The Terrible Decision That Cemented Tara's Tragedy In Sons Of Anarchy

Sons of Anarchy was no stranger to tragedy. Over the course of its seven seasons, the FX original series found countless ways to emotionally wreck both its characters and viewers at home. The show's various storylines were all riddled with violence, and as a result, many of Sons of Anarchy's most beloved characters died in unexpected, wrenching ways. However, few of the deaths in Sons of Anarchy made quite as much of an impact as Tara's.

Maggie Siff's Tara was one of the show's original, core characters and played an important role in the series right up until her brutal and tragic death in the season 6 finale. Killed by none other than Jax's mom, Gemma, Tara's death was legitimately shocking in a way that few TV deaths are.

While Tara's death may have felt sudden in the moment, hindsight shows the many ways that Sons of Anarchy had been steadily building toward it. In fact, it was one of Tara's own decisions that ultimately allowed Gemma (played by Katey Sagal) to kill her in the first place.

Tara spent most of her run on Sons of Anarchy torn between her love for Jax and her desire to separate herself (and her children) from the club. She expresses on more than one occasion her wish to leave Charming and tries multiple times to get Jax to leave the dangerous town with her. However, rather than listening to her instincts and just leaving Charming behind, Tara stays.

It's her decision to try to change Jax's ways, rather than just cutting ties altogether, that results in Tara and her children staying in Charming far longer than they should. Her continued residence in Charming also makes it impossible to keep Gemma, who constantly disregards Tara's wishes, away from her children. That, in turn, further sours the relationship between the two women, which culminates in Gemma killing Tara at a moment when Jax is not around to protect her.

Of course, Tara isn't the only Sons of Anarchy character whose poor choices come back to haunt them. Her inability to make the right, safe decision and pull away from the darkness around her is a trait shared by almost all of the characters in the show. That's why, in the end, Sons of Anarchy is a tragedy more than anything else.