Mayans MC finale review: Who killed EZ Reyes’ mom?

Mayans MC

Tonight, the Mayans MC finale on FX proved to us a number of things, but the most important thing to us is this: This is its own series. It is its own beast. It lives and breathes without Sons of Anarchy permeating through its lips. Of course, all of this is largely ironic given the Sons presence as of late, even with the connectivity to SAMCRO present in the finale.

So what was the reason for the Mayans’ emergence? Sometimes, Kurt Sutter shows are complicated, but this one has a simple but strong thread through out it: Family. Mayans MC focused things down for at least part of the hour on the relationship between EZ Reyes and Angel, two brothers at a crossroads desperately seeking some sort of greater understanding. It wasn’t just an understanding of each other; it was a sentiment of “this is how the world now works.”

Angel knew that Lincoln Potter wasn’t his endgame, and it certainly wasn’t his brother. Yet, he also had him under their thumb. The acts they did tonight to Kevin and Bowen were brutal and murderous, but that wasn’t what broke Angel. What seemed to be was hearing EZ accept that this was his life now. That’s what he couldn’t stand to hear, and that’s what caused him to run away from all of this and get another chance elsewhere.

Alas, things don’t work in the Mayans world quite so easily. In a moment that so brilliantly reminded us of how awful Potter truly is, he wasn’t willing to let EZ off after realizing that he and his brother took care of two problems rather than just the one. Now, he owes Potter … and Lincoln’s not the dude you want to owe.

How everything unraveled

As the episode went along, Angel was dealt some hard news — regardless of what he wanted for his brother, that doesn’t actually mean that his brother wants the same thing. EZ decided to stay around the Mayans and move on beyond his prospect status. This wasn’t the same EZ that Angel remembered — this wasn’t his little brother anymore. He made the decision to stay for himself rather than his brother, something that he claimed he hadn’t done since he got out of prison.

Of course, in true Mayans MC / Sons of Anarchy / any other show that likes to do crazy stuff, EZ’s story wasn’t just going to end in a peaceful manner. What he learned instead, in the midst of the cross-club party and celebration in the closing scenes, was that the person responsible for his mother’s death could be standing right before him. Then, we saw precisely who that person was: Happy. Seriously. Happy from Sons of Anarchy. He wasn’t the only cameo of the night, but he certainly is the most important one. His presence is basically a powder keg being thrown into this show. Happy has ties to EZ’s mother and now, there could be club-vs.-club conflict like no other unless EZ somehow manages to let this sleeping dog lie. Who on earth thinks that’s going to happen?

Meanwhile, Emily found herself finding more of a place in Miguel’s life, standing up for herself more than what we saw almost all season. That means that, at least for now, she can end this season with a sense of relative peace. Meanwhile, Alvarez seems to be gone from the club (for now?) to take his own role within the Galindo cartel — that potentially solidifies some ties but also makes everything all the more complicated, depending on what sides he is forced to take in the future.

CarterMatt Verdict

This is it … for now. Mayans MC will be coming back for another season so we can celebrate that it ended season 1 on a reasonably high note. This was a story of self-sovereignty and characters discovering more of who they are.

Is the Happy-killed-EZ’s-mom twist too much? Too gratuitous? Too coincidental? Maybe all of the above but it’s a treat nonetheless for diehard SAMCRO fans looking for another reason to get addicted to this series. All of a sudden, we feel like EZ — intent on staying put, even if someone else tries to convince him to leave. Granted, it’s hard to envision ever wanting to do that after being so deep into the thick of things now.

Related News Check out more news on when Mayans MC season 2 could premiere on FX!

Have any thoughts on tonight’s Mayans MC finale? Be sure to share right now in the attached comments. (Photo: FX.)

Love TV? Be sure to like Matt & Jess on Facebook for more updates!