In a word? Wow.

Mayans M.C. Season 5 Episode 5 delivered thrills, satisfying developments, and some crazy cliffhangers that will shake up the series’ dynamics like never before.

Seriously. It felt like a set-up for a series finale and successfully washed away all of my gripes about the conflict and tone this season. The stakes have never been higher, and somehow, everyone managed to surprise me during “I Want Nothing But Death.”

We’ll dive in first with E.Z. because he’s our leading man and will probably bear the brunt of the blowback in the final episodes.

When you look at E.Z.’s evolution throughout the series, he’s slowly entertained the darkness. Now, with everyone looking to him as the president of the Santo Padre Charter, he’s delivering what’s expected of him and then some.

Strategically, the better play would have been to send Taza in with the hopes of him being so hurt he wouldn’t be able to pick up Creeper’s calls from prison.

But much like Isaac, E.Z. subverted expectations by throwing himself into a battle with a man who was more than twice his size.

Was it courage? Did E.Z. want to feel the pain after such a trying few months? I don’t know, but it sure as hell was gruesome.

There’s something to be said about a leader who throws themselves into the line of fire, but it’s still only a matter of time before E.Z.’s world crumbles.

J.D. Pardo delivered a chilling and nuanced performance as this man who’s having to adapt to his new normal at a breakneck pace. The E.Z. from Mayans M.C. Season 1 is long gone, and I’m starting to believe that isn’t bad.

E.Z. has never been perfect and will be a cautionary tale for someone who had it all only to throw it away in the name of a life of crime.

Now that E.Z. has been lured into a false sense of security following his win against Isaac’s goon, he’ll have a spring in his step and will probably make a big mistake.

His crimes can potentially start a civil war between the Mayans, and it’s hard to tell who would be on which side when it inevitably happens.

Creeper’s realization Katie told him the truth about E.Z. was a sobering development because he believed his undercover girlfriend was trying to turn him against his boys.

Since Creeper was sent to prison on Mayans M.C. Season 4, the storyline hasn’t delivered any semblance of satisfaction.

But there was something bittersweet about Creeper’s realization that this man he held to such a high standard was the reason for some of the worst things to happen to his friends.

E.Z., and the other Mayans, have a code that prevents them from ratting anyone out, and knowing that trust has been broken will lead to big questions about the Santo Padre Charter’s future.

E.Z. had to visit Creeper because he knew the net was closing in, but I didn’t expect him to be so cold as ice. I loved the subtext between these two as E.Z. slowly realized Creeper was in the loop about his past.

Creeper’s struggle to compute E.Z.’s betrayal echoed through this exchange. Joseph Lucero turned in some of the best work of his career here.

I desperately wanted Creeper to act coy in front of E.Z. and not to tell him he knew the truth, but when you have that much anger running through your veins, it’s hard to have any form of filter.

E.Z. grabbing Creeper to imply he tried to attack him was a stroke of genius, but it was a real gut punch because it signaled Creeper would be sent to solitary, giving E.Z. time to plan his next move.

If you watch Mayans M.C. online, you know E.Z. is tactical and plans multiple steps ahead, but the only thing E.Z. can realistically do is poison the Mayans against Creeper.

That will be a bitter pill for Taza, Bishop, and even Angel. Angel has been slowly trying to accept his brother’s new responsibilities.

But a part of Angel knows E.Z. is digging his own grave here because his charisma will only get him so far.

I thoroughly enjoyed the meeting between Angel and Miguel because, deep down, these two both understand that E.Z.’s decisions will not benefit anyone.

Miguel put his own life on the line by making the meeting, and it signals that, even though we’ve been led to believe he’s against the Reyes brothers, he doesn’t want anything bad to happen to them.

They are his half-brothers, after all.

Angel saw a different side to Miguel during that meeting, giving me the sense that they will work together.

We already know after Mayans M.C. Season 5 Episode 2 that Angel is scared about the prospect of his family being harmed.

Now that it’s a real possibility, Angel is slowly but surely turning against his brother.

My jaw was on the floor when Sofia told E.Z. all about Angel stopping by and telling her that E.Z. would get them all killed.

It makes me question whether Sofia loves E.Z. or if she’s attracted to the chaos someone like E.Z. brings into her life.

There was a distinct look between the brothers in those final scenes as E.Z. returned to the clubhouse.

Angel knew Sofia told on him, and I’m sure there will be plenty of family drama as Mayans M.C. Season 5 comes to a close.

Let’s circle back to Miguel because Dana Delaney’s Patricia is well and truly on his case.

Miguel has escaped from his crimes scot-free, so of course, someone would uncover that he’s being kept in a house that costs almost $40,000 per month to the government.

Patricia is a refreshing adversary for Miguel because she has the means to take him down.

Delaney and Danny Pino gave me chills as their characters had this verbal sparring match about Miguel’s dodgy dealings.

Of course, Miguel will now be aware that he has few options if he wants to watch his son grow up.

If the best deal he’s being offered is to get out of prison to witness his son’s wedding, it shows that he’s going away for a long time.

I keep changing my theories on how Miguel’s story will end, but I now think he’ll either tell Emily to run with their son or run away himself.

He did a lot of soul-searching on Mayans M.C. Season 4 and is seemingly making better decisions.

Let’s discuss that final scene because it reiterates that Isaac is positively deranged.

I mean, damn. I figured he would do something to Letty, but I can’t even begin to imagine how she must have felt when he appeared in the dead of night in her apartment.

Telling her she’ll get Hope back if she does something for him is interesting because it will likely be something to do with causing drama for the Mayans.

J.R. Bourne has been terrifying in the role of Isaac, but he was on another level throughout “I Want Nothing But Death.”

Mayans M.C. Season 5 Episode 5 was one of the series’ finest hours. It successfully set up the second half of the season.

What are your thoughts on E.Z.’s multiple betrayals?

Do you think he went too far?

What’s your take on Creeper?

Do you think Angel and Miguel will join forces?

Hit the comments.

Catch new episodes of Mayans M.C. on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on F.X.

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