'Mayans M.C.' Season 4 Review: FX's Harrowing Biker Drama Has Evolved Into One Of The Best Series On TV

The elevator pitch for FX’sMayans M.C.” is simple—a spinoff of the hugely popular biker drama, “Sons of Anarchy,” the new show follows a Mexican-American motorcycle club from Southern California who dabbles in a bit of drug-running for cartels and battling the authorities. And for the first two seasons, that’s exactly what it was. The series was co-created by Kurt Sutter, the mastermind behind ‘Sons,’ and he crafted ‘Mayans’ in much the same style and tone of the original. The first two seasons are solid if you like twisty, macho soap opera drama mixed with a bit of over-the-top violence. But when Sutter left the show after Season 2, co-creator Elgin James took over and ‘Mayans’ became something completely different. The cartoonish violence and twist-focused plotting were sidelined in favor of realism, grit, and emotion. Season 3 is a radical left turn that changed every aspect of the series while retaining the characters and setting that Sutter established prior. And just-finished Season 4 took that direction a step further, not only making a “Mayans M.C.” gripping, thoughtful drama about revenge and the consequences of being an outlaw in 2022, but it became one of the best series on TV, full stop.

Season 4 of “Mayans M.C.” picks up immediately after the cliffhanger ending of Season 3. Thanks to the recklessness of E.Z. Reyes (J.D. Pardo) and the Santo Padre chapter of the Mayans, the world is against them. Their enemies are knocking at their door, literally, and there’s no escaping the consequences of a previous season filled with blood, death, and betrayal. The Mayans must pay for the damage they caused. Showrunner Elgin James, now in his second season as sole captain of the ship, is clearly more confident with his writing, direction, and most importantly, pacing. The first episode is almost told in real-time as the Santo Padre chapter has to literally fight for their lives from invaders trying to break down their walls. It feels like the closest thing TV viewers have gotten, recently, to the grit and thrills of a  battle-focused episode of “Game of Thrones.” 

LISTEN: Clayton Cardenas Talks ‘Mayans MC’ Season 4 & Teases Familiar ‘SOA’ Faces Returning For A Brutal Battle [The Playlist Podcast]

But after the break-neck pace of the first episode, which really does put the bow on the story that was told in the previous season, the rest of Season 4 releases the throttle a bit and carefully unpacks the drama that is a result of everything that has come before. Friendships are destroyed. Brotherhood is put to the test. Relationships are irreparably harmed. There are actual consequences to the years of bloodshed and violence the motorcycle club has inflicted on the world. And in those consequences, we’re shown new, deeper layers to each and every character, painting a more colorful, meaningful picture than you would ever think is possible in a show about tattooed biker guys who love to drink and party.

Almost every bit of the carefree, silliness that Sutter loved to inject into the series when things would get a bit too dark is gone now. Elgin James asks the viewer to not only witness horrors caused by the same “heroes” you were trained to root for, but his writing and direction forces you to sit in it and live it. There are truly tragic moments that will cut you to your soul. Relationships you have watched for dozens of episodes are crumbling before your eyes, and the show doesn’t breeze by during moments, offering you respite before things get too emotional. You sit there in the silence. You watch the tears, you hear the cries, and you feel the anger. 

Thankfully, ‘Mayans’ has full faith in its cast to bring these moments to life. Outside of the main cast members that you have followed for three seasons, such as Pardo, Clayton Cardenas, and Edgar James Almos, the supporting cast is really brought to the forefront in Season 4, with actors such as Joseph Lucero, Frankie Loyal Delgado, and Vincent Vargas given the opportunity to really dig into their characters’ personal lives outside of being club members. And each of those guys thoroughly crushes their scenes. However, if there is one true surprise standout of Season 4, it has to be Lucero, who was relegated to background shots for most of the first two seasons. But somehow James has crafted a story for Lucero that takes his “background” role and made it the impetus for his story arc in Season 4. The way issues such as addiction, trauma, and loyalty are discussed through Lucero’s Creeper character epitomize the changes James has made to the show. It’s handled with grace and elegance, while also making sure you don’t know what is going to happen next. Also, Manny Montana is a damn all-star with his role in Season 4. But the less said about that, the better. He’s just great.

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But again, this is a show about the repercussions of violence and living a lifestyle on the fringes of society—a society that already doesn’t necessarily feel friendly and welcoming to a bunch of People of Color, mind you. And you can’t show the consequences of violence without showing just how impactful violence really is. The early seasons of ‘Mayans’ treated gunfights like something out of a ‘90s action film. Bullets were flying, people would get shot (not fatally), and cops were nowhere to be found. Season 4 violence has real weight. When guns are shot, people die. Not just bad guys, either. And sometimes, when people get shot, they don’t get a heroic, sacrificial moment to go out on. They just fall over and bleed out. Don’t misunderstand, this isn’t a documentary, but when you understand the authenticity James is bringing to his storytelling, viewers will begin to realize that your guesses about what happens next will be wrong because we’ve been trained to watch this type of show expecting certain tropes. Season 4 of ‘Mayans’ teaches the viewer to expect the worst around each corner. Not only does it make for a more harrowing, emotional watch, but it also makes the moments of happiness and joy hit that much harder when they are presented. 

Of course, “Mayans M.C.” isn’t perfect. While Season 4 is easily the best batch of episodes the series has released thus far, it wouldn’t be fair to say it constitutes a full story. There are plenty of arcs that are given their conclusions by the end of the finale, but there are just as many stories that are clearly being set up for Season 5. And by the time the finale is wrapping up, viewers will likely be desperate for some sort of resolution. A desire for ‘Mayans’ to tell us that everything is going to be ok. A need for a storytelling hug. But that doesn’t happen. (Again, James loves his authenticity.) And in that sense, ending the season with another cliffhanger moment and a ton of unfinished business does make this more of a “middle chapter” in the epic story. 

Over the past several years, TV has become a treasure trove of complex, thought-provoking storytelling about messy characters and the worlds they inhabit. And though, on the surface, “Mayans M.C.” feels like a hyper-masculine, action-packed thriller about muscle-y biker guys (which it definitely started out as), the drama has evolved and matured in a way that people might not have expected. This is a beautifully written, well-executed, impactful drama about revenge, violence, and brotherhood. ‘Mayans’ will challenge you and push the limits of what a viewer might be able to take, but it also will reward your emotional investment. This is what the best TV series have the ability to do. And “Mayans M.C.” Season 4 proves FX’s biker drama is up there with the best of the best. [A]

All four seasons of “Mayans M.C.” are on FX on Hulu now.