If you thought Mayans M.C. would lift your spirits after such a turbulent year, then I have bad news.

Mayans M.C. Season 3 Episode 1 and Mayans M.C. Season 3 Episode 2 were probably the most depressing episodes so far.

Then again, given the series' nature, I probably shouldn't be looking to Mayans M.C. for any semblance of light.

Things had to change after the way Mayans M.C. Season 2 concluded. But most of the characters face deeply rooted inner struggles that couldn't be wiped away, and it's difficult to watch some of them. Not because they are bad, but because these storylines are tragic.

We'll start with Coco because his arc has been filled with so much darkness. If you watch Mayans M.C. online, you know he wanted to be a mentor for Letty during Mayans M.C. Season 1, going as far as killing his mother after learning that she wanted to pimp out Letty for money.

Nowadays, he's trying to sell Letty's belongings for his next drug fix, all the while telling her that she needs to go out into the world and earn a living. It's quite the juxtaposition, but it highlights how drastically people can change when addicted to drugs.

Coco is burning every single bridge in front of him, and before long, he'll have no allies remaining, leaving him open to being taken out of the equation.

He's making terrible decisions, and he probably sealed his fate when he got cocky, trying to steal all of the drugs from Butterfly. What looked like a small operation actually had many big players, and donning his Mayans M.C. branded clothing as he did the deed will cause even more problems.

The Mayans were already struggling after the border closure. Now that they've got another group probably coming after them, it begs the question about the long-term prospects of one of the most prominent groups on all of TV.

Mayans takes big swings with its characters, and the two episodes of the Mayans M.C. Season 3 premiere were no different. The premiere successfully introduced plots and conflicts naturally.

The biggest surprise was that EZ was unaffected after murdering Dita. He was more concerned with keeping the peace and making sure his father was in a good place after everything that happened.

Mayans M.C. Season 2 Episode 10 hinted at a dark turn for EZ, but he's been trying to keep his relationship with Gaby in good standing.

They're good for each other, and I especially liked that Gaby wanted to care for Felipe when he didn't want to care for himself.

You would think that Felipe would have been happy after becoming a U.S. citizen, but it seems EZ resorting to murder has changed him forever. Whether EZ will be able to get back in his good graces, I don't know, but we got some much-needed levity from an otherwise dark narrative from the scenes with Gaby in the house.

Angel was more comical than serious when he mentioned more than one gun in the house. The same was true of EZ's reaction when he realized that he might have left Gaby in the line of fire.

Now that EZ has earned his stripes with the Mayans, all of the simmering tension between the different factions will determine who will survive the looming battle.

Adelita is changed forever. Even when she got her freedom and return to her former group, the wind had been taken out of her sails. Did doing time change her outlook on the cause?

Either that or she wants to raise her child away from the battlegrounds. Adelita's issue is that she has a lot of enemies, and leaving the compound will put her in dangerous territory.

That aside, she'll probably bump into someone who shares a common goal, but I don't think she has much skin in the game anymore.

It's typical of Miguel to pursue answers while making power plays, but did he really need to meddle in Emily's life and change it?

Since Emily is hanging by a thread, bringing her sister into the mix will further complicate matters.

Emily has already received so much blowback for the state of the town, and it doesn't seem likely she'll continue standing by Miguel much longer.

Miguel's grip on politics is starting to subside. Does he have much pull anymore other than hooking up with people in power?

It's almost like the Galindo name died with Dita.

Mayans M.C. Season 3 is shaping up to be the biggest and best season yet. EZ, Angel, and the others keep making more enemies, so it's not going to be long before more bodies begin piling up.

What did you think of Coco's sharp left turn? Are you surprised EZ came up with the plan to send 20 times more product to end this mess?

Who do you think will not make it out alive?

Hit the comments below.

Mayans M.C. Season 3 continues Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on FX.

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.