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Sons of Anarchy
"We don't know who we are until we're connected to someone else. We're just better human beings when we're with the person we're supposed to be with. I wasn't supposed to leave. I belong here."
―Tara, to Jax[src]
The subject of the article is involved with Sons of Anarchy The subject of the article is involved with Sons of Anarchy Season 1 The subject of the article is involved with Sons of Anarchy Season 2 The subject of the article is involved with Sons of Anarchy Season 3 The subject of the article is involved with Sons of Anarchy Season 4 The subject of the article is involved with Sons of Anarchy Season 5 The subject of the article is involved with Sons of Anarchy Season 6

Dr. Tara Grace Knowles-Teller (June 21, 1980 - June, 2013) was a doctor at St. Thomas Hospital, wife of Jax Teller and a major character, on the FX original series Sons of Anarchy. Played by American actress Maggie Siff, Tara makes her debut in the series' premiere episode, "Pilot", in season one and plays a recurring role throughout the same and subsequent seasons, until she meets her demise in the season six finale, "A Mother's Work".

Biography[]

Background[]

Tara was a native of Charming, California and wife to Jax Teller. Tara's mother died when she was nine years old. According to ATF Agent June Stahl, she had a "drunk daddy," and Tara has described him as a "bit of a packrat." She was Jax's high-school girlfriend, and during this era she got a crow tattoo on her lower back representing her connection to SAMCRO. Tara was arrested in Jax's company at least three times in 1996, namely for public intoxication, disorderly conduct and possession of stolen property. Tara left town when Jax was 19, trying to get away from small-town life and the heavy-handed influence of the club. According to Gemma this all but broke Jax's heart.

After leaving Charming she moved in with a cousin of her father's who lived in San Diego, studied at University of California, San Diego where she graduated with honors, attended medical school in Chicago (Feinberg Medical School at Northwestern University according to her file in "Fun Town" but "Loyola Med" according to Agent Stahl in "Better Half,") where she was at the top of her class, and then went on to her internship in Chicago Presbyterian. While in Chicago she dated ATF agent Josh Kohn, and got pregnant by him, but had an abortion at six weeks.

Kohn became intimidating at a certain point in their relationship so she took out a restraining order against him. She told Hale that she had to go to three precincts before successfully getting a restraining order. She doubted law enforcement's ability to protect her. After an eleven year absence, Tara returned to Charming, "the only place [she] ever felt safe." She thought if law enforcement failed to protect her, SAMCRO could.

Season 1[]

"Pilot"[]

Dr. Tara Knowles meets with Gemma Teller-Morrow, Jackson "Jax" Teller, Clarence "Clay" Morrow, Robert "Bobby Elvis" Munson and Filip "Chibs" Telford. The men are all members of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original. Tara and Jax have some history and the pair know each other. They are at the hospital as Jax's pregnant ex-wife has overdosed and was bought in. She explains that an emergency C-section had to be performed and that the baby is 10 weeks premature. He is also very unwell due to being born with the Teller heart defect and all the drugs Wendy Case was shooting up. He is given a 20% survival chance.

The following day, Tara meets with Gemma. Tara explains that Abel's surgery will be happening later today. Things get heated as they have some history, the two women have known each other for a long time as Tara and Jax used to be closely affiliated. Gemma insists as long as she take good care of Abel, she has no issue with her assisting.

Jax then goes to the hospital, learning that Abel's surgery was a success. He finds Tara and the pair hug, nearly concluding in the pair kissing. Tara realises that Jax is covered in blood and demands that he clean himself up before storming away.

"Seeds"[]

Jax visits his son at the hospital. Tara is present and Jax attempts to explain the previous night, Tara silences him, saying she really doesn't want to know. Jax tells Tara that him and Wendy are getting a divorce, with Jax telling Tara he is happy she is back in Charming.

Gemma later approaches Tara and she says that Abel is doing better. Tara then says that she knows Gemma gave Wendy the needle to try and finish her off. Tara says that she will tell Jax her theory. Gemma chastises her, saying that isn't going to bring Jax back to her. Tara insists she has no interest in Jax and tells Gemma that she isn't untouchable.

"Fun Town"[]

Tara speaks with Wendy who is slowly recovering from her overdose. Tara hints to Wendy that she suspects Gemma may be responsible for bringing her the heroin, but Wendy insists that she had nothing to do with it. Tara states that she finds it hard to understand why Wendy tried to kill herself, Wendy tells Tara that she doesn't know her very well.

Tara later receives a phone call from a man, he states that she is very hard to track down, Tara immediately puts the phone down, appearing very concerned. Deputy Chief David Hale soon arrives and asks where he can find Tristen Oswald, a young rape victim, Tara points him to her room.

Gemma and Tara later run in to each other again, with Tara telling Gemma that Wendy is out of detox.

