Special Ops: Lioness Season 1 Recap & Ending Explained

TheSpecial Ops: Lioness season 1 ending and Cruz's first mission as a Lioness were not perfect. Before episode 8, Cruz had given in to her feelings for her target — Aaliyah — and admitted she was in love with her after they slept together. Cruz's personal feelings for the daughter of a dangerous terrorist were a bit of a speed bump that impeded her judgment while trying to carry out the plan to kill Asmar Ali Amrohi. Regardless, Joe ensured she was still up for the task because they had no choice but to continue the mission.

One of the biggest questions going into the Special Ops: Lioness season 1 ending revolved around whether Cruz could push her feelings for Aaliyah aside and take down her father. Cruz struggled with her morals throughout the season, and falling in love with a terrorist's daughter did not clear things up for the United States Marine. However, Cruz had no choice when Aaliyah's soon-to-be-husband, Ehsan, discovered her identity and dumbly confronted her alone. Cruz stabbed Ehsan and Asmar to death and narrowly escaped with the help of the Lioness's QRF team.

What Happens To Joe & Her Family After Special Ops: Lioness Season 1's Ending

Joe Broke Down At The End & Was Determined To Start Anew

While Cruz dealt with her morals and identity as a United States Marine, Joe struggled with being away from her family in Special Ops: Lioness season 1. She and her husband, Neil, had an estranged relationship, which was made clear during the premiere. They both had demanding jobs, with Joe's career constantly pulling her away from Neil and their two daughters. However, everything changed when Kate got into a severe car accident.

It was a wake-up call for Joe, and she was more determined than ever to make more of an effort to be closer to her family. That didn't seem to change following the end of Cruz's mission. Before leaving for Mallorca for the wedding, Joe promised Neil that she would take a desk job after the mission was complete. He was hesitant to believe her, but given what happened while extracting Cruz from the island, the audience was inclined to trust Joe.

When Joe returned home, she broke down in front of her husband and confided in him about how hard this last assignment was

She was defeated, and when Joe returned home, she broke down in front of her husband and confided in him about how hard this assignment was. However, despite her promise to Neil, Joe remains part of the Lionessprogram in season 2 of the show, putting her in even more dangerous situations and continuing to put a strain on their marriage.

How Cruz Completed Her Mission In Special Ops: Lioness Season 1

Cruz Killer Her Targets But It Broke Her Heart

Aaliyah sneaked into Cruz's room the night before her wedding because she wanted to experience love one last time. However, Cruz tried to convey to Aaliyah that she wasn't who she thought she was and left the room to get some water. While in the kitchen, Cruz came face-to-face with Aaliyah's father, Asmar, for the first time, and based on this one interaction alone, no one would be able to tell that he was a terrorist.

Although many men were shooting at her, she made it onto the boat safely

None of that mattered, though, because Ehsan barged in and confronted Cruz about being a Marine, so she easily killed the two men. Cruz immediately informed the Lioness QRF team that she needed an extraction, and although many men were shooting at her, she made it onto the boat safely, along with the rest of the squad.

The minute Cruz stepped onto the yacht, though, she attacked Joe. Cruz was highly emotional (and understandably so) following the ordeal, seeing as she just murdered two men who were close to the woman she loved. But what was done was done, and though Cruz returned in Lioness season 2, it doesn't appear as though she ever saw Aaliya again.

Does Cruz Continue With The Lioness Program?

Cruz Was Broken After Her Mission & Claims It Turned Her Into A Monster

Cruz Manuelos bloodied and crying in Special Ops: Lioness — Cruz Manuelos in Special Ops: Lioness season 1, episode 8.

Killing Asmar was a difficult first mission for Cruz with the Lioness program in Special Ops: Lioness and it seemed as though it might be her last. She did not like who she had become after joining the team, and the only person Cruz knew to blame was Joe. After getting a safe distance away from the island, Cruz and Joe settled their differences on the boat deck.

