By Julio Martinez
FX premiered the fourth season of Mayans. M.C., the ten-episode limited season on April 19th and it is off to a rollicking start that has fans chewing it up. Currently airing on FX and streaming on Hulu.
This edgy series co-created by Elgin James follows the life of two brothers Ezekiel ‘EZ’ Reyes (JD Pardo), and his brother Angel (Clayton Cadenas) both members of the all-Latino Mayans M.C. charter on the Cali/Mexi border. “You might say, this season opens with a bang,” says James. “EZ and his brother Angel, with the rest of the Santo Padre M.C., are facing retaliation from other chapters of Mayans after a failed attempt to align under one King.”
This season, EZ is taking on a bigger leadership role in the Mayans, he explains, “When it comes to EZ, in these dark places, there’s an awakening that happens. It’s like you almost have to go through the fire and experience the lowest of the lows to understand who you are and to test it.” Adding, “I think that’s where you find these characters, and that’s where they’re really going to break out.”
“For Angel, I think there’s always been the sort of tear in his character. Which blood was thicker to him? Was it the actual, literal blood of his brother or was it the blood of the club?” questions Cardenas about his character’s thought process, explaining how he got there. “I think towards the end of the early seasons we started to see the shift in him as he saw his brother fully immersing himself into the life of the club. So, this season we see which way Angel will lean into.”
The family bond between EZ and Pardo is also tested by their relationship with their father, Felipe, played by Edward James Olmos. The two brothers have grown distant from Felipe, after what is perceived as a heart-wrenching betrayal, which needs to be resolved. The family dynamic becomes more complicated in the final season, involving lives more than just the family.
This season Mayans bring up Frankie Loyal, Vincent Vargas, and Joseph Lucero as series regulars while the four-season solid regulars Danny Pino, Carla Baratta, Michael Irby, Raoul Max Trujillo, Richard Cabral, Emilio Rivera, and Sarah Bolger continue to be the factors that fuel the Mayans.
“Most importantly, 95 percent of our cast is Latinx, and I think it’s the most important part of the show,” says Bolger. “ It represents people that I think don’t get as much screen time as they deserve. I’m an Irish girl. I feel so lucky to get to play Emily Galindo and be part of this world and I have learned so much in the process.”
Olmos adds, “This season is arguably the best season I’ve ever read, and if it keeps going like this, it will be around a long time. And the first three seasons don’t quite prepare you for the fourth. So take it from there, okay. Because you’re in for one hell of a ride, man.”
Mayans M.C, is executive produced by James, Sutter and Hilton Smith. The fourth season is produced by 20th Television and FX Productions.