By: Mariah Thomas
In Baltimore inside an apparent empty warehouse, government cars are lined up while Joe (Zoe Saldaña) continues to be tortured. Mixing the same water torture from the previous episode, she is now being forced to watched a bunch of negative imagery involving politics. This is an attempt to weaken her mentally while also taking away her physical strength. Joe remains strong and doesn’t give them what they want. She compliments the technique. She invites them to try harder to break her. He tells her “once we get home, I’ll show you my job” which implies they are planning to move her out of the country. If successful, finding her would be near impossible.
Kaitlyn (Nicole Kidman) and Westfield (Michael Kelly) meet with Secretary of State Edwin Mullins (Morgan Freeman)to give an update on the state of Joe’s kidnapping. While there is concern for their colleague, there is more concern weighing on the Government secrets she knows and could be spilled if pushed to a breaking point. Kaitlyn and Westfield are now under the impression Joe was captured to be used as leverage to get back the “beacon” the Lioness team took during the Ukraine mission. Mullins wants to know what the worst case scenario could be and Kaitlyn unfolds the truth of what they’re having. Joe knows the inner workings of the Lioness program including specific targets and missions. If that information is able to be forced out of her, more operatives could be put in danger. Kaitlyn also points out an even worse possibility of Russia selling Joe to Iran. This would create an even bigger political divide and put her life in more danger. The ending of the meeting is clear. There is no other option but to find Joe before the worst case scenarios can play out.
The search for Joe picks up in intensity as the team locks in to search every possible avenue to find her. Two Cups (James Jordan) is able to track flights all throughout the region where she was taken. After some time, he is able to find a possible plane hangar where she could have been held. The rest of the team sets out and unfortunately they arrive a little too late. Just like before, they are able to uncover where she was and not where she is. They continue to search and find the room where she had been tortured as proof she was there.
Kyle (Thad Luckinbill) seems to have a deeper understanding compared to the rest of the team on what will happen if she leaves U.S soil. He lets his anger guide his decisions and kills one of the Russian captors as an intimidation tactic to scare the other into giving information. To the surprise of some, this works. He is able to get the confirmation that Joe was taken on the plane.
Through her own sources, Kaitlyn is able to track down that the plane with Joe could be headed to Cuba, Venezuela, or Mexico. There is a small possibility of the plane’s ability to be intercepted if still in American airspace. Once the plane enters international territory, the rules entirely change on what the CIA is legally able to do. Bobby (Jill Wagner) reveals to Kaitlyn about Kyle’s behavior in the warehouse and killing the Russian captor. Kaitlyn doesn’t see eye to eye with Kyle on this mindset but tells him she is going to treat the information as “hearsay”. If this behavior continues from him, he will be on his own without her help.
In the past timeline, Joe and Neal (Dave Annable) continue to argue about guns and the attack on their home. Joe wants Neal to be able to defend himself and he refuses. His mindset is that he took an oath as a physician to save lives, not to take them. While Joe understands his logic, she does not accept this response. She reminds him that two people were able to come to their home and the imaginary danger they always spoke about is real now. The fighting continues and Neal finally lets it slip that he isn’t angry but scared. He is scared for their daughters, for the sanity of their family and for Joe.
Joe heads to headquarters for a briefing with Byron, Kaitlyn, Kyle, and Amber (Dawn Olivieri). The CIA team has a new operation underway that is a response to the public reaction to the news of the capture of a Russian Agent. Though this was meant to provoke a reaction from the Russians, they still must contain the public perception too.
The operation working alongside Alyssa (Elizaveta Neretin) is now underway. The team’s job is to simply watch and track the varying reactions. Westfield and Kaitlyn arrive for a meeting with the Russians while their officials argue about America’s involvement with Ukraine. In the chaos, the Russians attempt to leave behind a listening device, but Kaitlyn finds it. Everyone is on edge and this shows that the operation is so far successful.
Joe’s part in the operation begins for the undercover portion. She watches the room and sets up her team accordingly. She has a deep understanding of the importance of every interaction happening in that room. As time passes, the team is able to identify their mark.
Josephina (Genesis Rodriguez) and Cruz (Laysla De Oliveira) lure the target near as they head to the dance floor as a semi distraction. The trap seems to be working; however, the audience knows six months from now that something will go wrong and it starts here.
Kaitlyn finally has an honest conversation with Neal as she has to mentally prepare him for the worst outcome. Though the CIA’s search for Joe remains strong, there is no guarantee of her recovery. The chance of her being recovered alive has become much slimmer. Neal has always understood the dangers of Joe’s job but let himself be blinded to the reality of the danger she faced. Though Kaitlyn remains emotionless and controlled in front of Neal, it is clear she is hurting, too.