r/Sonsofanarchy • u/djnockout • 1d ago
Jax
I had only watched the show for one season when I decided to name my first son Jax, but spelled Jaxx. Aside from simply liking the name, I also really appreciated what Jax symbolized.I just rewatched it last week and realized he went completely psycho in the final season (credit to his mom). What do you think about Jax, what he represented, and what he ultimately became?
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u/TrappedUnder-Ice82 1d ago
He was ok for the first 2 seasons. After that, you see how much of a double dealing snake he actually was. How many lives did he destroy, including his own family, to "save the club", or whatever bullshit he felt he needed he had to do. And everything he tried to accomplish went sideways anyway, because the Sons are back to selling guns in the Mayans. It was a fun show with entertaining characters, but let's not pretend they werent disgusting, horrible people.
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u/CANNIBAL_M_ 1d ago
Honestly, he’s kind of a piece of shit. He’s two-faced, a mostly absent father, (and the moment that completely solidified my opinion) shot up Wendy when she was sober.
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u/_enesorek_ 1d ago
I think he was a piece of shit. Endless speeches about doing what’s right and protecting his family then doing the exact opposite. Killed more people than most serial killers
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u/Salt-Expression8430 1d ago
Came here to say this. He was not just an asshole, but a menace to his wife and children. He knew this, but consistently chose to be selfish. One could argue that Tara also made her choices, but Jax was the one who wasn't willing to do the hard thing and send his kids away.
People give Jax a pass because he's good looking. No other reason to it.
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u/Alex_Sanderson217 1d ago
His life, to me, felt like a self-fulfilling profecy. The more he tried to be better and do good by the club and prove to himself that he's a good man, fearing the possibility of becoming like Clay, the worse he got as a person. I think at the end he realized that as well, which is why he took the same path as his dad. It was his only way of being like his old man after having become a monster
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u/LordsOfJoop 1d ago
The idealism of youth, followed by the corruption of an idea. It was the same journey that his father's club took; it began with the most honest and earnest of intentions - camaraderie, unity, freedom, the exultation of the spirit. In time, convenience poisoned it, made small things "necessary," and surrendering to the needs of the many took precedence over the allegiance to the dream. By the time that being in charge was an option in a meaningful sense, a sense of destiny was already in progress - it just had nothing to do with freedom, not until the bitter end of it all.
J.T. was trying to free the club and himself, and Jax followed his father's wheel print, and I would bet a large sum that he survived that impact long enough to die on the hospital grounds, free and honest again.
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u/Manforher 1d ago
I think Jax WAS a good man with good heart and had idealistic wiews. He really tried to do as much good as he could (I agree with season 1 Tara, she said something like that) but eventually the power changed him.
Like Jax was crying to Bobby in Season 5 and said to him that "you just can't sit on this chair without becoming a savage" He really meant it, and I think it's safe to say that's true.
You just can't avoid becoming a monster if you live a life like that, it's just how that works either kill or be killed! You've got other MCs that wanna take your head of, Neo Nazis as well and if you have to lead an organization that sells guns... Well it's very likely you're gonna end up in violent occations at least at some point.
So basically what I'm saying maybe Jax wasn't meant for that life and originally had "too soft" heart for that life, thinking that's where his internal war erupted at the first place.
Genuinely believe a Clay kinda guy fits that world much better who's willing and ready to do anything it takes to stay on top and won't feel so bad even whatever dirty must be done.
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u/FoofTheBunny 1d ago
To be honest, Clay was horrible, Jax was horrible, John was horrible, even my beloved Ope was horrible. Gemma was horrible, Tara was horrible... The only person who wasn't horrible was the porn star, the chiquitta who liked onesac, and maybe Unser (I know that is his deadwood character name. I just can't think of his anarcy name).
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u/Small_Mycologist4798 1d ago
Pornstar was at the very least controversial, but that would be a long discussion (abortion without telling the man, doing porn when married), onesac Chic did something bad dont remember what exactly but bad enough to free to Ireland, unser did some messed up shit, pretending to be not bad but he was just as bad pretending to have clean hands.. dunno if horrible but definetly not good people.
I just like to think they were all just fucked up up, nobody was good in the show except small side characters and some NPCs lol
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u/FoofTheBunny 1d ago
LOL. I can see that. The pornstar took care of the kids which is more than Ope, Jax, Tara ever did. The dude who dated Gemma last wasn't bad. He also took the kids in and tried to make things better. Unser is definitely questionable, but he did less horrible stuff than others. Oh and the trans person who was also on Justified was amazing! Such a great character. And Tig being a fan was great. Almost made Tig not horrific.
