Mayans M.C. Season 2 Episode 2 Recap: “Xaman-Ek”

Mayans M.C. Season 2 Episode 2
JD Pardo as EZ Reyes and Clayton Cardenas as Angel Reyes in ‘Mayans M.C.’ season 2 episode 2 (Photo by Prashant Gupta/FX)

FX’s Mayans M.C. season two episode one ended with EZ shocking his brother, Angel, by revealing he knows who killed their mother. Season two episode two picks right up with Angel (Clayton Cardenas) and EZ (JD Pardo) actually engaging in a civil conversation. Angel’s stunned his brother’s been working out the details of their mother’s murder for months without telling him, but EZ reminds him he’s refused to interact with him for months. Angel’s barely glanced at his brother and definitely wasn’t up for a heart-to-heart about their deceased mother.

EZ confirms he hasn’t told their dad about his discovery. He also confesses he knows it’s his fault their relationship splintered and admits he’s not the “golden boy” and never will be. “I stayed because I was afraid to leave. You and Pop, it’s the only thing in my life I know is real,” says EZ.

In a brutally honest confession, EZ says he remained in the Mayans M.C. because he needs to be a part of something.

Angel seems to understand and accept his brother’s apology for damaging their relationship. But, he’s confused as to why EZ felt he needed to do months-worth of research on Happy. EZ’s obsession with learning all about Happy includes obtaining his arrest records and making out a detailed timeline of Happy’s activities, and Angel’s not sure what’s going on in his brother’s head.

EZ doesn’t have any way of proving what he witnessed so he can’t go to the cops. It’s not like the cops are going to hear about his amazing memory and suddenly decide to arrest Happy. He also realizes that given the Mayans’ relationship with SAMCRO, he can’t ask Bishop for help. Angel warns his brother not to do anything that will land him back in jail, all while realizing EZ won’t let it go. Angel decides to stand firm with his little bro, promising him he won’t let it go, either.

Bishop (Michael Irby) and the club seem pleased when EZ and Angel arrive together at the whorehouse where Adelita’s holed up, waiting to deliver. EZ acknowledges they’re working things out without going into detail and then lies that he has to head to Stockton to clean up some parole paperwork. He wants to take Angel with him, but Bishop thinks he needs more backup as they’ll be traveling through a lot of other clubs’ territories.

EZ wants to do the 8-hour ride with just his brother so they can spend quality time together, and Bishop changes his mind and agrees. (Anything to get the warring Reyes brothers to end their beef for good.) He tells EZ to make sure his first stop in Stockton is the Mayans clubhouse.

Before they take off, Angel spends some alone time with Adelita (Carla Baratta), rubbing her belly as they joke about whether the baby is a boy or a girl. He tells the unborn baby he loves him before confessing he really wants to be able to let his family in on the news he’s about to be a dad. (So, he/she is Angel’s!) She reminds him he’s no longer close to his family, although he’s never explained what tore them apart. He fights back by saying most of her life is a closed book; she never reveals anything about her past despite the fact they’re together.

Adelita tempers Angel’s disappointment by assuring him he can tell everyone after she is born, and they’re safe.

Meanwhile, Miguel (Danny Pino) and his mother, Dita (Ada Maris), drop Emily (Sarah Bolger) off at the Santo Padre City Center for meetings on the building project. She’s anxious to break ground and Miguel’s in supportive hubby mode, assuring her they will soon. As he’s leaving, she wishes him luck. She hopes his mother’s doctor can convince her to see a psychiatrist.

Before her meeting, Emily runs into an old friend and learns there are six other bids on the project. Plus, it’s possible there could be even more before the deadline. She had no idea anyone else was bidding on the job and she’s furious when she confronts Mayor Antonia Pena (Alexandra Barreto).

Emily demands to know why they weren’t warned there would be competition, and Antonia confesses others found out about the EPA rules that were changed for Miguel. There was no way to keep it hush-hush. Antonia explains the city has been hurting for two months and hasn’t received any aid, although the border wall has received millions. “Half a mile away we can’t even keep the lights on,” says Mayor Pena.

The bidding process is out of her hands, citing the city comptroller and others she’s forced to answer to. Emily, rage barely kept under control, snarls out a reminder it’s only because of Miguel that this project exists. Emily warns the mayor she should only be answering to Miguel. (I’m not sure which Galindo is the one you shouldn’t tangle with at this point.)

The club’s problems with the mercs aren’t over as the men carry out the threat to hunt down Adelita and Mini. And speaking of Mini, she’s upset Adelita has gone across the border to the Mayans’ whorehouse to prepare for delivering her first child. Because she’s just a kid and doesn’t consider how her actions affect the club, Mini strikes out on her own to be with Adelita.

The mercs show photos of Mini and Adelita to store owners but are coming up empty. Bishop and the club also flash Mini’s photo around after they discover she’s disappeared with no luck. As they regroup to figure out where to search next, Bishop spots the mercs in the crowd at the mercantile. They move farther away, deciding the best option is to avoid contact.

Both the mercs and the Mayans give up the hunt for Mini at the same time. Fortunately, Mini saw the mercs and also saw Pablo’s truck, so she hid out in the back of it where the Mayans find her as they’re leaving the marketplace.

The mercs meet up with their leader and although they didn’t find Mini, they did learn the club’s searching for her. They also figured out the club isn’t searching for Adelita, which most likely means they know where she’s hiding.

The merc leader orders his men to include the Mayans on their watch list. He wants to know where they go and who they meet.

