Sons of Anarchy may not be on screens anymore (though a spin-off is on its way), but the impact it's had on its fans seems to be everlasting. The trials and tribulations of Jax Teller and his band of motorcycle outlaws quickly became a pop culture phenomenon and must-see TV, and its appeal isn't hard to pin down. Created by Kurt Sutter, the show was full of drug deals gone awry, lashings of death, even more shootouts and gavels getting banged on a regular basis. It was delightfully moreish television, in other words. After seven seasons and 92 episodes filled with enough twists and turns to disarm even the least expectant fans, the show in general left a lot of goodwill. But which episodes specifically deserve the accolade of being classed among the very best?
10. The Sleep Of Babies (Season 1, Episode 12)
Though the show was already known for being twisty, this was really the first moment fans knew that Kurt Sutter and his writers were not afraid to kill off major characters, create huge rifts between members of the club and go left when you thought they were going to go right. After being convinced that Opie was a snitch, Clay sent Tig to kill him off without the rest of SAMCRO knowing about it. However, instead of killing Opie, Tig accidentally shoots his wife, Donna, in the back of the head. It's a brutal scene that left a lot of people shocked because she was an innocent who was trying to get Opie to leave the motorcycle club life. This is one of the most important episodes in the shows entire run because of what it sets up in the future, with Opie, Jax, Bobby and Tig all feeling the repercussions of Clay's decision. Nothing is ever the same after this moment, especially when they realise that Opie actually didn't expose the club.
