Lioness Season 2 Episode 6 recap: Joe’s life is on the line

Not everyone in Team Lioness will pull through after Episode 5’s explosion, meaning Joe might die in Lioness Season 2 Episode 6.

Yes, it’s as dramatic as it sounds. To bring you up to speed – Episode 1 sets up an overarching storyline of Los Tigres, a Mexican drug cartel that the team needs to take down. Episode 2 saw new recruit Josephina, who’s related to its leader, being brought on board.

As for Episode 3, Episode 4, and Episode 5… things have been a bit more chaotic. We’ve uncovered a secret child smuggling ring, lots of family trauma, and absolutely zero drugs.

As the team reached the border to rescue the children, there was an explosion. But could Joe actually die as a result in Lioness Season 2 Episode 6? Warning: spoilers ahead!

A mass cover-up starts in Lioness Season 2 Episode 6

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If you remember the end of Episode 5, Joe and her mini-team of Lionesses tried to intercept the child smugglers at the border. One of them blew everything up, leaving Joe in a daze at the beginning of Episode 6. Bobby asks her what the line is, with Joe explaining that they use official FBI credentials to explain how they got the intel.

In her mind, they couldn’t say what was happening at the risk of jeopardizing “undercover agents.” The team is bereft, with Joe explaining they should ask if the children would have survived had they not tried to rescue them.

Back at Pablo’s house, Josephina is struggling with her own task. She and Cruz share stories from their childhoods, realizing their fathers will always be “the person in their fondest memories.” Cruz tries to bring her back to the point – Pablo is really half the man Josephina thinks he is.

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Mexican intel and emergency services arrive at the border to see to the injuries. As expected, they lay into Joe for being in the area, but she bites back, explaining if they “did their jobs,” they wouldn’t have to be there. As the special agent who gave her the intel remains shellshocked, Joe spots women’s undergarments hanging in a nearby tree.

The next morning, Pablo grills Josephina about what she’s doing. He thinks Cruz is her girlfriend, but knows for certain she is trouble. Then the moment we have been waiting for – she reveals the CIA knows everything. He gets confrontational with her when Josephina is too vague, physically manhandling her. As she explains the situation, Josephina says they know Alvaro for “exactly who he is.” Pablo slaps her, prompting the team to move in.

Pablo shares his history with the CIA, claiming they brought back the drugs to the country, not the cartel. He blames them for not caring about drugs at all, explaining they have wrecked Josephina’s career for nothing. When she tries to reason with him, Pablo slaps her again as Cruz quickly has him on the ground. The rest of the team gets there to interrogate him, not happy when Josephina begins to answer identifying questions for him.

Joe is on death’s door

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The housekeeper is also wrestled to the ground – she’s wearing a wire. When they finally get hold of Joe, they explain the cover has been compromised. Who’s the housekeeper’s contact? The same agent who gave Joe the warehouse intel. On the plane, Joe gets a serious abdomen injury, calling Kaitlyn to tell her she’s been shot with no exit wound. She thinks it’s caught her liver, explaining she needs medics met on the ground. As a result, Kaitlyn diverts her flight while her vitals are taken. 

Things take a turn when the pilot intervenes to stabilize her. Joe calls Neal, cryptically communicating that she thinks she’s about to die. When she stops speaking, Neal is left at a loss.

Back on the ground, Kyle and Bobby discuss a potential mole in the operation. Obviously, the first port of call is our new special agent. They essentially ‘kidnap’ him on the way back to base, threatening him with physical punishment. 

ER arrives on Joe’s plane, where her vitals have been lost. We cut to Kaitlyn, explaining to other CIA officials that she’s had to be resuscitated in surgery. She also explains the mole situation, suggesting security and information were deliberately held back from the Lionesses. They watch the rescue on the news, and all hell breaks loose. 

There’s two points of view here. Have the Lionesses engaged in America’s official warfare in Iraq, or have they been given a mission with all weaponry, intel, and soldiers out of their hands? Edwin mediates to the point of them having two choices: act, or shut the operation down. After back and forth, it’s now a black op… and officially, the CIA won’t authorize it.

Pablo might be more dangerous than he looks

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At Bliss, the Lionesses enjoy the classic team-bonding exercise of torturing their hostage agent. They accuse him of treason while explaining they have assets on every project he’s working on. Kyle also justifies his punishment under US law, threatening to kill him. Kaitlyn arrives, explaining they know everything there is to know about his family. His get-out-of-jail-free card is to surrender every remaining contact and undiscovered intel he has. 

It’s revealed Pablo does no business at the house, with the housekeeper unable to get any intel over the last six years. There also doesn’t seem to be any legitimate evidence against him – his money is “so clean, he could write a book.” The team tells Kaitlyn they’ve lost contact with Joe, who explains she’s on death’s door. The special agent is sent for polygraphing, with Kaitlyn telling Kyle to “dump him in the river” if he’s of no use. 

Pablo’s wife arrives home to find the rest of the team. They “take her to him,” though it’s revealed their base across the road has been raided. Any members left there have been killed. Cruz, Josephina, Pablo, and the housekeeper are elsewhere, and tensions are rising.

Lioness Season 2 is streaming on Paramount Plus on a weekly basis. Check out who Taylor Sheridan plays, whether Team Lioness is real, and what happened in the latest episode.

You can also catch up with more TV shows streaming this month.