Sons of Anarchy portrays a life of crime, and Tara is unquestionably one character who deteriorated as a result of frequent contact with the gang.
Despite their best efforts, the morally bankrupt characters on Sons Of Anarchy frequently succumb to the violent, lawless way of life they have chosen to live. The program makes an effort to depict the pointlessness of an organized crime lifestyle and the harm it can do to entire generations caught in its wake.
One such character is Tara Knowles, Jax Teller’s high school sweetheart who returns to his life after an extended absence and becomes entangled in the flurry of criminal activity surrounding SAMCRO. Her character deteriorates over the course of the series, and in the finale she is punished for trying to do the right thing. Here are ten ways her character deteriorates over the course of the program.
She killed a man and then made out with Jax
In the first season of Sons of Anarchy, Tara had to deal with the obnoxious affections of Josh Kohn, an ATF agent who was in town at the same time to look into SAMCRO, much to their resentment. Kohn returned and attacked Tara in her own home after Jax repeatedly provoked him and attempted to drive him away. Tara responded by shooting Kohn in the stomach.
When Jax arrived at the house, they both agreed that Kohn needed to be dealt with because he would not stop. Before the two caved in to post-murder passion, Jax finished the job by killing Kohn.
Death Threats Galore
Tara established her place as Jax’s “old woman” in season two, a position of tremendous affluence. However, it didn’t really help her medical career. After a string of disastrous events, hospital administrator Margaret grew hostile to her because she thought she was using her SAMCRO connections to keep Chibs in the hospital despite his lack of health insurance.
Tara’s privileges were taken away by Margaret, and Gemma persuaded her to act harsh and enforce the law. Margaret was approached by Tara, who battered and strangled her before threatening to kill both Margaret and her kids if she didn’t restore her privileges and back down. Not her best moment.
She Disguised A Murder
When Gemma abducted her father’s caretaker in season three, she tied her to a wheelchair in the basement and threatened to torture her until he cooperated and provided her information. This landed Gemma into trouble. When Tara arrived to treat a wound inflicted on the caretaker, her bindings broke loose, and she was struck unconscious.
Later, Tara would wake up, and they would fight, which would murder the caretaker. Without many options, Tara used Tig’s assistance to dispose of the body, furthering her problems.
She developed jealousy and paranoia
By the time season four arrived, Tara was still mired in SAMCRO and no closer to realizing her dream of emigrating to a new country with Jax and their kids. Tara became aware of a slew of letters that would have grave consequences for her future as club dealings drove her deeper into the mire. She declined to show them to Jax because she understood that they might entice him into more club business.
She also lost her cool when Wendy appeared out of nowhere and announced that she wanted to spend more time with her real son Abel. Because of Tara’s obsession with Abel, she became enraged and clung to the appearance of the life she had imagined for herself.
She concealed her pregnancy
When Tara found out she was pregnant, her refusal to accept her connection with Jax and, consequently, SAMCRO, would have consequences for her. Tara kept the pregnancy completely a secret from Jax since she was aware of the life her unborn kid would lead if she remained affiliated with the club.
She was on the verge of having the baby, but decided against it because she was worried she might not have a way out if the news got out. Even though she might have had good intentions, the lengths she was willing to go to were troubling.
