Sons Of Anarchy: 10 Saddest Things About Unser

Most dirty cops side with baddies for their own selfish interests, but Wayne Unser is a much different breed. He works with the biker gang SAMCRO for years because he believes it’s Charming that benefits. Unser is aware that SAMCRO being the dominant gang keeps petty criminals from infiltrating the area.

When he loses his job, he continues working with the club because they are now like family to him. It’s hard to break the bond after all those years. Unser’s story is a sad one. Misfortunes keep raining on him despite him being a good guy at heart. There is no light at the end of the tunnel for him either, as he eventually meets his demise in brutal fashion.

10 Cancer Diagnosis

Unser’s future in law enforcement appears bleak when he gets diagnosed with cancer. Before the sad news, he is said to have served as the Chief of the Charming Police Department for over three decades. That’s not the only service record he has. He was also in the United States Marine Corps, having fought in the Vietnam war.

Unser decides to step down from his position, but SAMCRO won’t allow him because they don’t believe a new police chief will be as friendly.

9 His Wife Leaves Him

For an elderly man who has been married as long as Unser, divorce must be hard to deal with. He and his wife Della (who is only mentioned) have two grown daughters.

Soon after the cancer diagnosis, their relationship tumbles, because apparently “in sickness and in health” doesn’t mean much. Unser opens up to Gemma about the divorce before resigning himself to living a lonely life in his trailer.

8 He Causes Tara’s Death Without Knowing

Tara’s murder is arguably more brutal than any murder committed in the FX series. The brutality from Gemma likely stems from the animosity that has always existed between them, especially in matters concerning the grandkids.

The chain of events that lead to this murder is started by Unser. He learns a little bit about Tara and Wendy’s plan and instead of getting the full information as a lawman should, he rushes to tell his crush Gemma, who concludes that Tara is planning to rat and flee. Gemma sees this as the perfect opportunity to murder Tara, and that’s what she does.

7 His Feelings For Gemma Remain Unfulfilled

This is probably the saddest thing about Unser. His crush on Gemma lasts the entire series. It’s his feelings that drive him to do all kinds of favors for her, no matter how illegal or absurd they are.

Gemma knows that Unser has a huge crush on her but she never bothers to set boundaries. Deep down, she knows he will stop helping her if she does. What’s sadder is that Unser never makes any serious efforts to get out of the friend zone. Dinner? Gifts? No. He finally musters the courage to verbally confess his love for her in Season 6, but she still doesn’t take him seriously.

6 He Loses His Land And Business

At the start of the series, Unser is well off. The sum of a police chief’s salary and cuts from being a dirty cop enables him to live comfortably. Apart from that, he runs a shipping business named Unser Trucking, and he also owns a huge chunk of land. Sadly, he becomes broke after getting cancer and getting lighter duties in the department.

He is forced to sell his company and opts to live in a trailer. He loses his land too, and is only allowed to park his trailer there if he works as a security guard. Eventually, he gets evicted from the land completely. Luckily, Clay allows him to park his trailer on their Teller-Morrow garage grounds.

5 The Charming Police Department Gets Absorbed

In the later stages of Season 2, Unser becomes less and less involved with the department. He tasks his deputy David Hale with handling more affairs, much to SAMCRO’s dismay.

Hale dies after being run over by a car, forcing Unser to be in charge once again. Soon, Hale’s brother comes to Charming, looking to take down the club. He tells Unser that the department will be absorbed into the San Joaquin County Sheriff Department unless he supports him. Despite Unser pledging to support him, the department still gets absorbed.

4 His Friends Hide Things From Him

Despite relying on him a lot, Unser’s friends tend to hide a lot of things from him too. Clay never mentions that he was involved in John Teller’s death. Unser only learns about this after stealing copies of the letters that Tara made. As expected, he is deeply disappointed that Clay hid such crucial details from him.

Gemma also never tells Unser that she killed Tara. This is a mistake on her part, because it’s likely that Unser would have helped her cover it up if he knew. After all, he has gotten her out of sticky situations on several occasions. When he finally finds out about it and tries to save her, it’s too late.

3 His Alcohol Problem

Soon after he starts living in a trailer, Unser becomes an alcoholic. He drinks heavily and keeps several bottles of liquor with him. His drinking habit stems from stress.

Unser appears to miss his glory days as the top cop in Charming. He is also sad about losing his business and family. What’s worse is that none of the SAMCRO members do anything to help him get out of this state. He somehow crawls out of his alcohol addiction by himself in later seasons.

2 White Supremacists Keep Hurting Him

Unser suffers a lot under the hands of white supremacists in the series. First, the L.O.A.N member AJ Weston rapes Gemma. Unser is heartbroken by this. Despite wanting to get justice, he listens to Gemma who doesn’t want a war, and helps her cover up the incident.

In Season 6, he is attacked by another white supremacist group who are retaliating against Clay for killing their leader. They go on to carve a swastika on his abdomen.

1 He Dies At The Hands Of A SAMCRO Member

Unser spends his entire life being of service to SAMCRO only for him to die at the hands of a Son. When he tries to arrest Gemma to prevent Jax from killing her, Jax shoots him in the chest. And just like that, the sad story of Wayne Unser comes to an end. Perhaps a cancer-related death would have felt less tragic.

The former police chief can also be blamed for how his fate turns out. He isn’t as deferential to Jax as he was to Clay. For much of Season 6 and Season 7, he keeps confronting Jax, even implying that he is not a good father. Due to the bad blood between them, Jax doesn’t even consider sparing his life during that intense scene where he finds Gemma.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1213 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

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