Tara speaks to Hale, he says that he will look in to if a restraining order she got in another state is still valid in California. He attempts to ask further questions but Tara won't say much. She also agrees to try and get Hale some time to speak with Tristen.

"Patch Over"[]

Tara leaves her house and goes to her car, she finds rose petals scattered across it. Tara immediately returns inside and grabs a gun. Tara then heads to TM, she speaks to Jax and learns he is going out of town for a few days. Gemma soon arrives and Jax says that if there are any problems with Abel, to speak with her. Jax says that Gemma will give her a lift, to which Tara isn't happy about.

Gemma digs through Tara's bag which is left in her car, she finds her handgun and asks her about it. Tara attempts to brush it off but Gemma is too smart, Tara quickly ends the conversation and gets out of the car, claiming the gun is legal and she knows how to use it.

The following morning, she heads to Tara's house and drops her car off. Tara quickly sees through Gemma's act as she begins to ask questions. Tara is warned by Gemma to stay away from Jax. Gemma leaves Tara with an unregistered firearm and exits.

At work, Tara receives a letter, she opens it and is shocked to find an image of Jax having sex with a random woman inside, dated from the previous night.

"Giving Back"[]

Tara is at work, in the lobby she is horrified to find Josh Kohn, an ATF agent and her ex. Kohn is responsible for sending Tara the picture of Jax having sex with the random woman. Tara reminds Kohn that the restraining order she has against him is still in effect. Kohn says that he is only here on business, investigating SAMCRO and besides, his ATF status overrides any type of court order. Tara threatens him again saying anymore contact and she will call the police.

"AK-51"[]

Tara is shocked to see Kohn once again at the hospital, this time he is in the incubation room, staring at Abel. Kohn tells Tara to be at the clubhouse in 45 minutes if he wants to see Abel's future.

Tara later visits the clubhouse as instructed and is worried to see that the ATF have paid the Sons a visit and are raiding the clubhouse.

Jax goes to the hospital to see Abel and catches up with Tara, she tells Jax she saw the ATF at the clubhouse yesterday but Jax brushes it off. He says a guy from the ATF is out to get the club but it isn't anything to be concerned with. Tara isn't so sure and asks Jax for a ride home and he accepts.

"Old Bones"[]

Jax gives Tara a ride home. Upon their arrival, Jax twigs a car that had been following the pair since they left the hospital. Jax asks Tara about it, knowing she knows more than she is letting on. Tara comes clean, he is the ATF agent, Josh Kohn that has been hassling the Sons, only Tara doesn't think he is really there for them, he is here for her. Tara says that she used to be with the man when she lived in Chicago, she has a restraining order against him since he became violent after she split with him. Jax heads straight to Kohn's car, telling Tara to go inside and lock the door behind her, which she does.

Hale visits Tara and tells her that he knows about Kohn from Jax. Hale promises that Kohn is done and will be leaving Charming.

Tara tells Jax that Hale has been to see her and assured her that Kohn will be leaving Charming, she thanks Jax for handling the situation.

Tara arrives home and finds Jax on the doorstep, she knows that he fought with Kohn and both were injured. Jax assures Tara he is fine, telling her that Kohn left town, he watched him. Jax asks Tara if she only came back to Charming because he was there, and if she knew he would protect her. Tara denies this, saying she had no reason to believe Jax was even still in Charming. She finishes by saying it sounds like something Gemma would say, not Jax.

"The Pull"[]

At the hospital, it is time for Abel to come out of the incubator. Tara soon arrives holding Abel, she passes him to an emotional Jax and Gemma.

Jax heads to Tara's house just as she arrives home from work. He tells her that the club need some medical supplies and Tara gives him her bag, saying that she can't get anything from the hospital as they keep track of all stock. The two share a moment, with Jax saying that when he heard Tara was coming back to Charming he wondered what would become of the pair of them. Jax says that Tara is a different person now, whilst he is the same man with the same kutte. Tara says she disagrees, when she saw him holding Abel earlier she saw a different man wearing the same kutte. He thanks Tara and heads out.

As Tara returns to her bedroom she notices an mp3 player on the bedside table, she is confused as this isn't hers when suddenly Kohn appears around the corner, covering Tara's mouth and subduing her, Tara attempts to scream for Jax but hears him riding away.

