By: Mariah Thomas
Tensions kick off high as Kaitlyn (Nicole Kidman) and her husband Errol (Martin Donovan) who are usually closed off with the other’s jobs, talk openly about Joe’s (Zoe Saldaña) kidnapping. They know they’ve moved in enough on the kidnappers to make them pivot their plan. Westfield (Michael Kelly) over the phone understands the risks Kaitlyn is willing to take to get Joe back. She point blankly tells him she is already asking for forgiveness because there will be no time to ask for permission.
Westfield updates Mullins (Morgan Freeman) and Chief of Staff Mason (Jennifer Ehle) on what conspired in Texas. The lioness team was able to locate and destroy the plane intended to take Joe out of the country. They made enough fuel to last 8k miles which helps point to location possibilities. Now, they will be looking for private airspace knowing how closely they are being watched. It is now a ticking time bomb to rescue Joe. It is possible Joe was put in harm’s way due to a mole who gave her location up.
Kyle (Thad Luckinbill) is interrogated by the FBI for a debriefing of what occurred in the jet hangar. He has zero intention of giving them the time of day with Joe’s life still on the line and being closer than ever to finding her. He bluntly tells the agents he has no time for this and his night of having “gun fights” is just beginning. Kyle and Cody J (Matt Gerald) storm off into the night.
Like predicted, Joe is being moved via a large SUV. In a split scene Cruz (Laysla De Oliveria), Bobby (Jill Wagner), Tucker (LaMonica Garrett) and Two Cups (James Jordan) sit in a helicopter listening to the police scanner. They are hoping for news on a suspicious car being reported on. Another split scene shows two officers following a car that doesn’t slow for a red light. This is indeed the car Joe is being transported in. To avoid suspicion, the kidnappers sit Joe up in the car and threaten her life if she tries to escape or signal the police. They know running causes more suspicion so they pull over.
Joe sits in anticipation as the officers walk closer to the car but one of the kidnappers shoves a gun into her side. She is fearful of this but also knows this may be her only chance to escape. As they approach Joe screams and begins to kick the men near her. The car attempts to dive off but her commotion causes a crash. A full shootout begins between the officers at the scene and men in the cars pulled over. Joe gets her hands on a gun and begins shooting the kidnappers. She is then able to escape the car and make a run for it. FBI agents finally arrive on scene and begin to chase after the men chasing Joe. The lioness team is able to land on the football field Joe is running on and go to her rescue. With Joe officially safe, there is still the fear of what is to come for the rest of the night. The kidnappers were far too advanced to let this go quietly. Joe breaks down into Bobby’s arms and Cruz goes in for a hug too. Joe silently thanks the women.
Errol and Kaitlyn work in two different sectors of government. For their marriage to work, they don’t share much and don’t expect information from each other. Errol feels moved to suspend this rule to tell Kaitlyn the State Department’s take on who took Joe. He shares that a flipped foreign agent could be the main cause. She instantly knows who could be behind this.
Two Cups cleans up Joe’s wound on her foot. He tells her they plan to immediately fly her to a hospital but she wants to go home and see her family first. He sternly tells her that her family has waited this long and will have to wait another day. They have no idea how much physical trauma she has sustained. Joe makes a joke that the “ken doll” made the trip. Two cups quickly lets her know just how much Kyle did to rescue her and how many laws he broke along the way. He also says he’s the reason they found her before breaking the tension and offering her a drink.
Knowing she can’t make a phone call, Kaitlyn directly tells Neal (Dave Annable) that Joe was rescued and in good health. She asks what he told the girls and he admits he lied to them. They’ve had no idea their mother was taken. He asks Kaitlyn for a favor; to keep Joe out of the field. He begins to go into the emotional why and she sternly says she cannot discuss that with him but she can promise a desk in Joe’s future.
By late afternoon, Joe is driven home. She solemnly watches out of the window as she pulls up to her house. However, she tells Bobby to keep driving. Neal comes outside a moment too late and receives a phone call. Joe tells him not to worry and that she’ll be home soon. It’s clear she needs more time to process what she went through without jumping back into her role as a mother and wife. After her phone call she tells Bobby to take her to the office so they can get back to work. Her intent is to uncover who is behind all of this and kill them