Aahana Swrup
In season 3 of ‘Lioness,’ the narrative continues to oscillate between the past and the present, circling Joe’s abduction that took place in broad daylight. Months before this kidnapping, the CIA was already struggling with a massive breach in security when the enemies knocked directly on the agent’s door. In the aftermath, instead of burrowing her head in the sand, Joe goes after the Russians by exploiting the Intelligence they can mine from Oleksandra, the Ukrainian double agent.
Meanwhile, as the stakes in her professional life continue to rise, so does her family life begin to stabilize under the weight of too much pressure. Alternatively, days after Joe’s abduction, the Lioness program and upper rings of the agency scramble to find a way to retrieve their agent. However, they must also prepare for the worst-case scenario, which promises to entail nothing but ruin for the state of global diplomacy. SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Russians Plan on Moving Joe Out of the States
In light of Joe’s abduction, her retrieval becomes the top priority for Meade, Byron, and the rest of the Lioness program. However, with the locator torn out of her physical person, there’s no easy way to get to her. The agent herself is being held at a makeshift lair while her captors prepare to take her to their homeland. As the CIA upper brass discusses in their meeting, this transit promises to bring countless troubles to the USA if it succeeds. Possibly, the Russians might want a simple trade between her and Yurimov, Putin’s right-hand man, whom they had previously apprehended from the Ukrainian border. However, it’s more likely that they will attempt to extract information from the CIA agent.
As per Oleksa’s debriefing, it’s already clear that the Russians have some idea of the Lioness program and its workings. With Joe, their enemies can get their hands on hard evidence to prove the USA’s connection to these operations. If this gets out and becomes public news, it will have heavy global diplomatic issues for the country while simultaneously creating domestic unrest as well. Additionally, since Joe’s operations mostly took her to the Middle East rather than Europe, it’s also possible that the Russians might hand her off to Iran. Consequently, it’s of paramount importance for the team to retrieve Joe from the hands of the enemies before they can leave the country. This gives them a window of 36 hours.
The Rescue Team Misses Joe and Her Captors By a Matter of Minutes
After enough monitoring, searching, and tracking, the Lioness, momentarily teaming up with Kyle, finds clues that lead them to a nondescript hangar, where they suspect the Russians’ presence. However, unfortunately for them, by the time they arrive at the location, their enemies have already cleared house. The most they’re able to find is a tiny blood splatter that could prove Joe was at the hangar. Yet, before leaving, Kyle employs some concerning data extraction tactics. He turns his gun on the two Russian agents, who have diplomatic immunity. Breaking all the rules, he kills one of them to get the other to talk and manages to get a flight tail number from him.
Naturally, Bobby is shaken up by this blatant breach of protocol and even attempts to bring it to Meade’s attention. Nonetheless, Kyle stands his ground, insisting that since they’re on the brink of war, there’s no harm in acting like it as well. Furthermore, he maintains that his actions will go unreported, given that the Russian agents have plenty of their own secrets to hide. Even so, Meade, who maintains her plausible deniability for the moment, in the absence of surfaced evidence, instructs him to play by the rules as long as he’s around. Still, undeniably, the information he has gathered gives them a vital, albeit minuscule, lead. On the other hand, Byron tells the Mullins to prepare for the worst-case scenario. This means looping the President in on the situation and releasing the truth about Yurimov’s capture in hopes of making a trade.
Joe and the Lionesses Were Working to Turn American Double Agents
Six months before Joe’s abduction, the agent and her family were moved to a new secure location. However, the constant threat of danger surrounding the family was starting to take its toll on the household. On the other hand, the agent continues working on her latest operation, which involves using Oleksa’s intel for their benefit. Earlier, Joe had suggested releasing the information that they had apprehended a Russian agent on US soil. At the same time, she also advocated for Oleksa to be set free and kept under intense but distant watch. In doing so, she ensures that her assets reach out to her, giving the Lioness team a clear path to them.
The Russians have been using the honeypot system to get their claws into various important Americans. This ranged from people like engineers in important companies to even senators and lawmakers involved in education. The team’s first plan of attack involves going undercover to make contact with Oleksa’s assets. As a result, Joe and her team find themselves at a lively club, where Cruz and Josephina use their magnetic charm to lure an asset into their orbit. Simultaneously, the location of a diplomatic meeting between Russian representative Maxim, Byron, and Meade allows another agent to contact another vulnerable asset.
Read More: Lioness Season 3 Episode 1 Recap: The Spider and The Fly
You must be logged in to post a comment.