Warning: The following article contains spoilers from Special Ops: Lioness season 1, episode 4.
Summary
- Special Ops: Lioness episode 4 delivers shocking twists, with Cruz getting into trouble and Kate's car accident revealing her pregnancy.
- Kate's accident and pregnancy impact Joe and Neil's careers in Special Ops: Lioness, leading them to prioritize their home life.
- Cruz is kidnapped but rescued by the Lioness team, proving her capability and determination for the mission despite Kaitlyn's doubts.
Just when viewers thought Special Ops: Lioness couldn't get more complicated, episode 4 delivered some of the best twists of the season so far. The Paramount+ series revolves around a (you guessed it) special ops team employed by the Central Intelligence Agency, and it's called Lioness. Lioness uses female operatives, and in this case, Cruz Manuelos, a Force Recon Marine, to infiltrate the lives of women close to high-value targets. The show began with Cruz befriending Aaliyah Amrohi, the daughter of a suspected terrorist, while Lioness's QRF (quick response force) waited in the wings.
Cruz has gotten pretty close to Aaliyah and gained her trust. Of course, a lot still has to be done regarding taking down Aaliyah's father, but Cruz is headed in the right direction. Unfortunately, while trying to fit in with Aaliyah and her crew, Cruz got into trouble in Special Ops: Lioness season 1, episode 4. But Cruz's scare was the least of Joe's problems in the fourth hour of the Paramount+ spy thriller series.
Kate's Deadly Car Accident & Pregnancy Twist Explained
While Joe was in East Hampton, Long Island, assisting Cruz during her adventure with Aaliyah in Special Ops: Lioness season 1, episode 4, her daughter, Kate, got into a car accident back home. She was in the backseat with two of her friends while her two other friends occupied the two front seats. The driver got distracted by something the passenger showed her on her cell phone, and another car ran into them on the driver's side in an intersection. They were immediately taken to the hospital, where Neil was informed of the accident mid-surgery and rushed to meet his daughter in the emergency room.
Kate was in severe pain when she got to the hospital, but it was soon evident that her injuries weren't life-threatening. She had a broken femur (the source of her extreme pain) and fractured some vertebrae, but the surgeons weren't too worried since they scheduled her surgery for the following morning. Unfortunately, some of Kate's friends weren't so lucky. Holly died, and another girl was taken into emergency surgery that night. It was a rude awakening for Kate, but the gut-wrenching surprises kept coming because her blood work informed the doctors (and Neil) that she was pregnant.
Neil delivered the news to his 14-year-old daughter, and he also let Kate know that the trauma from the car accident likely terminated the pregnancy. But if the baby was still alive somehow, the anesthesia the doctors would administer during Kate's surgery would probably end the pregnancy. There is a chance that the baby could survive all of this, but that's improbable. As Kate told her father in Special Ops: Lioness, this was too much to handle, but it was the cards they were dealt.
How Kate's Accident & Pregnancy Affects Joe's & Neil's Careers In Special Ops: Lioness
Neil informed Joe of Kate's accident before he learned she was pregnant in Special Ops: Lioness, and Joe promised to be at the hospital when their daughter was out of surgery the next day. Until then, she and the Lioness team followed Cruz to a club to provide backup if she needed it (which she would, but we'll get to that later). While there, Joe got a phone call from her husband, who notified her about Kate's pregnancy.
Not only was the pregnancy a wake-up call for Kate, it seemingly will be one for Joe and Neil too. Whether the baby survives or not, it sounded like Joe and Neil are now committed to having more of a presence in their daughters' lives. As Joe remarked, they have traded their children for their professions, which didn't sit right with Joe and Neil following Kate's accident and pregnancy. As Special Ops: Lioness continues, Joe and Neil will likely start prioritizing their home life over their careers. But with jobs as demanding as theirs, it will be interesting to see how much they are willing to sacrifice for their children.
How Joe's Team Was Caught On Surveillance Freeing A Prisoner
As fans recall, Tucker, Two Cups, and Randy aided Kyle, a CIA officer, in an unsanctioned mission in Texas in Special Ops: Lioness season 1, episode 3. They freed a prisoner, one of Kyle's contacts, during a prison transfer, but things got complicated when the cartel also tried to break the criminal free. Even though the Lioness's QRF team members and Kyle recovered the target, multiple people died, and the mission was messy. Things got even more complicated in episode 4 when Kyle met with Kaitlyn Meade and Byron Westfield, and the two high-ranking CIA officials informed him that he and his team had been caught on border patrol surveillance cameras.
Kyle explained that his contact would bring in five known al-Qaeda operatives, so he had no choice but to free him from custody. This information seemed to temper Kaitlyn and Byron's anger, but there will undoubtedly still be consequences for Joe's team members. Kaitlyn told Joe about the mess Tucker, Two Cups, and Randy had gotten themselves in, and repercussions will surely come in the following episodes of Special Ops: Lioness.
What's Next For Cruz After Being Kidnapped
Cruz let her guard down while at the club in Special Ops: Lioness season 1, episode 4, which a rapist took advantage of. He drugged her drink, and when a fight broke out on the dance floor, distracting Joe and resulting in Aaliyah's security detail pulling her from the scene, the man kidnapped Cruz. Thankfully, the Lioness team was able to track the two down before he raped Cruz. Joe made sure he could never sexually assault anyone again while the others got Cruz to safety.
Unfortunately, Cruz's kidnapping led Joe and Kaitlyn to believe she wasn't ready for this mission. Cruz adamantly disagreed and promised to learn from it, and she even gave them proof that she had Aaliyah's trust. Cruz knew Aaliyah's wedding would be in Dubai, which is critical information that the CIA needs if they want to take down her father. So, Cruz will get a second chance in Special Ops: Lioness and she won't waste it.
Why Joe Was Suspicious Of Aaliyah's Arranged Marriage In Special Ops: Lioness
At the beginning of Special Ops: Lioness season 1, episode 4, Joe and the Lioness team learned that an arranged marriage was in the works for Aaliyah. Her fiancé is Ehsan Al Rashdi, a Saudi royal, and Joe thought it was strange that his parents would want him to marry Aaliyah, a Kuwaiti national who is the daughter of a known terrorist. Tex and Tucker brushed it off, and Joe moved on from the peculiar information. However, the offhand comment will likely come into play later since it's probable that there is an ulterior motive for Aaliyah and Ehsan's arranged marriage in Special Ops: Lioness.