Juice Ortiz

Juice Ortiz
First appearance	"Pilot" (episode 1.01)
Last appearance	"Red Rose" (episode 7.12)
Created by	Kurt Sutter
Portrayed by	Theo Rossi
Information
Nickname(s)	Juicy Boy
Gender	Male
Occupation	Ex Member Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club
Nationality	Puerto Rican

Juan Carlos "Juice" Ortiz^[1] is a fictional character on the FX television series Sons of Anarchy, played by Theo Rossi.^[2] Though he displays great technical prowess, he has also proven to be somewhat simple minded when it comes to other tasks, often garnering him hazing from the other members. His storyline grows after law enforcement see him as the Club's weak link; in seasons 5-6 the Club becomes aware of his betrayals. On his colors he wears the "Men of Mayhem" patch. He is one of three characters killed in the series' penultimate episode, "Red Rose," along with Wayne Unser and Gemma Teller Morrow.

Biography

Ortiz is of Puerto Rican and African-American descent, and is from Queens, New York. Ortiz's sponsor was Jax Teller (Season 2). He was seen as unreliable by Clay Morrow, and is often given menial tasks, such as driving the transport truck. He sports a short mohawk and has matching tribal designs tattooed on each side of his head.^[3] According to Gemma Teller Morrow, Ortiz has a sister in Queens, although their relationship seems to be very distant.

On creator Kurt Sutter's official website, he states that Juice has Obsessive–compulsive disorder,^[4] and later he develops depression and anxiety.

Season One

Season One began with the Sons of Anarchy finding their weapon storage warehouse being burned down by the Mayans, a rival motorcycle gang. Juice found out that the Mayans own two heroin factories near Oakland and an industrial storage warehouse in San Leandro. He also found out that Marcus Álvarez is the President of the Mayans' Oakland chapter and is most likely leading all of their Northern Californian charters. This information allowed Clay, Jax Teller, Tig Trager and Chibs Telford to locate where the Mayans were storing their weapons and steal them back.^[5]

To distract the police from their activities, the burnt down warehouse in particular, Jax, Chibs, Kip "Half-Sack" Epps and Juice acquire two dead bodies from the local morgue and set them up in a fake shoot-out. The set-up shooting is made to look like a racist murder involving the Nordics. On the way back to town, they were cut off on the road by a man driving a muscle car. They later caught up with the man at a gas station, and beat him up. The driver then pulled out a pistol and attempted to shoot Jax, but was wrestled to the ground and then surprisingly killed by the station attendant. who hit him with a fire axe. They then stole the CCTV tapes and fled the scene.^[6]

When a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agent arrived in Charming and began investigating the club, they moved their weapons to Indian Hills, Nevada, where their brother club the Devil's Tribe are based. Tig and Juice were stuck with the task of stealing a truck to transport the guns in. He drugged the guard dog of the truck yard with crystal meth and then broke in. The drugs only made the dog more fierce, however, and Tig was pursued aggressively as he made his way to the truck. Juice tried to bond with Tig on the journey to Nevada, but Tig, who was too angry that he had been bitten by the drug-crazed dog because of Juice's mistake, would barely talk to him. When they arrived at the Devil's Tribe clubhouse, they were extremely disappointed that they had missed the party.^[7]

Season Two

In Season Two, Rossi went from a recurring guest role to a starring role with his name in the opening credits.

While SAMCRO was locked up in county jail due to the botched raid on L.O.A.N. Clay bartered for protection. Of the two tasks that needed to be completed, Juice was volunteered to draw out an inmate under protective custody by soliciting sexual favors. Juice was punched in the ribs to fake an injury and sent to the infirmary, where the other inmate followed. Left alone with him, Juice managed to get away long enough to open the secured door that allowed the other inmates in to exact revenge. Shortly thereafter Juice returns to the yard but is shanked repeatedly in the back with a shiv. It was said that the stabbing missed his internal organs and he will be okay in time.

In the episode "The Culling" he was released from the hospital and was seen with everyone else when the club went on lockdown.

