The search for Joe reaches a breaking point as the Lioness program faces its most terrifying possibility yet.
Lioness continues to crank up the tension in Season 3, and “Murder Hornets” may be one of the season’s most intense episodes yet. The story once again moves between Joe’s terrifying captivity in the present and the CIA’s increasingly complicated hunt for Russian infiltrators six months earlier. Zoe Saldaña remains excellent as Joe, refusing to give her captors the satisfaction of seeing her break even as the psychological and physical torture pushes her to the limit. Meanwhile, the search for her becomes increasingly desperate as Kyle and the team race against the clock, leading to a particularly cool helicopter sequence and an agonizing near-miss when Joe is moved just minutes before they arrive.
The flashback storyline also keeps the larger conspiracy moving, as Kaitlyn, Byron, and the team work to identify the Russian assets operating inside the United States. There are even a few lighter moments amid all the tension, but the episode never loses sight of just how dangerous the situation has become. What makes the present-day story especially effective, though, is seeing the consequences extend beyond the mission itself. Kaitlyn's conversation with Joe's husband, Neal, is heartbreaking as she tells him to prepare for the possibility that Joe may never come home. After everything Joe has survived, that moment makes it clear that this rescue mission may have reached its most dangerous stage yet.
With Joe being transported to an unknown destination and the Russians holding all the cards, Lioness leaves us with a terrifying question: How much longer can Joe survive before her captors finally get what they want? Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.
What did you think of this week's episode? Leave a comment.
You can stream Lioness on Paramount+, with new episodes on Sunday.
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