EZ stops in at Felipe’s butcher shop and Felipe (Edward James Olmos) is surprised to see Angel pull up outside. Angel doesn’t come inside, so Felipe heads outside to exchange (super) brief pleasantries with his oldest child. He wishes them safe travels as they head off to Stockton.

Once on the road, two members of a rival club check them out but don’t impede their progress up the California coast. EZ and Angel pull over for a pit stop and EZ shows Angel info on a house Happy owns outside of Charming with easy access to a freeway. However, it seems the brothers haven’t actually decided on a plan of action. EZ’s written up everything about Happy’s life in recent months without deciding what he’ll do when he confronts him.

Angel asks his brother if he trusts him and EZ, without hesitating, says he does. Their conversation’s interrupted by the return of the two club members who wonder why the Mayans didn’t call first to give them a heads-up they were passing through their territory. It’s okay for them to cruise down the highway, but now they’ve stopped at a store and that’s a major no-no.

The club’s name is Swole Boys and Angel, of course, insults them by calling them the Slow Boys. They take offense, and EZ follows up his brother’s insult with one of his own. The guys make as if to take on EZ and Angel, but Angel pulls out his gun and delivers a stinging (and meta) verbal blow.

“You poser f*cking douchebags. What? Did you guys watch some bullsh*t TV show and think a vest and two wheels makes you a club?” asks Angel. (We see what you did there, Mayans M.C. writers. Well done.)

Angel and EZ continue to taunt the wannabes, making fun of their clubhouse in their mom’s basement filled with guys from their gym. Angel calls them an embarrassment to legitimate clubs and sends them on their merry way.

Back on the road, Angel suggests they stop at an arcade featured on a billboard. He wants to make the ride – and this bonding experience – last. Plus, they have all day.

Angel and EZ play Skeeball and reminisce about growing up with Felipe. They move from Skeeball, which Angel won, to miniature golf, which Angel also wins. As Angel’s celebrating, a woman nearby sporting a Swole Boys tattoo makes a call.

Angel and EZ finish up their games, grab popsicles, and are about to head to their bikes when “a lot of white guys on steroids” ride up. Angel tells EZ the plan is to stay cool but then immediately abandons that when it’s apparent the Swole Boys want a fight.

Grabbing a couple of nearby miniature golf clubs, EZ and Pardo easily make their way to their bikes. EZ grabs Angel’s gun and passes it to his brother. Angel momentarily backs them off by shooting a nearby car, but the club’s soon in hot pursuit and quickly surrounds EZ and Angel’s bikes.

The cops join the chase and Angel reminds one of the Swole Boys of the “patches over badges” code. The Swole Boys split up, laying rubber to send up smoke to block the cops’ vision. The two squad cars crash into each other and EZ and Angel get away.

EZ compliments his brother on shooting at the car to bring the cops. It seems the months of not speaking are officially over.

Mayans M.C. Season 2 Episode 2
Gino Vento as Nestor and Danny Pino as Miguel Galindo in ‘Mayans M.C.’ season 2 episode 2 (Photo by Prashant Gupta/FX)

Emily calls Miguel to let him know Mayor Pena screwed them over. He immediately leaves his mom at the doctor’s office and heads off to be with Emily.

Miguel’s mother notices her son’s no longer in the waiting room. She sneaks out the backdoor, unnoticed by the men Miguel left behind.

Emily’s sure they’re going up against big firms, but Miguel believes he can still handle the situation. When she asks what that means, he doesn’t speak but Emily immediately understands he’s willing to mix the cartel business in with the building project. She doesn’t want him to cross that line, reminding him of the work he’s done to be legitimate. She also reminds him it will ruin his legacy.

After their talk, Miguel’s man reports in that his mother’s missing. They have no idea where she’s gone.

It turns out Dita’s gone to visit Felipe who she calls by his real name, Ignacio. Felipe didn’t realize she was in America and Dita explains she arrived when Emily gave birth to her grandson. Felipe and Dita head off in his truck and catch up on the 20+ years since they’ve seen each other.

Felipe warns her his boys have different names and no connection to his past. When she calls him Ignacio again, he firmly reminds her he’s Felipe now.

Meanwhile, night’s fallen and Miguel and Emily have made it home and are calling around trying to find his mom. The search ends as news arrives she’s pulling into the driveway. She tells Felipe it was nice to see him and then lies to her son that she stepped outside for air, got disoriented, and Felipe found her and volunteered to drive her home when he learned her identity.

Later, Miguel and Emily discuss his mom. Miguel can’t understand why Dita would visit Felipe, and Emily thinks it might just be because it’s familiar since they get their meat at his butcher shop.

Alone in her bedroom, Dita unfolds a photo. It’s a picture of her with her husband next to Felipe and his old partner, Adelita’s father, when they were drug inspectors with the Federales.

EZ and Angel arrive at the Mayans’ clubhouse in Stockton. Greetings are exchanged before EZ has to take care of the bikes. Just as he’s mounting his bike, cops drive up and rudely (with racist commentary) wonder why someone from Santo Padre’s so far from home.

One of the Mayans Stockton members provides EZ with backup, advising him not to “play with the animals.”

A short while later, EZ and Angel enjoy some downtime with the Stockton chapter, although as a prospect EZ’s given the job of taking out the trash. One of the members heads out to relieve himself and finds the same cops from earlier in the bushes. One cop’s on the receiving end of a blowjob, the other is recording the action on his phone.

The cops react to the club member’s intrusion by killing him. The gunshots bring the Mayans running, and EZ’s first on the scene as the undercover cop car speeds away.