Think of a time when you were happy. When you were relaxed, full of optimism for the future, and everything just felt right in the world. Hold on to that thought, because after you watch the Season 6 premiere of Sons of Anarchy, you’ll need to be able to access those pleasant memories in order for you to get through the day as a functioning adult. I don’t want to be hyperbolic here, but I wanted to simultaneously vomit and cry within the first five minutes.

And I mean that as a compliment.

Kurt Sutter and the other SOA writers do not mess around.

When we left season five, Jax had framed Clay for murder, Tara was on her way to jail on a similar charge, and Otto, well … Otto bit off his own tongue, so the “who’s having the shittiest day” competition was really too tough to call.

Season six opens not too far in the future, with everyone in basically the same position, and Jax trying to hold everything together. Leadership roles have changed in the MC, but the events of the last several months have taken a huge toll on the guys. Suspicion and distance have replaced the brotherhood that the Sons once prided themselves on. Bobby lost Clay, Juice is dealing with the guilt from the role he had in Clay’s arrest and seemingly impending murder (Damon Pope’s cronies are big on “eye for an eye” justice), and Tig’s already unstable mental state has taken a huge blow after his daughter’s horrific murder. Whether or not the club is even going to survive is a big question as we start the new season.

Donal Logue returns as Lee Toric, the retired US Marshal, hell-bent on getting justice for his sister, the nurse who Otto murdered. We quickly find out that just getting someone behind bars for the crime isn’t good enough, as Tara’s imprisonment does little to help him move on.

But just in case you were thinking it’s just the main cast of characters who are experiencing a constant stream of horrifying events, rest assured: Lila comes back, and not under the best of circumstances. Trying to make ends meet, she took a freelance job that went horribly wrong, and comes to the guys for help. This obviously ends with death and destruction, but also further intertwines Nero and the club’s financial interests in a way that is already guaranteed to bring about even more trouble for Jax.

However, there is somewhat of a bright light. Despite the chaos swirling around her, Gemma is still on top. She got rid of both Clay and Tara, so she’s free to regain control in Jax’s life, as well as pursue her relationship with Nero. Even though Gemma is exceptionally talented at getting what she wants, I have a feeling her happiness will be short-lived. After all, on Sons of Anarchy, no one is happy for long.

Case in point:

Sons of Anarchy Season 6 premieres September 10 at 10 PM EST on FX.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI9VgOeg-aU

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