‘Sons of Anarchy’ season 6 finale review: Charlie Hunnam shines; Gemma and Tara bring tears

After watching tonight’s “Sons of Anarchy” season 6 finale, it’s really even hard to get all of our emotions together. When we first heard the title “A Mother’s Work,” we had no idea that it was referring to something quite like THIS. (Massive warning: Stop reading immediately if you want to avoid spoilers. You will be very, very sorry otherwise.)

Let us start by focusing on what has to be the top story as of this hour: Tara is dead, and it was Gemma who destroyed her out of sheer impulse, a desire for a form of revenge that she never needed to take. Jax tried to offer himself up for the sake of the rest of the club, but neglected to inform Gemma that it wasn’t another one of Tara’s elaborate set-ups. She will do ANYTHING to protect her son, including doing the unthinkable … even for her. But will Juice try to cover for her? He may have survived the finale, but this guy’s nine lives has to be nearing its end at this point. Also, what’s with Unsur being such a comfort to a killer? The man continues to surprise, even if he doesn’t have all the information.

As for the next death, you probably saw what was happening to Roosevelt coming. Rockmond Dunbar has a new gig on “The Mentalist,” but to see him be collateral in Tara’s death? That was something new, and very bloody. We know we’re focusing on these big moments, and it’s mostly because you almost have to go backwards in order to really digest and figure out everything that happened here. Charlie Hunnam was fantastic throughout, especially in that signature “Sons of Anarchy” moment with the backing music and the emotional hugs from Jax to his brothers. This eventually led him to Tara and Eli’s bodies, and those tears to close things off as the credits rolled.

But know this: “A Mother’s Work” was shocking, bloody, terrifying at times, and harrowing. But it showed character growth. This was the perfect way to end “Sons of Anarchy” season 6, and as close to a perfect episode as you are going to find with this series. We know that some are going to hate it, but personally, you have to take great risks to creatively find great rewards. Grade: A.

Do you feel like the “Sons of Anarchy” finale ended in the way it was meant to, and how long are you going to be feeling the pain from this one? As always, we welcome your thoughts below. You can read some more “Sons of Anarchy” news at the link here, and we’ll have some more reaction to this soon enough.

Photo: FX