How SAMCRO Completely Failed Opie In Sons of Anarchy

All the main characters in Sons of Anarchy dealt with different tragedies, but they could always count on the rest of their brothers from the club – however, SAMCRO constantly failed Opie Winston (Ryan Hurst), one of its most loyal members. In 2008, Kurt Sutter took viewers into the world of motorcycle clubs in the action crime drama TV series Sons of Anarchy, which became so popular it lived on for a total of seven seasons, coming to an end in 2014. Sons of Anarchy was full of drama, betrayals, and tragedies, and while brotherhood was one of its central themes, the club massively failed one of its best men.

Set in the fictional town of Charming, California, Sons of Anarchy was led by Jackson “Jax” Teller (Charlie Hunnam), VP of the title club at the beginning of the series and the son of John ‘JT’ Teller, one of the club’s founding members. The events of the series kick-off when Jax finds his father’s manifesto, in which JT shared his ideas and views for the club, which were very different from those of the club’s current President (and Jax’s stepfather), Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman). This, along with other problems, sends Jax on a journey that makes him question his relationships, family, and role in the club. Jax counted on the support of his SAMCRO brothers throughout Sons of Anarchy, especially Opie, his best friend who met a tragic end in season 5.

Harry ‘Opie’ Winston was the son of Piermont ‘Piney’ Winston (William Lucking), making him a “legacy”, and he was also Jax’s best friend, as they had known each other since they were kids. When viewers met Opie, he wasn’t fully involved with the club anymore, but he was eventually pulled back into it, but that unleashed a series of tragedies for him, and SAMCRO ultimately failed him constantly.

What Happened To Opie In Sons of Anarchy?

Opie made his debut in Sons of Anarchy season 1, where it was revealed that he had been recently released from prison on club-related crimes, so he was now working as a lumberjack and staying away from the club as possible, as he promised his wife, Donna, that he was done with the club life. However, his family was facing a lot of debt, and he ended up returning to the club, even though Donna wasn’t happy about it. However, later on in season 1, Opie was set up by the ATF as a rat in order to bring SAMCRO down, and Clay fell for it. Clay ordered Tig (Kim Coates) to kill Opie, but that night, Opie changed places with Donna at the last minute and it was her who was driving the car. Unfortunately, Tig didn’t notice the change and he killed Donna.

Opie never fully recovered from Donna’s death, and the club failed him again in Sons of Anarchy season 4. In an effort to continue covering his involvement in JT’s death, Clay confronted Piney, who had some letters that revealed Clay was responsible for JT’s death, but Clay didn’t trust him and he killed him, and tried to make it look as if the Lobos Sonora did it. Opie found out that Clay was responsible for Piney’s death and confronted him, but Jax stopped him from killing him, even though Piney’s death was enough reason for Clay to meet Mr. Mayhem. SAMCRO failed Opie since before the events of season 1 as his involvement with the club sent him to jail, Clay later tried to kill him and instead killed his wife, and he later killed his father, and none of these actions got the punishment they should have gotten. And yet, after everything he went through and all the tragedies SAMCRO brought to his life, Opie sacrificed himself for Jax, Tig, Chibs, and the club in general. Opie stands as one of the best and most loyal members of the Sons of Anarchy club, but he also had one of the most tragic arcs and was constantly hurt by the “family” that should have had his back from the beginning.