Mayans M.C.
5×01: “I Hear the Train A-Comin”
Directed & Written
by Elgin James

* For a recap & review of the Season 4 finale, click here.
* For a recap & review of 5×02, click here.
Crazy Isaac and his fellow Sons are causing lots of mayhem. We see a couple men beating someone viciously, as a woman pleads with them to stop, and then Isaac finishes it off by taking a piss on the guy. Soon we’re elsewhere with EZ and Sofia in bed. And then with Angel taking care of his baby. Later at the clubhouse, EZ and Angel walk in to everyone wishing the former a happy birthday. But big brother didn’t remember like everybody else. The club’s grown a little since we last saw them in Season 4; a couple new faces here and there. Tranq lets EZ know they’re being waited on in the clubhouse.
At the table, the Mayans talk about business, specifically what happened to Tito, the guy Isaac and his men were beating on in the opening scene. The Sons are pushing things, and the Mayans have had to deal with it, but it’s obviously getting worse and more violent. Some of the other Mayans want to hit back at Charming, however, the worry is that Oakland and Stockton Mayans would get hit bad. There’s a divide between the various chapters of the Mayans. EZ’s trying to hold it all together. “We‘re bleeding money, bleeding men,” says Otero. They want some support from Santo Padre’s Prez. Right now, EZ and Santo Padre are looking to fuck with the Sons in their own way. On the street somewhere, the Mayans, dressed in tactical gear, attack a group of SAMDINO members. They kill several of the Sons, then tie the others, before they steal a couple vehicles and torch another.

Hope’s trying to score some drugs. She’s almost in a bad situation until Leticia busts in, kicking the shit out of the creepy dealer. She grabs whatever she can, including a bird, and they rush out of there. Hope then lets the bird free out of its cage, smiling at it while it flies away. Later when Hope and Letty get back to their house they discover an eviction notice; seems Coco wasn’t paying rent and now they’re way, way behind with only the rest of the week to figure things out. They bring what they took from the dealer to Louie, hoping to make some cash, but it’s not enough. Louie’s first thought is more porn. Letty plays hard ball, so Louie offers a “hella dangerous” plan he might be able to setup.
At the Mayans clubhouse, prospect Bottles gets stuck between a rock and a hard place, as the younger Guero attempts to teach a lesson about the older bikers not doing any work. Guero’s also the son of one of the Mayans who got killed last season in that sketchy deal. Could be some trouble there eventually.
The cartel meets with Santo Padre. EZ tells Soledad he’s been just as hurt by the warehouse hit as the cartel. That doesn’t really settle things for Soledad. She’s not happy. EZ says he’s brought “an offering” to mend fences. He opens a crate to reveal all sorts of assault rifles. Soledad calls the Mayans “lowlifes.” Miguel isn’t happy with the “Cold War” arsenal that EZ brought along, given the cartel’s got way better equipment already. He warns that the Mayans will be “left behind” if things continue this way. So who’s supplying the cartel with all the serious military weaponry? The same people involved in the heroin pipeline? Things are getting trickier, and likely far more dangerous. Meanwhile, Isaac and the Sons are regrouping after losing all their weaponry, along with several of their crew. Question is, what will they do next? No telling with Isaac as Prez.

“Only the dead have seen the end of war.”

The Mayans visit Louie to try finding out who’s moving heroin in the valley. He mentions a crew by the Salton Sea called the “Broken Saints.” He claims it’s a lot of rumours: “Just ghosts in the desert.” The Mayans get their answers, eat Louie’s lunch, then decide to take a ride out by the Salton Sea. There’s also Creeper, who’s dealing with everything from the end of last season; EZ advises Tranq to go see their brother and tell him they’ve got his back. Santo Padre hits the road, heading for the Salton Sea to check out the supposed Broken Saints. They come to a gate, so they head in further on foot, only to run into dogs and booby traps and a woman with a knife. They’re soon greeted by the Broken Saints, a group of women, and they’re greeted at gunpoint. They even get called “limp–dicked corporate shills” like the Sons. The Broken Saints don’t fuck around, clearly. They also aren’t the typical biker gang. They’re more into rescuing. They do “sling a little,” but they’re certainly not the ones pushing big heroin around California. EZ hears about the Iron War MC,  a club open to prison guards; they’re the ones involved in the pipeline.
While EZ’s trying to turn things around for the MC, his father’s beginning to give up on him. Felipe questions why Angel hasn’t given up, either. Things have certainly changed a WHOLE lot since the beginning of the entire series when EZ was trying to stay on the periphery of the club, or even get out of it altogether. Now, EZ’s the Prez of Santo Padre. At the same time, EZ has Sofia, and they seem to have grown very close. The two quietly celebrate his birthday that night, as he blows out candles on his cake. But things are also obviously weighing on EZ, so Sofia gives him some reassurance: “You got this.” They’re interrupted by a vehicle outside. EZ grabs a gun and heads out, but it’s just his older brother. Angel’s brought Adelita and their baby, introducing Uncle EZ to his nephew, Maverick. EZ picks the little boy up in his arms; a true birthday present. Nice to see the Reyes brothers happy for once, even if war is looming over them currently. Angel wants EZ to know they have something to live for: family.

We watch a young woman trying to pass something in the bathroom so she can hand it over to the white supremacist she’s visiting. She’s part of the whole Iron War process that gets drugs into the prison and into the hands of Storm 88, a white supremacist group. The guy forces the woman to push it out in the visitors room after she couldn’t manage in the bathroom. Also in the same prison is Creeper. And there’s a guard with a curious scar on his mouth; absolutely the man Sister Anne from the Broken Saints helped with his smile. So it’s probably not very safe for Creeper in there. Only moments later, Creeper gets poked full of holes, as one man tells him: “Smoky says hello.” Goddamn.