Mayans M.C. Episode 2 Review: Escorpion/Dzec

This review of Mayans M.C. contains spoilers.

Mayans M.C. Episode 2

Episode two of Mayans starts off with a bang, taking one tiny prisoner. Keeping the action going from last week’s season premiere, the Purge inspired child soldiers of the rebel faction have an axe to grind with Miguel Galindo. Since the cartel destroyed their families and made them orphans, why not make Galindo choke on his own medicine? The rebels kidnap his son, right out of the arms of his wife, Emily (EZ’s ex-girlfriend).

Little do they know; this type of turnabout is all too familiar for the Galindo family. In an episode that could easily have been titled “the sins of the father” Sutter puts the theme of duality on the back burner and instead considers the complex and oft repetitive nature of the parent/child dynamic. Are we doomed to repeat the mistakes our parents made? How do we get trapped on this wheel, suffering the same consequences over and over again, never managing to learn our lessons the first time?

And the Galinda family, for all their cold, clinical, and outright sociopathic tendencies, have suffered. Imagine Momma Galinda as a QVC shopping, church book-club version of Gemma. Wearing pastel. A terrifying image, though not nearly as terrifying as when she calmly advises her son to show no mercy and give no ground to the kidnappers. Just like his father did, years ago when Miguel’s older brother was kidnapped by a rival cartel and ultimately killed. Sure, it hurts, but nothing is worse in this business than backing down.Right?

further reading: Mayans MC Season 2 News and Details

The callous disregard this wealthy, educated family exhibits for the people crushed by their business (up to and including their own children) astutely reflects the divisive class commentary going on today (and, to be honest, throughout history).  The startling lack of compassion shown to the “greasy peasants” who are the living infrastructure which supports their ivy tower.

And what a pleasure to watch Danny Pino and Sarah Bolger start to stretch their legs as Miguel and Emily, giving depth and complexity to their characters and authenticity to the Galindo’s marriage.

Meanwhile it’s the drug peddling Mayans who show compassion for regular folk. Whether reprimanding a seven-year-old child for impulsively brandishing a realistic toy gun (not unlike his father who impulsively flees the club and runs off the road at a construction site). Or slipping funds to a secret heroin clinic tucked away inside a dog shelter. And then there is El Coco picking up his prostitute mother from the corner she was working to discuss his underage sister (or possibly his daughter?) getting into porn.

At the butcher shop, Felipe Reyes contemplates his desire to do more to help EZ’s moral struggle, while his sons are caught between their loyalty to the club and their desire to do what is right. EZ for Emily and her child. Angel for the rebels, whose leader he used to date. The Reyes brothers try to mitigate the cartel’s bloody retaliation while protecting the rebels and trying to convince them to return the child.

Heh. And how well will that turn out? As this is Sutter, I predict a Hail Mary for the littlest Galinda, but not before bodies pile up on the floor. The only question is will it be the fathers or the sons?

Super awesome Sons of Anarchy cameo: Chuck (Michael Marisi Ornstein)! Great to see that the old CaraCara bookkeeper has managed to stay gainfully employed.

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