Mayans M.C. Season 1, Episode 8 recap: Rata/Ch’o

Mayans M.C. is a story more twisted than a box of Christmas lights. More than one rat gets exposed as the Feds put pressure on the Galindo cartel.

This episode of Mayans M.C. is all about rats. Three members of the club are rats for Los Olvidados, which makes EZ (JD Pardo) a rat twice over. Miguel (Danny Pino) may now be a rat for Los Olvidados as well.

Meanwhile, Michael “Riz” Ariza (Antonio Jaramillo) was discovered like a rat in an underground tunnel by the rest of the M.C., and they have questions for him. It turns out Felipe’s (Edward James Olmos) old pastor is also a rat. At this point who isn’t? Well get ready, because more are added to the list.

A debt gets repaid

Felipe is a truly honorable man. Despite his visit from Adelita (Carla Baratta), and the realization his friend Rodrigo the Priest betrayed Felipe’s old partner Pedro Espina, Felipe pays his debt to Rodrigo. After hearing Adelita’s story of seeing the family massacre, Rodrigo’s jaw hits the floor.

The question of debts comes up, and Felipe basically makes it clear he’s making payment the second life he received from Rodrigo. Adelita’s coming for his head, and Felipe’s debt is repaid.

Mayans M.C. melodrama

Michael “Riz” Ariza (Antonio Jaramillo) gets grilled about his tunnel at Templo. He wasn’t muling. He was just helping Vicki’s (Elpidia Carrillo) girls see their families across the border. Bishop (Michael Irby) and the others aren’t having it.

Erosion of trust is the issue at hand. Ultimately the vote is unanimous to revoke the secretary patch from Riz, and 10% of Vicki’s (Elpidia Carrillo) brothel earnings will go to the club. Who will be the next secretary? Hey, EZ’s probably good with math.

Aftermath from the decision puts Riz face to face with the M.C.’s original three rats. Coco (Richard Cabral) and Gilly (Vincent Vargas) were mad about Angel’s (Clayton Cardenas) rash decision, but Riz has anger that needs immediate attention. There’s definitely a small chink in the Mayans M.C.‘s armor.

Speaking of issues, Coco’s insanity knows no bounds. After cleaning up his water-logged mother a bit, he shows a small amount of remorse. Nonetheless, when Leticia (Emily Tosta) tells EZ she lied about getting hit by Celia (Ada Luz Pla), it leads to an interesting conversation between Coco and EZ.

To be quite honest, Coco is kind of calm about murdering his mother, even telling EZ to relax. In fact, he doesn’t regret his actions. He views it as freeing his mother from being a whore.

Pressure from the Feds

Before we get into Lincoln Potter (Ray McKinnon) and the pressure he’s applying to Miguel and Emily (Sarah Bolger), there has to be a small word about Ray McKinnon’s portrayal of Potter. It’s waaaay over the top like he’s doing a bad impersonation of Willem Dafoe’s character in Boondock Saints. There’s far too much pausing, gesturing, and existential pondering.

We get it. You’re a deep thinker and eccentric. Just tone it down a skosh. William Shatner displays more subtlety.

With that said, “Rata/Ch’o” is all about federal pressure on Miguel and Emily. After she gets arrested for not reporting a kidnapping, they’re both stuck in interrogation rooms. Lawyers are requested, but not provided.

Apparently, Potter has special authority. Back and forth between separate rooms he goes, no real incriminating evidence in hand, just the threat of keeping Cristobal away from his parents. That and the indefinite delay other agencies might bring.

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A long, drawn-out tale of his previous RICO case on the SOA, his subsequent seven-year hiatus, earning the nickname “The White Aztec,” and he finally gets to the unnecessarily flamboyant point: Potter wants to make a deal with Miguel to wipe out the neo-Zapatist Los Olvidados. He calls them terrorists and doesn’t initially get support from Miguel.

A little prodding later, as well as showing Emily pictures of Cristobal laying on a dirty mattress in his own feces, and he gets both Miguel and Emily on board. In exchange, the Feds will remove EPA snags with the Santo Padre Agra-Park project, and provide manpower and weapons to exterminate Los Olvidados.

One important tidbit is that Emily got to read intel that plainly exposed EZ as the informant. As she and her husband are released, she’s hopeless. Angry. Miguel, however, has plans to play the Feds and use his few thousand forgotten soldiers against them.

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How many rats are there?

With two new unwilling rats cartel rats, and one internal M.C. rat, how does everything affect EZ, the biggest rat of all? Well, Kevin Jimenez shows up while Potter is playing the Galindo family, and Kevin is pissed. He knows EZ is on the chopping block if the government gets in bed with the cartel.

Consequently, he threatens a discussion with Wikileaks before running to EZ and Felipe. Kevin ultimately suggests EZ go on the run, but that could possibly suggest Angel knew about EZ’s deal. Instead of running he goes to the club.

Marcus Alvarez (Emilio Rivera) and crew show up before EZ, and call a meeting at the Templo. Marcus heard from Devante (Tony Plana) that Galindo is in peril, and Emily told them some troubling info. Of course, this is all meant to lead viewers astray, especially when Tranq gets in EZ’s face. Of course, it’s just to give the prospect grunt work; he has to fix El Padrino’s motorcycle.

EZ has bigger problems

Aside from living a double life and having flashbacks about the guy who killed his mother, EZ has bigger problems. He and Angel take Celia’s body to the desert, but in the process of loading her in the trunk, a rat freaks Angel out, causing them to break the taillight.

Naturally, a cop pulls them over and finds the body in the trunk. Imagine that, a rat could be the undoing of the M.C. Will the Feds now have both brothers on the payroll?

Wait! There’s one more rat. Rodrigo is scared, and he’s going to deliver Adelita to Nestor (Gino Vento)!

Mayans M.C. airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on FX.