The Mayans M.C. universe continues to expand with the introduction of new factions and unexpected plot twists in Búho/Muwan.
Directed by Guy Ferland (Sons of Anarchy, The Walking Dead), Búho/Muwan closely follows the blueprint established by Norberto Barba in the previous two episodes. Ferland enters episode three of Mayans M.C. with extensive knowledge of the universe created by Kurt Sutter, maintaining the familiar look and feel expected of the motorcycle drama series.
Here is our full recap of Búho/Muwan.
Adelita has moved the rebel camp
Episode 3 opens as an owl overlooks the Los Olvidados campsite. The orphan children play and even receive tutoring. Baby Cristobal is there safe and sound. Pablo helps Adelita take inventory of their food stock and supplies are running dangerously low.
In the distance, Nestor and his grunts use intel to close in on the location of their old campsite. As the Galindo’s prepare to enter the camp, Nestor advises his men to kill the kids too. Thankfully, when Nestor arrives, the site is abandoned.
Coco, Angel, and EZ pull up to the new site where Adelita and her orphans were prepared for a shootout. EZ quickly steps in to hold baby Cristobal as Angel and Adelita discuss a buyer by the name of Jimmy Yen out of Las Vegas.
After burning 3 out of 12 keys in episode two, Adelita reveals she has 6 keys instead of 9 as Angel originally thought. If Adelita wasn’t being open enough with her Mayans M.C. partners, it seems now she has other plans for those last 3 keys.
The Mayans are making a run to Las Vegas soon, and Angel will line up the deal. Adelita reiterates that they are running out of time and places to hide.
Adelita takes Cristobal back from EZ as he tells her he needs his mother, and he thought her cause was about creating fewer orphans. Even though Cristobal is the enemy’s son, she has not neglected to take care of him.
Business as usual
The Mayans visit Miguel in his pew room within the Dress Warehouse. Alvarez explains that his associates from the CDCR (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation) are concerned a new supplier will move in on the heroin trade due to the Galindo’s situation with the rebels.
Miguel assures Alvarez his associates will have their product and to relay the message at their meeting at the San Buho Casino in Las Vegas. Devante also tasks the Mayans with taking care of a situation with the Chinese on the cartel’s behalf.
Nestor reveals to Miguel that he was too late getting to the camp, even referring to Miguel as Mikey. When Miguel hears of the newest rebel video, he sets Nestor on a quest to fill the pew. Alvarez inquires about Galindo’s son, knowing the longer Cristobal is gone, the more problems will occur for the Mayans.
The rebel video pushes Emily
At the Galindo house, Emily is watching the new video which shows the bodies being removed from the square and ends with Cristobal’s pacifier carefully placed on a rebel poster. Emily shatters her phone in anger.
Distressed, Emily is sitting alone as Dita encourages Miguel to talk to her. Miguel remarks she knows he lied to her and anything he says now will not be believed. Miguel leaves as Emily joins Dita in the kitchen. Emily expresses that she has to go to the square that was shown in the video to at least try to find her son. After some slight resistance, Dita agrees to take Emily.
Miguel exploits Adelita’s weakness
In Mexico, Nestor and his men raid a house of young boys loading them into the back of a van, hauling them off to Miguel’s pew.
Miguel cuts the boy’s palm, wipes his blood on his face, and explains that they work for him now. Miguel is putting spies on the streets in the form of youngsters in order to infiltrate the rebels.
Adelita and Emily cross paths at the market
In the market, Adelita and her rebels walk through the square prepared to gather supplies. When Emily and Dita arrive at the square, Emily questions her knowledge of the retaliation. Dita explains that it was Miguel’s choice, and she sent Miguel to school in America to move away from that side of the life.
Emily searches the square for any sign of her son, even losing herself for a moment when she sees a local woman with her baby. As Dita and Emily leave, they pass by Adelita who is carrying new baby clothes for Cristobal.
As Adelita is preparing to leave with the camp supplies Mouse attempts to convince her to take in a little boy she met in the market. Feeling the guilt of the innocents that perished at the hands of Miguel, Adelita agrees to bring him to the camp.
Later in the episode, at Adelita’s new campsite, the little boy she took in is there with her. As he puts down a biscuit, a scar on hit the palm of his hand reveals that he is one of Miguel spies.
Angel confronts EZ
Gilly meets up with Coco, Angel, and EZ in the underground tunnels heading back to the US side. We learn that Creeper is still recovering in the doctor’s office back in Mexico. Angel and EZ hang back for a few moments, as the two brother’s clear the air on EZ’s emotions getting in the way of Angel’s mission. Angel forgets the impact that Emily’s son is having on EZ and the memory of that lost love. The brothers push feelings aside to reach an understanding.
