Sons of Anarchy’s Tig Shares An Unfortunate (But Fitting) Series Record With Jax
The members of the title motorcycle club in Sons of Anarchy aren’t exactly the most morally correct people, though many of them changed for the better, as is the case of Tig (Kim Coates), but he still shares an unfortunate yet fitting record with Jax (Charlie Hunnam). In 2008, Kurt Sutter took the audience to the fictional town of Charming, California, to meet the Sons of Anarchy motorcycle club (also known as SAMCRO), led by President Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman) and VP Jax Teller. Throughout eight seasons, SAMCRO confronts various enemies, including some within the club.
Throughout his time as VP and President, Jax is accompanied by the club’s most loyal members, who follow him through many highs and lows. Among them is Tig Trager, SAMCRO’s Sergeant-at-Arms during Clay’s Presidency and thus his right hand, who at the end of Sons of Anarchy becomes the club’s VP. Tig is one of the most impulsive and reckless members of the club, and as such, it’s fitting that he shares a surprising but unfortunate series record with Jax.
Tig & Jax Are The Only Characters To Kill Someone In Sons & Anarchy’s First & Last Episodes
Violence Never Stopped In Sons Of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy brings together crime, action, drama, and some comedic moments, but it’s very heavy on its drama side. Life as part of SAMCRO isn’t easy, and its members often face betrayals, tragedies, and other tough moments, not just with the club, but in their personal lives and with other clubs, too. The members of SAMCRO also kill many people throughout Sons of Anarchy, though, unfortunately, not always people who would be punished like that for their crimes. Sons of Anarchy wastes no time in showing how violent it will be, and there are kills in the very first episode.
In the pilot episode of Sons of Anarchy, members of the Mayans Club break into SAMCRO’s warehouse and steal the Sons’ stockpile of guns. This further sparks the rivalry between the clubs and leads to violent encounters. As a result, there are a couple of deaths in it, including those of two unnamed Mayans members, killed by Tig and Jax. Now, jumping to the series finale of Sons of Anarchy, it obviously has a couple of deaths.
In the final episode of Sons of Anarchy, two deaths are credited to Tig, both of them unnamed IRA members, and four are credited to Jax: True IRA member Brendan Roarke, Charles Barosky, August Marks, and an employee of the latter. This, of course, is without counting Jax’s suicide by crashing into a semi-truck on the road. Thanks to all this, Tig and Jax are the only Sons of Anarchy characters who kill someone in the show’s first and final episodes.
Surprisingly, Jax Has Sons of Anarchy’s Highest Kill Count, Not Tig
Not Tig, Not Happy – It Was Jax
As mentioned above, Tig never hesitates to kill and is impulsive, but to everyone’s surprise, he doesn’t have Sons of Anarchy’s highest kill count. That spot belongs to none other than Jax, who, throughout the show’s eight seasons, killed over 40 people. The second spot on the Sons of Anarchy kill count list belongs to Tig, with a total of 16 kills, followed by Happy (David Labrava) with 23 kills. Even more surprising than Tig and Happy not having the show’s highest kill count is that Sons of Anarchy’s most violent character isn’t at the top of the list, either.
Otto Delaney (Sutter) doesn’t appear often in Sons of Anarchy as he has been in prison for years, but his appearances make it very clear that he’s one to fear. Otto often acts borderline psychotic and continues committing various crimes in prison for SAMCRO. Despite all this, Otto actually has a low kill count, with only five known deaths before and during Sons of Anarchy, so, while violent, he isn’t as reckless as Jax and Tig.
Tig Is Responsible For Two Of Sons Of Anarchy’s Most Tragic Deaths
Directly & Indirectly, Tig Destroyed A Family In Sons Of Anarchy
In addition to Tig having the shared record of kills in the first and final episodes of Sons of Anarchy, he also destroyed a family directly and indirectly. The first big and shocking death in Sons of Anarchy is that of Donna, Opie’s (Ryan Hurst) wife. Clay orders Opie’s death as he is tricked into believing Opie ratted on the club, but that isn’t true. However, Opie and Donna exchange places at the last minute and Donna is driving their car when Tig follows her and kills her without realizing Opie isn’t driving.
In Sons of Anarchy season 4, Opie attacks Clay for the murder of his father, but to cover him, Jax and Clay claim the attack was done by two black men. Tig, loyal to Clay, decides to take revenge (rather impulsively) and goes after the leader of the One-Niners, Laroy. However, instead of running him over, Tig kills his date, Veronica Pope, the daughter of dangerous kingpin Damon Pope. Naturally, Pope wants revenge, and after burning Tig’s daughter alive in front of him, he arrests Tig, Jax, and Chibs.
Opie has himself arrested, too, and in prison, Pope demands a dead Son for the cop and Niner they killed. Although Tig volunteers, Opie steps in and becomes the sacrifice, being killed in front of his brothers. Tig’s impulsive killing of Veronica Pope leads to Opie’s death, and so he leaves Opie and Donna’s children without their parents.
Sons of Anarchy is centered around the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original (SAMCRO), exploring the tensions between President Clay and Vice President Jax in the town of Charming. The narrative focuses on their differing visions for the club's operations, blending legal and illegal enterprises.
- Network
- FX
- Cast
- Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, Tommy Flanagan, Mark Boone Junior, Kim Coates, Theo Rossi, Dayton Callie, Ron Perlman, Maggie Siff, David Labrava, Ryan Hurst, William Lucking, Jimmy Smits, Niko Nicotera, Drea De Matteo, Johnny Lewis, Kurt Sutter, Sherrie Rose, judith hoag, Cameron Goodman, Mircea Monroe, Stephen King, Kevin Alejandro
- Directors
- Paris Barclay, Guy Ferland, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Peter Weller, Billy Gierhart, Kurt Sutter, Stephen Kay, Adam Arkin, Paul Maibaum, Phil Abraham, Terrence O'Hara, Allen Coulter, Charles Haid, Charles Murray, Karen Gaviola, Mario Van Peebles, Michael Dinner, Seith Mann, Tim Hunter
