Mayans MC Season 2, Episode 3 Includes Two Heartbreaking Sons Of Anarchy Easter Eggs

When tuning into Mayans MC, it’s not rare to see nods to Sons of Anarchy, the motorcycle club series it serves as a sequel to. Whether it’s characters pulled from the original series, updates on what’s happened to SAMCRO since Sons ended, or flashbacks to a time when Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) was still alive and well, there’s plenty for SOA fans to sink their teeth into. The following contains spoilers to the latest episode of Mayans MC.

In its new installment, Mayans included two Easter eggs that surely pulled at the heartstrings of fans. Both came late in the third episode of Season 2, “Camazotz.” The episode finds members of the Mayans traveling to Stockton, a former SOA stomping ground, to help a local chapter of their club following the death of a member. It also brought EZ (JD Pardo) and Angel (Clayton Cardenas) closer to SOA member Happy (David Labrava), who killed their mother years ago.

The Easter eggs begin when EZ passes a significant place in Sons of Anarchy history; the stretch of highway where Jax’s father John Teller was killed years before the show began. A mountain wall on the side of the road is marked with a simple “JT 11/13/93.”

At the conclusion of the episode, viewers get their second nod to the series that started it all. As Happy arrives home to a barking dog, he tells the canine, “Relax, Ope.” Fans of Sons of Anarchy will surely recognize that name as a nod to Opie Winston (Ryan Hurst), the fan-favorite character that was killed during the fifth season of SOA. In many ways, Opie was the heart of the show, and his death was the final straw in Jax slipping to the dark side of outlaw biker gang life once and for all.

Knowing Opie’s memory is being kept alive by Happy is good to see. Given how this episode ends, though–with EZ and Angel holding Happy at gunpoint–it casts some serious doubts on whether the SAMCRO Sergeant at Arms will be around much longer to care for his dog. Hopefully, someone else is willing to step in and continue giving Opie the care he deserves.

Mayans MC airs Tuesdays on FX.