(SPOILER ALERT: The following post contains key plot points from Tuesday night's series finale of "Sons of Anarchy" on FX).
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"I'm not a good man. I'm a criminal and a killer. I need my sons to grow up hating the thought of me."
That's the painful, but truthful, self-assessment uttered by Jax Teller in the final episode of "Sons of Anarchy." He finally realized it was time -- time to let go of his family, his biker brothers, his club presidency. ... That realization came with a belief that, in order to save his sons, he had to die.
And so in an episode that brought more blood, and many more tears, Jax (Charlie Hunnam) took his own life, on his own terms, by driving his father's motorcycle headlong into a semi truck as he was being chased by a convoy of highway patrol men on a lonely stretch of Interstate 580.
Thus ended the seven-season ride of one of the most violent, testosterone-fueled dramas in television history.
The final chapter -- "Papa's Goods" -- as written and directed by series creator Kurt Sutter, had Jax pushing for something that Tara had always wanted: To get their boys far, far away from Charming and the all brutality that entails ("so they don't become what I became."). But before it could happen -- and before Jax could take his leave -- there were plenty of loose ends to tend to:
Jax visited the graves of his beloved best friend, Opie, and his wife Tara, the woman so viciously and needlessly killed by his mother, Gemma. He bid a anguish-filled goodbye to his boys, and Nero and Wendy, who took the kids to off to Norco.
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He helped to set up a new arms deal that benefitted Connor Malone, but screwed the Irish Kings. He gunned down his two biggest remaining enemies -- Barosky and Marks -- in cold blood. He set the record straight with District Attorney Patterson regarding the murders of Tara and Eli.
He also set the club up for post-Jax life by filling Chibs in on what needed to be done, including a unanimous Mayhem vote. Here again, Jax did things on his own terms. After presenting his president's patch to Chibs (who made Tig the new VP), he appeared to be ready to take a bullet from his SAMCRO brothers. Instead, in a prearranged scheme, Chibs shot Happy in the arm to make it appear as if Jax defiantly refused to meet Mr. Mayhem and escaped.
This allowed Jax to hit the road one last time. On his way out of Charming, he stopped to address his father along the highway where he died.
"It's not too late for my boys," he tells the ghost of J.T. "I promise they will never know this life of chaos."
Cue the high-speed chase as Jax -- riding with no helmet -- leads an ever-growing army of law-enforcement vehicles around the highway's twists and turns ... until, finally, he takes his hands off the bars, breaks into a slight smile and intentionally comes face-to-face with a truck driven by none other than Michael Chiklis' Milo! (The same guy who gave Gemma a ride last week).
And the last image we see before fading out is a pool of blood flowing across the asphalt.
A few random thoughts and observations:
-- That was an absolutely perfect opening song: Bruce's Springsteen's guttural, hellbent "Adam Raised a Cain" ("You were born into this life paying for the sins of somebody else's past ... You inherit the sins, you inherit the flames ...").
-- Say goodbye to those bright, white (blood-splattered) sneakers.
-- One happy moment from the finale: T.O. gets a full patch. Yeah! Table-pounding. Smiles. Hugs. "Change is good, my friend." Indeed.
-- It was also good to see C.H. Pounder one last time as D.A. Tyne Patterson. We could have used more of her this season (Curse you, "NCIS: New Orleans").
-- Also: One last look at the mysterious homeless woman! Jax: "Who are you?" Homeless woman: "It's time."
-- The tearful scene in which Jax informs Nero about Gemma's death and then says goodbye to his boys was absolutely heart-wrenching. Amazing how a show that wallowed in violence, macho swagger and jaw-dropping shockers still always knew how to slow things down and achieve tender poignancy. Sutter and his team were masters at that 'til the end.
-- Heartbreaker No. 2: Chibs gathers the guys for the Mayhem vote. Tears in his eyes. Barely able to choke out the words. "Jax Teller meets Mr. Mayhem."
-- Not so heartbreaking: Chibs cuts things off with Jarry. That's one pairing -- and plot line -- that we won't miss.
-- Gemma in a body bag, her face a ghostly white. Chilling.
-- Jax: "By the end of the day, the violence in Stockton and Oakland will be over." Oh, if only that could be true in real life.
-- That mournful swan song? "Come Join the Murder" sung by Jake Smith, with lyrics by Sutter himself.
-- Fitting that a show so often referred to as "Hamlet on Harleys" would sign off with a Shakespeare quote.
So "SOA" fans, what did you think of the finale? Were you happy with the way Jax went out -- or did you want him to get out alive? How would you compare it to other recent series finales? And be honest: How many tissues did you go through? Share you thoughts.
Contact Chuck Barney at http://ift.tt/1862EWJ, or http://ift.tt/ImFENa
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