Before I start the review, FX RENEWED MAYANS MC LAST WEEK!!! That is right, the club will ride again in 2019, and I am stoked! Now on to the matter at hand, as Mayans moves along, we are seeing seeds planted and divisions growing that even the characters aren't aware of. This episode officially marked the halfway point of this freshman season, and it fired on all cylinders. Let's Discuss!
Reveal thyself Cole
At the top of the episode, Angel had quite the wakeup call in the form of
some of Alice from the previous episode and Cole, the man that he became somewhat acquainted with when he was throat punched by him. We learn that Cole is the big ex-military shot caller EZ suspected and wants to know more about Angel and his game, so he let himself in and placed Alice's head on Angel's Lazy Boy. Angel is reluctant given what he woke up to and wants to know who exactly Cole is and what he does. They size each other up and Cole informs him that he and his
'company' simply help move things for a price and is curious if Angel has something to deal. The six keys of heroin are still heavy on Angel's mind and so he lets the man know that he and not his club have something they may be interested in. Cole puts together that Angel uses tunnels to move back and forth and that piques his interest in what Angels Reyes can offer. At this point it is appropriate to point out that Cole seems to serve one interest, himself, so is it wise to be so forthcoming? Probably not, but Angel hasn't been too careful with the details so long as he can find a buyer and help
Los Olividados and specifically Adelita. Cole offers something Angel can't refuse and shares with Coco and Gilly who are clearly growing weary of the path that Angel is leading them down with each passing move.
To prove his worth to Cole, Angel is tasked with moving an Afghani translator and his pregnant wife across the border because they are on the no-fly list and using his tunnels solve the problem. Angel agrees and they are now in business with Cole. The deal goes pretty bad which I will discuss in a few, but it does accomplish what Angel needs and Cole has now replaced Alice's crew who he exterminated and is now in business with Angel and will move the H for 50k a key. This is big money, but also big risk, because if Angel's off-books crew becomes a liability...... We've seen how Cole and his crew will take care of it. During all of this, Bishop is becoming curious what his wayward charges are doing when they aren't checking in. They also get info and a picture of Adelita. This is getting complicated and as I watched, a crazy theory popped into my head. What if Bishop knows what Angel is doing and directed him to do so? This is crazy, I know, but, Bishop hates Galindo, that much is obvious, what he is doing is sinking his club and he resents being drug runners. In Sons we saw several occasions where what we thought we were seeing was not the whole picture. What if Bishop entrusted Angel to make the moves he is making and keep it between them? He was more than happy to see El Padrino ride out of town this episode and didn't try too hard to continue to follow Coco. Additionally, he seems to have a connection to the mayor Antonia and with Galindo's plan to buy land and expand agriculture with or without the town's help, it stands to reason that Bishop and the club would have a lot to gain by getting out from the Galindo thumb and
Los Olividados may hold the key. Either way, Cole seems just as scary and dangerous as Galindo, so Angel better be careful. I feel that I say this a lot lately!
Felipe Cortina
Last week, Jimenez threatened to expose the Reyes matriarch if he couldn't get his son in line, and we knew that he would not take that lying down. Felipe moved with a quiet precision this week to protect himself and his boys from the DEA. It all seemed confusing with the clandestine visits with a seemingly forgettable distant family member, but the pieces came together at the end, and it showed what the ruthless side of Felipe that he keeps in the past. Felipe finds Jimenez's father who gives him the location of his son's family. Felipe snaps some pictures and confronts Jimenez and tells him of his past as Ignacio (which we find out this episode is also Angel's middle name) Cortina. He was an inspector for the anti-drug division in Mexico and beheaded bad men when needed. He warns Jimenez that he doesn't want to be that man again, but will if he keeps messing with his family. Jimenez is sick when Felipe sends him the pictures he took earlier in the day of his family and is most likely shaking in his government boots. I got to say, with the humanity Jimenez showed last week, I feel for the guy. He obviously doesn't want to ruin EZ's life but is stuck by obligation to his job. On the flip side, Felipe is doing what he has to in order to protect his secrets and EZ. This is all shades of grey and will most definitely continue to play out as we move towards the end of the season.
EZ/Emily & Angel/Adelita
The Reyes boys sure do seem to be drawn to complex women. This episode peeled some layers back on how two very different women are driving the motivations of Angel and EZ. I had to devote a whole section to this, because there was a lot to unpack. Let's start with EZ and his continued pull towards Emily.
