Sons of Anarchy Ending, Explained (2024)

It has almost been a full decade since the hit FX crime drama Sons of Anarchy came to an end. Surrounding the struggles of the motorcycle gang club SAMCRO and its young vice president, Jackson "Jax" Teller, the series tells the story of and the intense drama that unfolds around their gun-running operations and dealing with authorities, politicians, and even rival gang members. Even though it received a spin-off series, Mayans M.C., the overall run and ending of the latter series didn't leave nearly as much of an impression on the television zeitgeist as its predecessor did.

While the series finale of Sons of Anarchy may have been a polarizing one among its audience, it gave a sense of closure to not only Jax's journey as a character but to the overall story of the series in perhaps the only truly fitting way. For years, the show's characters and story have drawn comparisons to that of William Shakespeare's Hamlet, and it's not too hard to see why. While most may see it as a tragedy, there were quite a few bright spots of hope that didn't leave the series on a completely melancholic note. Given all the intensity and heartbreak throughout all seven seasons of the series, is it possible to put a happier spin on the ending when looked at through a different perspective?

Updated on May 29, 2024, by Katie Doll: Sons of Anarchy was a hit from start to finish, putting a Shakespearean twist on modern-day conflicts in motorcycle gang clubs. By the end of the series, Jax Teller's fate was well-received by critics and fans for its realistic and philosophical depiction. This article has been updated to expand more on the symbolism of the finale.

Where Does Sons of Anarchy's Finale Leave its Main Characters?

After the explosive penultimate episode, which ended with multiple major character deaths, and Jax finally avenging the murder of his wife, Tara, by killing Gemma, the series finale isn't quite as intense. It plays out much more slowly and somber. In the episode's opening, Jax attends a meeting where presidents of multiple Sons of Anarchy charters meet to discuss and vote on his fate for his actions. The meeting ends with the agreement that Jax is to be excommunicated from the brothers and is sentenced to death. However, before his sentence is carried out, Jax makes it a point to use his final day to get certain affairs of his in order.

Jax requests that the bi-laws be changed to allow black members to join and effectively makes his friend T.O. the first one to ever do so. He also approaches Nero and asks him to look after Wendy and his children when he leaves before giving them one last heartbreaking goodbye. Afterward, he turns to Charles Barosky, the crooked ex-cop and ally-turned-traitor who helped the Lin Triad in their war against SAMCRO. He pays him a visit to his bakery and vengefully shoots him in the head while the place is busy and full of patrons. He also takes out crime boss August Marks as he's leaving jail, getting revenge on Marks for the murder of Bobby only a few episodes earlier.

After carrying out these vengeful acts and being on the run from the police after receiving word of them, Jax makes one last visit to his fellow SAMCRO brothers. He passes on the respective titles of President and Vice President to Chibs and Tig before riding off and sparing them the duty of having to kill him themselves. As the police give chase to Jax, he willingly takes his own life by colliding his bike with an oncoming truck, dying in the same fashion and the same location as his father did decades earlier.

Is Sons of Anarchy's Ending Really a Full-Fledged Tragedy?

While saying goodbye to both the show and a character such as Jax may have been a bittersweet experience for the fans, and even though most have seen this ending as tragic, this was possibly the happiest ending that the series could have gone with. Jax may have completely lost himself in his undying search for vengeance, but in the end, his death gave him the ultimate freedom from his personal suffering. Not only that, but his sacrifice was ultimately for the betterment of his family and loved ones. His SAMCRO brothers may have been sad to see him go, but his actions in the final episode leave them in a much better position than ever.

Thanks to Jax, not only is the club free now from membership discrimination with the new addition of T.O., but his killings of Barosky and Marks gave them a better sense of security. By having shot Marks, Jax gets revenge for Bobby's murder while also ensuring that he won't come after SAMCRO for them framing him for the murder of Pastor Jonathan Haddem. This also extends to Jax's two sons, Able and Thomas, as well as Wendy (who ends up getting custody of the kids). The kids may have lost a father, but through that loss, they are still given a chance to have a life that is completely disconnected and free from the danger that comes with any ties and association to SAMCRO and is guaranteed safety in the hands of Wendy. In the end, Jax's death may seem like a tragic ending, but he still managed to do plenty of good for his friends and loved ones beforehand, ensuring their security and better lives going forward in his absence.

Jax's sacrifice in the Sons of Anarchy finale could also be depicted as a Jesus Christ motif. The imagery surrounding Jesus dates all the way back to Season 1, when an unhoused woman gave Jax a blanket when he was sleeping in a cemetery. The camera focused on the wine and bread she ate, referencing the Last Supper between Jesus and his apostles. In the final shot of the series, two crows are seen eating bread soaked in wine as Jax's blood spills around it. By all means, the connection between the Jax and the unhoused woman (who the show's creator Kurt Sutter once referred to as Jesus) could be a "passing of the torch" ritual. Jax gave his life (represented by the bread) and shed his blood (represented by the wine) to create a safer space for his loved ones and absolve the club of its sins.

How Shakespeare's Hamlet Influenced Sons of Anarchy's Storytelling

Sutter has made no secret of how much Sons of Anarchy was influenced by the tragic Shakespearean playHamlet. Many other comparisons could be drawn from it, especially with its main cast of characters. Jax, for example, is very similar to Hamlet's titular character, as the young son of a man whose uncle takes up the mantle of power after his father's death and is also more of an anti-hero than a traditional hero protagonist. With this in mind, it's also easy to note comparisons between Claudius, the main antagonist of Hamlet, and Clay, Jax's uncle-turned-stepfather (although he is killed at the hands of his nephew much earlier at the end of Season 6). Much like Hamlet, through the grief of his father's death and his lust for revenge, Jax also goes from a genuinely nice person to an unstable psychopath whose poor decision-making comes back to haunt him in the end.

Unlike the play's ending, where both his death and the achievement of his revenge are ultimately all for nothing, the show ends with Jax managing to do some good for the betterment of those around him before his own death, which could be seen as a happier one. The finale even quotes the play directly with a closing text: "Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt that the sun doth move; Doubt truth to be a liar; But never doubt I love." Some have interpreted it as Jax saying how much he loves and cares for his SAMCRO brothers and his family despite all the chaos he's caused, but others have offered a different take on the quote's inclusion, which seemed to be Sutter's intentions. According to PopCulture, he never intended for the ending to have any one concrete meaning to Jax's fate and the overall ending, claiming, "Was it noble? Was it evil? Was he tortured? Or the torturer? For me, the very fact that you're asking the questions you are asking was the point."

Sons of Anarchy is available to stream on Hulu.

Sons of Anarchy

TV-MA

Action

Drama

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

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9

10

A biker struggles to balance being a father and being involved in an outlaw motorcycle club.

Release Date

September 3, 2008

Cast

Charlie Hunnam , Katey Sagal , Kim Coates , Mark Boone Junior , Tommy Flanagan , Ron Perlman , Johnny Lewis

Main Genre

Crime

Seasons

7

Creator

Kurt Sutter

Number of Episodes

92

Network

FX

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu