FX’s Mayans M.C.
4×10: “When the Breakdown Hit at Midnight”
Directed by Elgin James
Written by James & Sean Varela

* For a recap & review of 4×09, click here.
* For a recap & review of the Season 5 premiere, click here.
Santo Padre is saying goodbye to their boy Coco after the funeral. Bishop, Ez, and the boys pull Coco’s body from the hearse and carry it out to the gravesite where everybody else is waiting. Gilly and Bishop, as fellow vets, fold the flag military style, then salute one another. Gilly gives the flag to Leticia, as Coco’s casket gets laid in the ground. Everyone pays last respects by grabbing a handful of dirt and sprinkling it onto the coffin. Leticia is the last one. She tells everybody: “You didn‘t fucking deserve him.” She blames them for Coco’s death and says she’ll never forgive the Mayans.

In hospital, Terry’s still wounded. He gets a visit from none other than Tig, who says “that demon” from the desert has come back because of how things went after the recent trouble. Tig’s not happy. He strangles Terry until a nurse walks in on them. He calls it some “asphyxiation play” and lets Terry go. Things are still fucked up for the Sons because of the greenlight Terry begged to get from the club.
Tranq gets word that Yuma, Stockton, and Oakland are up to some shit. Bishop says fuck everybody who isn’t Santo Padre right now. At the same time, EZ’s off someplace meeting with Jay-Jay. He’s brought “$80K” for Jay-Jay to help with “tying up a loose end.” He actually pulls a gun on his old prison pal. Then EZ gives Jay-Jay a choice: die by EZ’s gun, or die by his own hand, and if Jay-Jay does the job himself his family will get the money. EZ refuses to have Jay-Jay around blackmailing him. But Jay-Jay turns his gun on EZ, so the latter pulls the trigger and kills him.
Members from Yuma, Stockton, and Oakland are meeting. They’re convinced the Reyes brothers murdered Canche. Manny doesn’t believe Angel and EZ would do that. The rest of them want to take action. Their secret meeting is violently interrupted by a bunch of Sons with weapons. Probably no coincidence Jess heard everything earlier and made a call.

Tig and Alvarez meet about what happened to Montez. Tig explains “some chick” found Montez’s cut on Mayan property. Alvarez liked Montez and he wonders if one of his guys killed him. He laments the old days and “a code.” Just a nonsense way to somehow moralise himself above everything he’s done compared to other violent men. All the same, Alvarez has been actively trying to change lately. He mentions adopting a child and Tig thinks he isn’t ageing but rather becoming “a good man.” But both of them acknowledge the next time they see each other it may not be as pleasant as this meeting has been.
We see that Kody a.k.a Katie wants to help Creeper. Or, that’s what she says. Creeper’s not just a bit heartbroken about their relationship, he’s concerned what the club would do if they found anything out. Katie tells him they’ve got him. One of the stories Creeper told her about getting shot led her back to the crime, which resulted in a bunch of people dying. Apparently the ATF has a ton of stuff on the Santo Padre charter. Then Katie tells Creeper there’s “already a rat” inside Santo Padre. Is that a reference to what EZ was involved with, or is there someone currently informing? Everything’s a blow to Creeper. Perhaps nothing so hard as hearing he was the “softest target” in the MC to try flipping. Ouch.

At the clubhouse, Alvarez and EZ talk about the meeting the President had with his pal Tig. The Prez thinks EZ is too bloodthirsty. The VP believes they have to make the deal with Soledad. He also thinks it’s somewhat hypocritical for Marcus to act like the whole Mayans MC wasn’t created to be muscle for the cartel in the beginning. He’s sure that refusing the deal will “kill the club.” But Marcus thinks it’ll keep everyone alive. So then EZ goes to talk with Bishop about getting Alvarez out as President. “We need you,” he tells Bishop.
Adelita is the one sent to see El Banquero. She cuts his throat, delivering a message from Soledad: “Say hello to mommy and daddy.” A quick, quiet death for the brother, as the sister takes over the family business. Soledad is more than ready to begin “the future.” Elsewhere, Emily’s looking to the future, dying her hair. Though she definitely doesn’t know her sister’s been shot to death, or where her son’s been taken. Until she gets a call from Miguel, who has their boy. He wants to “be a family again.” Emily wants to know what happened to Erin, but she can probably already figure it out. All Miguel tells her to do is come home. Emily cannot escape him.

EZ’s taking Sofia for a ride when some Sons start taking shots at them. They’re luckily helped out by a transport truck’s carriage coming off on the other side of the road, squashing the car with the Sons in it. EZ then pulls over, and, while Sofia pukes, he shoots the Sons still alive in the car. Elsewhere there’s plenty of violence occurring, as Isaac, wearing a Sons cut, pours “daddy‘s gasoline” all over Manny. Then Manny’s set aflame. Putting the puzzle together, Isaac is Isaac Packer, the psychotic brother of Les. We heard Tig talk to Alvarez about him earlier. I suppose Meth Mountain was like a detour for Isaac before coming back into the fold.

At the shop, Felipe’s talking to Marisol when Miguel turns up. They have lots of death in common. The conversation turns to the “brutally murdered” women in both of their lives, though Felipe doesn’t have much to say. Miguel believes that Felipe is responsible for Dita’s death and that he somehow turned Emily against him. And Felipe takes responsibility: “Son, I did it, and I‘m sorry.” We know the truth. Miguel also knows there were bike tracks at the site of his mother’s death. He wants Felipe to know that he’s going to kill EZ and Angel. Felipe pleads for his sons to live. “We are your family,” he tells Miguel.
The near hit on EZ wasn’t sanctioned, according to Charming. Things are tense because not everybody wants to sit back like Alvarez suggests. Gilly is angry and wants to kill more Sons. EZ tells his President he won’t “accept anything but complete surrender.” He gives Alvarez an ultimatum: agree to this, or he’ll engage the kill switch clause. He doesn’t want to “kneel under the shadow of the Sons.” So they put it to a vote. It’s unanimous for war. No matter how much the club respects Marcus, they can’t stand to let brothers die without retribution. Now, Alvarez leaves. That’s when EZ decides to take the President’s seat, asking Bishop to be his VP. Oh, shit.
EZ’s plan is to undivide all the charters and making it just Cali Mayans, not North or South; a single Mayan nation. He wants it to be “Mayans against all,” telling his charter he will lift them up to greatness. Even Bishop begins to pound the table with the others. At the trailer, Jay-Jay’s wife comes knocking and only Sofia’s there. She asks questions about where her husband might be, and Sofia gives EZ an alibi, claiming the two of them must not have met last night. Sofia is ride or die, to the extreme.

Angel and EZ talk alone. Big brother says that “ever since Gaby” he doesn’t even recognise his little brother anymore. He thinks something might’ve always been wrong with EZ, just like Felipe does, too. Yet EZ frames it as doing what’s necessary for somebody else, which is how he sees himself stepping into the President role, saving the club from itself. He pretty much threatens Angel: be all in, or get the fuck out. It’s obvious that after Gaby’s death EZ has become someone far colder.
Meanwhile, Creeper is with the feds, prepared to provide info on the Mayans. Except he takes credit for the crimes Katie told him about; he takes all the credit, claiming the club had nothing to do with any of those crimes. He’s taking a massive hit, all to protect the club. Absolute loyalty.

And that warehouse with Soledad’s product?
Someone’s lighting it up. But who? Angel, maybe?
Just have to wait and see the fallout next season. EZ’s big plans are already in jeopardy, so Season 5 will no doubt begin with a bang.