Bandidos Season 1 Recap & Ending Explained before Season 2 arrives on Netflix

“Bandidos” (Season 1) is a heist series about the best bandits. There is a bit of historical fiction to add to the story. Juan Morales is an archaeologist who has Alzheimer’s. His son is Miguel, who is an expert in scamming people, and also pursuing a treasure that no one has yet seen or is even aware of. He has a team of the best bandits to go on this adventure, and along the way, many more join the group to find the greatest treasure of all.

This article contains spoilers.

Bandidos (Season 1) Recap:

Episode 1: The Map

Episode 1 of “Bandidos” begins with Miguel introducing his team of best bandits. The first person is Lili, who is a ruthless, intelligent, and unscrupulous scammer. However, Lili is not her real name. The next person is an unbeatable counterfeiter and an extremely charming man called Wilson. Wilson is now retired from this business. The third person is a hacker who is capable of getting into security systems, and he is Lucas. He is a gamer with hacking abilities. The last one is Miguel, the leader who is the brains behind all the heists. He hasn’t completed schooling and now wants to obtain the world’s biggest treasure.

Wilson is Miguel’s uncle, and he drops him off to Miguel’s job at a luxurious resort hotel. Miguel changes into the staff uniform and greets Lili by the poolside. Lili is keeping an eye to see who can be her next prey to scam. Miguel shows her some people, but Lili is intelligent enough to realize the issues with each person and why she can’t loot them. Lucas greets them, and Lili is attracted to him, but Miguel reminds her that he is a minor. Lucas’s mother owns the entire hotel chain.

That night, Miguel is having a drink. Another drunk man talks about a treasure that no one has ever seen. Miguel tells the man he sounds like his father, and the man asks him if he knows where he can find Juan Morales. Miguel responds by saying he is traveling. They continue drinking, and the man introduces himself as Luis Fernandez de Montejo. They both are looking for the same treasure and it is at least 500 years old.

Hastoc, from the Mayan Empire, was the last ruler, and he was also the first to discover gold. He used to hoard gold, and there is one precious piece of gold called the Kaan Balam that is priceless. Luis Fernandez asks for Ariel and Miguel’s face stiffens hearing the name. Someone from afar is listening to their conversation. Luis Fernandez shows Miguel a piece of the map that he has tattooed on his body and recognizes the symbol and signature. The next morning, Miguel tries to look for the man, but he can’t find him in the room.

Juan Morales is Miguel’s father, who now has Alzheimer’s and is at the hospital getting treated. Miguel visits him and sees an article about Ariel in the magazine and gets annoyed. Ariel has a museum of his own where he displays rare archaeological pieces he has dug out and which he has taken from treasure looters like Miguel. Ariel was also Juan Morales’s favorite student. Juan Morales thinks of the times he would take Miguel to find the treasures when he was a child.

Meanwhile, Miguel tries to loot tourists, but a cop stops him. Wilson rescues Miguel by pretending to be a federal police. Miguel tells Wilson to join him once again for a heist. He tells him about the map and shows pictures he has captured on his phone. A girl grabs the phone and runs. Miguel chases her, and once again, Wilson rescues Miguel. The cops find Luis Fernandez’s body, and the part where the map was is cut off.

Miguel tries to convince Lili to join them, but she refuses and finally finds a prey. She loots the man, and as she is leaving, cops arrest her. Miguel and Wilson bail her out, and now she owes him one and is back in business. Turns out Miguel was the one who put her behind bars to get her on board. The lady detective finds the key to the luxurious hotel in the evidence.

They make a plan to find the entire map, which is in Ariel’s museum. Miguel narrates the plan, while in the visuals, the narrated dialogue is in action. Lili pretends to look for a book, steals the key from the staff, and puts a tracking device for Miguel to find. She changes quickly and stops the people coming to fix the air-conditioning, which Lucas disrupts. Wilson and Miguel enter the terrace by pretending to be workers who have come to fix the AC.

Miguel enters through the ventilation system. Lucas guides him to the exact location on the map. Lucas then hacks into the security system and replaces a still image with the live CCTV feed. Miguel enters the area, clicks pictures of the map, and changes and moves to join the crowd. He does not realize there is a trap, and when he moves towards the door, the alarm starts blaring.