Kohn lets Tara up, apologising and saying he just needs five minutes to speak to her. Tara agrees and Kohn says they should start over, apologising for all the recent things he has done to get her attention, he says he believes the restraining order was too far and makes him seem like some sort of psycho. Kohn says he heard Tara talking to Jax outside and says that she knows it can never happen, Tara smiles and nods as Kohn says to tell him everything that didn't work in their relationship and he can be a better man. Tara admits to Kohn that he was very possessive of her and she was scared of him, Kohn says that surely now she must realise there isn't anything to be afraid of. Kohn then asks Tara about their baby, Tara says it was aborted at 6 weeks and was never a baby. Kohn smacks her across the face and she tries to flee, Kohn pushes her in to the door, hitting her head and knocking her out. He carries her to the bed and begins to undress, putting on music and lighting candles. Tara awakens and quickly tells Kohn that she knows he can be gentle and wants him to make love to her, kissing him. Tara continues to whisper sweet things to Kohn as she manoeuvres him underneath her as she kisses him and whilst he is distracted, she reaches for his gun holster on the side table, the pair struggle and the gun goes off, Kohn is shot in the stomach. He staggers off the bed and falls to the floor, begging Tara to call an ambulance or he will bleed out. Tara backs away and makes a phone call to Jax.

Jax races back to Tara's house and finds a half dressed Tara at the door brandishing a gun, Jax checks on Kohn and finds that he has been shot by Tara and is slowly bleeding out. Tara continues to panic saying that she didn't know who else to call. Jax lays the situation out to Tara clearly, if she calls an ambulance, Kohn will get patched up and then do a few years inside for assault, he will then be free to find Tara again and history will repeat itself. Tara begs with Jax that she can't do it again as Kohn continues to yell slurs at Tara from inside the bedroom. Jax makes the decision for Tara, he snatches the gun off her and marches back in to the bedroom and shoots Kohn in the head. Tara screams in horror before she joins Jax on the bed as they look over Kohn's corpse as they begin to kiss and then make love then and there.

"Hell Followed"[]

At the hospital, Jax is surprised to see Tara working again, she admits to Jax that she had to get out of her house. Tara asks what happened to Kohn's body but Jax just tells her it is done. Jax assures Tara that Kohn was only going to end up one way chasing her to Charming. Jax then tells Tara he needs her to come to the clubhouse with him, the medical supplies he wanted are for a club ally who has been shot and will die without proper medical assistance.

Tara arrives at the clubhouse, she immediately has Gemma feed Cameron Hayes, the club's new friend some pills and then tells Juan Carlos"Juice" Ortiz, a Son who has had his finger in Cameron's ass cheek for a few hours that she is going to plug the wound his finger is currently holding. Tara is able to stabilise the bleeding but admits to Gemma she is very out of her depth, Gemma says all she needs to worry about is keeping Cameron alive.

Jax speaks to Tara after performing surgery on Cameron, she was able to get the slugs out and he is carted out of the clubhouse; Tara says that she knows Gemma still hates her, however.

Jax spends the night with Tara at the clubhouse.

The following morning Tara has an early run in with Gemma who questions what she and Jax are really doing. Tara admits that she isn't sure and Gemma says that is what concerns her. Gemma seems to talk some harsh sense in to Tara as she tears up on Gemma telling her that she needs to be the smarter one and split with Jax before something bad happens.

"Better Half"[]

Tara is visited by ATF Agent June Stahl. Stahl flatters Tara, telling her that she is very succesful woman and wonders how she got wrapped up with SAMCRO. Tara soon becomes edgy, telling Stahl her personal life is none of her businessa and demands to know what she wants. Stahl is straight, asking Tara does she know of any illegal activities that Jax or SAMCRO are involved in, Tara denies knowing anything and Stahl gives her her business card before leaving. Tara asks Stahl what she hopes to find and Stahl mentions that Kohn never ended up back in Chicago, wondering what happened to him and all because of love, Stahl says she hopes the same doesnt' happen to Tara.

Jax visits Tara at the hospital, Tara soon tells Jax that Stahl was here looking for information about SAMCRO, claiming that she knows everything about her. Jax reassures her, telling Tara that the ATF have nothing on the club and they are just digging.

The following day, Tara checks on Cameron one final time before he is smuggled out of the country.

"Capybara"[]

Gemma is visiting Abel at the hospital, Tara enters and tells Gemma that they will probably be able to take Abel home tomorrow. Tara tells Gemma that she doesn't think Jax is ready to be a father and Gemma agrees, saying that she will look after Abel. Gemma probes Tara with more questions about him and Jax but Tara isn't prepared to give any answers.

Later on, Tara receives a visit from Wendy who is excited to see Abel for the first time since he was born. Wendy is very grateful as Tara isn't supposed to allow Wendy near Abel. Wendy tells Tara that she is living in a sober living house and is doing well.

Jax heads to St. Thomas to see Abel and Tara, he is surrised to see Wendy has arrived, Tara leaves the two to talk but watches from outside as the pair still seem to be very close.

"The Sleep of Babies"[]

Jax is at St. Thomas, today is the day he is finally able to take Abel home. Tara is helping Jax with some paperwork and says that they need to think about what they are doing together. Jax says that he doesn't want to avoid what they have but needs some time to think about it.