Season Three

In the fifth episode of the third season, Juice is attempting to sell pharmaceuticals that SAMCRO received from Piney's dealer friend. When trying to pawn off some stimulants to an eccentric friend named Chicken, Juice is severely beaten by the Calaveras MC and his cut is stolen. His cut is returned in the episode "The Push" when SAMCRO makes a deal with the Mayans MC. Juice exacts a revengeful beat-down on the leader of the Calaveras MC, who ordered his attack. He went to Belfast to help find Jax's son Abel. When SAMCRO goes on a protection run with SAMBEL in an attempt to get close to Jimmy, Jax tells Juice and Happy to keep an eye on O'Neill, SAMBEL Sergeant at Arms. When they see that Jimmy's crew has locked the Sons in the barn they attempt to shoot the lock off but the truck holding the guns the Sons are protecting crash through the door and explodes killing members of the True IRA and SAMBEL. The Sons suspect O'Neill and tortures him for information with the help of Sean Casey. After a show down between the Sons and Jimmy's crew Juice watches along with the rest of SAMCRO as Clay kills McGee, SAMBEL President, for betraying the club. When they finally get Abel back they head back to Charming and are now trying to find Salazar to get Tara back. When they find a Mexican woman who doesn't speak English, it is revealed that Juice doesn't speak a word of Spanish. In the season finale SAMCRO is trying to take care all business before they go to prison. They are trying to locate Jimmy for both retaliation and a deal they have set up with the real IRA Council to expand SAMCRO's gun business when they find out that it will cost the club $2 million to get Jimmy from the Russians, which the club does not have. When Chuck shows the club that he has $5 million in counterfeit currency they use it to pay the Russians, but before masking with $250,000 of real money which Jax managed to get. After the club gets Jimmy there is a chase and shoot out between SAMCRO and the Russians, but SAMCRO manages to get away when the Russians spot ATF and decides to retreat. While at the garage ATF shows up at the garage and demands Jimmy. With orders from Clay, Juice and Tig take Jimmy out of the trunk of Tara's car. When asked by Clay how ATF knew where to find Jimmy, Stahl reveals that Jax has been working with her. Juice is upset along with the rest of the club about this information and he reminds Jax that Jimmy is responsible for the death of five of their Irish members. While the club is being taken into custody for their weapons charges Juice and rest of the club is seen looking at Jax with hate in their eyes. It later revealed the club's anger was all an act and Jax's deal was a plot to kill her and Jimmy the entire time. When the plan is carried out and both targets are killed the prospects lets SAMCRO know by honking their horns. Juice and the rest of SAMCRO celebrate by laughing in back of the van.

Season Four

In the beginning of episode 1, Juice is one of many SAMCRO members released from prison. He also stated that he's getting Opie a 20-day pass to a colonic spa, of which he is a part owner. Juice later accompanies Chibs, Bobby, and Happy to retrieve guns from the Russian Mob but only to turn on them and kill them, making this the first time he has killed someone during the series for SAMCRO. Unknown to them, one of the people they killed turned out to be an undercover FBI agent.

Juice is targeted by AUSA Potter and Sheriff Roosevelt as a potential weak link in the club, as they discover his father is African-American, making Juice half-black instead of Puerto Rican as he claimed. Roosevelt confronts Juice with this fact, pointing out that if this became common knowledge Juice would be expelled from SAMCRO. Because of this fear, Juice begins to work with Roosevelt. Roosevelt tells Juice that he wants a sample of the cocaine that SAMCRO is trafficking so he can begin to build his case.

While SAMCRO and the Mayans guarded some cocaine bricks for Romeo at Elliot's warehouse, Juice takes one of the bricks and hides it in the wooded area nearby so he can later take it to Roosevelt. The next day, the club realizes that it is gone and suspect that prospects Filthy Phil and Ratboy know something. After putting the prospects through several violent tests, Juice starts to feel guilty about the blame being put on the prospects. Juice offers the prospects a chance to put the cocaine brick back and everyone separates to wait and see if the brick is put back. Juice runs out to get the brick of cocaine and starts to bring it back to the warehouse when Miles catches him with it. Juice and Miles fight, with Juice ultimately killing Miles. Juice then frames Miles as the thief.

