There are plenty of reasons why Sons Of Anarchy fans love Charming's golden boy, Jax Teller. He is brave, ruthless, caring, and intelligent. The flawed but capable character also has an aesthetic appeal. To most fans of the FX series, Jacky Boy, as Chibs likes to call him, is not only the perfect protagonist but also one of the best fictional TV characters of all time.
Despite Jax being an entertaining protagonist, some of the biker show's fans disagree with several things about him. The majority of unpopular opinions regarding the sneaker-loving SAMCRO President can be found on Reddit. And even though some of the arguments make total sense, most of the show's stalwarts won't agree.
Jax's Business Model Is Worse Than Clay's
There are many reasons why Clay is a worse SAMCRO President than Jax. Not everyone shares this view though, including Redditor Eidolonos, who implies that Jax needs to go to business school since his efforts to make money legitimately almost cause the downfall of the club.
It's a sensible point because Clay has been President for years by the time the series starts and SAMCRO is fairly stable. However, SAMCRO's stability doesn't translate to revenue. Members like Opie and Bobby are quite broke in Season 1. Bobby even has to do side gigs as an Elvis impersonator but is still late on alimony payments. Trading in guns isn't exactly brilliant either. Jax, on the other hand, invests in a variety of businesses. If not for the violence that follows Opie and Tara's deaths, SAMCRO would be just fine.
Jax Has An Unhealthy Obsession With Tara
Redditor 007Kryptonian boldly claims that Jax is too obsessed with Tara. According to them, he is unable to function without her, and that's why he becomes completely reckless after she dies.
Jax and Tara are among the best couples on Sons of Anarchy and there's hardly any obsession. Before Tara returns to Charming, the two are said to have spent close to 10 years apart. Jax seems totally fine. She's the one who has come looking for him. And at some point in the series, Jax attempts to deliberately break up with Tara so that she can leave Charming. He wouldn't do this if was obsessed.
Jax Is A Bad Father
According to Redditor PatDubzz, Jax doesn't care enough for his children. Father Kellan Ashby even has a better idea of what's best for Abel than Jax does.
Using the Father Ashby case as an example makes the Reddior's opinion even more unpopular. The priest is a villain keen on keeping someone's son away from them forever. His actions are hardly justifiable. Jax, on the other hand, tries to end violence so that his family can live peacefully. And when he realizes the end of the road is coming for him, he leaves his family in the good hands of Nero. A bad father wouldn't have bothered.
Killing Gemma Isn't Jax's Best Option
Gemma's demise isn't among the most heartbreaking deaths in Sons of Anarchy because is she a bully, schemer, liar, and murderer. She plans the death of her first husband and doesn't flinch when the second is killed. She also kills her son's wife and tells lies that lead to a bloody gang war. Still, Redditor Icklebunnykins feels that at that decisive moment, Jax should banish her instead of shooting her.
Banishing Gemma wouldn't work because a person like her will easily scheme her way back to SAMCRO. Among all the deaths on the show, hers feels more deserved because of the pain she has caused others. There is a reason why the biggest villains always die in movies and TV shows. Sons Of Anarchy ending with Gemma still alive would have felt a bit anti-climatic.
An Alternative Ending Where Jax Goes Into Hiding
Some fans really love Jax. Understandably, Redditor YeaNahBro isn't too happy about the ending where Jax deliberately crashes into an oncoming truck. He wishes Jax would have gone into hiding with his family and lived to old age.
This would be great but it would be impossible to pull off. Jax is escaping from many things. He has just gotten a "Mayhem Vote" (outlaw death sentence) for killing Jury. Members of Pope Partners Inc. are also coming after him for killing August Marks. And then there is the police. Even if he goes into hiding, it would only be a matter of time before one of the 'hunters' find him. He would have no money to feed his family either since he is a fugitive.
Charlie Hunnam Has Some Acting Problems On The Show
It's hard to imagine any other actor that would be perfect for the role of Jax Teller. Charlie Hunnam's performance still receives praise to this day but some fans aren't impressed. Redditor RopeTuned points out that his accent was quite unimpressive. Ddicm adds that Hunnam exaggerates his swagger through his walk and swinging of hands.
Hunnam's English accent does creep in sometimes but this isn't a major problem since it's hardly noticeable. In fact, there aren't complaints about it by most critics' reviews of the show. As for the walk and swinging of hands, they do make him look more badass. Hunnam received a total of 8 nominations across different award bodies for his role as Jax, proving he isn't a bad actor.
Jax's Death Being Caused By Clay
Among the anti-Teller brigade is Redditor Linsrevenge who prefers a world where Clay kills Jax the moment he starts opposing him. This way, all the tragedy that comes after never happens.
SAMCRO's misfortunes might indeed never happen if Clay makes the executive decision to take out Jax, but Jax dying at the hands of Clay (the same man that killed his father) wouldn't be so well-received by viewers. Having one of the show's most unlikeable characters kill off the protagonist might have driven the show to a point of no recovery.
Jax Manipulates Opie
The friendship between Opie and Jax is an admirable one but Redditor gizmatic doesn't see it that way. According to them, Jax manipulates Opie into rejoining SAMCRO and also manipulates him into not killing Clay.
Convincing Opie to rejoin SAMCRO after his jail term ended isn't something Jax does out of malice. The club needs someone like him. Jax also realizes how Opie is struggling financially and knows he'll earn more if he works for the club. As for the Clay bit, Jax doesn't tell Opie because he is aware that Opie killing an active President would lead to a Mayhem vote for him. Jax hates Clay too but he is aware that killing him at that point is premature since he is still needed.
Jax Is A Good Guy
Jax Teller sits top among the Sons Of Anarchy characters with the highest kill counts with an impressive (or rather disgusting) 43 deaths to his name. He is also unfaithful and violent. Still, Redditor simsartist labels him a good guy because he loves his family and is a good friend.
Jax Teller is best described as an antihero. A good guy he is clearly not. His actions rule him out from joining the decency squad. He is also not a villain since he is not intentionally evil. Jax can also be described as a tragic character, driven by circumstances, most of them unfortunate ones.
Jax Should Forgive Juice
Juice literally commits treason against the club by contemplating snitching on them. He also murders a Prospect over cocaine. When Jax finds out about his sins, he isn't too forgiving. Interestingly Redditor Christijohnson feels Juice deserves a pardon.
It's hard for most fans to root for Juice, considering that he has the option of coming clean to the club about being blackmailed by AUSA Potter but chooses to become an informant. His being an accomplice in Tara's death is also unforgivable. And so is causing the death of his colleague. Jax does in no way treat Juice unfairly. Like Gemma, he deserves what he gets.