Wendy finds Tara out on her break and asks to speak to her. Wendy asks if Tara and Jax are together and Tara admits she doesn't know how to answer it. Tara tells Wendy that she doesn't want to discuss it but Wendy tells her she needs to. Tara continues to try to dodge questions and tells Wendy she needs to check in to her sober living facility and take some time, if Jax is supposed to be there when she gets out then he will be. Wendy asks where Tara will be who tells her that she needs to get to work. Tara begins to walk away as Wendy tells her that she must know deep down that Gemma will never let her be with Jax, so she might as well quit while she still can.

Gemma prepares to leave the hospital with Abel. Tara walks with her and tells her that using Gemma against her and Jax is a very insidious move. Geamm tells Tara she was just trying to help Wendy and encourage her to change. Jax and Wendy arrive and the family leave.

At Abel's coming home party, Tara makes a show of kissing Jax in front of Wendy and Gemma, causing Jax to pull her aside to speak to her. Jax asks that they don't do anything in front of Wendy, she is struggling enough as is. Tara becomes angry, referring to their relationship as "whatever this is"; she slaps Jax across the face and storms out of the house as Jax gives chase.

"The Revelator"[]

Jax visits Tara at St. Thomas and she says she heard about what happened to Donna Winston, Opie's wife who was murdered the previous night, Jax says they don't have any more information and Tara apologises for her outburst the previous night. Tara says she is recently struggling after the Kohn incident but can't put things away like Jax can. Tara then drops the bombshell that she called her previous hospital in Chicago and said she might transfer. Jax becomes enraged at this, telling Tara she only runs when things get tough, he admits his marriage to Wendy was just convenience and Tara is the only woman for him. He kisses her and angrily storms out.

The following day, the club ride with Donna's funeral procession to the graveyard. Many associates, friends and family are also present. Jax arrives late, looking worse for wear, Tara stands and places his kutte on him, before kissing him passionately. Jax briefly pays his respects to Donna before taking off.


Season 2[]

Jaxtara

Jax and Tara

Season 2 shows Tara officially becoming Jax's "old lady," and becoming integrated into the club's world. After Gemma was raped, she turned to Tara for medical help. Tara encouraged Gemma to seek out counseling to deal with the psychological repercussions of the attack, but Gemma was reluctant. However, Tara's help with Gemma, along with her help raising Abel, seemed to help heal the rift between Tara and Gemma. Tara's connection with Jax and SAMCRO, on the other hand, causes problems for her at work. Gemma accidentally broke Tara's nose after Tara startled her. However, one of the hospital administrators, Margaret Murphy, believed that Jax was responsible for the injury and warned Tara about the problems her association with Jax could cause her. Later, Margaret files a "hostile work environment" complaint against Tara after Gemma confronts the administrator about the hospital's desire to move Chibs to another facility because his insurance situation. Chibs later complains of head pain and is able to stay at the hospital. Margaret accused Tara of coaching Chibs with his symptoms and had Tara's privileges suspended. When Jax decided that he wanted to go nomad, Tara was upset that he made this decision without talking to her, but unlike just about everyone else connected to the club, she felt like it might be the right decision, given the tension between Jax and Clay. Gemma lets Tara know that as Jax's "old lady", Tara has considerable prestige and respect in the club after other women in the club defer to her, and that she shouldn't "take any shit" from anyone.

Later, Tara confronts Margaret after a verbal exchange that gets ugly, with Tara choking her and punching her in the face. Tara tells Margaret "I know where you live, I know where your kids go to school" and informs her that the cops are on SAMCRO's payroll and that the club runs Charming. Tara advises Margaret to keep her mouth shut and retract her complaint. Margaret, face bloody, quickly agrees. In the season two finale, Tara attempted to convince Gemma to not get revenge but was unsuccessful. She was present at Jax's home when Cameron Hayes appeared, killed Half-sack and then tied her to Abel's cot before kidnapping Abel Teller. She was seen being consoled by Chief David Hale.

Season 3[]

Tara is still saddened by the kidnapping of Abel. As time goes by, Jax is constantly pushing her away. While visiting Gemma when she was on the run, Tara helped Gemma kill her father's caregiver and Tig helped them cover it up. She later reveals to Gemma in the hospital that she is six weeks pregnant with Jax's child. After Jax breaks up with Tara, she catches him with Cara Cara porn star, Ima. Later in the day Tara is at Jax's house packing. He apologizes for what she saw earlier, but she feels he wanted her to see it, because he wants her gone and he knew it was the one thing that would drive her away. She expresses that she thinks he is doing because he hates her for what happened to Abel, but he continues to say that it is to protect her and she still doesn't believe him.

