We knew it was coming, and that almost ruined the whole scene. We've been worrying that Juice would die on Sons of Anarchy for what feels like years now, and it's finally done. Juice Ortiz is dead. Yet, somehow, it doesn't hurt as much as I thought it would (however, the previous scene in which Juice is raped by Lin's men however, has scarred me for life).
Perhaps it's because we've only got a few measly hours of Sons of Anarchy left before the end and I know I won't have to live all that long without Juicy. Perhaps it's because Prison Juice is by far my least favorite Juice. Or perhaps, we've had so many near-misses with Mr. Ortiz that my emotions are done being treated like a rubber band.
Still, when Juice finally relinquished himself to Marilyn Manson — who kindly let Juice finish his pie before shanking him repeatedly in the neck — I was almost, dare I say it, relieved. Juice has been fighting, clawing, desperately trying to keep a hold on the club that disowned him. He has not had a real life for a long while now, and let's face it, while we all love Juice, the reason we've held out hope for him is because we wanted, however hopelessly, to see Juice don his leather vest and ride with the club once more.
That was never going to happen. Juice was a shell of his former self and as hard as it is to accept as he lay bleeding out on the concrete floor, it really was time.
Image: Byron Cohen/FX
