FX

Can you believe it's almost time for the final season of "Sons of Anarchy?" For six years we've happily jumped on board for Kurt Sutter's messy, chaotic roller coaster ride of a show, and on Tuesday, December 2, that ride will finally come to an end -- but not before a few more twists, turns, and upside-down loop things, of course.

MTV News has screened the show's September 9 premiere, which (season six spoiler alert!) picks up only a couple of weeks after Jax's wife Tara was brutally murdered by the show's matriarch, Gemma. It's an explosive -- but also kind of meditative? -- start for the season, and needless to say, we're already chomping at the bit for more.

We obviously can't disclose the nitty gritty details, but we do want to share the wealth, so here are six things to know about the season premiere of "Sons of Anarchy":

Um, It's Dark

FX

Does this one seem like a no-brainer? A no-brainer like how Tara has no more brains after Gemma stabbed them with a giant fork?

Yeah, Tara's death looms heavy over everyone in the season premiere, which I'm sure you can all understand. That doesn't mean there aren't some moments of levity -- a couple of them even involve Juice, which is insane given his current life situation -- but from the moody, violent opening montage to the, well, moody, violent closing montage, everything that's happened over the past six years is getting to SAMCRO like never before.

It definitely feels like a final season stakes opener, which is a good thing. We like grand finales. We like closure.

Gemma Feels Remorse

FX

Interestingly enough, while Jax is all outwardly calm but inwardly ragey, it's Gemma who seems to be hit the hardest by Tara's murder. She's not drinking and drugging like she did to deal with her troubles in the past -- in fact, she's almost eerily efficient considering all of the bad, bad things she's done -- but she is turning to very surprising characters for support, and even being super duper nice and motherly towards Wendy. (She's also "talking" to "Tara" which says a lot.)

However, don't for a second think that this means she's above blaming other people for her bad deeds. Far from it, which brings us to...

Jax Is All In

FX

He's still our Jax, but having Tara out of the picture has -- once and for all -- eliminated all hope of getting out of Charming/SAMCRO. Now that they're out of the gun trade, Jax is entirely focused on being a good leader, and setting up proper alliances with the surrounding clubs that won't spill anymore blood. (Yeah, right.)

That is, when he's not focused on vengeance. Jax is more violent in the episode than we've ever seen him before, and Gemma doesn't help things by framing a rival gang for Tara's "hit." The result is gory and extremely messed up, so be prepared for Jax to be more of a twisted anti-hero (Walter White style) than a clear hero for the final season.

Juice Is Cut Off

FX

Over the past few years, throughout all of the chaos and turmoil and (mister) mayhem, one thing has remained -- Juice is having a bad time. Of course things are now worse than ever, being that he killed Sheriff Roosevelt and betrayed Jax and what not.

He's completely cut off from the club and in hiding, but has a couple of strong allies (one of them being Gemma, the other a fun little surprise) on his side -- that is, until someone we like finds out his secret, and he's forced to take matters into his own, very unstable hands.

Nero Plays A Huge Role

FX

Nero is in the premiere a lot, which is a relief -- Jimmy Smits has been wonderful in the role, and he's one of the few remaining characters that you can 100 percent root for as a "good" guy, despite some of his more... unsavory... ties. Nero tries his hardest to keep things between the Mayans and the Sons on good terms, but it's going to get interesting once Jax (and Gemma's) actions against the rival gang that "killed" Tara shake up their fragile peace.

Marilyn Manson Is In It!

FX

Manson makes his grand debut as Ron Tully, a high-ranking Aryan Brotherhood official, in the episode. Jax does something absolutely nightmare-inducing to grab his attention -- in order to form an alliance, of course -- so be prepared to feel the need to vomit very early on in the night.

"Sons of Anarchy" returns to FX on September 9 at 10 p.m.