Special Ops: Lioness (Recap) | I Love My Country (S2 E2)

by Josh Rosenberg for Esquire

Taylor Sheridan drove Lioness’s season 2 opener at full throttle. What was a simple kidnapping plot is now concerned with preventing a global war with China. Oh! Then a secret mission over the border resulted in a dozen dead cops. The Lioness team is in quite a predicament as we head into episode 2, even though I have a sinking feeling that the craziest development is yet to come.

Here’s what’s happened so far. A Texas congresswoman was kidnapped and taken across the border. Some random cartel from Mexico pulled off the crime, killing her husband and children as well. Joe (Zoe Saldaña) is ordered to rescue her and kill the men responsible after a meeting with Secretary of State Edwin Mullins (Morgan Freeman), CIA Deputy Director Byron Westfield (Michael Kelly), and CIA official Kaitlyn Meade (Nicole Kidman). Together they decide that the kidnapping is likely just the first domino to fall in a massively complicated series of political events that will lead to China invading Taiwan. How?! Apparently China is Mexico’s number-one trade partner in black-market crude oil. Duh!

At the end of the premiere, Joe promises the congresswoman that the U.S. government is now on the offensive. “My agency doesn’t do courtrooms,” she says. But it’s tough to guess exactly where that effort will go next. Didn’t this secret mission just fail completely? In that meeting with Morgan Freeman, Westfield told us why the kidnapping happened—so the U.S. would cross the border and cause an international kerfuffle. Was killing Mexican police in broad daylight not even worse? Joe’s team acted like their save file would just erase if they could make it across the border. Out of Mexico, out of mind, I guess. I’m sure Sheridan will write himself a cool one-liner to explain it all.

We begin this episode with Kaitlyn and Joe meeting with the U.S. Army. There’s a lot of animosity in the room. Throughout the series, the two hold utter contempt for any officer below them. Joe’s also angry because the army suggests some new candidates for the Lioness program—which is her operation. “I choose the asset, I choose the cover, I build the fucking plan, and I run it!” she yells. “Me!” So Kaitlyn gives Joe three days to find her next Lioness. “Everyone’s watching on this one,” she tells her. Everyone’s watching our secret plan? That’s not good.

Read the rest of the recap, HERE.