Episode 2: The Sacred Place

The episode begins where it left off. The alarms are blaring, and Miguel panics. Lucas says it is going to take hours for him to resolve the issue. Lili and Wilson decide to enter the museum to save Miguel. Wilson is mad at Lili for choosing to come to this town rather than going anywhere else and he is also worried about her hurting Miguel. Ariel is showcasing a piece when his security pulls him away to show him that the alarm is blaring.

Ariel realizes that it is Miguel and walks towards the room. Miguel lights a joint, and the color of the lights starts changing. Lucas tells him that the oxygen level is going down because of smoke. Lili is in Ariel’s path and she is pretending to be a guest who has lost direction. After checking her credentials, he lets her go. Detective Ines and the team are guarding the museum as well. The doors open, and Miguel sneaks out. Ariel enters the room and does not find anything. He gets out wondering where Miguel is and Miguel is hanging on to the walls of the stairs. Wilson enters the museum, sees Ariel, and waits for him to leave to help Miguel.

Miguel jumps down, and they rush towards the exit, but Miguel realizes Lili is in the museum and gets out to find her. He bumps into Ariel, who asks him what he is doing inside the room, but Lili saves him by stealing his phone and kissing him. Lili is waiting outside and helps Caitlin get away as someone is looking for her for stealing. They reach Lucas’s house, and he takes away their phones for security purposes.

They piece together the map, and Wilson sneakily uses the phone. Subsequently, Lucas gets a message that they are being spied on. Miguel dunks Wilson’s phone. Lili purposely says the wrong cenote about the place where the treasure is so the ones hearing it can be misled. A man who was spying on them reaches the wrong destination and does not find anything. The group decides to take Caitlin in as the diver.

Ines finds Miguel walking in and out of Luis Fernandez’s room. The group arrives at the hotel, and the owner warns him. Lili tries to distract them, but Ines catches on and chases Miguel and Lucas. They somehow manage to escape from her. They pick up Caitlin, and Lucas is falling in love with her. On their way, cops stop them, and after checking Wilson’s license, they say it is expired. Wilson implies taking a bribe and the cops ask him to get out. Caitlin realizes that they were waiting for them as one of the cops has Miguel’s photo on his phone.

Lili and Miguel come up with a plan called Tijuana. They ask Caitlin to take the wheel. Miguel gets out and lures the cops to the trunk, and Lili and Lucas use a fire extinguisher on them. Miguel and Wilson jump in on the vehicle, and they drive away. They reach the destination, and Wilson keeps watch while the others are by the water. Lucas instructs Caitlin about the tracking devices. She dives in but loses the tank as she has to dive deeper. Lucas starts to worry and dives in to save her. She kisses him but asks him to wait as she can get the treasure on her own.

Caitlin demands 20% of what they make from the treasure, and they agree. Caitlin dives and brings back a small box. Lili breaks it, and there is a moon-shaped stone. Above, some men have kept Wilson at gunpoint. Miguel makes a deal. He asks the others to run away, and he holds on to the moonstone. The man asks for it, but Miguel swallows it. The man asks his men to capture him and kill his friends.

Episode 3: The Stone

The episode begins with Lucas and the others running away from the men inside a forest. Caitlin helps Lucas up a tree and asks him to think of this as Fortnight to calm him down. Wilson is unable to run, and a man stops them. Lili hits him with a stone, and they escape. Miguel is handcuffed and is put inside a van. Later, the group gathers and watches what is happening from afar. Wilson’s truck is taken along with the men. Lucas is unable to calm down, and after imagining himself as a character from the game, he takes a bike and follows the van.

Three men follow him and start shooting, but Lucas escapes and manages to throw a device on the van so he can track it. The rest of them find a truck on the way to get them to a safe place. Lucas is tracking the device, but one of the men destroys the device. Lucas has an idea where it is and sneaks inside, flies a drone, and communicates using the drone with Miguel. Miguel asks them not to find him and says that he will escape. If he dies, they have to ask Wilson to take care of his dad.

Miguel is about to be cut open to find the stone, but the half-burnt face man’s boss says a doctor should be brought in. Lucas escapes as he spies on others and they get to know people are helping Miguel. Subsequently, Lucas contacts Wilson, and they will come up with a plan and rescue him. Lili suggests they take Octavio’s help. Lili and Octavio have a history. At first, he is reluctant to help, but he gives in, saying he needs a million dollars to save Miguel.

