“Mayans MC” recently debuted its fourth season with what might be the best episode of the series to date. The acclaimed FX drama, which follows the story of the titular SoCal motorcycle club, is one of the most brutal and emotional series on TV right now and is criminally overlooked around awards season. And in this episode of The Playlist Podcast, ‘Mayans’ star Clayton Cardenas joins the show to talk about what makes the “Sons of Anarchy” spinoff series so damn good.
Last year, around this time, ‘Mayans’ co-creator and showrunner Elgin James joined the podcast to talk about the end of Season 3, which featured one of the most suspenseful cliffhangers in recent TV history. Now, Cardenas, who plays Angel Reyes in the series, is here to discuss the aftermath of that cliffhanger and the beginning of Season 4. In the interview, the actor talks about James’ storytelling philosophy and why the show seems to be hitting harder over the recent seasons.
“[Elgin James] doesn’t want any fluff. He doesn’t want any gloss,” Cardenas explained. “He just wants to get into the realistic grittiness of this type of culture.”
Honestly, if you’ve seen the first couple of episodes of Season 4, you know “Mayans MC” is firing on all cylinders right now and doesn’t seem to be letting up one bit. The actor also talked about where Season 4 is heading, including the inevitable showdown between the Mayans and the Sons of Anarchy, which is a battle that has seemingly been building for years now.
“You should see the end of this season, oh my god!” Cardenas teased. “I think the audience has been asking for it for seasons now. I think we’re excited to finally serve that storyline justice. And I’ll say this, towards the end of the season, ‘SOA’ fans will feel fully invested by the end of the season, knowing some of their favorite characters are back around.”
Cardenas also talked about the future of “Mayans MC,” which seems to be getting better with each passing season. The actor isn’t ready to say when he thinks the show will wrap up, but he assures fans that the storytellers involved know exactly how ‘Mayans’ will end.
“I think as storytellers, specifically with ‘Mayans,’ we know where this ends… I think we know where this ending is, and we know the perfect time to end is when the audience wants more,” he said.
“Mayans MC” airs new episodes every Tuesday on FX (and the following day on Hulu). You can hear the full discussion below:
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