Mayans M.C. boss teases what's ahead after ending season 3 with a bang
Showrunner Elgin James dishes on the elements that went into the season, including Jesus Christ and Mark Twain.
By
Rosy Cordero
May 11, 2021 at 11:45 PM EDT
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Warning: This article contains spoilers for the season 3 finale of Mayans M.C.
And just like that, season 3 of FX's
Mayans M.C. is over, leaving more questions than answers in its wake as usual. But before examining the clues dropped about what's ahead, fans should take a moment to celebrate Coco's (
Richard Cabral) survival thanks to his brother Gilly (
Vincent "Rocco" Vargas), who stormed Meth Mountain like he was the friggin' Terminator.
Reflecting on the season, showrunner
Elgin James tells EW he was inspired by Mark Twain's
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
"Every season we had themes, and
Huckleberry Finn felt right for this season," he says. "It's such an American novel and this is an American show , that's what I wanted to get across. I know we get put into a box because we have this beautiful, mostly Latinx cast and crew, but maybe America just looks a little different than people think it is in their minds."
James adds, "People say
Huckleberry Finn is about Jesus' 40 days in the desert, and that was EZ [
JD Pardo] this season. He was tempted just like Jesus, but unlike him, EZ did everything wrong. EZ was hungry, and that was the point of him and Gaby [
Sulem Calderon] consummating their relationship. It was like when Jesus was tempted in the desert by bread and water, but he said no. Things didn't work out great for Jesus either, but we have yet to see where they'll end up for EZ."
In the season 3 finale, Gaby chose herself and her future as she left behind the man she loves in Santo Padre. But her departure will take EZ "south of the light," James says. "He's got places to go and some bridges to burn now."
JD Pardo and Sulem Calderon on 'Mayans M.C.'
| CREDIT: PRASHANT GUPTA/FX
James says he wanted to tell stories embedded in Latino culture in a non-stereotypical way, which is what led him to Catholicism. Biblical references are littered across this season, specifically
with Coco (the Stations of the Cross and the Flagellation of Christ), Gaby (beach baptism),
Edward James Olmos' Felipe (Abraham sacrificing his son), and
Michael Irby's Bishop (the story of Job).
And we can't discuss Jesus without bringing up the Devil, or in this case Isaac (JR Bourne), ruler of Meth Mountain and a thorn in Coco's side. Before Gilly put a bullet into Isaac, a reaper tattoo mysteriously connecting Isaac to SAMCRO was shockingly revealed. With so much to unpack from that, could he really be dead?
"We have to wait and see what happens with him," James teases. "[Bourne] is my dude, he was in my movie
Little Birds. What he brought this season, man, people love to hate him! when we shot those Meth Mountain scenes, it was 32 degrees. So will we go back there? We may. Are we done with Isaac? Who knows?"
JR Bourne on 'Mayans M.C.'
| CREDIT: FX
Speaking of evil, Potter (
Ray McKinnon) finally returned, and apparently he'd been spending time on the beach and with his family. But the preparations for his steak dinner were rudely interrupted by Adelita (
Carla Baratta), moving into the final part of her plan: avenging her son's death.
"I lobbied to bring back Potter, who originally appeared on
Sons of Anarchy, because Ray is one of my favorite actors," James says. "Off screen, that dude is like a mentor to me. I have Ray as my secret weapon, but he's also an incredibly successful actor. We wanted to bring him in earlier for three episodes, but he had feature films to do. So we just put all his stuff into the end and we were able to expand Linares' [Efrat Dor] storyline instead. As far as whether or not Adelita killed his wife and son, you're going to have to wait to find out."
Ray McKinnon and Carla Baratta on 'Mayans M.C.'
| CREDIT: PRASHANT GUPTA/FX
One thing fans won't have to wait for is for Taza to
step into his truth and take responsibility for the awful things he did to keep his bisexuality a secret. He made a real mess of things by killing Riz (Antonio Jaramillo), but that's what forced Bishop's hand to slaughter Los Vatos Malditos last season. In the season 3 finale, Taza slid a gun over to his club president and said he was ready to pay for his sins. A shot rang out, but the episode ended without revealing who got shot.
"There definitely was a gunshot," James says cheekily. "If I remember correctly, EZ looks towards the templo when he heard the gunshot. What I can tell you is that after that beautiful scene with Irby and Raoul, Raoul and I had discussed how we could bring more of the Native American culture to the show and through his character, so we have him singing that song ["Ghost Song"]. He sang it right there in the templo and we recorded it."
Michael Irby and Raoul Max Trujillo on 'Mayans M.C.'
| CREDIT: PRASHANT GUPTA/FX
Even if Bishop wasn't on the receiving end of that bullet, there's no way he's going to be king on that day as the other Mayans M.C. chapters invade the clubhouse ready for war. But there's no reason why anyone should be discussing kings without
Marcus Alvarez (Emilio Rivera) present, although he did trade his kutte for expensive suits while accepting an offer to be Miguel Galindo's (Danny Pino) consigliere. Now that he's a free agent, could this solve the impending battle?
"That's a really sweet idea, we'll have to think about that," James says with a laugh. "There's something about being a part of something, and when you're not anymore, there's this longing. And so what's left behind all that is, 'Yeah, well, f— you. You left.' So I think it would be interesting if he does try to come home."