The group finds Lucas and infiltrates into the location. Octavio and Lili are working together to get rid of the bodyguards. Lucas and Caitlin wait for the right moment to get in. The doctor arrives, and he is a doctor for the horses, and he apologizes to Miguel as he does not have any anesthesia. The doctor can’t find the stone yet. They hear gunshots, and the man warns Miguel that if it is his friends, then they are going to be killed. He also tells him that they have met before and tells a story of three people looking for a treasure.

Lucas and Caitlin move in and deceive the man as he assumes that they are his bodyguards. Wilson has placed the dynamites but gets distracted seeing his truck. Unfortunately, there is a bodyguard, and Lili accidentally shoots the syringe at Wilson. She manages to get the bodyguard, and Wilson finishes the job. The man approaches and is impressed with Octavio as he has single-headedly managed to take out his men and is about to shoot when the dynamites explode. The group escapes and takes shelter in Lucas’s house.

Miguel and Wilson visit Juan Morales, and his father says that three stones will help them find the jaguar, but he can’t remember where the treasure is. They walk out, and Miguel remembers details that might be in his father’s diary. As he goes inside the room, it is a mess, and a man is taking his father away. Meanwhile, outside, Ines and the other detectives circle him. Octavio and Ines know each other, and Octavio is unhappy to see her.

Episode 4: The Legend of the Three Keys

The episode begins with Miguel chasing the man who is taking his father away. He gets to the front of the building, and Ines stops him. Ines notices that he is bleeding, and they give him treatment immediately. Ines interrogates everyone, and nobody accepts or denies their charges but teases her. Octavio asks her about her son, and she gets furious. Meanwhile, Lucas tries to contact his mother, but she can’t hear him.

Miguel is awake, and he asks about the moonstone, but she asks him about Luis Fernandez. He remembers a cop told him not to reveal anything if he wanted to see his father alive. She asks him why Luis Fernandez’s skin is taken, and through the conversation, she gets to know it’s a map of the treasure. Everyone is put behind bars. Ines studies a little bit about the treasure and realizes it is real. Octavio uses Lili’s bra, Wilson’s fake leg, and a pen to try to get out of prison.

One of the detectives sets them free, and they are shocked. Ines confronts her superior and realizes someone has bailed them out and paid her superior. Ines gets another bad news that her son’s custody is with her husband and she is fuming. The goons keep an eye on the group. Most of them want to bail, but Miguel gets a call, and all of them are blackmailed. They are asked to find and bring the treasure and now they are in this together again.

The group distracts the goons, and Lucas manages to track the location of the boss goons. Lili is with Ariel and finds some clues to the treasure. Miguel finds his father’s diary and calls the goon. That man is having a nice chat with Juan Morales. Miguel talks to his father, and he learns that all three stones unlock the treasure, which will be found in their graves.

Ines’s husband does not let her take her son. She is heartbroken and comes up with an idea. Octavio reaches the location and does not find anyone there. Miguel is getting out of the old age home, and Ines stops him. She shows him the moonstone and tells him that she knows he is treasure hunting, and she needs a lot of money and wants a cut from the treasure. The man reports to Ariel, and Ariel is the one chasing the group for the treasure.

A still from Bandidos (Season 1). — A still from “Bandidos” (Season 1).

Episode 5: The Exchange

The group now are on a mission to find the other two keys. Lili, Octavio, Lucas, and Citlali are at a church. Citlali is pretending to be possessed as one of the keys is in the catacombs. Lili is with the father of the church, and she gives him money, saying it is for the impoverished and the others will exorcise the girl in the catacombs and be back. Octavio starts breaking the coffin, and they find the earth key.

Miguel and Wilson sneak into a place that has all the stolen treasure, and they find the sun key. Miguel also steals some other ornament. However, security guards nab them, and they call the cops. Ines comes to their rescue, and Wilson is mad that he and the group were not informed about Ines being a part of the mission. Miguel calls it democratic immunity, but Ines makes it clear that once the treasure is found, they will all go their way.