When Tara leaves Jax's house it is shown that recently ousted Calaveras MC leader, Hector Salazar has been secretly stalking her and Jax. The way Tara starts feeling and her anxiousness to keep the baby a secret from Jax permanently indicates she might be thinking about getting an abortion. Gemma convinces Tara to wait until Jax gets back and look into Abel's eyes before she does anything. Gemma wants Tara to try to mend the relationship because Jax hasn't been thinking clearly since Abel's abduction.

She ultimately helps Gemma escape custody so that she can accompany Clay and Jax to Belfast. Recently Tara was asked by Lyla if she knew of any clinics that did abortions. After she goes with Lyla to have the procedure done they have a conversation about why Lyla is doing it and as it turns out Lyla is having the same problem with Opie that Tara is having with Jax; he won't open up to her in fear of what might happen. After the conversation Tara sets an appointment for herself to have an abortion as well.

Later, Tara reveals to Margaret Murphy that she is going to have an abortion and Murphy offers to drive her to the clinic. During a staged car accident, the two women are taken hostage by Hector Salazar and his girlfriend Louisa. Salazar found Tara's location through information from Jacob Hale, Jr., the corrupt businessman who is trying to become the mayor of Charming. While Tara and Margaret were being held by Salazar, Margaret was crying and panicking Tara was calm and cool about the situation. She even tells Margaret to try and get some sleep. When Tara gets a chance to go to the bathroom she looks for something to use as a weapon. She breaks off a peace of the mirror and Salazar's girlfriend breaks into the bathroom.

Tara cuts her neck and is close to escaping with Margaret until Salazar arrives. After a stand off Tara tells him that his girlfriend is in the bathroom bleeding badly. She says that she will keep his girlfriend alive if he lets Margaret go. After they leave the house Salazar's girlfriend dies in the car and Salazar grabs Tara, throws her on the car and puts a gun to her head. Salazar takes Tara to Jacob Hale's office, where he takes Hale hostage as well. When he makes his demands one of them is for Jax to come in.

Tara sees him pull out a knife and he tells her that he plans to kill her and make Jax watch and then kill Jax. When Jax comes in, Salazar is about to kill Tara, but is stabbed by Jacob Hale. Jax wrestles the gun from Salazar and gives it to Tara and tells her to kill anyone who is not a cop. When the whole ordeal is over with Jax and Tara go to doctor for an ultrasound to make sure the baby is healthy. Jax and Tara go to Gemma's house where she sees Abel and happily holds him and welcomes him back home. In the season finale Tara has become more involved in the club.

She drives Jimmy O back to the garage with him in the trunk after SAMCRO buys him off the Russians, Jax makes sure that she wears a bulletproof vest to insure her safety in case something goes wrong. When Stahl tells the club about the deal Jax made with her, which was actually a trap by the club to kill Stahl and Jimmy, she hugs him goodbye for fear that the club will kill him in prison. In the closing minute of the season 3 finale, Tara reads letters from John Teller to his mistress Maureen Ashby implying that Gemma and Clay would be responsible for his death should it happen.

Between Seasons 3 and 4[]

Bridge between end of Season 3 and beginning of Season 4: By the end of season 3 when Jax and the other Samcro members were hauled off to prison, Tara is a little over 8 weeks pregnant. However, in a special feature "appisode" (titled: Tara and Piney)- that took place day 85 of Jax's incarceration; a pregnant Tara is shown about 5 months along. In this appisode, Tara goes to Piney for information on John Teller's death but is rebuked and told not to investigate further and that the past was "dead and buried". In another special "appisode" (titled: Second Son) - which bridges the gap between seasons; Tara and Gemma visit Jax in prison. Tara has just given birth to baby Thomas, and she brings the baby to meet Jax for the first time. Jax is overjoyed. He apologizes for missing the delivery and promises he wouldn't miss anything important ever again.

Season 4[]

At the beginning of Season 4 Tara is waiting to greet Jax on his return home. When Jax arrives he and Tara spend a little time with Abel and Thomas before Jax has to go inside the clubhouse for a meeting. When Tara and Jax meet at their house later, they waste no more time and begin making love. Jax then proposes to Tara by putting a ring on their son Thomas's finger. Before Tara can fully accept they have a serious talk about the future of their family. Jax explains that he is done with SAMCRO, but he has to stay until Clay steps down as president because he and Gemma won't let Jax walk away without conflict.

He does assure her that as soon as Clay retires and once he has saved enough money to avoid living off his wife he will leave SAMCRO and they will start fresh as a normal family. Later, at Opie and Lyla's wedding, Jax is the best man and Tara is the maid of honor. The next day Tara and Jax are having breakfast with their sons when they see on the news a story about four dead bodies found at the construction site of Charming Heights. She asks Jax to tell her all he knows about it. He tells her it was retaliation for him getting stabbed in prison. Later on she encounters Gemma in her office who asks why Tara is not wearing her engagement ring. Tara simply tells Gemma that she and Jax are just waiting for the right time to tell everyone. Later at the clubhouse a distraught Tara is reunited with Jax after he is rescued from the Russians. There she discovers, along with Jax, that the clubhouse had been trashed by Sheriff Roosevelt.

