'Mayans M.C.'—The Long Road to an Incredible First Season

At this point in the game after completing the first season it us undeniable what impact Mayans M.C. has had on long term fans of SoA. It has brought us back to the world of outlaw bikers and violence that can only be found within this world. Once again from the wonderful mind of Kurt Sutter Mayans M.C. focuses on the current social and economic issues facing the M.C. However this time around it seems to have more focus on the characters and less focus on the inherent violence displayed in almost every other scene in SoA.

M.C. touches on a lot of points that we see in the news every day including drug trafficking and immigration. It does so through the eyes of Ezekiel EZ Reyes, a prospect who is fresh out of the pen and looking to prove his loyalty. Played by JD Pardo, EZ is living a double life working for the DEA looking to provide them information on Miguel Galindo (Danny Pino) while simultaneously attempting to keep his brother Angel and the club away from the fallout. With all of this happening at once it could have been easy for M.C. to be attempting to do too much so early on but with many seeds laid out because of the connections to SoA it all works well and perhaps even better than SoA was able to do it at this point.

One of the reasons why it works much better is because we are also treated to minor characters from SoA making triumphant returns when least expected, including a cameo from Katey Sagal in the pilot in the role of Gemma and Michael Ornstein as Chucky. Of course the biggest one over the course of the season becomes Ray McKinnon's Lincoln Potter. A man who uses words as power is exactly what Mayans M.C. needed to transition the shows back half into a drama deeply seeded in the emotions of the characters rather than the action packed sequences designed for affect. As the series goes on EZ and Angel become forced to make decisions that force loyalties and question life long bonds. Sutter definitely saw the raw emotion of the hand that life dealt the Reyes family and just built from that as the narrative of season one took shape and has now set the course for the second season.

SoA fell victim to its own repetitive nature with action, guns, parties. Mayans M.C. immediately took a different approach and put it's own main character at risk to take the most severe of fall outs. Where Jax Teller was a predictable and likable lead, EZ Reyes is more complicated right from the start. His old flame is now married to the head of the Mexican Drug Cartel. His brother is now a fully patched member of the Mayans M.C. motorcycle club and his cousin is forcing him to step inside this world and keep secrets of his own with the help of his father.

JD Pardo did well to establish the complexities of a conflicted man but I want to see a darker side of EZ Reyes in season 2. EZ was the do good center of a drama filled with so many people willing to do the wrong thing for personal gain. Now with EZ on his way to gaining the patch and settling in with the M.C. free and clear of the DEA, I want to see Pardo take on the challenges of EZ Reyes a man willing to die for the bonds he is building and the bonds he has broken a long the way. Where EZ was more complicated and his storyline fun to watch, like Jax Teller he felt untouchable and that makes it less tense in moments that mattered. Make EZ feel as at risk as everyone else. It was always the old troupe, the last minute save that kept EZ from feeling in danger but club business would always make you ride with an uneasy feeling knowing so many people want to stake their claim into what is yours.

Clayton Cardenas and Richard Cabral made this feeling come off very well through their performances. Angel moving forward is a man who is questioning all loyalties and Cardenas better be given the appropriate amount of story to let this transpire. It was a strong and bold choice to head into season two with cracks in the foundation of the Reyes family. They could easily be the undoing of so many characters and so many potential storylines will come from that. The finale moments of the season were very quiet on the action front but very chilling from a writing perspective. EZ's big realization is sure to send shockwaves throughout season two.

Mayans M.C. seems here to stay with the ratings have levelled even through live plus three days. Season two cannot come soon enough for a drama that really found its stride and truly created a new world with some old familiar faces. Absolutely loved watching the show change and develop as the season played out and I cannot wait to see where the show goes next.

Acting—9/10—Everyone from Danny Pino to Edward James Olmos to Clayton Cardenas each played their role to perfection. A few minor blips a long the way with the lack of certain characters getting the screen time they deserved may have hurt slightly but it all works out in the end with how things are looking for each of the key players to shine in season two. Perhaps a 13 episode season season can help with each of the men listed above being given the chance to get the screen time they deserve.

Visuals—9.5/10—Capitalizing on both the desert and border setting, Mayans M.C. spent a lot of time working with the landscapes through under ground tunnels and late night evacuations of the mountain side and it helped establish a tone for the series moving forward.

Writing—9.5/10—The first season of the show definitely took several turns that I was not expecting including the shocking reveal in the season finale but ultimately it was the overall emotional development of the characters that made the season so successful. When it could have turned to action as a way to keep things tense it turned to the internal struggles of the characters to propel the story forward. The writers were definitely considering the long game through out most of the first season.

Overall Rating—9.5/10—Mayans M.C. definitely did enough to earn a second season and I am most excited to see where all the fall out from season one will lead through out season two. The world will only expand and for a show like Mayans that did a wonderful job creating interesting characters that can only bring more drama to the fold.