The Major Sons Of Anarchy Character That Fans Love To Hate
There are plenty of despicable characters who show up in Charming over Sons of Anarchy's seven-season run, but the characters that cut the deepest were definitely the villains who were hiding in plain sight all along. Whether it was Juice's betrayal or Clay Morrow's scheming against Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) and the club — the line between protagonist and antagonist was always blurry. But there's one character that most fans of the Kurt Sutter show can all agree to hate: Gemma Teller.
The most obvious example of her villainy is the savage way she kills Tara Knowles at the end of season 6 after the matriarch discovered that the former doctor wanted to leave Charming with Abel and Thomas. Aside from trying to drown her in a sink full of dirty water, Katey Sagal's character repeatedly plunged a carving fork into Tara's head. It's up there as one of the most horrific murders on the show.
Nevertheless, Gemma is still one of the most iconic characters in Sons of Anarchy, especially in the earlier seasons. Her descent into a true villain really starts when she butts heads with her son from around season 5 onwards, taking over from Ron Perlman's Clay Morrow as an overarching antagonist.
Sons of Anarchy fans are really torn on Gemma Teller
There's been plenty of discussion online about Gemma's story in Sons of Anarchy, with many fans debating whether or not her arc goes downhill in the final few seasons. It's clear that after Clay's death, she was a little wary of everybody, realizing that she was a little more vulnerable without the extra protection that being Clay's wife got her, even though their relationship became so twisted and horrible by the end.
Following a poll on Reddit which named Gemma as the worst character, one user called NerdyBreadstick42 explained that they liked the matriarch for the majority of the series but blamed her impulsiveness in the last three seasons for why she turned sour. "I liked Gemma until somewhere around season 5 or 6. Before that she could be harsh and violent but it at least seemed like her heart was in the right place, she was protecting her family. But somewhere along the way she shifted and started doing things for herself just as much or even more. She became more rash and impulsive"
Once Jax's mother starts a relationship with Nero Padilla in season 5, it seemed like he could've been a good influence on her — but unfortunately, she and Jax just ended up roping him into all the club's affairs. Another user on Reddit, Kinsella_Finn, pointed out that Gemma just used Nero or the club when anything got a little bit too much. "Gemma is one that sometimes I like her, but most the time I hate her. She's not a strong woman at all. She always runs to the club or Nero to do her dirty work."