The Sons Of Anarchy Character Fans Wanted To Live Until The Finale
Murder. Mayhem. Motorcycles. Mommy issues. Mayans spinoff. Man, Sons of Anarchy really had it all. Well, maybe everything but a host of redeeming characters you'd be happy to let date your sister. Let's be real, FX's gritty biker drama was filled with so many bad apples, even most of the law enforcement officers were corrupt and repugnant — Agent June Stahl of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, anyone? But, we suppose that's to be expected in the context of a show about a one-percenter motorcycle club — or, as the United States Justice Department at one point called them, OMGs (LMAO!).
"Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMGs) are organizations whose members use their motorcycle clubs as conduits for criminal enterprises," reads an archived description from the DOJ website. Long story short, members of the Sons of Anarchy central cast were all criminals of varying degrees; it should be no surprise a lot of them are scumbags. Still, amid the cursing, the killing and the kicking of butt, the show had its tender moments and loving — if not exactly healthy — relationships. While Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman), his wife Gemma (Katey Sagal), and her son Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) were straight out of the Hamlet trailer park, supporting characters like Bobby Elvis (Mark Boone Junior), Wayne Unser (Dayton Callie), and Filip "Chibs" Telford (Tommy Flanagan) endeared themselves to viewers — OK, they also did some terrible things too.
But the character fans most wish would have survived had to be Opie Winston (Ryan Hurst).
Opie was the character who should have survived on Sons of Anarchy
Harry "Opie" Winston was a veritable diamond in the rough, among the Sons of Anarchy cast. Truly an absolute gem (OK, no more jewelry puns). Let's do the list. He went to prison and didn't snitch on the club, even though it surely would have gotten him out sooner to be with his wife, Donna (Sprague Grayden) and two kids. When Agent Stahl convinces Clay that Opie's a rat and Clay orders Tig Trager (Kim Coates) to murder him but Tig accidentally kills Donna instead, he doesn't hold a grudge (although maybe he should have?); instead of taking revenge on Clay and Tig, he kills Stahl. Which is not to say that not avenging a loved one's death by dealing with those directly responsible and instead killing a federal agent is an admirable thing, but, uh... it's good that he shows loyalty. He's perhaps most notable for sacrificing himself in jail to save Jax, thereby sparing his friend from having to choose who dies and also sparing his life, thus allowing the show to continue for two more seasons.
Perhaps Sons of Anarchy fans said it best. The title of a recent Reddit post in the show's subreddit says it all: "Opie deserved better." Original poster Lookatmenow1994_ didn't mince words, saying "I wasn't a fan how opie went out." While one response correctly pointed out that Opie's death would have the greatest emotional impact, another user contended that his demise was fitting. "Meh, Opie died a warrior and he had been looking for a way out for a long time, I think this was the narrative that made the most sense," user RopeTuned said.
User colt_127 had another — perhaps, less serious — rationale: "His hair was getting too long. They had to kill him before he turned into Gandalf the brown."