Mayans M.C. the next chapter in the Sons of Anarchy saga made its series premiere. We got plenty of set up, some SOA Easter eggs and enough plot twists worthy of a telenovela. Here’s a recap of the premiere entitled “Perro/OC”.
Meet EZ
The episode begins with Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes fresh out of prison and a prospect in the Mayans M.C. charter on the California/Mexico border. We see EZ on the way home, as he travels past his old haunts he looks back at the life that was, his old school, his old girl Emily and brief visit to his father’s butcher shop. That is as much set up as we get before cutting straight to the action. While on a shipment run the club gets jacked by some costumed marauders. They get away but not before EZ peeps a tattoo and a club member takes some lead in the crossfire.
Post shakedown the club meets with its connect, Miguel Galindo, of the Galindo cartel. He is none too happy to have $2.4 million of lost product. When EZ reveals he saw the tattoo with the letters “BTT”, they narrow it down to a rival Samoan gang. Galindo mandates the Mayans track them down to extract information and exact retribution.
Crossing Borders
We next see the club traverse a set of tunnels under the border wall. The route helps the club get that injured member to a doctor in Mexico and meet at a bar in Tijuana for some club business. EZ is left on sentry duty while they handle their exchange, but not before EZ peeps a mystery women entering the bar. While on further club business EZ spots his old flame Emily, we then get a flashback to eight years earlier. Emily is visiting EZ in prison distraught as it is the day EZ ends their relationship and Emily tells EZ she’s pregnant. We also get quite the Easter egg in the form of Gemma Teller (a great Katy Seagal cameo) from SOA who happens to be at the prison that very day. Nice touch Kurt!
Worlds Collide
EZ and the club members venture up California and we get our first look at the clubhouse and SOA alum Alvarez from the Oakland chapter of the Mayans. Nice world building going on now. They plot on how to fulfill the Galindo order to take out the Samoans. The plan – a meet up in the cemetery with a peaceful request to return the merch and avoid further bodies dropping, but have reinforcements at the ready, just in case. The peaceful approach doesn’t work, and a full-on shoot out ensues. The Mayans get the better of it and have the Samoans in retreat, but as they try to escape some reinforcements arrive to pin them in – its none other than the boys from SAMCRO – these are the reinforcements spoken of prior. The Samoans escape is foiled.
Twists & Turns
Cue to a warehouse with a Samoan tied to a wall and Galindo in a bright yellow raincoat (that can’t be good). The Samoan spills some but not all the information so, Galindo has one of his arms cut off in full audience view (only on FX people). Before he can lose the next arm, he reveals that a Latina south of the border hired the Samoans to hijack the shipment. Once he has what he needs Galindo exits, he has a family dinner to attend after all. Cue to the dinner guess who Galindo’s wife is – Emily. Whaattt! We’re not done yet, while tending to prospect duties EZ gets a call from his father. He meets him at the butcher shop where it is revealed EZ is actually helping the DEA. Serving as an informant to bring down the cartel. Double Whaattt!
Back at the clubhouse Taza gets intel that the mystery Latina who hired the Samoans has been a serious dent in the side of the cartel. Hijacking shipments, hacking bank accounts and having more success than a Russian operative in a U.S. election. Hence Galindo’s irritation. The younger set of Mayans let EZ in on a little secret, they too are helping the rebels who are led by the very mystery woman EZ spied in Tijuana, who is the same mystery Latina spoken of by the Samoans. Looks like everyone wants the cartel out of business. Post reveal, EZ and his brother Angel have a heart-to-heart about the plan. Angel puts it to EZ – unless he’s 100 with plan, walk away now.
EZ says “he’s all in”.