The bestSons of Anarchyepisode, according toIMDb, completely changed Jax’s (Charlie Hunnam) story as well as that of the club, thanks to three key moments. In 2008, Kurt Sutter took the audience into the world of motorcycle clubs in the crime drama TV seriesSons of Anarchy. Set in the fictional town of Charming, California,Sons of Anarchysees the many ups and downs of the title club, initially led by President Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman) and VP Jax Teller. Throughout seven seasons,SAMCRO comes across different villainsand meets some loyal allies, but it also sees many tragedies.
Sons of Anarchykicks off when Jax finds his father’s manifesto, in which he detailed his original plan for the club and how SAMCRO had lost its way. What follows are Jax’s efforts to bring his father’s vision to life, but he encounters many challenges along the way within the club and in his personal life.Sons of Anarchyhas many tragic momentsas well as some satisfying ones due to the actions of certain characters, and its highest-rated episode onIMDbhas a bit of everything, becoming a key episode in Jax and SAMCRO’s story.
“NS” Is Sons of Anarchy’s Highest-Rated Episode
“NS” Is The 13th Episode Of Sons of Anarchy Season 3
The highest-ratedSons of Anarchyepisode according toIMDbis “NS”, season 3’s finale. Season 3 is one of the most intenseseasons ofSons of Anarchy, set up by season 2’s finale, in which Jax’s baby son Abel was kidnapped by Cameron Hayes and taken to Ireland, while Gemma (Katey Sagal) had to hide after killing Polly Zobelle and being tricked by A.T.F. agent June Stahl (Ally Walker). The latter is a prominent antagonist in the first three seasons ofSons of Anarchy, and she even dares to double-cross Jax in season 3.
“NS” is the peak of all the tension and chaos throughoutSons of Anarchyseason 3, so it’s not surprising to learn that it’s the highest-rated episode onIMDb. “NS” sees Jax, Tara (Maggie Siff), and the rest of the club celebrating Abel’s safe return and spending time together before some of them, including Jax and Clay, go back to jail. Before they are separated again, the club has a couple of things to attend to, mostly taking out Jimmy O’Phelan (Titus Welliver) as part of a deal they made with the IRA.
Meanwhile, Stahl once more tries to mess with the club and makes a deal with Jax, which she later uses to attempt to turn the club against him. Last but not least, Tara finds the letters that Maureen Ashby kept in Jax’s bag without him knowing. These are letters written by JT, in which he confessed his concerns about Clay and Gemma conspiring against him and planning his death, which turned out to be correct.
Opie Finally Avenged Donna’s Death In “NS”
Opie’s Wife Was Killed In Sons of Anarchy Season 1
Perhaps the most satisfying moment in “NS” (andSons of Anarchyin general) isStahl’s death. Back in season 1, Stahl’s lies to bring SAMCRO down led to Clay believing Opie (Ryan Hurst) had ratted on the club, when, in fact, Opie was one of SAMCRO’s most loyal members. Clay ordered Tig (Kim Coates) to kill Opie, but a last-minute change completely changed Opie’s life. He and his wife, Donna, exchanged places, so instead of Opie driving alone, it was Donna behind the wheel. Tig didn’t notice this and carried on with the plan, killing Donna.
AlthoughOpie eventually forgave Tig,he knew that who was really responsible for Donna’s death was Stahl, and he finally got his revenge in season 3’s finale. Stahl’s attempt at trying to turn the club against Jax fails as Jax has already told them about their deal, and they all come up with a plan, including pretending to be angry at Jax when Stahl eventually betrays him. While Jax, Clay, Tig, Bobby (Mark Boone Junior), Juice (Theo Rossi), and Happy (David Labrava) are taken to jail, Chibs (Tommy Flanagan), Opie, and Kozik (Kenny Johnson) set the plan into motion.
Stahl sobs and begs for her life, but Opie reminds her that Donna had no choice.
With Unser’s (Dayton Callie) help, they separate Stahl and Jimmy from her team, disarm her, and while Jimmy is pulled out of the car, Stahl is forced into the car at gunpoint. With Stahl in the driver’s seat, Opie gets in the back seat right behind her and orders her to put her hands on the wheel. Stahl sobs and begs for her life, but Opie reminds her that Donna had no choice and “this is what Donna felt” beforehe shoots her in the back of the head.
“NS” Saw Jimmy O’Phelan’s Death Thanks To Chibs
Chibs & Jimmy’s Problems Were Personal
While Opie gets his revenge, Chibs also gets his just a couple of steps away. Chibs takes Jimmy to the side of the road, and knowing well what’s about to happen, Jimmy asks Chibs to take care of the girls.Jimmy and Chibs have a complicated history, with Jimmykicking Chibs out of the IRA, banishing him from Ireland, marrying his wife, and adopting his daughter. Chibs assures Jimmy he will look after them, and slices Jimmy’s cheek to give him the scars Jimmy once gave Chibs.
Chibs then uses those same knives to stab Jimmy, killing him on the spot and spitting on himwhen he falls to the floor. Chibs then uses Jimmy’s blood to draw the IRA’s symbol on the back of the car to make the murders look as if the IRA had done them. It’s only fitting that Chibs is the one who kills Jimmy after everything he did to him, but as satisfying as Stahl and Jimmy’s deaths were, they brought more problems for SAMCRO.
Stahl & Jimmy’s Deaths Brought More Problems For SAMCRO
SAMCRO Wasn’t Free Of Trouble After That
The deaths of Stahl and Jimmy were only temporary solutions for the club, as they eventually brought more trouble. At the beginning ofSons of Anarchyseason 4, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lincoln Potter (Ray McKinnon) arrived in Charming intending to bring down SAMCRO and more. Although Potter’s plan failed, he completely ruined the life of one member, eventually leading to his death: Juice’s.Potter blackmailed Juice and used him to get information on the club, with Juice later trying to kill himself and going through hell to try to redeem himself, only to be killed in prison.
Jimmy’s death wasn’t the end of SAMCRO’s links with the IRA, and their new direct connection to it was Galen O’Shay. This led to thedeaths of some SAMCRO membersin season 6, but Jax eventually found a way to finally get rid of O’Shay and his people. InSons of Anarchy season 6, Jax killed Clay for his many betrayals and killed O’Shay and his people, arranging the scene to make it look as if they had killed each other.
Tara Learned The Truth Of JT’s Death In “NS”
JT’s Death Was Gemma & Clay’s Biggest Secret
Last but not least, a key moment in “NS” that changed Jax’s story was Tara and the letters mentioned above.Tara read JT’s letters and learned about Clay and Gemma’s involvement inJT’s death, which, when Clay learned about this, put a target on her back. Clay ordered a hit on Tara, but the assassins were FBI agents staging the kidnapping so they could debrief her in a safe spot. Unfortunately, this went terribly, and Tara severely injured her hand, putting her career as a surgeon at risk.
This was the beginning of a downward spiral for Tara, as this not only affected her job and relationship with Gemma and Clay, but she later agreed to help the club by volunteering at Stockton State Prison, which led to a murder that further tainted her career and personal life. Unfortunately,all this led to Gemma not trusting Tara anymore, brutally killing her in season 6because she thought she had betrayed Jax and the club. “NS” was the trigger for many key events inSons of Anarchy, and it deserves to be the highest-rated episode.
