Wayne Unser's story in Sons Of Anarchy was a tragic one. He started out as the powerful Chief of the Charming Police Department before losing everything (including his family) and resorting to living in a trailer. Despite his setbacks, Unser was always a loyal ally to SAMCRO.
When he was in the police force, he frequently teamed up with the gang since they helped keep Charming free from drugs and violent criminals. And when he left the force, he still showed up whenever they needed his help. Here are moments when he did despicable things and moments when the world was unfair to him.
Felt Bad: The Cancer Diagnosis
Unser's future in law enforcement appeared bleak after he was diagnosed with cancer. He had been the Chief of the Charming Police Department for a long time and it seemed like his whole life revolved around his work. Prior to that, he had served in Vietnam in the United States Marine Corps.
As the disease progressed, he made the decision to step down from his job. He needed to focus more on himself and part of his self-treatment program involved taking marijuana. Unfortunately for him, the Sons initially refused to let him retire in peace.
Hated: Indirectly Causing Tara's Death
Unser became aware of Tara and Wendy's plan to gain full custody of the children as well as leaving Charming for good. Instead of siding with the good people on this occasion, he went ahead to feed Gemma with misinformation. He told her that Tara had made a deal with the police.
According to him, the deal involved Jax turning himself in and Tara leaving Charming with the children. Gemma got the impression that Tara had ratted on SAMCRO (which wasn't exactly the case) so she attacked Tara and brutally murdered her.
Felt Bad: SAMCRO Hijacks His Shipment
Unser initially owned a trucking company called Unser Shipping. Since he was in good terms with the Sons, he hired them to protect a shipment that was bound for Mexico. However, they ended up hijacking it as a way of blackmailing him to stay in office longer.
Unser had intended to hand over power to his deputy David Hale but Hale didn't like the Sons so they weren't too comfortable with allowing him to take over. To let Unser know they were serious, the Sons also threatened to hijack any other truck from his company that left town. He thus decided to stay for six more months.
Hated: Covering Up Greg And Gogo's Killings
Clay deserved to go down many times but he didn't. In the Season 5 episode titled "Toad's Wild Ride," it was revealed that Greg, Gogo, and Frankie were responsible for the break-ins in Charming as well as the death of the Sheriff's wife Rita's death. It was also revealed that Clay was behind it.
During a confrontation, Unser and Clay managed to kill Gogo and Greg. For Unser, it was self-defense but for Clay, he was covering up his tracks. Instead of letting Clay go down, Unser covered up the killings. He also refused to cooperate when the police visited.
Felt Bad: The Charming Police Department Gets Dissolved
Towards the end of the second season, Unser minimized his role with the department and allowed David Hale to be in charge. However, David died, causing Unser to begin questioning his loyalty to SAMCRO. In the next season, David's influential brother Jacob came around with the intent of bringing the Sons down.
He let Unser know that the city council was considering absorbing the Charming Police Department into the San Joaquin County Sheriff Department and that he had the power to prevent that from happening. Unser thus decided to side with him but then the department was absorbed anyway and Unser lost everything.
Hated: Not Doing Anything About Gemma's Rape
Given how much he loved Gemma, his lack of extensive action when she was raped early on Season 2 was shocking. Gemma was raped by three men wearing masks who told her to warn Clay about his dealings with minorities. She later learned that AJ Weston was one of them.
When Unser found out about the incident, he didn't really do anything about it. Logically, he could have gone banging on Weston's door or organized for an arrest. Instead, he just agreed with Gemma that they should keep the incident a secret. He crashed her vehicle into a road divider and together, they made it look like she'd been in an accident.
Felt Bad: The Divorce
Unser and Della had been married for a long time. The couple had two daughters. However, when Unser got diagnosed with cancer, their relationship began to go on a downward spiral. In sickness and in health? It appears Della didn't sign up for the former during marriage vows.
Della tried to persuade him to quit his job and then she decided to leave him as the disease got worse. The first person that Unser opened up to about the divorce was Gemma. He was often seen lonely in his trailer afterward as he pondered over his life.
Hated: Not Exposing Clay For Piney's Murder
This was another case of Unser protecting Clay for no logical reason. Not long after he found out that Clay and Gemma were involved in John Teller's death, Unser also found out that Clay had killed Piney. Given how angry the JT discovery had made him, he should have exposed Clay or turned him in immediately.
Surprisingly, he still agreed to go with Clay's fake story that the Sonora Cartel did it. By doing this, he was extending Clay's tyrannical reign and encouraging his cycle of violence. He would later redeem himself by telling Opie the truth about Piney's murder.
Felt Bad: Losing His Land And Trucking Business
Unser was short on cash after leaving the police force so he forced to sell his trucking company. He thus opted to live in a trailer on the outskirts of town and became an alcoholic. Despite the string of bad luck, he tried to keep his head high.
It wasn't just raining for Unser, it was pouring. He eventually lost the land for Unser Tracking too and was only allowed to park his trailer there in exchange for working as a security guard. Eventually, he was booted from the land for good and had to park his trailer next to the Teller-Morrow garage.
Hated: Sacrificing Himself For Gemma
Unser had been obsessed with Gemma ever since she was a young girl. Sadly, she didn't feel the same way. She knew how much he loved her and thus used him for favors as much as she could. Surprisingly, a smart cop like Unser couldn't see through his "affection glasses."
Unser lived every day hoping that perhaps Gemma would see him as a potential partner one day. He even told her that he loved her in the sixth season. But they never got to be together. And when Jax wanted to kill Gemma for murdering Tara, Unser tried to stop him, saying Gemma was all he had left. Jax thus had no choice but to kill him too.