Mayans MC closed out its freshman run with a bang. Angel and EZ wrestled with their task from Potter, the Galindos while quiet, plotted their next moves and if you saw SOA, that last reveal was a doozy. Let's discuss!
I have to do this
Finales can be tricky because you want to give the audience payoff on the time they've invested but also keep some threads open to entice them back. Picking up from last week, Angel and EZ are still mulling their task from Potter to execute their cousin/EZ's DEA handler Kevin 'KJ' Jimenez. EZ informs his Pop of the assignment and that is when Felipe decides he should do it so EZ doesn't have to. He lures KJ to the butcher shop freezer, but ultimately the connection he's formed with him takes over and he is unable to kill him. When Angel shows up later and asks where KJ is, Felipe stalls and tries to talk Angel out of it. This scene showed the burden Angel as always lived with in the shadow of his brother. Angel is not daft, he knows that EZ is special and says as much to his Pop, he decides he must shoulder the burden they have been given and keep EZ out of it. When we saw him banish his brother last episode it was more about wanting EZ to live up to the potential everyone sees in him and less about the hurt and anger he was feeling. After listening to Angel's reasoning, Felipe gives up KJ's location.
Angel arrives to finish the task and moments later so does EZ unbeknownst to his older brother. When Angel enters to kill KJ, he doesn't expect KJ's boss to be there as well and when Angel is almost overpowered by the two men, EZ shoots the boss and Angel takes out KJ. Honestly, I had hope KJ would somehow make it. When he was introduced, I just saw him as someone who was there to challenge our protagonist, but throughout the season, he proved to be a caring and noble man. He unfortunately fell victim to the bigger game that was out of his control. Potter shows up to check the Reyes' boys handiwork and although a 2 for 1 was not part of the deal, he accepts that they have done their part and told them to get rid of the evidence. Once done, EZ gives Potter the proof and he stays true to his word and erases any trace of EZ's DEA deal leaving our prospect clean... except for the favor he owes Potter for killing KJ's boss.
A New Day
The Galindo family is now gearing up for their new reality, but some housekeeping needs to be done first. Miguel calls Nestor in and tells him that he will still be tasked with guarding the family and head of security but with his messy approach to certain situations he doesn't want him to become a liability. He informs him he has a new plan for a right hand man now that Devante is gone, and that person was not one I saw coming. By episode's end, it is revealed that Marcus Alvarez is his choice. Yes, El Padrino has hung up his Kutte leaving Bishop stunned. Dita is also adjusting to a new reality as Miguel calmly tells her that he knows she lied about his brother at Devante's request, but they will move past it. This leads Dita to realize that Devante is no longer breathing and she is devastated. She shares a tense scene with Emily and this could be a dynamic to watch next season.
On the
Los Olividados front, they have moved into a new compound and the idea of permanence is a little hard for Adelita's favorite little rabbit to accept. Adelita on the other hand is beaming that her people are safe and may have found a base that they can keep. Angel shows up to check out the new digs and this moment was perfect for anyone who loves a good slow burn. Angel and Adelita's romantic feelings for each other have been mysterious all season long. Were they using each other? Did they really feel something outside of necessity for their respective end game plans? Or, were these feelings bubbling below the surface real? I think we got our answer this episode as they took a night walk through the orchards on the new property. Adelita seemed to be weightless while Angel had the issues with his brother and stink of murder on his mind. They shared a silent, meaningful stare and Angel planted a soft kiss on Adelita's cheek and for a moment I thought we might finally get some payoff when Adelita asked if he wanted to stay the night with her. Angel took a beat to think about it but alas the weight he carried from the day was too much and he declined her invitation to stay over.... but not because he didn't desperately want to.
Enter SAMCRO
We finally saw a full fledged
Mayans party to celebrate their recent victories but tensions abound as EZ defies his brother and decides not to pack up and leave, but rather switch sponsors to Bishop. Angel is furious, but EZ tells his brother he doesn't know who or what he is and that he has to figure it out, and that his place in the
Mayans makes sense to him. Perhaps Angel should have stayed with Adelita because on top of EZ not listening to him, earlier when he saw his Pop and told him that everything was taken care of, the first thing Felipe does is inquire about the well being of EZ. Now I understand that Felipe was just trying to gauge the whereabouts of his younger son, but that had to have further killed Angel that his father seemed most concerned with how EZ fared during the ordeal. Angel lives with the shadow of his brother and it is clear that he has accepted that, but would it kill Felipe to for once, not bring up EZ when he is in the company of his eldest? This relationship is a lot more fractured than I ever imagined. It wasn't all tough sledding for Angel this episode though, he was promoted within the club.
Finally, a season's long mystery is solved. The flashbacks all season showed pieces of how EZ chased the assailant who murdered his mother and tonight, that person was unmasked and it was significant. When EZ is asked at the party by SAMCRO's (SOA's moniker for their MC) prospect for more beer for his sponsor, EZ turns and comes face to face with man that bludgeoned his mother to death...... It is none other than Happy, a character you know if you watched
Sons Of Anarchy. If not, here is brief rundown; Happy was a trusted enforcer for the club and his specialty was doing things for them that would get him several life sentences via the justice system. How this show will incorporate this development remains to be seen, but it is a shocking twist. The episodes fades to black with EZ staring at the man that killed his mom, and set his course.
Thoughts as a whole
All in all, this first season was solid, so I would give it a B+. They set up some great dynamics to move forward, but still have some things to grow on. So, I thought I would make some bullet points of what worked and what I would like to see next season.
Love:
* The development of Johnny 'Coco' Cruz
* The complicated Brother dynamic of Angel and EZ Reyes
* Adelita and her determination for the long game
* Only using flashbacks as a device to show EZ's past
* The twists that you couldn't see coming like Letti being Coco's, Potter pulling the higher strings and Happy killing EZ and Angel's mom
Would like to see:
* More backstory on Emily and how she ended up with Miguel
* A deeper story between Angel and Felipe outside of EZ
* Club dynamics outside the main players
* Backstory on Bishop
* Development of the Angel and Adelita relationship
That is it! What did you think of the episode and season? Let me know!