Miguel asks Wilson to make a replica so they don’t have to give the goons the original keys. The group is not too thrilled to have Ines on board but they comply eventually. They are all hanging around the pool, assuming the goons don’t know about them finding the keys, but they are disappointed as the exchange will take place that night. Wilson takes Citlali and Lucas to buy supplies, and Miguel gives Lili an ornament. Octavio and Ines check the area where the exchange is supposed to happen. Lucas realizes his parents have cut him off, and Citlali steals the supplies. Wilson tells them that creating such things is an art, but his parents wanted him to become a lawyer. Miguel and Lili meet Ariel, asking him for help deciphering Juan’s diary.

Ariel is thrilled as he had promised Juan that he would bring his diary, and he is in Ariel’s care. Lili stays back, and Miguel relieves Citlali and Lucas. They go to the beach and have a great time. Lucas and Citlali visit Lucas’s parents, and she steals their cards, and they draw money. They get romantic, but Lucas is done even before anything starts, and he is embarrassed. Lili sneaks around the boat and finds Juan, and Ariel finds her.

Ines and Octavio see a lot of cameras around and realize that this isn’t going to be the place of exchange. They find weapons on Octavio’s boat to be prepared. They start by hating each other, but they bond on the boat. Wilson is done with the replicas. Miguel gets a message for the new location, and they prepare. Lucas and Citlali are in hiding with weapons.

Ariel is with Miguel and Wilson to make the exchange. The security brings out Lucas and Citlali. Miguel asks about Lili, and Ariel says she left. Wilson gives the man the replicas and they immediately spot it. Ariel shows his true colors and asks them for the real keys. Wilson gives them what is asked, and Ariel is smug, saying one Mayan twin is smarter than the other. Miguel tells him that he has dopes for friends, and his security turns against them, and they leave.

Ines and Octavio save Lili and Juan. Lili is mad at Miguel for putting a tracker on her and for letting her be with him after knowing he is the one behind it all. They want to know how they can open the treasure if they don’t have the key, but Miguel gives them only two real keys, and he has the original moonstone. Juan says the Spaniards did not hide the treasure, and they realize that it is in the pyramid, and they all fly private and party. Everyone has passed out, and Octavio gets up and sees a man jumping off the plane.

Episode 6: The Traitor

The episode begins with Ariel making a deal with someone to keep the cash but to bring the treasure to the museum. On the plane Octavio wakes everyone up as the pilot has jumped off the plane. They are nearing the pyramid, and they realize there is a traitor among them. They give their phones to Lucas to check if each person’s story is real, and Lucas verifies, but there is a little truth that everyone is hiding.

Wilson’s face is hurt because the people he owes money to beat him up. Citlali goes to Lucas’s house to steal cash from him. Lili has people following her and fighting the man, and her lips get cut. Ines was home, but someone had entered and spray painted Lesbian on her wall. Miguel watches over Lili as she gets into her apartment. Octavio does not give his phone, but it is too late, and they need to jump out. Miguel and Octavio fight and Lili falls off the plane.

Miguel jumps after her with another parachute. Citlali and Lucas use another. Wilson uses the third one, and Octavio is left on the plane. They all find each other, and Lucas tells Citlali that he knew she had come to steal the cash but asks her why she did not. She kisses him instead of explaining. Wilson tells Lili that he is dying of cancer, but it needs to be hidden from Miguel.

Miguel had gone to Lili’s apartment and had saved her from the goon. Ines tells Miguel that her ex-husband psychologically abused her and has taken away her son, and hence she needs the money. They find the pyramid and the man with the half-burnt face appears and turns out Lili is the traitor. She tells Miguel that Ariel can protect her and he can’t. The goons lock the others inside the cave.

Octavio comes to their rescue and hits Miguel for not trusting him. Ines reveals that the reason Octavio declined to give his phone was to protect her honor, as they had spent a romantic time together that night. They get out, and Lili and Ariel are spending time together. They try to break the code on where the treasure is, and she drugs his tequila glass. He wakes up tied to a chair, and the gang is waiting for him.

Ines and Octavio are in the control room watching them. The man with the half-burnt face appears, and Ariel asks him to help, but he shoots his leg. He asks Miguel if he does not remember him even now. Finally, Miguel remembers as a child, he would go with his father, and one of those times, this man was hurt because of them, and that’s why he has a burnt face. He hurts Wilson as he is in the way of killing Miguel. Miguel is devastated, but the man ties everyone up. He lights a lighter and leaves. Because of the smoke, the alarm rings, and they all hold their breath. Octavio and Ines don’t realize what is happening as the video seems to be on loop.

