Lioness season three episode eight finale don land, and the show still dey mix old-school spy adventure with modern military-industrial dystopia. Taylor Sheridan dey do like John Milius since Sicario. The episode run for 70 minutes, extra 15 minutes pass normal Lioness run time. The great American ‘unraveling’ dey manifest in series of unravelings for the episode. The season still use shoddy How We Got Here nonlinear structure. But the dramatic resolve, or discordance, sound solid. The final twist na knee-slappin’ vintage-TV nonsense wey border on camp.
For NSA surveillance center, the good folks behind army of screens wey make up U.S. government cyberpunk Eye of Sauron don luck into lead on Joe‘s abductors. Kyle, Tex, and Randy suit up to track Russian-national lobbyist IRL. Kaitlyn wake Joe from fitful sleep for office lounge and fill her in on ongoing theory from Errol’s firm private data analysis. The abduction plan originate with Ukraine, who use double-agent Oleksa to set plan in motion in hopes of escalating U.S. involvement in war. Kaitlyn pawn responsibility on Joe to disprove it. Kaitlyn also tell Joe say they dey give Aleksi Yurimov back to Russia in hopes of cooling things down between nations. Joe go extract information from Yurimov on flight from Guantánamo to D.C.
For final fancy-breakfast-table showdown, Byron and Secretary Mullins win Russian ambassador Maxim Petrov over to their plan. Petrov make vague references to Trump‘s recent tyrannical squabbles with Venezuela and Greenland as evidence say U.S. don pass days of feigning moral arbitration on world stage. Offer to deliver mostly unharmed Yurimov while asking nothing in return seal deal for Petrov. Mullins get nagging feeling he never feel since week before 9/11. They miss something. Joe also suspicious of conclusions about Ukraine masterminding and Oleksa involvement in her abduction. She no dey happy to return Yurimov to Russia after paying for his capture by going to hell and back. Kaitlyn remind her say they can’t denounce her abduction without first rectifying the one they did first. Yurimov go more motivated to give Joe information if Ukraine get anything to do with operation.
Final action scene no be biggest or brashest but na most nail-biting and most consequential of season. Joe and most of Lioness crew head to Guantánamo. Kyle, Tex, and Randy track Russian energy lobbyist Dimitri Sokolov down to restaurant in D.C. Tex and Randy hang back outside while Kyle watch Sokolov’s meeting from bar. Security camera wey NSA hack dey watch over his shoulder. Tapped into camera feed via laptop on plane to Guantánamo, Joe recognize Sokolov’s contact as Renat, her lead abductor. Plan been to keep following and surveilling both Sokolov and accomplice out of restaurant. But Joe react like missile. ‘Engage,’ she order Tex and Randy. Full-blown shoot-out start for restaurant. E end in multiple civilian casualties, including security detail who open defensive fire once shooting start. Firefight also land Tex and Randy for hospital. Tex look touch-and-go for minute.
The crew go Guantánamo Bay in true sexy-stormtrooper-squad fashion, with slow-mo catwalk between rows of caged prisoners. As they arrange Yurimov transfer to their custody, another prisoner speak up. Na Belarus contract agent they pick up in Two Cups/call-girl sting operation. Upon further interrogation, this guy identify both Sokolov and Renat as key players in her abduction. He be one of many former Wagner Group operatives who scramble for mercenary work from any source after organization fall. He be one of many to whom Joe’s abduction was ‘shopped.’ He turn down offer on its face, too much risk, not enough money. But he know deal originate with Sokolov, who then broker am to Renat to carry out with other hired hands. Who put Joe’s abduction out on proverbial black-market bulletin, they still only dey act on theories. This guy present theory wey lead them away from working Ukraine one and closer to truth. Whoever hire Sokolov and Renat ‘is seeking revenge,’ he talk. ‘For what? I don’t know. You figure out the what, you know the who.’
Joe’s fateful conversation with Yurimov en route to D.C. for his handoff produce similar theories. This no be Ukraine operation. Na someone or some national entity motivated by revenge but willing to act on it at great risk. ‘Iran is only criminals,’ Yurimov suggest. ‘Their government thinks like criminals. Acts like criminals. Motivated by fear, revenge. Does Iran have reason to seek vengeance against you? Do they have reason to fear you?’ Since all these fools still dey think of operation in terms of nation-states versus nation-states, Iran seem like most likely arbiter of abduction, at least more likely than Ukraine. Too bad they don already orchestrate murder of their scapegoat, Oleksa.
Back in D.C., Joe barely get time to react to Oleksa’s demise when Kaitlyn sweep am aside and urge everyone into next steps of investigation. ‘We couldn’t take the risk,’ she admonish. ‘She had too much information. What’s done is done.’ Kaitlyn good at her job because she be shark, always moving forward, teeth bare, until crisis devoured. Collateral chum be damned. Joe always ruthless but never quite as tunnel visioned in her motivations. A mission only successful if e end with returning to warm home and family. But this mission end with unjust, unceremonious murder of sister in arms and empty home to return to. In place of her husband and daughters, Joe find for-sale sign for front yard and note on kitchen counter. Its contents no dey divulged to viewer, but Neal’s utterly defeated aura at end of previous episode already talk am. Their family life don break beyond repair, all in name of preserving illusion of ‘way of life.’ For Lioness, every order to ‘engage’ na order to engage and destroy.
As of now, no official renewal for fourth season don announce, but that no stop Sheridan & Co. from orchestrating cliffhanger ending wey both delightfully pulpy and thematically appropriate. Via show signature ass-focused male-gaze visual motif, Aaliyah emerge from luxurious bath at her penthouse in Qatar. She just receive news say her second attempt to abduct Joe fail. She go try again, she suggest; third time’s the charm and so forth. If they succeed in nabbing Joe, rest of Lioness crew go follow.
