribution.
Although Tara's desire to get her sons away from the evils of SAMCRO was noble, her decision to throw all her past acquaintances (including Jax) to the wolves seemed more like a revenge tactic, with desperation heaped on top.
1 She Was Unreliable
Throughout the course of her entire life, Tara would flee from uncomfortable or inconvenient situations to satisfy her own feelings, at the expense of others. She left Charming shortly after high school, which did a number on Jax, only to return to him later on to become a full member of SAMCRO, before repeating the process.
Though Tara might have meant well (especially when it came to her children), her internalized selfishness played a strong role in many of her actions. What is most ironic is that one of her most selfless acts would end up being misinterpreted by Gemma, leading her to kill Tara outright.
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July 25, 2020 at 05:30AM