The shooting was accidental
As EZ leaves the tunnel, we see the first of two flashbacks of the same event. In the flashback eight years earlier, EZ is chasing a hooded man as sirens are heard in the background. As they both engage in a brief shootout, EZ hears a voice behind him, and he reacts too quickly, shooting the cop behind him.
Change of plans
Gilly, Coco, Angel, and EZ return to the clubhouse as Riz explains the run got moved up early. Bishop wants to have a sit-down with their prison contacts and the Chinese to let them know the cartel will deliver their product. Angel whispers to Cocoa to buy him a few minutes. Angel makes a private call to Jimmy Yen to schedule the meet.
The Casino
The Santo Padre charter hit to road Las Vegas as a screeching owl flies overhead. We also see an owl in the form of the casino name and logo. With a few hours to spare before the meeting, the club splits up to enjoy the casino.
Angel confirms a deal with Jimmy Yen outside the casino for the 6 keys at 30 grand each. Both men agree to keep the deal outside of their respected groups.
Inside, Coco is using EZ’s memory to count cards to help him win money. EZ is less than thrilled to be used to line Coco’s pockets. Angel catches on and quickly relieves EZ of counting duty, clearly annoyed with Coco as well.
EZ takes a seat at the bar where he has a confrontation with a local cop about his kutte. As EZ walks away, the cop calls him a p***y gangster as the rest of the club looks on. Hank slowly shakes his head, warning EZ to avoid the confrontation as the meeting has yet to occur, and now is not the time for trouble.
Before the sit-down with the Chinese and the CDCR, Gilly explains Gabe and Lenny control everything coming and going from 26 prisons. Giving us enough information to know that the prison drug trade is an important part of the Mayans operations.
In a private room, the Santo Padre charter sits down with Gabe and Lenny and the Chinese boss, Michael Chen. The Chinese are worried not about the amount of product but about the product arriving. Bishop assures that their shipment will arrive on time and even bump the prison guards rate up by two percent.
Once Gabe and Lenny leave, Chen requests the single malt. The Mayans share a drink, and Chen raises a glass to give a toast. Bishop pulls a gun from the crate of liquor and shoots Jimmy in the head, destroying Angel’s deal with Adelita.
Hank and Taza explain to the other members who were unaware that Jimmy was going against the family by not cutting them into his own side deals. Since Jimmy didn’t give the family a cut and the Chinese can’t kill one of their own, they called Galindo to have them handle it. Gilly asks why they didn’t tell them, and Taza explains it wasn’t a done deal until Chen mentioned the scotch as confirmation, and Miguel handed the hit to the club.
As the Mayans are about to leave the casino, Hank informs EZ that he has unfinished business as they look over at the cop at the slot machine. Bishop explains that since they’re on the tribal grounds, the fact that he is a cop doesn’t matter.
EZ teaches the cop a lesson with a punch to face, and EZ attempts to push the memory of that night eight years ago from his mind.
Felipe handles the DEA
At Felipe’s butcher shop, Kevin meets with Felipe, sneaking him a phone number inside a newspaper for EZ. What is unusual for television, is the phone number did not feature the typical (555) area code.
Rather, the number is real, and when called, an eerie voicemail box features the voice of Gemma Teller at the Teller-Morrow garage. An interesting Easter egg that is not canon to the plot, but a fun treat for those paying attention.
Give the number a call! (310) 369- 4951
After Kevin leaves, Felipe notices a cable company van parked across the street watching him, and later, a second car casing him out as well. At the Reyes house, Felipe is taking out the trash, and he notices the car parked car on the side of the street. Felipe retrieves a gun from his workshop and confronts Santiago Martin Himmler, chasing him off by pointing a gun at him.
It is revealed that Kevin sent agent Himmler down to keep an eye on the Reyes family. Kevin is concerned with the Galindo’s activities and suspects he is preparing for war. Felipe remarks that by following them, they could get EZ killed, even making a point that they can handle themselves.
Someone in the M.C.?
At the Santo Padre clubhouse, Bishop sits down with Alvarez, who explains that their help with the rebels and taking out Jimmy cleared their debt from the hijacking.
Bishop and Alvarez mention that they never found out the details of how the Samoans knew about the transport. Galindo is too distracted to press the issue, but Alvarez still suspects someone in the MC is to blame. This investigation will surely continue in future episodes, hinting that more information will be withheld from club members as they work to find the rat.
Full Reyes house
EZ then returns home as Felipe is watching a Vietnam War documentary. Felipe hides the gun as EZ retrieves a Stanford University bag from a cabinet, stashing the money from Coco’s winnings inside with many other stacks of cash.
Felipe tears up the phone number that Kevin gave him before he shares a beer with his son, hardly exchanging words on the roller coaster of events surrounding the day. Angel returns home for some banter with his father and brother, and the episode ends with Felipe tucking in his sleeping sons.
Mayans M.C. Murciélago/Zotz airs Tuesday, September 25th on FX.