Hello my fellow Mayans MC fans,
We are halfway through the series, and only four episodes remain, and these last episodes will be the most intense, bloody, and volatile episodes of the entire series. The title of Episode six is “My Eyes Filled and Then Closed on the Last of Childhood Tears” by Miriam Hernandez. Once again, the family played a significant role in this episode. The entire series has been about family in some way, shape, or form. It redefines what family means.
The preview showed scenes from an earlier episode of Adelita (Carla Baratta) and the secret life she has been leading, Hank (Frankie Loyal) and Nails (Justina Adrorno) reconnecting. Bishop (Michael Irby) finally chooses life with Maggie (Presciliana Esparolini).
We also learn that Sofia (Andrea Cortes) talked to Ez (JD Pardo) about his brother Angel (Clayton Cardenas), but we don’t know what was said. I assume it was about the warehouse fire, but we don’t know and can only speculate.
First, let me start by saying that this episode is my absolute favorite of the entire series. You heard me, the whole series, not just the season. It has much to do with the director, a favorite of mine, Allison Anders. Her resume is filled with television work, but her early life, in general, makes her directing so specific. She captured the tension in this episode so exquisitely; more later.
My Eyes Filled and Then Closed on the Last of Childhood Tears:
The beginning of the episode shows the progression and change the Reyes brothers have gone through during this series. They have switched places, with Angel now a bit softer and Ez having those hard edges more prominent than before. When Ez shows up unexpectedly at Angel’s house, we immediately think this isn’t a good situation. The tension is tangible, and it’s palpable. Watching this scene and the others that follow with these two brothers is one of the reasons I love this episode.
When you have a director like Allison Anders behind the camera who understands this situation, it makes the entire episode and the scenes with the two brothers much better. The razor-sharp tension was felt throughout. I cannot tell you how often I was on the edge of my seat watching this episode, especially the scenes between Ez and Angel. I am so enamored of Allison and her work, and I am absolutely in awe of how brilliantly she directed this episode. I think this is one of my absolute favorite episodes of any television series I’ve ever seen. And that’s high praise, considering how critical I can be about film and television.
You could tell in that particular scene the uneasy feeling Angel had going into that situation with his brother. Clayton Cardenas has done phenomenal work this season. This episode, in particular, is some of his finest work, and he should be incredibly proud of himself. I’ve never doubted his talent, but this episode showcased it to the enth degree and highlighted his skill as an actor and ability to show the full range of emotion and understand his instrument. I was absolutely in awe of him again and of JD Pardo and what they brought to the scenes between the brothers. That will be one thing I miss when this series finally ends. The excellent actors that I got to know and was introduced to through this series I am and will always be a lifelong fan of.
The other thing I loved in this episode was the cinematography which Vanessa Joy Smith again did. It was breathtaking and reminded me of some of my favorite films done by some of my favorite cinematographers. Seeing that landscape featured in a television series is a joy. That kind of detail in a series could be more prominent. But Vanessa did such an incredible job that it took my breath away, and I applaud her and her extraordinary vision with this particular episode.
One part of episode I also really enjoyed was seeing Emily (Sarah Bolger) embrace a slightly different part of herself. I loved her interaction with Luis (Michael Anthony Perez) when he was teaching her to shoot guns at empty bottles. I enjoy that they have a quirky friendship happening between them instead of the bodyguard situation, that they usually have in the past. I think Emily was not used to that kind of softness regarding her bodyguard, coming from a man who kills people for a living as Luis had said to Emily, he doesn’t particularly care for that part, but it is part of his job.