To lighten up the mood she decides to announce her and Jax's engagement. During the season (and before) Tara has become more fearful of the consequence's of being involved with SAMCRO and increasingly begins to think about the effect it will have on her sons. This leads Tara to make the decision of leaving town with her sons until things settle down. Tara is also conflicted about the letters from Maureen Ashby. Gemma has found out she has them and tries most of the season to obtain them and destroy them. Piney also shows interest in them as a way to blackmail Clay, but Tara keeps them protected. Clay finds out about the letters and he is so fearful of them getting out, that he takes out a hit on her life from Romeo.

Eventually after confronting Gemma about the letters, Tara admits that she is not capable of showing the letters to Jax, feeling that if he knew who his father truly was, Jax would get deeper into the club out of guilt, therefore getting him further from her. Tara eventually heads to a medical conference in Oregon and takes Abel and Thomas with her, most likely for an indefinite stay. Jax accompanies her and on the way there the assassins hired by Clay try to kill her.

Tara survives thanks to Jax, but during the fight her right hand gets smashed in a van door. However it is later revealed she was never in fact in any real danger since her kidnappers were FBI agents staging the 'kidnapping' but planning to debrief her once safely away from the club. Her hand is repaired, but the nerves are terribly damaged. Her doctor affirms it is unknown if it is permanent but she feels otherwise and believes her career to be over. Jax, extremely upset himself, tries to comfort her, but Tara has become distant and asks him to leave her alone. She feels that now their future is set and they will never get out of Charming. She's later encouraged by Jax that everything will go as they had planned, which Tara barely believes.

During the day she's visited by Jax's ex-wife Wendy, who makes it clear that she wants to know Abel better, as she gave up custody but not the right to know him. This unnerves Tara who feels she should be Abel's true mother and becomes fearful that Wendy will take him away from her. Wendy leaves her number and Tara smashes her hand into vase of flowers, wailing in anger. She's later put under psych watch and restrained to her bed. Jax begins to feel at a loss as how to take care of and comfort her.

Later Gemma comes to see her and confesses that it was Clay who wanted her dead because of the letters, which she gives to Gemma. She reveals later to Gemma that she was full aware of her plan to have Clay killed by Jax and hide the letters that involve her and Unser, to prompt Jax to stay as President. Tara gives Jax a blood thinner to inject into Clay, who is recuperating at St. Thomas. She demands that Jax, in front of Gemma, that he will kill Clay and come get her and the boys, so they can leave Charming forever.

This plan fails as Jax is forced to stay due to the influence of Romero Parada and Luis Torres who are undercover CIA agents. They need SAMCRO to provide weapons and transport drugs or they will crush the club. Understanding that Jax has to become President, Tara decides to remain with him. With Gemma watching, Tara stands behind a notably unresponsive Jax at the head of the table, one arm draped around him, mirroring a photo of Gemma and John Teller at the season's finale.

Season 5[]

The season begins with Tara's hand in a cast unable to perform surgeries. Despite losing ability to operate, she supports Jax as President of SAMCRO. The couple lacks certainty of "where it all goes," but Jax is clear that "no matter what happens, I want you to be my wife." Tara mocks the romanticism of a spontaneous wedding at Diosa to which Jax jokes, "I killed a Fed for you ... nothing says true love like capital murder." A judge marries them in a quick ceremony with wedding rings that belonged to Gemma and JT. Tension rises between Tara and Gemma over controlling the family. Tara places Abel and Thomas in hospital daycare with Jax's support. Tara gains power by shutting out Gemma, who is not on visitor list at first. Gemma tries to hurt Tara by using Wendy to threaten a custody suit. Tara stands firm by warning Gemma not to hurt her or her family or Jax "might kill you." Tara strategically plans squashing RICO case with Lowen, Bobby and Jax. She volunteers at Stockton State Prison‏‎ and asks Otto to recant his RICO statement.

Tara extends an olive branch to Gemma by placing her on daycare visitor's list and allowing her to watch the boys. Gemma is stoned when she wrecks her car with Abel and Thomas in the backseat. Tara punches Gemma when she confesses to being high while driving with the boys. Tara's fears intensify over the increasing threats to her family; she starts to defend and protect them in Gemma-like ways. Tara cuts her out of the family, but agrees to let Gemma back in if she helps Jax with getting intel from Clay on plot to undermine his leadership. Tara receives good prognosis for her hand and gets recruited for a surgical job in Oregon. Meanwhile, Otto agrees to Tara's plea on RICO if she will bring him Luann's crucifix.

