As a doctor in a town full of outlaws, Tara Knowles sticks out more than any other character in Sons Of Anarchy. She remains conflicted during her time in the series, and this creates a rather interesting storyline. Her logical side keeps reminding her that she can do better than Charming, but her heart tells her she can't be without Jax.
Her decision to stay leads to one of the best romance stories ever told on TV. It also leads to a tragic outcome, as Tara ends up being granted the most gruesome death scene in the series. It helps that her death doesn't come too soon, but it's still painful, nevertheless. The bloody death scene aside, Tara is remembered for some of the brilliant things she had to say.
"My Badass Biker Is Journaling?"
Jax's decision to start writing down details about his life like his father John Teller goes hand in hand with wisdom. There are stereotypes for motorcycle club members, and many wouldn't expect them to sit down with a pen and paper. Tara's surprise when she finds Jax writing things down thus makes sense.
Jax refuses to go into detail about what he is jotting down, but Tara is impressed. She is used to him going out to fight rivals or make money through illegal means, after all.
"You're Just A Cheap Suit... Too Lazy To Get Into Med School."
Tara can be mean, but this side of her tends to bring out her badass nature too. Viewers cant help but side with her as she says the above words to Margaret Murphy, the St. Thomas Hospital administrator. Margaret had been bullying Tara ever since she learned of her affiliation with Charming's main biker gang.
Margaret is totally shocked by Tara standing up to her. Tara flexes her qualifications and bluntly reminds Margaret that her job as an administrator is less impressive since she didn't have to go to med school. The incident leaves Margaret shaken, forcing a change in attitude. She starts respecting Tara going forward.
"You Live A Life I Don't Think I'll Never Really Understand."
Tara is indeed very different from everyone in Charming. She has a proper education and a lucrative career, so it's understandable that she feels out of place. When Jax goes to see her at the hospital after Donna's death, she confesses that she still feels guilty about her ex Josh Kohn's death. She is also afraid because 'Old Ladies' are now dying, too.
Tara tells Jax that she wants to leave Charming again, but Jax feels she is just afraid of commitment. He also calls her for using him to get rid of Josh Kohn. Despite the argument, the two kiss before Jax leaves.
"We're Not 19 Anymore. You Can't Dictate What He Does, Who He Sees."
Tara's penchant for standing up against Gemma is what leads to an unknittable tear in their relationship, but she sure does it very well. Soon after Tara returns to Charming, Gemma does some digging into her life and finds out that she left Chicago to hide from an unnamed lover, against whom she also put up a restraining order.
In classic Gemma fashion, she gives Tara a handgun so that she deals with her problems herself. She then orders her to not burden Jax, and Tara doesn't react too kindly to that. She reminds Gemma that she and Jax are both adults who can decide on the appropriate course of action themselves.
"You're A Class Act, Teller."
He is way too violent, but Jax is indeed more of a class act than his fellow SAMCRO members. One quiet moment in the house finds Jax going through some journals as Tara reads Upton Sinclair's book The Jungle.
The two then disuss how the book has some vegan themes before Tara declares she needs a steak. Jax claims that he doesn't need one because she is his porterhouse steak. The lovebirds then begin making out.
"How Do You Fix SAMCRO If You're Not A Part Of It?"
There's no doubt that Jax is delusional by thinking he can leave SAMCRO. In season two, he tries to go Nomad and no one is happy. Even Tara, who has always insisted on leaving, doesn't think his decision makes sense.
Everyone has been looking up to Jax to fix the club because Clay is running it down. Jax claims he can still do that as a Nomad, but everyone doubts it, including Tara. Eventually, Jax finds his way back at SAMCRO in the classic "let a dog roam and he'll find his way home" fashion.
"Everything You Taught Me."
It's an answer to Gemma's "what are you doing?" and it's quite fitting. After Clay's failed hit on Tara, she makes plans of her own to eliminate him. She gives Jax a hypodermic syringe full of blood thinner and instructs him to go inject Clay with it. After that, he should come and get them out of Charming.
Gemma questions Tara and her plan in general. Tara tells her she is only doing what she learned from her. When Tara returned to Charming, she was nice, but, after spending a lot of time with Gemma, she has morphed into an evil person, too
"It's Not A Simple Answer."
"Yes I do" or "no, I don't" are the most acceptable answers to the question: "do you love me?" Tara says the words above, instead. After the Josh Kohn incident, Jax insists on a declaration of love from Tara. Jax feels that "do you love me?' is a simple question, but Tara disagrees.
She refuses to say the words because she is still shaken. She has also experienced some of Charming's violence already and isn't too sure if she'd like to stay around any longer. Kohn was her biggest worry, and, now that he is dead, she is considering leaving Charming.
"I Don't Need Two Weeks. I'm Not Guilty And I'm Not A Rat."
Being an informant is considered the worst sin among gangs, and, as someone who is in a relationship with a biker gang member, Tara understands this well. Former US Marshall Lee Toric once tries to get her to snitch on SAMCRO. He is eager to take the club down because Otto killed his sister.
Toric makes it clear that, if Tara doesn't cooperate, he'll pin a murder on her. He lets her know that she has two weeks to decide. This doesn't scare Tara who completely refuses to cooperate.
"You Duplicitous B***!"
Enmity sometimes breeds the best friendship, and that's what happens with Margaret and Tara. Margaret is happy for Tara when she learns that she has been invited to a medical conference at Providence Hospital in Portland. Before leaving, Tara asks her for a favor. If anything happens to her, she should give the JT letters to Jax or Piney.
When she tries to take out the letters from an envelope, she realizes they are only blank papers. She immediately realizes that Gemma must have switched them. This causes her to let out a rather hilarious curse.