Sheriff Roosevelt is instructed by AUSA Potter to entrap Juice, then arrest him for possession of cocaine to further "motivate" him to assist the AUSA's investigation. At first, Roosevelt refuses but is threatened by Potter and ends up arresting Juice. Juice returns to the Clubhouse looking apprehensive, and Chibs tells Clay that he has noticed something wrong with Juice. Clay meets with Juice and gives him a "Men of Mayhem" patch and tells Juice that he was impressed with the way he dealt with the Russians and Mayans. Feeling guilty and realizing there is no way out of his predicament, Juice disappears for the remainder of the episode, and later attempts suicide by hanging himself from a tree. He survives the attempt due to the tree branch breaking and saving his life.

Juice continues to struggle with his devotion to the club and the predicament he is in with his father's heritage. After suffering another conflict Juice finally admits to Chibs that his father is black before being imprisoned once again. Juice later got exonerated due to the RICO case failing.

Season Five

Juice tearfully admits to Clay about his involvement in the RICO case against the club, stealing the brick of coke and framing Miles for it. Later, he admits this and his African-American heritage to Jax, who offers him a pardon in exchange for incriminating evidence against Clay for the Nomad home invasions. Juice agrees and later goes to Clay's apartment looking for the papers that would prove his involvement, but before he could do so Clay arrives. Clay, feeling helpless, says to Juice that he is proud of the way he is helping him, and asks him to watch his back. Feeling guilt-ridden again, Juice goes to Jax and asks him what would happen to Clay if he found the documents. Jax admits it would be the same thing that would happen to him if he didn't do what he was told. In "To Thine Own Self" Juice is given a deadline to find the documents. He rummages through Clay's house and manages to find them in an air vent. Jax instructs him to put them back and make sure Clay is not left in the house alone, while he gets the others. He is waiting with Clay, Tig, and Chibs when Bobby calls telling them that Jax has been kidnapped. They leave, but Clay claims he has to take his medication. When Jax returns he tells the Club he was picked up by Romeo to discuss a new deal allowing the Mayans and Triads to take over muling their cocaine and selling their big guns respectively. Juice, like everyone, votes yes on the deal. After the vote, Juice goes back to Clay's house with Jax, Chibs, and Bobby to find the documents gone. Realising Clay moved them, he apologizes to Jax, but is merely punched and sent home. When Clay is voted out of SAMCRO, Juice helps him move all his stuff out as he will be leaving Charming. He rewards Juice for all his help by giving him a gun he greatly values. At the season finale, it is shown Juice gave the gun to Jax, who then used it to frame Clay for the murder of Damon Pope. He is shown saddened by Clay's arrest, but relieved that Jax will not out him.

Season Six

Juice returns to Charming after being away at the Indian Hills charter with Bobby. He is able to earn his way back into good graces of the Club, though he regrets turning on Clay. Chibs knows he can not get rid of Juice but has to "get right with it". Chibs beats Juice badly at TM, but is seen at the end of the first episode stitching him up. He later helps Jax and Nero track down Darvany, the mother of a kid who committed a school shooting with one of their KG-9's. They bring her to the cabin, but she grows nervous, grabs a shotgun and attempts to flee. They bind her and gag her, and Jax has Juice smother her and make it look like she overdosed. He later helps Tig and Rat find a group of Nazis who attacked Unser. At the end of the episode, they use their KG-9's to wipe out the entire group of Nazis. When hostilities with the IRA end with Galen killing Phil and V-Lin and blowing up the clubhouse, Jax sets up a meeting with all West Coast SOA. When they are stopped by corrupt cops, Juice immediately begins insulting them and provokes a fight, that causes him to lose his bike. He later takes a new one from the cop's impounded collection. He is told by Jax he has nothing to prove to them, but Juice believes he does. It is seen again when SAMCRO aids the Irish in freeing Clay, Juice runs over and kills one of the guards.

A wounded Bobby suggests to an uneven Juice to go to the club and get laid. Despite initial resistance, Juice finally agrees to go, but secretly takes all of Bobby's Oxycontin with him. At the club, Juice takes all of the pills and nearly overdoses, but is saved by Nero and Gemma. Juice has an emotional breakdown and reveals to Nero that Jax ordered him to murder Darvany. Nero later reveals this knowledge to Jax. After Jax makes an agreement with DA Tyne Patterson to turn himself in to save Tara and his sons, he hands leadership of the club over to Bobby and tells Chibs that Juice cannot be trusted. After Gemma disappears, Juice offers to look for her. When saying goodbye, Jax whispers in Juice's ear that he knows that Juice betrayed him, leaving Juice stunned.

