'Mayans M.C.' Premiere Sends Strong Message With 'Sons of Anarchy' Easter Egg

Mayans M.C. doesn't shy away from sending a clear message to Sons of Anarchy fans from the start [...]

Mayans M.C. doesn't shy away from sending a clear message to Sons of Anarchy fans from the start of the spinoff series — SAMCRO is dead, long live the Mayans.

In the first few moments of FX's Sons of Anarchy spinoff series, which premiered Tuesday, the camera pans to a wall reading "Divided we fall" graffitied in both English and Spanish on a corrugated steel wall. As we see the road come into view, a dead crow lays in the road, being devoured by a stray dog — a clear symbol that the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original is no longer the powerful outlaw gang to watch.

And if you were wondering who the Jax Teller-esque protagonist in town is now, the motorcycle gang member who speeds down the road, plowing over the crow's dead body, should give you another major hint.

It's our first look at Ezekiel "EZ" Reyes, a prospect in the Mayans M.C. getting ready to take on his role in the club, which makes its money through the usual drug and gun trade frequented by outlaw bikers. (It's worth it to note that while Teller was already part of SAMCRO leadership at the beginning of Sons, Reyes will be coming into the outlaw world as a relative outsider following a stint in prison).

The show has a number of clear references to Sons of Anarchy throughout at least the first episode, but is making its way as an independent narrative, showrunner Kurt Sutter said at ATX Television Festival, as reported by IndieWire.

Sutter explained that he had to focus on the "transition from the mythology that myself and a lot of talented people spent seven years creating and honor that. Because we want to acknowledge where we came from, and those fans. And then balance that with having a show that's original and different and doesn't feel like a show that is the Latino version of Sons of Anarchy."

He continued, "So it's my job to creatively handle that balance and then so that the Mayans can become what its supposed to become. Sons will always be there, but it will no longer be the show that came from Sons of Anarchy, it will be its own thing."

Mayans M.C. airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on FX.

Photo credit: FX

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