Sons Of Anarchy had many deaths, but the demise of Tara Knowles was perhaps the most heartbreaking one. For a long time, she appeared to be the only sane character in the show. She lived all her life trying to escape violence, first fleeing from her abusive boyfriend in Chicago before making several efforts to leave Charming with her family.
It's said that the best way to prevent bad things from happening is by not hanging around bad people. Chaotic people breed chaos, and this was evident in every episode of the critically-acclaimed FX series. Sadly, Tara wasn't able to do that. Hers is a totally tragic story, and here's why.
She Was In An Abusive Relationship
No means no, but Agent Kohn couldn't let that sink in his mind. The ATF agent had been abusing Tara, so she left him. Kohn refused to accept that it was over so he tracked her down to Charming under the pretense of investigating SAMCRO for illegal business dealings.
Jax warned him to stay away from Tara, but he didn't listen. Despite being ordered to leave Charming, he came back at night, attacked Tara, and tried to rape her. Luckily, Tara managed to shoot him in the stomach. She called Jax who showed up and finished the job.
She "Became" Gemma
Gemma was a bad influence on Tara. The surgeon was naturally a pretty good person but the more time she spent around Jax's mother Gemma, the more she became like her. Tara figured she'd earn more respect if she became as ruthless as her mother-in-law.
When Tara's superior Margaret began harassing her, Gemma advised her to lay down the law. Tara thus assaulted Margaret and threatened her family unless she showed some respect. And during her conflicts with Gemma, Tara also decided to fight fire with fire by adopting Gemma's own tactics. She stood up to Gemma several times and even banned her from seeing her grandsons.
Jax Was Constantly Unfaithful To Her
Despite claiming he loved her, Jax constantly cheated on her. Yet, she was loyal to him. She was loyal enough to postpone leaving Charming a couple of times so as to fit into his dreams and plans.
Jax's incidences of unfaithfulness were numerous. He cheated on Tara with Wendy right around the time of Donna's funeral. He also slept with the porn star Ima after she seduced him. Tara caught them in the act. She also caught Jax in the act with Diosa boss Colette. The incident made her so angry that she almost ratted on the club.
The Abel Situation
Tara wasn't Abel's biological mother, but she chose to take care of her because Wendy was unreliable. As a doctor, Tara was able to ensure that Abel got the best care and grew to be a healthy young boy. She was deeply traumatized too when Abel was kidnapped and taken to Ireland.
Abel grew up knowing that Tara was her real mother only for Wendy to show up seasons later and demand custody. Tara fought off Wendy for a while before the two reached an agreement. Sadly, Tara didn't live long enough to see Abel grow into an adult.
She Was Implicated In A Murder
With the RICO case threatening to destroy SAMCRO, Tara visited Stockton State Prison in a medical capacity in order to talk Otto into recanting his statement. He was reluctant at first, but when she brought him his wife Luann's perfume and crucifix, he agreed to do as he had been asked.
The psychotic Otto ended up using the crucifix to stab an innocent nurse to death. This set off a chain of unfortunate events that would lead to Tara being implicated in the nurse's murder.
Her Unlucky Hand
When FBI agents staged a kidnapping, Tara injured her hand as it got smashed in the van's door. This was problematic for her, because she needed the hand to perform surgeries. The injury devastated her and caused her to be hostile towards Jax. But that wasn't the last injury the hand would be subjected to.
Tara impulsively smashed the hand against a vase of flowers after a confrontation over Abel's custody. She was then placed under psych watch. At the start of Season 5, she was unable to perform surgeries completely. This made her earn less. The hand recovered but she injured it again after a fight with an inmate while in County Jail in Season 6. It's unclear if it fully recovered.
She Had A Troubled Childhood
Tara's childhood was one to forget. Her mother is said to have died when she was the age of 9. ATF Agent June Stahl also found out from Tara's files that she had an alcoholic father who was also a packrat. He cared more about his possessions than his family. As a result, Tara learned to depend on herself.
Her teenage years weren't better either, She was arrested several times for disorderly conduct, public intoxication, and possession of stolen items. By the time she was 19, she was tired of the small-town life and wanted out.
Jax Changed
Jax was initially a good-hearted person who wanted nothing to do with the violence that surrounded SAMCRO members. That's the man Tara loved. That's the man Tara hoped would run away from Charming with her to live a peaceful life.
Unfortunately, Jax turned into a darker version of himself. "You've become a monster!" Tara told him during one of their arguments. Jax was unable to leave Charming. He kept on getting more and more violent. Perhaps Tara should have realized this earlier, but she never did. The consequences were irreversible.
She Never Had The Best Experiences With Law Enforcement
Part of the reason why Tara ended up in Charming in the first place was that she feared for her life. She had to go through three precincts before she could get a restraining order against Agent Kohn. She felt that the authorities weren't doing enough to protect her from him because he was one of them.
Tara figured she'd be safer in Charming. Her struggles with law enforcement would not end there. She found herself being framed and being used as a pawn in deals to bring SAMCRO down. It is in part her issues with law enforcement that ultimately led to her death.
Her Brutal Death
Late in Season 6, Gemma thought that Tara was planning to rat on the club and ran away. She thus went to her house to confront her. Without giving Tara the chance to explain herself, Gemma pounced on her and started fighting with her.
She then smashed her head on the sink and attempted to drown her. Despite trying hard, Tara couldn't overpower Gemma. Grabbing a barbecue fork, Gemma stabbed Tara several times in the head and neck. It was a sad and horrific way for such a great character to be killed off.