Episode 3 of "Prison Cell 211" kicks off with a harrowing scene as Calancho's loyalist attacks Juan, discovering his true identity as a lawyer. The assailant lunges at Juan with intent to harm, but Juan, quick and decisive, plunges scissors into his neck, leaving him lifeless. Meanwhile, outside the prison walls, the city is engulfed in chaos as authorities and the cartel clash in a fierce battle. The governor, desperate to regain control, calls Gandara and declares her intention to deploy her own team, even if it risks compromising Baldor's extradition.
Juan, now a killer, conceals the body of his fallen attacker. Elsewhere, Calancho persists in his bid to turn Baldor, urging him to share the information on his laptop as the only means to retaliate against the cartel leaders who view them as expendable pawns. Baldor remains resistant, prompting Calancho to grant him one final hour to reconsider, threatening to chop off his fingers if he refuses.
Amidst the escalating turmoil, the governor meets with the commander of the National Guard, proposing to send them into Ciudad Juarez and Cereso 38 to quell the unrest. However, the commander rejects her proposal, insisting that she first deploy a police force before resorting to a full-scale war against the inmates and rioters.
Inside Cereso 38, Calancho notices the absence of his right-hand man and dispatches his men to search for him. Outside, Juan's wife confronts the guards, accusing them of lying about her husband's condition. Back inside, Calancho's men discover Karako's body, and the flame thrower alerts Calancho to Yuri's strange behavior. Suspecting betrayal, Calancho confronts Yuri, ready for a fight, but the confrontation is interrupted by the arrival of Karako's body on a luggage cart. Juan watches in horror as the grim reality of his new world unfolds.
To deflect suspicion from himself, Yuri cleverly implicates Juan as the murderer. Seizing the moment, Calancho stages a trial, pitting Yuri and Juan against each other in a brutal confrontation, with the stakes being their very lives or a confession. The fighters are compelled to engage in a relentless battle, with the loser destined for either confession or death. Juan gains the ascendancy, yet he refrains from delivering the fatal blow to Yuri. Seeing an opportunity when Juan's defenses momentarily drop, Yuri attempts a counterattack, only to be abruptly cut down by Calancho's bullet. Meanwhile, the North Division inmates are transfixed by the combat, oblivious to the Mostros seizing the initiative. They unleash chaos, electrocuting numerous captives in the National Division and assaulting the remainder. Amidst the fray, Juan and the imprisoned guards capitalize on the distraction to orchestrate the hostages' escape. Gandara intervenes, deploying a gas to quell the violence.
He then dispatches the colonel to assist Juan and the hostages in locating an exit. However, the colonel harbors no intention of facilitating their freedom. Instead, he coerces Juan into reversing course and uncovering Calancho's hiding place for Baldor. Juan protests, insisting that he is an outsider and the Baldor affair is not his concern. The colonel coldly reminds him that his face is the centerpiece of news reports everywhere. Consequently, unless Juan aids the cartel in locating Baldor within the hour, both he and his pregnant wife, who is causing a commotion outside amidst the reporters, will face grave peril.
