Summary
The fourth episode of Season 2 of Lioness effectively introduces cross-intelligence-agency politics, as Joe has some hard decisions to make.
Lioness Season 2 wants to give its audience something to think about, and Episode 4, aptly titled “Five Hundred Children,” certainly does that. Because what was that ending? You’ll rarely find Joe and her team stunned by what they see, but as they enter a warehouse full of children, it dawns on them that they are experiencing something unique and different from any other scenario they’ve been in.
Here’s my breakdown of Lioness Season 2, Episode 4.
Yeah, Josie, Maybe Suspicious, But Get On With It, Joe
Episode 4 begins at the CIA Headquarters. Joe and Kaitlyn reveal to Byron Westfield that Josie speaks Spanish despite initially telling them she did not. Despite suspicions about Josie, the conversation turns heated.
Byron suggests that Joe coerced Josie into being a Lioness. Due to the pressure and expectations to betray her family, she resisted information over fear for her family. Joe admits coercion (kind of) but still thinks Josie is a risky asset anyway.
(Remember, in Season 2, Episode 2, Joe debated with Josie about whether she loves her country – a complete guilt trip).
Byron wants their plans with the Lioness to continue and tells Joe to appoint a handler/shadow to back up Josie if she fails her mission.
Cold, just cold. The world of Lioness is daunting – and you have to wonder how close it is to the truth regarding agency matters in America.
Cross-Agency Politics Gets In The Way
After a tense discussion with Byron, Joe learns she is being tailed and asks Kyle to assist, feeling she may be in danger.
Eventually, they managed to stop the car from tailing and found Special Agent Gutierrez from the DEA behind the wheel. He wants to know why the CIA is all over the border and that he has been asked by the DOJ (Department of Justice) to tail her.
Gutierrez reminds Joe and Kyle that they are on the same team (TEAM USA, am I right?) and that it’s in everyone’s interest to be involved. He gives a chilling account of their current state of affairs: he explains that foreign agents and cartels have infiltrated states and agencies in America, and the only reason the Congresswoman (Episode 1) was kidnapped is because she refused to abide by the “rules.”
Despite Joe’s reservations about inter-agency politics, Gutierrez tells her he’ll keep following her regardless of her cooperation. Joe half-heartedly agrees to let him in on the details.
These scenes alone are an indictment of intelligence and military agencies in America. Since 9/11, it has been documented that agencies often do not share valuable information due to different priorities and policies. An objective for one agency could be different for another. It’s a wild indictment, as Gutierrez, while being political in his suggestions, highlights that they all have America’s interest at heart.
Joe Recruits A Familiar Face To Be A Handler
With Joe needing a shadow in case her suspicions of Josie are true (and that she’s incapable of fulfilling her mission, which would mean killing her family), she visits a familiar face. Yes, Cruz from Season 1.
Understandably, Cruz is not happy about Joe’s visit. She keeps on telling her she will not join her team as a shadow/handler to Josie. She tells Joe that she has made her do terrible things.
But Joe goes down the patriotic route again, reminding Cruz of the number of kills she has made since being a Lioness by participating in military tours. She also makes her aware that she knows she has been involved in suspect deals.
Regardless, Cruz declines the offer to join the team, but Joe cruelly tells her she has been reassigned anyway. She can either quit or join the team.
Cruz has no choice. She either loses purpose in her life, which she’s now accustomed to or lives what she believes to be meaningless. Joe, once again, shows cruelty to fulfill her job, which she insists is for her country.
Cruz (played by Laysla De Oliveira) returns in ‘Lioness’ Season 2, Episode 4 (Credit – Paramount+)
Joe Is Asked To Play Ball With The DEA
Special Agent Gutierrez asks for help on the border with a warehouse suspected of illegal contraband and wants to use Joe’s team.
Joe meets Byron and Kaitlyn to discuss Gutierrez. She is clearly pissed that her job is being hampered by separate intelligence agencies and politics. But Joe does not get the answer she wants; Byon tells Joe that every agency branch of government wants to be involved and that it is best to cooperate with Gutierrez. He calls it “throwing them a bone,” which will make their lives easier in carrying out their mission.
Five Hundred Children
Due to needing to play ball with other intelligence agencies, Joe and her team team up with Special Agent Gutierrez. The agent updates her team on the warehouse at the border, which is suspected to have a large amount of illegal contraband. However, he has old satellite images (from a month ago), so he’s widely mocked by the team. Joe is dismissive, so she asks her team to provide the latest satellite images.
The image shows that operations have evolved at the warehouse from a month ago. But what I found interesting is how patronizing Joe is at this moment. She must know that the DEA has fewer resources and budget than her agency, bringing governmental branches and finances into the narrative. Joe is almost expecting them to be less resourceful – she’s treating Gutierrez and his intelligence inferior, which supports the notion that agencies do not comply with each other effectively, at least in the past.
The covert team heads out in the middle of the night. It’s a well-directed nighttime mission, with enemies killed easily and zero fightback.
However, Lioness Season 2, Episode 4 ends in shock for Joe and her team. When they head inside the warehouse, they see hundreds of children. Cruz notices they have numbers on their hands.
Joe did not sign up for this mission, so she requests immediate evacuation. Cruz is dismayed that they would leave all the children behind, but Joe logically explains that they do not have the transport or command to deal with this.
With incoming police cars on the way, Joe orders Josie to use the guns on the military helicopter to shoot and kill. Joe and her team then evacuate.
As they leave the warehouse, the squad sees the children leaving the warehouse in droves. They have no idea what they have experienced and are in complete shock.
Human trafficking of children comes to mind. It’s pretty compelling to see a group of human beings who have seen and experienced the most horrific things, unable to comprehend this moment, making it another impactful ending of Lioness. When it involves children, it hits harder.
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