Tara's career is on the line when she is investigated as an accessory to Otto's brutal murder of a prison nurse that was killed with Luann's crucifix. Jax assures Tara that they will get through the investigation just like they get through everything else to which she quips, "that's what scares me." She becomes guarded when Jax doesn't walk away after meeting his goal to save the MC with RICO shutdown. She is pressed to reply to the offer and internally struggles with moving on as it is the "last chance" for her and Jax to get out of Charming. While meeting to prepare Tara's defense, Lowen prompts Tara to think about legal custody of sons if anything was to happen to her. Tara agrees to Providence job offer before telling Jax.

Wendy confronts Tara with reality of risk associated with MC and shows her the shoulder bruise from the force of Jax jamming a speedball needle into it. Tara gasps with shock realizing that Jax is losing his way. The prison nurse's brother, Lee Toric, confronts Tara at the hospital and threatens to avenge her death. More than ever, Tara needs someone trustworthy to name as guardian of her sons in case of imprisonment or death. Tara has no permanent nerve damage and will be able to operate again. Tara requests clarity from Jax who does not come clean about intimidating Wendy.

Gemma confronts Tara about Providence offer and threatens Tara "I'm done with your power push." Gemma threatens to tell investigators that Tara planned kill of innocent nurse to reverse RICO. Tara enlists Wendy as guardian and is now more determined to pull her sons out of Charming's "cesspool." Jax disapproves of Wendy as Guardian, but Tara insists it is her 'job as an old lady to be strong ... when and where [he] can't be." She tells him she accepted job offer in Oregon to spare them from becoming like Gemma and Clay, which will force the boys to relive their mistakes.

The season ends with Tara's arrest for conspiracy to commit Pamela Toric's murder.

Season 6[]

After a number of failed attempts to get herself and her sons out of Charming (including a false pregnancy and subsequently faked miscarriage to bar Gemma Teller-Morrow from gaining custody of Abel and Thomas, should Tara go to prison), and after Tara and Jax's relationship was tested (Tara and Jax are having problems with her being behind bars for her involvement in the death of a nurse. Jax is seen at the end of episode 1 cheating on Tara with Colette Jane, an escort handler) Tara finds herself at odds with everyone she was supposed to be able to trust and chooses to use the bullet she pulled from Bobby Munson's shoulder as evidence necessary to grant her witness protection, in turn making her a rat and a liability to the MC and to Jax himself.

In a last-minute plot twist, Jax finds Tara at a park in Lodi. They talk for several minutes and then the scene cuts to the motel room Tara had been hiding in. The two come to an understanding and Jax surrenders himself to the mercy of DA Tyne Patterson in exchange for Tara's immunity for all the crimes she committed on behalf the MC, specifically that of the murder of Pamela Toric, for which she was accused in season 5 but did not have anything to do with. The DA agrees to what Jax offers her after a few moments of reluctance to believe that he will come through. With that, Jax has let Tara know that he truly loves her and their sons more than anything. They cry and make love. Tara and Jax agree to meet the DA at the Teller home at 6pm after he spends his last hours as a free man with his sons. He tells Chibs and Bobby he will most likely be sentenced to 25 years, with parole in 10, 7 if he's lucky. Tara gets home earlier than expected and the house is empty, save for Eli, the sheriff, who entered the house with her so they could talk in private and he could help her bring her suitcases into the house, as she decided not to run away and do what Jax asked of her; raise their sons.

Death[]

When Eli leaves, stating he'll be outside, Tara calls for Wayne, assuming his truck outside meant he was in the house. Caught off guard, Gemma comes out of the laundry room and lunges for Tara, who cannot escape in time. Gemma hits her with an iron but doesn't knock her out. Tara struggles against Gemma's beating and her head is badly smashed on the sink, where Gemma then attempts to drown her. In one of the show's most gruesome moments, Tara struggles for several seconds before Gemma grabs a barbecue fork and stabs Tara multiple times in the back of the head and her neck. Blood gushing out of the back of her head, Tara passes away.

Lt. Roosevelt walks in on the scene and discovers Gemma sitting on the floor next to Tara's body, in obvious shock. Gemma is mumbling incoherently about how it had to be done because she was going to rat out the MC. Roosevelt tells her she didn't rat out the MC, and that Jax is giving himself up to protect her. Immediately after this, Juice walks in, sees the scene, shoots Lt. Roosevelt twice in the back and then comforts Gemma. After this he begins cleaning up the murder scene.

Jax returns home to say goodbye, only to find her lifeless along with Eli. Jax breaks down in tears, cradling her body as Patterson arrives and observes the carnage.

