Warning: many spoilers ahead for the Season 1 finale of Mayans M.C. on FX.
Mayans M.C. finally hit the airwaves in 2018 as the long-awaited spinoff of Sons of Anarchy, and it quickly proved to be a big hit. The show could have a long future ahead of it on FX, and the Season 1 finale guarantees that fans will be dying to find out what happens next for however long the wait is until Season 2. The episode featured some unexpected and shocking ties back to Sons of Anarchy that few probably saw coming.
The most unexpected tie to Sons of Anarchy in the Mayans finale came with the bombshell reveal of who murdered EZ's mother all those years ago. The mystery of her death has been an undercurrent of the series, even when none of the Reyes men were explicitly dwelling on her. After all, if not for EZ's quest to track down her killer, he never would have wound up behind bars. Who could have guessed that the truth would lead to a Sons character?
Yes, the truth behind the big mystery is that none other than Happy Lowman killed EZ's mom. EZ finally learned the truth when the Mayans were joined by some SAMCRO members at a party, in what should have been a joyous event for all. Well, as joyous an event as is possible for a show set in the Sons of Anarchy universe, anyway.
Happy's arrival brought him face to face with EZ, who realized that Happy is the man who killed his mom. His role as an enforcer on Sons of Anarchy put him in the position to get very violent with those who got in his and SAMCRO's way, so it's not shocking that he would kill somebody. The fact that he killed the Reyes matriarch of all people does come as a shock. The episode didn't reveal why Happy killed EZ's mother, but the twist does seemingly promise more crossovers between Mayans and Sons.
Showrunner Kurt Sutter weighed in on the Happy twist, and he revealed that it wasn't the culmination of an arc he'd planned from the beginning. Additionally, Happy as the killer isn't just a Sons of Anarchy cameo for the sake of a cameo. Instead, the inclusion broadens the scope of Mayans M.C. and connects it to the larger mythology already in place thanks to Sons. In a chat with THR, Sutter had this to say about Happy as the killer of EZ's mom:
I started thinking about the payoff with EZ chasing the 'one-armed man who killed his mom. I wanted it to pay off and find out who that guy was, and plug that guy into the bigger mythology. I didn't know if it was going to be a cartel guy. Was it going to be a cop? Would it have something to do with EZ's dad? In the shaping of the season, I realized, "What if we intersect with the mythology that's already there?" We did the historical mythology homework to realize at the time [EZ's mom died], Happy was a Nomad. We established him as a button guy and a killer for hire. That piece of it worked, in terms of it not impacting the Sons mythology. He wasn't a member of the charter at that time. He was free and clear. Then the trick was, how do we allow EZ to have that reveal? It can't be someone he's seen before. We established that it's not how they buy their guns. In a previous episode, we saw they bought guns from the San Bernardino charter [of the Sons of Anarchy], so there was no direct conflict with Charming or with Redwood. We could criss-cross the mythologies in a way I was good with, because it doesn't impact the Sons mythology at all.
If the Happy twist wasn't enough of a connection to Sons of Anarchy, there was another. Jax Teller was explicitly mentioned on Mayans M.C. for the very first time. We've known for a while that we shouldn't hold our breath for Charlie Hunnam to somehow reprise the role for Mayans, so the name drop was a nice treat. Here's how it happened.
The Mayans were seated at their table to discuss a new arrangement with regard to supplying the cartel. The Mayans came to the conclusion that SAMCRO would be able to supply the cartel "under the radar," going through the Mayans to keep the feds out of the entire situation. The deal would allow the Mayans to continue their relationship with the Charming chapter of SAMCRO that was the center of Sons of Anarchy.
Marcus Alvarez was the one to mention Jax, saying this:
Our club has a relationship with Charming. Volatile past but a profitable peace. I'm gonna make sure I keep that promise to Jax Teller.
Sentimentality aside, Bishop did his job as leader and clarified that it would be their chapter to handle the business between SAMCRO and the cartel. Therefore, the entire group had to be on board with the risky arrangement. Unsurprisingly, the Mayans gave unanimous approval, and the stage is set for more Sons of Anarchy crossovers in the future of Mayans M.C.
Only time will tell how far the spinoff will go in touching on its parent show. Mayans has already proven that it can stand on its own without relying on Sons for material, so future crossovers will hopefully only enrich the new show's arcs. We'll have to wait and see.
Mayans M.C. was renewed for a second season back in October, so there's no need to worry that there will never be any payoff on the cliffhanger. The ratings were excellent from the beginning, proving that it has the potential to carve out a niche on FX to last for years. The second season is slated to debut at some point in 2019.
For some viewing options sooner than the new year, swing by our fall TV premiere schedule. If you're in the mood to relive some of the Sons of Anarchy glory days, you can find the series streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu.