Episode 7: The Treasure

The episode continues with all the members inside the room struggling to breathe. Citlali breaks free and tries to find a way out and Ines realizes the video is on a loop. They rush to help the others. Citlali uses a tray as a lever to help lift the door. Everyone breathes, and Wilson wakes up. They get out of the museum, and Miguel asks them to let Ariel go. Miguel insists they take Wilson to the hospital.

Wilson tells Miguel that he is dying and he does not want to die in a hospital. They decide to sail as the treasure is underwater. Lili is with Wilson, and he gives her a fake passport and a new identity. She is now Daniela. Wilson asks Lili not to hurt Miguel by leaving him. Wilson chats with Miguel and he tells him he didn’t want to worry him. He asks him to take his share of the treasure and, after he dies, to leave him in the ocean. Wilson dies, and the group has a ceremony and leaves him in the ocean.

Miguel realizes where the treasure is. Back in the day, people would use stars to navigate, and from Luis Fernandez’s skin, he sees the constellations. Ines realizes a ship is following them and Octavio and her keep an eye. Lucas asks Lili about his sexual problem, and she helps him calm down. Citlali comes in, and they get romantic. Meanwhile, Lili and Miguel talk about the future. Lili tells him that no amount of money can solve the problem she is facing. They also have a sweet romantic moment.

Ines and Octavio notice that the other ship is not on their radar, but they hear Citlali and Lucas moan, and they get turned on and have sex. The next morning, the group begins their adventure. Miguel, Citlali, and Lucas dive to find the treasure while the others wait. The group finds the treasure, and as they wonder how to open the treasure chest, Miguel reveals that they only need one key to open it, and he has the moonstone.

As they open, they find a lot of gold and the jaguar. Ines hears a noise, walks towards it, and comes across the man with a half-burnt face. He shoots Octavio, and Ines shoots one of the henchmen. Lili takes the man’s blade and stabs him. Ines shoots him as well. Ariel comes to the rescue and shoots him from the back, and he is dead. Ariel tells them that they can keep the gold, but he needs the jaguar.

As they are debating, Lili is on a speed boat with the jaguar. Miguel and Lili hold a gun to each other, and Lili is confident Miguel will not shoot. However, he does shoot, and it hits her abdomen, and she falls into the water. In the next scene, we see the jaguar being placed inside the museum, and Lucas, in a suit, gives everyone an iPad, showing them how much money each person has in their account. He tells them Wilson’s share is going to Miguel, and Lili’s share is split between everyone. They make a toast to Wilson. Miguel takes Juan to the museum, and Juan tells Miguel to stop being jealous of Ariel like a child. He then starts to tell the story of the Mayan twins, and Miguel asks him who is smarter, and Juan does not answer.

Bandidos (Season 1) Ending, Explained:

Will Miguel find the treasure?

Ines is talking to her son on a video call, and he says he has a surprise for her. She opens the door to find him and Octavio. Octavio brings her son to Ines. Citlali buys a house and brings her family in. Lucas is going to Japan, and in a year, Citlali and Lucas will meet in Paris. Lily is presumed dead by the police, and the people following her also get a confirmation after seeing the body.

Juan is put in the care of Lucas’s hotel staff. Miguel gets out and Lili is waiting in the car for him. She is not dead, but that’s the game they played to convince Ariel and the other goons that Lili is really gone. Miguel and Lili plan to stay together, and Miguel tells her that they are heading to the tear of fire as there is a great treasure there that no one has seen.

The ending of the series reveals that there is a possibility of another season with more heists. Lili and Miguel are together now, going on adventures and living their life. Throughout the series, we don’t get to know the name of the man with a half-burnt man, and in the end, he wants recognition that he found the treasure along with the group. Ariel and Miguel are compared to the Mayan twins but we don’t clearly understand Ariel’s game and whose side he is on. However, referencing the Mayan twins implies that Ariel will always be on Miguel’s side despite their love-hate relationship.

Bandidos (Season 1): Recap & Ending, Explained – Will Miguel find the treasure?