Well, that’s one way to set up the series finale.
On Mayans M.C. Season 5 Episode 9, E.Z. Reyes was served up a nice dose of food for thought as he tried to come to terms with the pressure of being the person leading a gang.
Obviously, someone familiar to fans would show up on the road to help him out of this pickle, but my jaw hit the floor when Sons of Anarchy’s Drea de Matteo returned as Wendy Case.
After nine years, de Matteo slipped back into the role like a glove as Wendy helped E.Z. understand that the people in his life would never understand his machinations if he doesn’t let them in.
If you watch Mayans M.C. online, you know E.Z. has been straddling the fine line between good and evil, something that’s been eating away at Sofia because she’s felt a lack of connection with her boyfriend.
E.Z.’s inability to create a divide between the Mayans and his personal life has impacted his relationships and mental health, but instead of entertaining the possibility that he’s in the wrong, he’s blamed everyone else.
Adding Wendy into the mix was a stroke of genius from the creatives behind the series.
If you watch Sons of Anarchy online, you know Wendy struggled with Jax Teller’s allegiance to SAMCRO and was well aware of the pitfalls she faced being associated with him.
Always wondering whether your loved one will return home after they leave the house can’t have been easy.
Throughout Sons of Anarchy, we learned that Wendy was just as flawed as Jax, and they both tried to find ways to make their relationship work.
For that reason alone, Wendy could sympathize with E.Z. because she realized he didn’t know how to channel his feelings about situations into things that mattered.
You would think that Wendy would have been against the Mayans after everything that transpired in the original series, but a part of her knew this was a man desperately needing some soul-searching.
Wendy’s return helped E.Z. navigate this next hurdle and to return home and lift that veil between his personal and professional life to actually be there for Sofia.
The best part of hearing about Wendy’s life was that she seemed to have found peace.
We knew she struggled with drug addiction, so hearing that she’d been clean for a decade and was attending recovery meetings hinted that she’s genuinely moved on with her life.
She’s a mother to her sons, and while we don’t know whether they’ll ever join the Sons of Anarchy, she’s there for them. It’s such a juxtaposition from the Wendy we met on Sons of Anarchy Season 1 Episode 1.
This return could also hint that de Matteo would be involved in a potential Sons of Anarchy revival.
It’s long been rumored, and even Charlie Hunnam is interested, so it will probably happen at some point.
My theory: It won’t materialize until the sons are of an age to join the motorcycle gang.
Speaking of the Sons, Isaac, and his goons showing up in Felipe’s home would never end well, but I have to credit Felipe for having weapons at his disposal to give him and his grandson the best shot at survival.
Felipe would have probably been shot very quickly without killing the lights, but he went above and beyond to take Isaac and his men by surprise.
There’s no telling what happened in that house between Felipe shooting the door and Angel returning to see the body being removed.
Killing off Felipe right ahead of the series finale would be a great way to bring E.Z. and Angel together to take down Isaac, but this series has long played with expectations.
Felipe could have survived, so we’ll need to tune into Mayans M.C. Season 5 Episode 10 to get an update on that one.
E.Z.’s arc has been thrilling, but with so many people uniting to take him down, it’s hard to imagine a reality in which he survives this final battle.
Maybe Wendy’s words of wisdom will make him go on the run before things get too gnarly, but he hasn’t made the best decisions lately.
He’s let his relationship with his brother fall into an irreparable mess. He also has Katie, Kody, or whatever we’re calling her these days conspiring against him.
E.Z. is selfish, plain and simple, and that was on full display when he asked the Broken Saints about any leftover drugs while they were mourning the loss of two of their own.
Johnny Panic was undoubtedly pissed about trusting E.Z., but she knew turning a gun on E.Z. would lead to more bloodshed on her turf.
The Santo Padre charter would react with fire and fury if E.Z. were harmed, so you must choose your battles.
The sad part is that with the series finale approaching, we probably won’t learn about what happened to Johnny after her sisters turned on her.
The Broken Saints are one of my favorite groups in the franchise, and I wouldn’t mind a spinoff focused on them trying to rebuild following the events of Mayans M.C. Season 5 Episode 8.
Also returning to tie things together was Patrica, who is laser-focused on trying to take down Lincoln for all of his crimes while being paid by the U.S. government.
She’s an excellent adversary, but Lincoln is one of the slimiest characters on TV, so he’ll probably have a plan to take Patricia down before she gets to take him down.
Agreeing to Miguel’s demands for immunity came out of nowhere, but Patricia knows she has to play dirty if she wants to take these men off the street.
Asking for a list of all the money, the bodies, and every single crime he’s committed will probably be used against Miguel when he least expects it.
I don’t envision Miguel making it out of this story a free man, but I do hope we get to see him share the screen with both of his brothers as they realize they’ve had the truth hidden from them for years.
There is so much up in the air that it’s hard to imagine the series finale managing to serve all of these characters and conflicts satisfyingly.
The good news: The series finale has now been confirmed as a two-hour installment, so hopefully, this is a great conclusion.
What are your thoughts on Drea de Matteo‘s return as Wendy? Do you think it helped the story?
What’s your take on Miguel’s plan to takedown Lincoln in exchange for immunity?
Do you think Felipe died, or is the show baiting us into thinking the brothers will share the screen?
Hit the comments.
Mayans M.C. wraps its five-season run on Wednesday, May 19, at 10 p.m. on FX.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.