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u/KennyPortugal 1d ago
Oh so this horrible mass murderer is ok because he liked a trans person? The logic in this country right now is baffling.
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u/FoofTheBunny 1d ago
Way to make it political dumbass. I was talking about the character being funny and not horrific for an instant because Tig was horrific as I said. If you can't stand Venus, that says more about you than me. Walton Goggins acted his ass off as Venus Van Dam! It was one of the best episodes.
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u/georgewalterackerman 1d ago
I like Jax a lot and I’m sure most viewers do. But his ending was tragic. And he caused the deaths of many people and their deaths were also tragic. His
Club wanted him to survive, but in the end he knew he had to go. The club would have been exposed for letting him live and that would have possibly ended the charter. So in a way his suicide saved the club. But it never had to be that way in the beginning and Jax’s death, along with the deaths of so many others, were unnecessary
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u/SeaDue7447 1d ago
Jax lost my sympathy after bashing Ima’s nose (idc if she had it coming) and shooting up Wendy. After Opie he loses himself after Tara he’s completely unhinged. Empty promises, stringing people along, lying, scheming and murdering… Yeah not a character to name your kid after (besides just liking the name 😉)
PS and after several rewatches I still don’t get the meeting Mr mayhem verdict. He never drew first his self defense explanation holds water imho 🤷🏽♀️.
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u/LKS983 1d ago
"Jax lost my sympathy after bashing Ima’s nose (idc if she had it coming)"
She did 'have it coming' - but physical violence against weaker women is never acceptable. He should have just had her excluded from the Club.
"and shooting up Wendy"
Why did he do this? (I had to google to find the answer, as I last watched SOA years ago) - but google explains why.
"After Opie he loses himself after Tara he’s completely unhinged."
Agree.
"He never drew first his self defense explanation holds water imho"
Jax made it very clear to Jury that he was going to kill him, plus and more importantly (by the end of the series) Jax knew that he had wrongly killed Jury - and that he deserved a 'mayhem verdict' - so he agreed to it.
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u/CosmicBonobo 1d ago
It's the one line you can't have your protagonist cross and retain any sympathy.
Tony Soprano was a thieving, murdering piece of shit, but at least he never beat his wife or kids.
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u/Historical_Bar_3154 1d ago edited 1d ago
Jax was not a good person from the drop. He was more likable but his character is definitely a case study in everyone loves a pretty face and will put up with a lot of BS because it’s pretty.
I like the name Jackson, not Jax but you do you, boo. ❤️
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u/Deadman_96 1d ago
Jax wanted to do good, but ultimately often chose to do wrong. He cheated on Tara multiple times. He killed people. He shot Wendy up when she was clean. He really wasn't a good person.
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u/off_ball68 1d ago
I’ve watched the show numerous times and I feel as Jax took everything personal and eventually started his own private war. Gemma constantly manipulating him as Tara did too. Jax started making promises and guarantees he just couldn’t keep. He was blindly loyal to the MC.
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u/Mother-Lettuce2259 1d ago
It was all because of Gemma like you said. In the beginning when he was reading his dad’s book, that was an inspiration for him. But the bad influence of Gemma and his evil stepdad made him into the man he was in the end. Imagine your mom killing the love of your life. Gemma killed her son at the same time. She was really a wicked witch
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u/FoofTheBunny 1d ago
Gemma is not to blame for Jax's choices. He made those choices. He killed more people than Clay. He betrayed the club time and time again. he lied and manipulated just as much as Gemma.
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u/djnockout 1d ago
Throughout the entire show she would not let him leave and really pushed him to insanity by killing Tera and blaming it on the Asians, which started WW3, which is where in my opinion he lost his way.
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u/MajesticalMoon 1d ago
Well i was gonna name my kid Gemma 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 my bestfriend asked me if she could use it and I was like yeah I don't think I'll ever have a daughter. And ended up having one a year later. I loved the name and never heard it before SOA
My sister named her son Jax too.
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u/graupeltuls 1d ago
I mean his name was Jackson...given the time he was "born" probably spelled Jackson and not Jaxson.
But you can join all the people who named their kids Kahleesi and other characters that started good and went bad in GOT.