Lioness Season 2 Episode 7 recap: A new mission is the most dangerous yet

With Joe down and out, surely the mission has drawn to a close… right? Wrong! The dangers are grave in Lioness Season 2 Episode 7, and everything is on the line.

Let’s bring you up to speed – this season, the team has been after a Mexican drug cartel called Los Tigres, which is allegedly being controlled by Chinese intelligence. Episode 1 set this up, with Episode 2 introducing the key sub-plot of Josephina.

She’s the niece of the cartel leader, and is being used as an asset on the US side. However, as a devoted soldier, her conflict has led to some unpleasant bumps in the road, including with team leader Joe.

Through Episode 3, Episode 4, and Episode 5, we also learn there are greater ties to child smuggling rings, Iranian nuclear war plans, and the double-crossing of a Mexican special agent.

Now, with Joe fighting for her life after being shot, how can things possibly get worse in Lioness Season 2 Episode 7? Warning: spoilers ahead!

The mission has changed in Lioness Season 2 Episode 7

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Edwin arrives to see Byron to talk about the “problem” of the strike team ambush. He wants to know why suicide bombers were at the border, with Byron believing they were Iranian-Chinese counter-intelligence. He also thinks it’s a plan to destabilize the border to influence the election, and there’s alleged nuclear activity in Tehran between the two too. The “enemy is at the gate,” and there’s no leader. Edwin wants to “slam the gate shut,” even if it hurts their careers.

Meanwhile, Joe has woken up in hospital in a state of frantic shock. Neal is there with the girls, where the doctor explains a fragment of Joe’s cell phone did the damage, not a bullet. She’s not allowed to do any intense activity for the next week, which goes down like a lead balloon. Joe says it was “cruel” of her to call Neal in Episode 6, with Neal relaying how she’ll “kill him” if she dies in action. Joe’s response? Leave or divorce her if he’s not strong enough.

Joe does seem to want out, but she confirms to Neal that it all has to be done on her terms. She’s taken the oath, and she’s not walking away from her duties easily. Byron arrives to get more details of the ambush. Joe thinks the bombers were there to keep the team from an asset rather than hurting them directly. Byron puts Joe in place to “direct” the mission – a little like what Kaitlyn has been doing. Joe doesn’t take relinquishing control on the ground well, with Byron not giving her a choice. 

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Kyle and Kaitlyn arrive where the hostages are being held, including our Mexican special agent. They’re giving him a polygraph test to determine if he’s lying (think about what Kaitlyn says at the end of last episode). He claims he didn’t take a bribe, but refuses to answer if he reported the activity. Eventually, we find out he didn’t because he killed the man – Keith Roberts – who made the offer. He explains how the drug problem is essentially out of control, and much bigger than any of them. 

Kaitlyn talks to the housekeeper who was tapped, who’s being placed in protective custody. She tells Kyle to “clean up the mess” before they plan their next move. They’re working with a messy timebomb, with the team confirming they need to be removed from the site. Kaitlyn suggests a safe site in Costa Rica before heading to see our polygraph victim. She asks how they move on from this to find “common ground,” essentially agreeing they are back on the same side to finish what they started.

Joe feels Kaitlyn’s wrath

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The team takes Pablo to Costa Rica, while Cruz and Josephina arrive at Cruz’s house in North Carolina. The two go through what just happened, with Josephina worried she’ll “never be off the hook” with Pablo, regardless of how the mission plays out. The two clearly have a shared connection of physical violence in their families, which brings them closer. Just as they are about to kiss, there’s a knock at the door.

Bobby arrives with the boys, explaining there’s no accommodation prepared for their base hold. In Washington, Kaitlyn visits Joe at hospital. Kaitlyn is coming in hot – Joe’s mission wasn’t to stop children from being smuggled but to bring down the cartel, and she’s “failed in every way.” She wants a new target, and quickly. Joe is ready to defy doctors’ rest orders and get back to work immediately.

Cruz thinks the mission is being stopped because of her intervention last episode, while Josephina thinks the responsibility lies entirely on her shoulders. Joe arrives home and isn’t impressed with Neal’s conscious care for her well-being. He’s furious with her for already leaving for work, trying to explain how delicate her health is. Joe’s response? Finally telling Neal more about her job – specifically, the child smuggling ring. She uses that as her reason for not resting, heading to the CIA.

The team is heading back to Iraq

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Byron’s fuming that she’s arrived for the briefing. They’re talking about the Iranian-Chinese nuclear developments, with weapons being shipped to Tehran. There’s a US base not too far from where their site is, but Joe’s confused about the mission. There’s essentially a new one – show both countries that they aren’t the only ones with open borders.

The conclusion is that Team Lioness is going in to strike team this, with Josephina finally being used for what she is trained for (being a helicopter pilot). There’s a strict caveat – no strikes are allowed to take place in Iraq, it has to be in Iran so “they can see how far we can reach.” Joe convinces Byron and Kaitlyn to take control, where she’s told she can only “observe and advise.” If it all goes wrong, the consequences are much more dire.

Joe isn’t allowed to leave the base in Iran either. Byron explains what Edwin said in their first conversation – there’s no official CIA approval here so there’s a level of deniability should anything go wrong. Kaitlyn advises Joe to know her assets and limits and to not become a liability. Back at Cruz’s house, Cruz and Josephina are finally sharing their first kiss when their phones go off. The team only knows they’re heading back to Iraq, but they don’t know why.

Suited and booted, Joe meets the team at the plane – but they’re also meeting up with another team. When Josephina asks if she’s involved, Joe says she’s here to “save the day.” Joe calls Neal, who’s annoyed with her when he can hear the plane in the background. He hangs up in a fit of anger for not making the girls a priority. She boards the plane, making it clear she doesn’t know how long she’ll be gone for.

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.