By Brooke McClelland
TV Reviewer
Mayans MC is halfway through its first season and it’s offered nothing but thrills, shocks, amazing cameos, and an authentic feel for today’s society. It’s framed in a different way than Sons of Anarchy, where it followed Jax Teller and built him up to be the crown prince waiting to King.
In Mayans we follow Ezekiel, who goes by EZ, a once promising Stanford student whose life is struck by tragedy that leads him to prison and ultimately prospecting for the Mayans MC. It’s the not MC we know from the original show, but a different beast entirely.
Based on the California-Mexico border, we are introduced to gritty, authentic characters played by gritty, authentic actors.
Richard Cabral, who plays Coco, positively shines whenever he’s on screen.
Whether he’s making jokes or dealing with a crisis, he’s always fun to watch. JD Pardo, who plays EZ, does an amazing job playing the wounded character as he prospects for the club and tries to hold on to the dream of his life returning to the way it used to be.
That’s the main overarching story for Mayans MC, the death of the American dream. These characters represent what today’s working man has to go through, especially in neighborhoods where violence is a constant and gangs are just an everyday part of life.
In today’s America it’s hard for someone in those neighborhoods to live a successful life without a hint of crime or violence, especially if that’s all they’ve been exposed to or if they are a person of color.
This show has represented those problems immaculately, and it helps that most of the cast has spent time in prison prior to their casting for the show.
Kurt Sutter and Elgin James have truly hit out of the park for the continuation of the Sons of Anarchy world with the Mayans MC. Action packed, twists and turns, and so many stories to sink our teeth into as they give us laughs and tears throughout this wild ride with the Mayans MC. The first half has amazed us viewers, and we can’t wait to see what they do with the second half