Juice goes to Jax and Tara's home where he finds Gemma and Roosevelt just moments after Gemma murdered Tara. He shoots and kills Roosevelt before he can call for backup. He is last seen disposing of key evidence from the murders into random dumpsters.

Season Seven

In the first episode of the seventh season, Juice is seen hiding away from SAMCRO following his betrayal to the club, seeking refuge in Wendy's apartment while she is in rehab. Gemma plans to smuggle him out of Charming once she gets the necessary cash together. When Unser finds him, Juice ties him up and locks him in the bathroom. Juice later lets Unser go and Unser decides to help him.

Unser arranges for Juice to meet up with Chibs to ask for advice. Chibs tells Juice, "The best thing you can do now, is stick a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger."

Unser and Gemma help Juice hide out in a motel outside of Charming until they can get him away permanently. While getting some food from a vending machine on the street, Juice sees news of the massacre at Diosa. He learns it was perpetrated by Henry Lin's crew in retaliation for the Jax and SAMCRO hitting their heroin and guns, which they did as payback for Tara's murder (which SAMCRO believes was done by Lin's order.) As he heads back to his hotel room, he notices a Chinese man getting out of a car in the parking lot and following him up the stairs. He locks himself in his room, and the man leaves.

Later, the man returns again and opens the door to Juice's room. He looks around as if trying to find someone. Juice attacks him and shoots him as he tries to leave, believing that Lin's crew has found his hideout. Later, when Gemma and Unser arrive, Juice picks up the newspaper story on Diosa and tells Gemma, "We did this." Unser finds a set of master keys in the Chinese man's pockets—he was an employee of the hotel, looking to see if the room had been vacated since it had only been paid for through the day before.

Gemma drives Juice out to the desert. She knows he is becoming more and more unstable, and she is unsure of what to do with him. She tells him Nero will help them get Juice to Mexico. Juice, knowing Gemma is lying as Nero would never help him, then crashes the car and takes off.

In the episode "Smoke 'em if You Got 'em", Juice attempts to trade intel about SAMCRO to Marcus Alvarez in exchange for transport to Mexico. But instead, Alvarez turns Juice over to SAMCRO in the end of the episode as "He's a rat and we don't help rats".

The next episode, Jax surprisingly gives Juice back his kutte. After this Juice fires his gun upon California Highway Patrol and flees. He then gave himself up a mile later when CHP had him roadblock. This is to get Juice on the inside to kill Henry Lin, which he does in the episode "Suits of Woe" with the help of the Aryan Brotherhood leader Tully, who uses Juice for sex. Juice is later seen in his cell with Tully snorting heroin as Tully is reading him love poetry. Lin also tells him who gave up the guns in Stockton: Charles Barosky.

Juice then meets Jax and relays the information, expecting his promised forgiveness. Jax instead asks Juice for the truth about Tara's death as it is destroying Abel. Full of regret, Juice tells Jax about what happened the night Tara died; Gemma killed Tara in a blind rage and he killed Eli to protect her. The two then came up with the cover story of it being the Chinese as the murder was so brutal it appeared gangland. After he finishes, Jax tells Juice, “Thank you for telling me the truth. I’ll make sure it’s quick.”

The next episode "Red Rose", Juice is then offered the chance to kill Tully for the Chinese in exchange for protection. Instead, Juice approaches Tully in the cafeteria and tells him everything before giving him a scalpel. He merely asks "Just let me finish my pie." Tully's men then distract the guards, allowing Tully to stab Juice in the neck with the scalpel. Juice bleeds out and a couple minutes later, dies.

References

1. "Sons of Anarchy Official Website | Only on FX". Fxnetworks.com. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
2. Hunnam, Glenn and Sagal in FX's Anarchy
3. Under the Mohawk lays another tattoo, with the numbers 12-27-80. In an online chat with the actor Theo Rossi, it's revealed that this is the day Juice's father left his family. Juice Ortiz at FX.com
4. Sutter, Kurt. "sutterink :: Kurt Sutter". sutterink.com. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
5. Pilot - Recap
6. Seeds - Recap
7. Patch Over - Recap