‘Sons of Anarchy’ Shocker: Kurt Sutter Discusses Overdue Twist of “Aon Rud Persanta”

At long last, 'Sons of Anarchy' finally took the plunge. Last night's installment, "Aon Rud Persanta," saw the culmination of Jax's plans for both Clay and the Irish, dropping bodies across an airplane hangar that will reverberate throughout the final two episodes of the season, as well as the likely final run of the series in 2014. To that end, series creator Kurt Sutter has opened up about the long-telegraphed punch and just how the shocking death will impact SAMCRO going forward.

Consider yourself officially warned of major spoilers for 'Sons of Anarchy' season 6 from here on out, but the reaper has finally come for Clay Morrow. The deposed king is dead. Long live the king. In one fell swoop, Jax managed to settle his vendetta against Irish gunrunner Gaalan and his stepfather, ending in a pool of blood Clay seemed to have little reproach from throwing himself into, given the lifetime of betrayal that came before his season 6 stint in prison.

So why, after six seasons, did Kurt Sutter decide it was time for Clay to finally meet Mr. Mayhem? Sutter spoke to Entertainment Weekly of the long-gestating decision behind "Aon Rud Persanta" (rough Gaelic for "nothing personal"):

Ultimately he made choices that hurt a lot of other people, that came back to hurt him. And for me, the betrayal of Gemma at the end of last season was the thing that broke him. Once she broke that connection, once she said okay, you’re too despicable for me and to the point where she betrayed him, then it really became the beginning of the end for him.

What I tried to do this season was to let him have some sort of self‑awareness and remorse about the choices he’s made...Clay begins this season where he’s looking at the end. He doesn’t think he has much time. And so there’s a part of him that’s really trying to clean up the wreckage and make things right before he goes out...

I like the idea of a guy who is trying to make it right. He really does want to do the right thing by the club. He really does want to do the right thing by Gemma. And so, that by [the 10th episode] when you think okay, they’ve done everything they could to keep this guy alive and they’re going to keep him alive … when you have some sense that maybe you don’t hate Clay as much as you used to … that’s when we kill Clay. As a storyteller, it would have been too easy for me to put a bullet in his head when he’s just a scumbag. The more interesting arc was have him earn that peace.

Sutter cautioned against expecting any other major deaths for the season, given how reticent he remains to get rid of anyone belonging to the larger "family" so to speak, but naturally the reaper still looms for at least one or two figures before the season's end. Ron Perlman too chimed in on the character's end, saying, "I just wanted it to be connected to something completely unselfish. This is a sociopathic world. We’re not nice guys. We’re outlaws. We’re ruthless."

Well, what say you? Had Clay earned any sense of redemption by going out the way he did? Will you miss Ron Perlman's presence on the series, or do you expect 'Sons of Anarchy' will return the character as a ghost before long? Check out a preview of next week's "You Are My Sunshine" below, and give us your reactions in the comments!