It was also exciting to know that Luis told her that he knew you would leave in the grocery store. Emily replied “Were you going to let me?” Luis replied “He won’t let you ever.” when Emily questioned why he didn’t tell Miguel, he said “It didn’t happen. It won’t ever happen”, which means that yes, he is loyal to Miguel but also understands why Emily wants to leave. And this whole scenario, at least to me, looked like Luis was trying to help Emily escape Miguel (Danny Pino) teaching her how to shoot guns. If that’s not foreshadowing for something happening to Miguel at the hands of Emily, I don’t know what else is. But it was also lovely to see Emily understand Louise and where he comes from and where his loyalties lie again family family family. That has always been one of the major themes of this entire series from the beginning.
My favorite scene in the series is Angel and Ez driving to a deserted area, and Angel not knowing his fate. The scenery is impeccable. It reminds me of the incredible movie Paris, Texas or Days of Heaven with the sparse scenery, the barren landscape, and just the simplicity and beauty of that part of the country. When Ez informs Angel that it is their mother’s death anniversary, he tells him, “I hope she forgives me for what I am about to do.” as a viewer of the series, that line terrified me because, with all that we know up till now, that indicates that something horrible and intense would happen. You could feel that tension again. Kudos to Allison Anders for allowing viewers to feel it.
As always, I do love watching scenes with Edward James Olmos. His scenes as Filipe are always quiet but loud at the same time. Olmos is a tremendous actor who gives 1000% every time he’s on-screen. His subtlety is masterful, and his skill is absolute perfection. It’s also wonderful to see him in the role now as a grandfather instead of just a father.
That has transformed him into a softer human. We can credit Maverick, Luisa and Angel’s son for infusing his infectious smile and wonderful personality upon the Reyes family. He has turned those hardened men into the men they’ve always been, as Luisa (Adelita) points out to Felipe about Angel.
When Ez and Angel stop at the small shack in the middle of nowhere, Angel notices shovels in the back of the truck. He asks Ez what they are for, and Ez tells him “We are going to bury a body.” Angel is noticeably scared. Ez asks him “Do you trust me Angel?” answers no, and Ez says “That’s the fucking problem.” Again, family, loyalty, blood, sangre y sangre. I cannot stress enough how incredible Clayton was in this particular scene. His physicality, you could tell 1000% how terrified he was. It’s a subtle change in his demeanor, but you knew that he was terrified of his brother and that he was going to kill him and felt it. As the director myself, watching that kind of scene between two actors is what I thrive on, it’s what I live for, it’s what I need in my life. It may sound weird, but when you have that kind of realism in acting, it’s not acting anymore, it’s living. You could see tear stream down Clayton’s face. I don’t know if that was intentional or the director’s or the actor’s choice, but it was perfect in that scene. It made sense”, and when he says to Ez, “Mom wouldn’t want us to hurt each other she’d want us to be together.” Then Ez says “That’s why we’re here,” and when we see Ez raising the gun…the way that it was shot, the way that Clayton just internally collapses, not physically. Still, you could see his physical body change what natural acting is about, and the score by Marlon Lang that accompanied this scene added to the intensity of the situation. It was beautifully well done.
Seeing Happy Lowman (David Labrava) again was great. He has always been one of those characters that, yes, he’s evil, but that’s why you love him, and it’s always great to see him. I am always a fan of the villains you love to hate because they make episodes and series more interesting. They bring that element to their characters, adding depth to whatever they are in. It was also interesting to hear the name Chibs be mentioned; that may hint that we might see him in the remaining series of episodes. Because we do know that the Sons of Anarchy will show up again, we just don’t know who, in addition to Isaac (JR Bourne), will be part of those episodes when he mentioned that killing Ez and Angel’s mother was business and not personal that reminded me of course of mob hits which are always business not personal. It also is very telling about how it’s Ez that is holding the gun and is pointing it at Happy that it was Ez who came up with this entire plan not Angel. From the very beginning of the series Angel was the one that was always the bad ass, that was always the killer, that was always the stronger of the two brothers. Still, that has completely changed, and they have almost swapped personalities.
