Mayans M.C. Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Murciélago/Zotz
Brandon Vieira
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Ask, and Kurt Sutter shall deliver.
On Mayans M.C. Season 1 Episode 4 everything I have been asking for since the series premiered is starting to come to fruition. There is a reason for all the major characters to exist, including the bane of my existence, Jiminez.
For the first time, Jiminez did something productive. That's right, the guy I've been calling a needless character for weeks has progressed a storyline. Who would've thought?
Now I'm not saying Jiminez has all of a sudden become my favorite character but, if he continues to progress the way he did in "Murciélago/Zotz," I might be willing to give his storyline a chance.
Speaking of progression, with the help of Jiminez, another layer of Felipe has been revealed. Before this episode, he was kind of just the Reyes brothers' dad. Now, Jiminez is threatening to reveal a secret that Felipe has kept from everyone. It turns out, Felipe Reyes isn't who he says he is.
Related: Mayans M.C. Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Buho/Muwan
This revelation has the potential to shake things up in the Reyes family. EZ and Felipe are so close, and Felipe's going to have to hurt him one way or another.
His plans to reveal to his sons that he's been lying about who he is or his decision to get EZ to go along with Jiminez's plan will impact his connection to EZ forever.
I asked for more scenes with the Reyes family, and I'm bound to get them now with this major reveal.
Felipe's secret wasn't the only reveal either. After being ignored in Mayans M.C. Season 1 Episode 3, Coco and his family history was once again a focal point in the episode.
When Coco's personal life was first explored in Mayans M.C. Season 1 Episode 2, it was way more complicated than necessary. Luckily, all confusion was put to rest after Chuckie delivered a note to Coco.
Angel: What's up?
Coco: Nothing, just some crazy chick.
Gilly: She wrote you a note? Is she pregnant or infected?
It turns out Coco is a dad. If anyone is thinking, he doesn't seem like a very paternal person, you would be correct. That's why he's been letting his daughter think he's her brother.
She's now run away after finding out Coco is her papa. Coco's eventually going to have to tell the M.C. about all this family drama and it will be interesting to see whether they support him or not.
Related: Mayans M.C. Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Escorpion/Dzec
It will also be fun to watch Coco try and be a dad. However, it isn't likely to be a major storyline in the season considering it was completely ignored in the last episode.
Whereas other storylines are moving at a much quicker pace, Coco's family history is probably going to be a slow-burning story, which may pay off in the end.
One characters story arc that did pay off was Emily's. Angel has been declared the MVP for the last few episodes but in "Murciélago/Zotz," Emily stole that title. In a show filled with male characters, it was getting aggravating to watch one of the few female characters be sidelined episode after episode.
She refused to be sidelined again and took charge. Emily formulated a plan to get her baby back and refused to listen to any man who told her she couldn't be a part of the cartel's dealings.
Devante: Well we really appreciate all this hard work but...
Emily: Don't fucking patronize me Devante. I'm not Dita.
A much more cold and calculated version of Emily was seen here, and Miguel had no choice but to respect her decision to be involved in the cartel. Unfortunately, her actions got an innocent nun killed which clearly had her shook.
Emily looks to be entering similar territory that Tara did in SOA. The only way to survive the world she's in is by becoming a more hardened and darker version of herself. However, the way she reacted after seeing the nun's dead body hints that she isn't exactly ready to go all-in with Miguel and the Galindo cartel just yet.
Whether this darker side of Emily continues to shine through in more episodes remains to be seen, but I'm excited to see her character progress and also see how EZ feels about Emily's involvement with the cartel.
Another bright spot in "Murciélago/Zotz" was the fact that the M.C. got the chance to be a solo tandem without the cartel being involved in their business.
They also dealt with an enemy that wasn't so complicated and underwhelming as the Chinese were. The white supremacist group seemed like valid threats to the M.C. I mean they had a marine who was able to beat them all up for crying out loud!
The action sequences were fun to watch, and the reason for the Mayans disdain towards this group was completely understandable. The Mayans need enemies of their own, and unlike the Chinese, the white supremacists felt like a viable threat.
Maybe you and the Peckerwood Patrol are just humble servants, trying to keep our borders safe. Or maybe you're just a bunch of fucking racist yahoos, gunning down kids with high powered rifles.
Bishop
While the brief story between these two groups seems to be over, especially since the marine ended up killing most of the white supremacists; Angel's actions are quickly catching up to him.
As if he isn't keeping enough secrets from the group, Angel enlisted EZ and Gilly into hiding more things from the rest of the M.C. Angel killed Alice's son, which Bishop instructed him not to do. It's clear that Angel's actions are starting to frustrate EZ.
Angel: Take his finger, we're going to need it.
EZ: Seriously?
Angel: You're lucky it's not a new phone. You'd be cutting off his face.
Alvarez is already suspicious of Angel and may wind up convincing EZ to turn on his brother and if Angel continues to make him an accomplice in his traitorous actions; we're bound to see an explosive confrontation between the two. And I for one can't wait!
This has been the best episode of the season so far. I've come to care about some characters and can't wait to see all of these secrets the Reyes family is keeping come to a head. If the rest of season one continues to produce episodes like "Murciélago/Zotz," Mayans M.C. fans are in for one hell of a ride.
What did you think of "Murciélago/Zotz?"
Which secret of the Reyes family do you think will cause the biggest explosion?
Are you excited to see a darker side of Emily?
Let us know in the comments below and make sure to watch Mayans M.C. online!
Brandon Viera was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He retired in May 2019..