At the start of the episode, EZ is hellbent on seeing his former high school love after he finds out she was trampled in the previous episode. EZ is able to see Emily in the hospital, but she is cold and distant as she downplays what happened to her. It seems she was unaware the nun was part of the deal and so was Miguel. This all seems to be the work of Devante to build on the plan she had brought forth to them. Emily is still consumed with the grief of having Cristobal torn from her arms and EZ cannot tell her where he is because of the club and Angel. This push/pull is very tense, but beneath the surface you can see two people whose love was torn apart by circumstance. EZ is considering taking the deal to flip Emily when Felipe warns him that she may not be the woman he knew. It is hard to argue with his logic here, she has married a cartel leader and as we see this episode, she knows who her husband is and what he does. She is no wilting flower who is blissfully unaware. EZ clings to a different version of her and he gets another glimpse of that girl when she shows up at his trailer by episode's end. We get an answer to what happened to their baby and it is grim. She admits that she had an abortion out of spite for EZ shutting her out and wonders if Karma has come back around and that is why Cristobal was kidnapped. EZ tries to assure he that it isn't the case and seems to almost slip and tell her he knows where her son is when Angel interrupts. This is murky water we are treading here. They live in the deep of the unknown and several people are warning each that the past should remain there. Miguel warns EZ to stay away from his wife in a particularly delicious, tension-filled scene and Angel doesn't want EZ's past feelings to cloud his judgement and jeopardize their deal with
Los Olvidados. This dynamic of the two star-crossed lovers could be the thing that brings several sides to a breaking point and I don't see either side having an epic rekindling of romance moving forward. For Angel, he may be clear headed when it comes to what EZ should do, but not so much when it comes to his feelings for Adelita.
Angel Reyes got himself into quite a pickle this episode and his savior was the woman he is beginning to have quite the complex relationship with. Angel and EZ run afoul during Cole's assignment to retrieve his translator friend and are confronted by dirty cops on the other side of the border. The police were tipped off when a doctor treating the translator's wife became suspicious and called them. When the brothers Reyes show up, the cops see an opportunity to turn a profit by ransom. They force EZ to find 100k or Angel and the two hostages get it. EZ turns to Coco who calls Adelita and they convince her to put up one of her heroin keys as the bounty. When all three show up to retrieve Angel, things go south, but Adelita brought her own firepower in the form of her
rabbits. When the dirty head cop refuses to let Adelita go because she has a bounty on her head, Angel scoffs but is forced out leaving her inside the house where she is threatened with rape. Adelita is also no wilting flower either and her child rabbits assassinate the lot of the people holding them and they are all freed. Angel apologizes to Adelita for the mess and heat, and instead of a slap I suspect he was anticipating, he instead gets a hot kiss and warning not to do that again. Putting aside all of the ramifications of what happened, it was kind of sweet and hilarious seeing Angel dumbfounded by the smooch that was just planted on him and if you looked closely, you could see his eyes spin back into his head. Once brought down to Earth, EZ sees that his brother's interest in
Los Olvidados extends past their cause. Angel is obviously invested in Adelita, but is she just using that? I can't say, and Angel dials it back by episode's end by insisting it is all business. Adelita is such a wild card, she could have let Angel die and find another inside man, but she didn't. Could there be something to her feelings for Angel as well? I think maybe, but her cause will most likely take precedent. Either way, this budding romantic entanglement seems to have less obstacles than EZ and Emily, but it raises the question... How complicated was their mother, to have both so taken with these two layered and independent women? I hope we get more on that as the show progresses.
Some Odds and Ends:
* Chucky really caused some problems to team rouge (that is what I am calling Angel's crew). I mean Adelita and Leticia look nothing alike, yet he led the rest of the club to think that is who Coco was arguing with.
* I personally take exception to head police scumbag implying that Angel wouldn't come back for EZ because he totally would. Yes, Angel killed Dennis last week in a questionable move, but I doubt he would ever leave EZ behind to die. Plus, during their scuffle at the end of the episode, they both stop short of pounding each other and their unspoken bond of brotherhood is palpable.
* EZ said something to Adelita about slitting his throat and that is when I noticed that the tattoo on her neck is covering a pretty gnarly scar. Was that her initiation into
Los Olvidados? It is possible after the reveal that her real name is Luisa and Angel said her whole family was slaughtered in front of her. Also, her conversation with the ArchBishop in disguise was very personal.
* The product placement of
Miller Lite is becoming really obvious now. I mean I love that their sponsorship helps the show, but does Alice's severed head really need a can next to her?
* The running animal theme is interesting. We've had a dog, scorpion, bat, owl and opossum. In SOA it was just a crow, but the Mayans have several symbols so far.
* The end scenes with Emily and Miguel and EZ and one of the women from the brothel..... thoughts?
* Gilly found out that the mystery tunnel lead to outside the Club's go-to brothel spot. Hmmmmm how will that play into events moving forward.
The show just keeps improving. What did you think? What will Cole bring to Angel's side business? Does Bishop actually know or am I grasping at straws? EZ and Emily and Angel and Adelita, what are your thoughts? Let me know!