Season 7[]

Tara's death has a deep impact, particularly to Jax and Abel who both become depressed and withdrawn. Gemma and Juice conspire to pin Tara's murder on the Chinese (who, at the time, had a beef with SAMCRO) causing Jax to torture a man pointed out by Gemma at his housewarming party in Stockton and killing him in the same manner Tara was killed. Unser and the new San Joaquin Lieutenant Althea Jarry investigate her death and eventually discover that the man blamed for the murder was in Las Vegas at the time of Tara's death.

In "Suits of Woe", Juice finally admits the truth to Jax, who is shocked and stunned at the revelation. Despite Nero's attempts to talk Jax down out of the possibility of murdering Gemma, Jax finally avenges Tara's death by shooting Gemma in the head, who refuses to fight back and has calmly accepted her fate. In the series finale, Jax places his wedding ring on her tombstone and kisses it before departing. Jax finally completes what Tara had died trying to do by sending Abel and Thomas out of Charming to stay at the farm with Wendy and Nero, and even selling the house and all of his possessions to help pay for the financing.

Murders Committed[]

  • Luisa - Eventually bled out after throat was slashed ("Bainne")

Family Tree[]

 
 
 
 
Mr. Teller
 
Mrs. Teller
 
Unknown Father
 
Unknown Mother
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mr. Madock
 
Mrs. Madock
 
 
Mr. Knowles †
 
Mrs. Knowles †
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mr. Ashby
 
Mrs. Ashby
 
 
 
Nate Madock
 
Rose Madock
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mr. Morrow
 
Mrs. Morrow
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Kellan Ashby
 
Maureen Ashby
 
John Teller
 
Gemma Teller
Morrow
 
Clay Morrow
 
Nathaniel Madock
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unknown Mother
 
Unknown Father
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mr. Case
 
Mrs. Case
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Michael McKeavey
 
Trinity Ashby
 
Thomas Teller
 
Wendy Case
 
Jax Teller
 
Tara Knowles
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cameron Hayes
 
Unknown Mother
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Abel Teller
 
Thomas Teller II
 
 
 
Edmond Hayes


Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • When Tara is called in to remove a bullet from Cameron's thigh, he asks her if she's Irish. She replies that she is half-Irish.
  • Tara is the fifth main character to die in the series.
    • Tara is the first female main character to die. Gemma was the second.
  • Although Tara was married to Jax at the time of her death, her grave doesn't have "Teller" inscribed on it.
  • Kurt Sutter has said Jax and Tara's relationship was the "Romeo and Juliet" from the show.
  • Maggie Siff has described Tara as "the place people go to see their dreams die".
  • Tara bears similarities with Hamlet's Ophelia.
  • At the time of her death in the season six finale, she was one of only three characters to appear in every episode, the others being Jax Teller and Gemma Teller Morrow.
  • Tara was buried close to Opie and Donna Winston as seen on Black Widower.
  • Tara was not present on Season 7, but all of its episodes mentioned her and/or had a Gemma's conversation.
  • On the last scene of the pilot, Tara was meant to be around Jax, Gemma and Clay.
  • When Jax looks at Tara's pregnancy test results, her address is listed as "10709 Grant Street" in Charming, California.

Appearances[]

Appearances-Logo-SOA Season 1 appearances
"Pilot" "Seeds" "Fun Town" "Patch Over" "Giving Back"
"AK-51" "Old Bones" "The Pull" "Hell Followed" "Better Half"
"Capybara" "The Sleep of Babies" "The Revelator"
Appearances-Logo-SOA Season 2 appearances
"Albification" "Small Tears" "Fix" "Eureka" "Smite"
"Falx Cerebri" "Gilead" "Potlatch" "Fa Guan" "Balm"
"Service" "The Culling" "Na Trioblóidí"
Appearances-Logo-SOA Season 3 appearances
"SO" "Oiled" "Caregiver" "Home" "Turning and Turning"
"The Push" "Widening Gyre" "Lochán Mór" "Turas" "Fírinne"
"Bainne" "June Wedding" "NS"
Appearances-Logo-SOA Season 4 appearances
"Out" "Booster" "Dorylus" "Una Venta" "Brick"
"With An X" "Fruit For The Crows" "Family Recipe" "Kiss" "Hands"
"Call of Duty" "Burnt and Purged Away" "To Be, Act 1" "To Be, Act 2"
Appearances-Logo-SOA Season 5 appearances
"Sovereign" "Authority Vested" "Laying Pipe" "Stolen Huffy" "Orca Shrugged"
"Small World" "Toad's Wild Ride" "Ablation" "Andare Pescare" "Crucifixed"
"To Thine Own Self" "Darthy" "J'ai Obtenu Cette"
Appearances-Logo-SOA Season 6 appearances
"Straw" "One One Six" "Poenitentia" "Wolfsangel" "The Mad King"
"Salvage" "Sweet and Vaded" "Los Fantasmas" "John 8:32" "Huang Wu"
"Aon Rud Persanta" "You Are My Sunshine" "A Mother's Work"
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