Mayans M.C. ended its season one finale with all the high-biker drama that one would expect from the Sons of Anarchy universe, including a major callback. In doing so, the biggest question of the season — who killed EZ and Angel’s mother? — was answered we found out that Happy was responsible. Still, we don’t know the “why” of the situation. Kurt Sutter later clarified that Happy was not a member of SAMCRO (he was officially Nomad) at the time that he murdered Mrs. Reyes, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be blowback. In fact, it’s almost guaranteed that word will spread, and heads might roll as a result. In other words, the carefully brokered Sons-Mayans era of peace could come to an end. For now, though, FX has released two episodes from the second season, and yep, the series doesn’t waste too much time before revisiting the subject. Oh, and thank god the show’s main love triangle is over, for the club has new objectives and must shift strategies to get things done.
Also on fans’ minds as Mayans M.C. continues to carve its own path (related to Sons but still distinct) as the second season begins: (1) Will the show need to ratchet up the outrageousness in order to maintain strong ratings? (2) Will Kurt Sutter start to do the fade as the season progresses? He wrote the season premiere episode, but he’s stepping down as co-showrunner at the end of this season (he’ll continue to produce while Elgin James fully takes the reins).
Well, Sutter’s edge is definitely apparent as this season begins. Granted, the subject that’s now sitting at the forefront would be the rift between EZ and Angel and whether that will affect little brother’s ability to unanimously patch into the club. It’s not pretty to watch EZ continue to grovel (Angel’s pretty vicious, man) while other chess pieces are sliding all over the board. Of particular interest is how former national club President Marcus Alvarez will fare in his new gig, working for the Galindo Cartel head, during this season. It sure is strange to see Alvarez wearing a suit rather than a cut, but that’s a sign of change on the horizon. Also, I can’t help but wonder whether Alvarez will manage to survive another season, given that he already accomplished the feat of outliving Jax Teller throughout the entire Sons run.
So yes, a frustrated EZ and change are the name of the game right now. We’ll have coverage of the season debut coming soon, but here are a few of the odd things going down in Mayans M.C. season 2:
– EZ’s (obsessively? passive-aggressively?) drawing happy faces to make it through the days (and for reasons, which I don’t want to spoil). I can’t even begin to guess how he’s keeping his arms so jacked when (as a prospect) he’s doing all the grunt work, along with bartending and recycling paper plates.
– A seemingly minor character from the first season suddenly unveils a huge incident from the past to the camera without any inkling of foreshadowing from the first season. It feels jarring, though I imagine that was the intended effect.
– Ex-Green Berets are on the scene. That gets weird.
– Agent Lincoln Potter’s a sharp-dressed man now, but he’s still poetically rambling and has acquired a curious new helper.
– There’s a pretty cool ski-ball game.
Otherwise, the show’s habit of inserting frequent flashbacks continues (and nothing good ever happens in them) while EZ attempts to figure out how to win Angel’s support back. He’s a smart kid, but resolutions are never cut-and-dried in this universe. There are also plenty of distractions from EZ’s objective as the club continues to move drugs with plenty of violent consequences along the way. Meanwhile, Emily’s attempting to push for her own power while not quite getting the respect that she believes that she deserves from her drug lord husband. I have a feeling that won’t end well for at least another season, and then we might see her come into her own position, similar to a matriarch figure like Gemma Teller. Maybe? It’s possible, although Emily’s mother-in-law, Dita, continues to be a pain in the ass. No surprise there.
Mostly though, Mayans M.C. begins to put down roots for several future seasons as its sophomore turn begins. That means more inner-club maneuvering because Bishop has had enough of the brotherly spat. At one point, he orders EZ to “fix this shit” with Angel, and although the brotherly beef is genuine, it’s still a somewhat amazing sight to behold Angel acting even cattier than two sisters fighting over their favorite doll. Will these two get it together and work toward the club’s future? All that begins to unfold this week.
‘Mayans M.C.’ returns for a second season on Tuesday, September 3 on FX.
