Sons of Anarchy Season 6 Premiere: Kurt Sutter Sounds Off on Controversial Scene That "Sets Everything in Motion"

The FX series' season six opener included a school shooting, which creator Sutter said he's wanted to do "for three years"

By Tierney Bricker Sep 11, 2013 3:30 AMTags
Sons of Anarchy, Charlie HunnamPrashant Gupta/FX

WARNING: There are MAJOR spoilers ahead from the season six premiere of Sons of Anarchy! Read at your own risk.

Thought Sons of Anarchy couldn't possibly get any more intense after five seasons of death and violence? Silly, silly TV viewer. The gritty FX drama returned for its sixth season on Tuesday night with arguably the series' most controversial and disturbing storylines ever. At the end of "Straw," a young boy walks into his school, pulls a gun out of his backpack and opens fire. While the we're spared the sight of children dying, someone is heard screaming "Oh my God" as shots are fired.

At the Summer Press Tour in July, creator Kurt Sutter fielded questions regarding the decision to depict a school shooting following the recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and assured viewers that "nothing is done gratuitously."

Of the school shooting, Sutter revealed it's a storyline he's actually wanted to do for a long time on the FX series. "I've wanted to do that story for about three years," he explained. "I know obviously that it would be somewhat controversial, but I feel like as much as I wouldn't do something because it was controversial, I'm also not going to do something because it is [controversial]. It's an organic story to our world; thematically, it's the right fit."

Of course, controversy is as much a character as any of the SAMCRO members on Sons of Anarchy. "There's a lot of blood and guts in my show," Sutter admitted. "But I feel like I'm not lying to myself when I say nothing is done gratuitously."

Assault weapons are SAMCRO's main business, so it seems likely that the boy's firearm will trace back to Jax. & Co. "The events that happen in the premiere are really the catalyst for the third act of this morality play we're doing," Sutter said.

He continued, "It sets everything in motion for this season that will ultimately lead to the end that then will bring us into the final season and what I see as the ultimate comeuppance of everything in terms of the series."

The shooting will most likely weigh heavily on Jax (Charlie Hunnam), who envisioned the club ultimately leaving the weapons trade early on in the series. "It's really the conflict that has fueled the entire series and especially [Jax]," Sutter explained. "It's the idea of: Can I really do what I do and follow this path and still show up and be a caring, loving husband and loving father and have all that and still be the leader of ultimately a criminal enterprise. I think we're on that trajectory where we have to decide if the answer is yes or no." 

What did you think of Sons of Anarchy's season six premiere? Do you think the series went too far with depicting a school shooting? Sound off in the comments!

PHOTOS: Check out Charlie Hunnam's hottest pics!