Although Jax Teller is Sons of Anarchy’s official protagonist, we contend that Gemma played a more significant role in the show.
Sons of Anarchy’s Jax Teller is the show’s acknowledged protagonist, although Gemma Teller Morrow might be considered a better choice. She not only gets the lioness’ share of the screentime, but she also has one of the best character arcs in the entire series.
Gemma is unquestionably the unofficial SAMCRO member, despite the fact that she doesn’t ride a Harley or kill people. Gemma doesn’t let the fact that she doesn’t have a patch get in the way of her ability to influence club operations more than anyone else. She is the most frightening and intimidating SAMCRO Old Lady there is.
10 – She Has Storylines With Most Of The Characters
Even Jax doesn’t get emotionally invested in everyone. Gemma’s situation, however, is unique. She is particularly close with the previous police chief Wayne Unser, who has a crush on her. Three significant characters in the series—Clay, Nero, and John Teller—have romantic connections with her. Not to mention that Jax Teller, the main character of the series, is her son and that she has a strong influence on him.
Gemma also has a love-hate connection with Tara Knowles and Wendy, who are Jax’s potential lovers; she also nearly sleeps with Tig; and Juice, who helped her commit her biggest crime. She is also the target of other villains, including June Stahl and Ethan Zobelle.
9 – She Is Directly Linked To Three Different SAMCRO Presidents
Sons of Anarchy is all about SAMCRO, but Gemma has left her mark on the organization despite not being a member. John Teller, the former president and founder of SAMCRO, was Gemma’s husband for a very long time. Sadly, she was a part of a plot to kill him.
At the beginning of the series, Clay, the SAMCRO president, subsequently weds Gemma. Clay is replaced with Jax, Gemma’s son. She is not just the Queen but also the King’s mother.
8 – She’s The Character With The Most Awards Recognition
The Emmys frequently passed by the FX series, but other award-giving bodies acknowledged its excellence. The cast member with the most award nominations is Katey Sagal, who played Gemma.
Sagal won the Golden Globe for Best Actress – Television Series (Drama) at the 68th Golden Globe Awards for her performance in the third season. She was also a finalist for the Individual Achievement in Drama and the Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series (Drama).
7 – Her Word Is Law
Most of the characters simply follow Gemma’s orders rather than daring to disagree with her. Perhaps only Tara succeeds in acting disobediently toward her, but she suffers greatly as a result.
Unser is more than happy to fulfill Gemma’s requests, including faking an accident. When she claims that the Triads killed Tara, Jax immediately accepts her word for it. She treats Wendy as if she were a puppet. With the exception of the one time when they disagree about the hit on Tara, Clay also agrees with her on the majority of issues.
6 – She Has The Most Conclusive Love Life
In Sons of Anarchy, lust and love are constantly in the air. Sadly, the majority of characters don’t have interesting love tales. They choose the wrong partners, and the partnerships end quickly. As a doctor and a bandit, Jax and Tara are an odd couple because one wants to live a life of crime while the other wants to leave. As a cop and an outlaw, Chibs and Althea are an awkward pair.
Gemma is unique since she has spent time with individuals that are quite similar to her. Gangsters John Teller, Clay, and Nero are all. She stays with John Teller for a long time before leaving him, even planning his murder with Clay. She reiterates that an assault is always a good excuse to end a relationship after Clay hits her, so she does.
5 – The Series Trajectory Traces Back To Her
If Gemma had made different decisions in her life, most of the events in the series would have played out differently. Before the first episode of the series even aired, SAMCRO would have abandoned the gun business and transformed into a relatively tranquil club if Gemma had chosen not to follow Clay’s intentions to assassinate JT. If Gemma stops Clay from killing JT, realistically, enemies like Jimmy O, Galen, Ethan Zobelle, and June Stahl have no place in the series.
The terrible battle with the Chinese can be avoided if Gemma forgoes killing Tara or tells Jax the truth. Jax does not receive a Mayhem vote, and Jury is not killed. Jax doesn’t clash with August Marks either. Jax will therefore have no motivation to commit suicide. It all comes down to Gemma’s decisions in life.
4 – His Family Issues Take Center Stage
In the entire series, Gemma’s family is the one that receives the most attention. Her relationship with JT is described in full. She also disagrees with Wendy about her choice to use drugs while carrying Jax’s child. Her marriage to Clay begins mainly amicably, but soon things turn bad and he abuses her.
Gemma and Tara, her daughter-in-law, are embroiled in an ongoing argument. Frequently, Tara opposes her and even forbids her from seeing the grandchildren. Gemma brutally murders her as the result of the dispute. When Jax learns what happened, this leads to a conflict between her and him. Jax has no choice except to kill her as well.
3 – She Outlives All Characters
Gemma has been a part of SAMCRO since its inception. She is preceded in death by other characters who have been around since SAMCRO’s beginnings. JT, Clay, Keith McGee, and Piney are a few of them.
She is older than the majority of the other characters in the series. It’s true to say that she has outlived everyone else because she survives till the penultimate episode. She has witnessed Charming in all its splendor and misery, and she also has more friends than anyone else.
2 – She’s Actually The Show’s True Antihero
Gemma’s actions demonstrate that everyone else merely exists in this world, which is her own. Villains like Galen O’Shay and Damon Pope come and go, but only Gemma sticks around to the very end. She is not a criminal leader, but her ruthlessness and cunning behavior are evident throughout the entire series. Her evil even affects her own family members.
Gemma has a good side as well; she loves her family dearly and would sacrifice anything for them. She gives other Old Ladies and Crow Eaters wise counsel. When someone steps out of line, she doesn’t think twice about punishing them.
1 – Her Story Is Wrapped Up Perfectly
The only character in the show with a full backstory is Gemma. She marries, has kids, watches her son become a man she is proud of, has grandkids, commits crime, and pays the price.
Other events have shortened the stories of other characters. Jax never gets to watch his children age, Unser never gets to spend time with Gemma, Clay never succeeds in regaining the presidency from Jax, Tara never leaves Charming, and Wendy never marries Hax. Gemma fulfills her goals and is made to pay for her errors, fittingly concluding her tale.