“You set this all in motion and destroyed all of our lives,” Ez says to Happy, which was the whole purpose of Ez’s journey. The only reason why Ez is became part of the Mayans is because of Happy and because what he did set in motion. What he was hired to do, if Marisol did not get killed, none of what we have been seeing the last two seasons would be possible. Ez would not have gone to jail, he would have most likely married Emily, and settled down and had a happy family once he graduated college. Angel would have still been part of the Mayans. But one split-second decision changed not only Ez’s life but the entire trajectory of his future and the future of everyone around him that he’s ever loved. When Happy reaches for his gun again, Ez protects his brother as he did from Gabby (Sulem Calderon).
The scene with the two brothers finished burying Happy is where the cinematography is at its absolute finest, that scene of them with the light and the windmill and just the quietness of that scene. Still, the heaviness of the scene is absolutely incredible and completely palpable. In a way, Angel scolds Easy about killing Happy but Ez says that all Reyes men will ever be are killers. It’s a bold statement, and all four of them, including Miguel, who is technically a Reyes by blood, have killed. When Angel walks away from his brother to clear his head, putting that distance between him and Ez, I believe, foreshadowing for what’s happening or what will be happening in the next four episodes leading up to the finale. With Angel now being a father and being a “husband” that completely changes the game for him. It changes it so much that he it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he decided to pull back from the Mayans and almost quit because of the promise he made to Adelita to keep Maverick safe, to keep Adelita safe and to keep himself safe. I’m not sure about the flowers that Clayton picks up, but they may be marigolds, and in Mexican culture, it’s deeply rooted in pre-Hispanic Aztec rituals tied to the goddess Mictecacihuatl, or the Lady of the Dead, who allowed spirits to travel back to earth to commune with family members. That tradition was blended with the Roman Catholic observance of All Saints Day by the Spaniards when they conquered Mexico.
Soledad (Selene Luna) asks Luisa to do a job, and once she does that job, she will be set free again, mentioning Potter (Ray McKinnon) and how he forced her to work with her.
Once she does this deed for Soledad, she’ll be free. “Kill this annoying stray, and you and your family will be free” She hands her an envelope with the picture and says it needs to be done by midnight, no excuses.
The church scene toward the end of the episode with Ez and Filipe was heartbreaking no dialogue at all, but none was needed in that scene. The brilliance of two actors playing in a scene without dialogue is the body language.
The atmosphere and the way that they can convey emotion without any words, again, it is a true testament to not only the brilliant skill of both of those incredible actors, but of the director. How Allison was able to convey the tension between the father and son and how the broken part of their relationship is still not mended even though they are both there for Marisol, their fractured family is still very present.
The last scene in the episode is Adelita’s sitting at the table cleaning her gun and the picture of whom she’s supposed to kill next to her. As the camera moves closer, we finally see whom she is supposed to kill by midnight with no excuses, and that person is Ez. I am gob smacked as to what she’s going to do. This is her family. This is her brother-in-law. If she kills Ez, what’s going to happen to Angel? Will Angel fall apart? She is in a no-win situation in this scenario.
The preview of next week’s episode shows the lengths the Mayans will go to make money. It shows Cole (Branton Box), shows Letty (Emily Tosta) and what Isaac had made her do. It moves the story further to the ultimate crescendo, which will happen toward the end of the series. It will be, no doubt, an intense last four episodes of the series. Creeper finally tells Hank who the rat is. I cannot wait to see how this will play out or how easy we’ll try to escape this situation.
Thank you to all the Mayans fans who have been watching this series from the beginning and have been tweeting along with us during the episodes. It’s always wonderful to see your comments and especially when the actors themselves chime in with hints or retweets. It will be a hell of a ride till the end, that’s for sure as the last four episodes unfold.
Thanks to Kenn for video and image embedding for my feature article and many thanks to you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. Because it’s one of our favorite television series, we will be back soon with more analysis about the final season of Mayans MC! Also, this July look for my images and reports that will be coming to you LIVE from San Diego!
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Until next time,
Regards,
