FX’s Mayans M.C.
3×05: “Dark, Deep-Laid Plans”
Directed by Elgin James
Written by Debra Moore Muñoz

* For a recap & review of 3×04, click here.
* For a recap & review of 3×06, click here.
Taza’s put Montez in a barrel that he’s filling with salt. Has he not told anybody about the corpse on their doorstep? Damn; not a smart move. Then again, Taza hasn’t been acting right lately anyway. But it can’t be good to just leave a body lying around on the club’s property, no matter if it’s in a salty barrel. And why? For now, Montez’s dead body remains.
When Felipe wakes up he tries to talk to Angel, but his eldest son acts like everything’s just fine, even though it’s not. Later on, Angel proposes a marriage and a life to Adelita, leaving her to think about it with a ring on the bedside table. At the clubhouse, EZ goes to Bishop about the plan not working out. He says “it‘s bullshit.” Vicki was the problem, not EZ’s plan. But EZ wants to make sure things go right from here on in, even if it means being risky going out on the road with product while he’s got a record. As for Bishop, he’s still not in a good headspace.

Galindo goes through his mother’s things, discovering a photo of Felipe and Dita years ago. He barely has a thought for his wife or his child. His mind continues to be occupied by the death of his mother. He goes to see Felipe about the photo. The old man confirms that he was in love with Dita. At the clubhouse, Gilly refuses to work with Coco, so EZ says Coco will go with him as the pre-runner. EZ and Coco talk, the latter assuring he’s “straight today” and won’t cause any issues. But the weight of Isaac’s dangerous blackmail continues to hang over Coco’s head.
Across town, Taza is visiting Laura, El Palo’s sister; they were once friends, but haven’t seen each other in years. Taza’s looking for Palo’s whereabouts, and Laura’s angry he even showed up. She insists the bond between her and Palo was broken when he murdered their brother David. She does not want to be part of her brother’s awful world again. Also, is it just me, or is there a suggestion that Taza and David were together, or at least in love? Laura says “any connection” she had with Taza “died with David.” Hmm! Very intriguing bit of character work here potentially. When Taza visits Laura again later in the episode we get a bit more confirmation that he and David had an intimate relationship.
Galindo and Felipe talk more about Dita. The old man says Dita had to “hide parts of herself” to be a part of the Galindo cartel world, to be wife to a cartel boss. There are many things Miguel doesn’t know about his past, including his mother. Felipe suggests there’s no sense dragging up all the past: “That‘s the last thing your mother would‘ve wanted.” Galindo asks if Dita felt the same way about Felipe as the old man did about her. Felipe only says that Dita was “always loyal” to her husband. Then the two men share a long overdue hug. Awkward, but an important moment. Felipe connects Miguel to a piece of the past that the latter wants to hold onto, even if only for a brief moment in time.

Ole Juan Denver waits in the desert listening to his retro Walkman, as a few guests come to see him. He’s questioned about whether the facility he’s watching belongs to Galindo. He says Galindo is “here, there, everywhere.” After that, he’s held down by a man and attacked by a woman with a machete. Not a good development for the Mayans.

Border Patrol are being distracted by kids with fireworks. Steve is on the lookout, letting his brothers know they’re good to go. On the Mexican side of the border, Gilly drives up to the wall, and on the other side are Bishop and Angel. They’ve got ramps put up agains the wall, only to find out they’re about a foot short on either side. Problem is, the wall was raised; Bishop admits “the last year Bush was in the office” was the last time they tried this kind of thing. They don’t have long now, either. Border Patrol are done with the fireworks and headed back on their patrol route.
Bishop wants to call things off. Instead, EZ has a plan: he rolls a couple tires to the wall, giving the ramp a bit more of a boost. Simultaneously, Coco attempts to sneak out a kilo of heroin. Right now, EZ’s got to put the plan into motion, gunning the truck up the ramp and over to the other side, taking off like lightning. Afterwards, the boys set the ramp on fire and head back over to the other side. While EZ drives, Coco goes back to tighten up the tarp on the product and sneaks himself a kilo for Isaac. Shit, man.
EZ drops off the product to Tucson, saving lots of Mayan lives inside prison walls. Now, the deal is done. They can only hope things go smoothly from here out. But the chances of that, as usual, are pretty slim. On the ride back, EZ and Coco chat about life. EZ talks about “living in between two worlds,” caught between the MC and Gaby, but Coco’s done listening to the troubles in someone else’s life, too caught up in his own whirlwind of bad decisions and shitty luck.
Back at the clubhouse, Bishop and Taza celebrate with a beer, joined by EZ reporting that things went well. Bishop’s happy, especially with EZ. They all look forward to having “One King” rather than Three. Bishop and Taza talk a bit more about the fallout coming, though the club’s leader is feeling pretty cocky about things currently. Taza’s a lot less confident about the future. Meanwhile, Alvarez has discovered the remains of poor Juan Denver and the damage left at the site, along with a mark left by the LNG.
And things in Tucson? Not going so hot, either.

Erin laments her sister’s change over the years. She says that Emily was always living in the shadow of EZ. Then she says that Emily only moved onto “a bigger, darker shadow” in Miguel. She doesn’t want her sister to lose who she was, but it’s clear that Emily isn’t happy, in any way. It’s also very clear how controlled Emily is by Miguel, even if she tries to fool herself into believing she’s got any kind of autonomy. It’s sad because Emily just keeps falling back into Miguel’s shadow. Erin sees right through it all.
Up on Meth Mountain, Coco delivers the kilo of heroin to Isaac with a “fuck you.” Isaac offers Coco a sense of community among all the other damaged addicts living up there. He’s obviously used to preying on people. Coco’s totally wrapped up in addiction right now, falling back into Hope’s arms and, very likely, the arms of the needle, as well.

Adelita shaves her hair off and leaves the ring behind on the bedside table. So when Angel gets home he sees nothing but an empty bed and a rejection. He clearly wants to have a nice family life with a wife and a kid, but it feels lost to him right now. Simultaneously, little brother EZ is doing what he can to patch things up between him and Gaby, taking her for a ride and giving her the gift of her very own fork to use at his place. Yet Gaby wants trust, not simply “a cute gesture.” No sweat, though: EZ has a plan, beginning with “the perfect first meal.”
They stop at a food cart that they previously went to but found it out of food. EZ grabs a couple plates, then he’s nearly shot in the head by another biker. EZ wrestles the guy to the ground and a shot goes off. He jumps back in the truck and the other biker tries for another shot, getting run down by a van. EZ flies around the corner to safety, checking Gaby for wounds, then he sees he’s the one who’s been shot in the gut.