The following post contains spoilers for Mayans MC’s Season 4 finale. Proceed with caution!
At the risk of making a Dark Knight quote do the heavy lifting in this recap, EZ Reyes really has lived long enough to see himself become the villain.
Tuesday’s Season 4 finale of Mayans MC — which has yet to be renewed for a fifth go-round — found EZ transforming into the same power-hungry club member that Bishop became at this time last year… and, well, we saw how that went. I beg you, Mayans, just protect Sally at all costs.
Here’s what goes down on the war front: Sons of Anarchy vet Tig (yay, Tig!) takes a meeting in Los Angeles with Alvarez, where the men discuss next steps in the ongoing Sons vs. Mayans battle. During that conversation, Tig informs Alvarez that the war’s onset had nothing to do with the Mayans encroaching on the Sons’ turf; rather, it started when “some chick” (that is, Santo Padre bartender Jess) came to the Sons with Montez’s kutte, having found it in a barrel on Mayan property. Alvarez insists he knows nothing about the Montez situation — and, interestingly, that piece of intel from Tig doesn’t come up again during the finale. Not when Alvarez later tells the Santo Padre charter about his meeting with Tig, or when prospect Nestor clearly sees Jess acting squirrelly and texting someone during her shift. So, if the Montez catalyst is to come up, it won’t be until a hypothetical Season 5.
Anyway, Alvarez and his Santo Padre men later gather around their meeting table, shortly after EZ and Sofía are attacked by a few Sons during a motorcycle ride; that attack, so Alvarez claims, was unsanctioned and carried out by a Sons contingent that has gone rogue. Alvarez adds that he recently spoke with SAMCRO president Chibs, and apparently the Sons have agreed to a ceasefire — not a complete surrender, much to EZ’s disappointment.
EZ is already frustrated with Alvarez, too: Earlier in the episode, EZ urged Alvarez to lock down that business relationship with El Banquero’s sister, Soledad, insisting that it would kill the club not to do it. Alvarez still refused, prompting EZ to pay Bishop a visit and suggest that Alvarez be ousted, with Bishop taking his place as president.
Thus, during Santo Padre’s meeting, EZ blindsides Alvarez with that kill switch clause from the club’s old bylaws, which allows for a president to be unseated if he’s voted out unanimously. EZ tells his brothers that they can either keep Alvarez and ostensibly kneel to the Sons of Anarchy, or choose war and fight for their charter’s future. One by one, the men vote, and they all choose war; Alvarez is out. “I built this club,” Alvarez reminds them on his way out the door, “and I’m happy I won’t be here to see it burn.”
In the episode’s biggest twist, though, EZ then turns to Bishop, who he’d promised to reinstate as Santo Padre president. “Everyone in this templum knows the leader you are. So I want to make you… my VP,” he says, shocking everyone, but especially Bishop. EZ then moves over to the head of the table, sitting where Alvarez just did, and gives a weird, cult leader-like speech about “our nation” and “a new day rising” and his plan to “lift us to greatness.” The men all look a bit freaked — Angel in particular — but they eventually begin pounding the table in support of their new prez.
Once the others have left, Angel levels with his brother, telling EZ that he’s been unrecognizable since killing Gaby. But EZ maintains that he’s helping the club in a way that others are too scared to try, namely by agreeing to move heroin for Soledad. “If you are not on this train, please walk away, or it’ll run right over you,” EZ warns. “Is that a threat?” Angel asks. But EZ just squeezes Angel’s shoulder real tight and leaves the room.
At the end of the episode, we’re back at the warehouse where Soledad’s heroin supply is stashed. Someone wearing all black and a hoodie breaks in, douses the whole place in gasoline and lights a match — but the arsonist’s identity is never revealed, even as they watch the warehouse go up in flames.
Other highlights from the finale:
* Letty is gifted Coco’s old car — a chartreuse Chevy Nova — and uses it to rescue Hope from hanging out with the addicts she encountered while walking home from work the other night.
* Manny is among a group of Mayans to get kidnapped by the Sons, and he’s lit on fire, marking one of the season’s grisliest deaths.
* Speaking of deaths, there’s a few more: EZ shoots and kills Jay-Jay, prompting Jay-Jay’s wife to go looking for him at EZ’s trailer; Sofía covers for her beau, though, and says EZ was with her the entire previous night. Meanwhile, El Banquero gets his throat slit… by Adelita! Who is now working for Soledad? I have questions.
* Emily is alarmed to get a phone call from Galindo, who has Cristóbal in tow (and Emily can piece together that something bad happened to her sister). Galindo tells Emily that it’s over, it’s time to come home, and he forgives her for bailing on him.
* Finally, and perhaps most tragically, Creeper agrees to cooperate with the cops and offer up intel on the Santo Padre charter (which Kody previously told him, earlier in the episode, was the only way for both of them to get out of this mess unscathed). But much to Kody’s shock and disappointment, Creeper doesn’t say anything helpful: Instead, he takes the fall for all of Santo Padre’s crimes, insisting that each homicide happened “without the knowledge or participation of my club.” Creeper, no!
OK, your turn. What did you think of Mayans’ finale? Grade it in our poll below, then hit the comments with your full reviews!