Cruz made it clear that she was done with Lioness, and she was done with Joe.

Cruz claimed that Joe had turned her into a monster, while Joe tried to reassure her that she had saved many lives by killing a terrorist. Whatever the case, Cruz made it clear that she was done with Lioness, and she was done with Joe. Before leaving, Cruz had to get in one last jab. She told Joe, "Maybe he is what you said. But she wasn't," referring to Asmar and Aaliyah.

Then, she claimed that even though they had eliminated one terrorist threat, they had created many more because of the promise that Aaliyah would have children one day who would hear about the night their grandfather died. Those bitter feelings are still raw in Lioness season 2, but Cruz finds herself dragged back into this world. With Joe recruiting a new Lioness, Cruz is reluctantly brought in to help train Captain Josephina "Josie" Carrillo as she knows all too well the realities of the program.

Why The U.S. Government Didn't Want Aaliyah's Father Dead

The Government Felt The Terrorists Had Value In The Oil Industry

Special Ops: Lioness season 1 had been leading up to the moment Cruz killed Asmar, but near the end, it became clear that the United States government was not on board with the plan. The Secretary of State, Edwin Mullins, played by Morgan Freeman, was unhappy with the mission and wanted Byron Westfield, the CIA Deputy Director, to call it off. However, Cruz could not be safely extracted without blowing her cover, so they had no choice but to go through with the plan.

After Cruz killed Asmar, Mullins and his staff were furious. Although Asmar was a terrorist, he also had a lot of influence in the oil business, and they feared that his death would "set Middle East relations back 40 years" and foil the government's plans to wean the country off of fossil fuels. But Asmar was on the CIA's kill list, and Byron reminded them that if they wanted the terrorist alive, they should never have put him on the list in Special Ops: Lioness season 1.

How The Special Ops: Lioness Season 1 Ending Was Received

Viewers Felt The Ending Was Rushed

The critical reaction to Special Ops: Lioness was mixed. The critical scores were mixed to positive, but still low at 56% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the audience score was much higher, at a positive 80%. However, not all viewers liked the ending, with some feeling the short length of the series forced it to rush to an end. One audience reviewer on Rotten Tomatoes wrote, "Nice short captivating series to watch over a weekend. Strong characters though unfortunately predictable. Suffers from a slow start and rushed ending."

A Reddit thread was created with some commentators also feeling the ending was rushed. Redditoroutbound_flight wrote, "The last episode was fine overall. I think I agree that it wrapped up too rapidly and neatly for what was a moment that the entire season had built up to." They also mentioned that the change for Cruz, where she started to doubt herself and change, was not given enough of a build to make it seem natural.

"The show didn't work hard enough to show Cruz was having all these changes of heart. It was fine with building out her relationship with Aaliyah, but everything else: she was acting like Lioness had forcibly put her through stuff against her will, when the whole first part of the series tried to show that Cruz was taking control of her own destiny."

However, other viewers saw Cruz's change coming, but they said they were done subtly rather than hitting the viewer over the head with it. RedditorGirlCrusesALot wrote, "I think the actor, writer, and director(s) did a good job of showing Cruz's growing confusion, uncertainty and "out of her elementness. It's subtle, but it's there." It seems the biggest complaint about the Special Ops: Lioness ending was the rushed aspect, but fans seemed to like it enough to want to see more.

The Real Meaning Of Special Ops: Lioness Season 1's Ending

The Ending Showcases The Grey Areas Of Modern Espionage

The Lioness season 1 ending cemented the theme of the entire series with the morally gray areas these operatives work in. While many of the agents sign up to serve their country and protect the principles they stand for, the Lioness ending makes it clear that the battles they fight are rarely ever black-and-white and that doing the "right thing" often means doing a lot of things that feel wrong in the process.

Cruz and others like her are pawns as they try to decide what the most strategic target will be.

Cruz is left disillusioned by what she had to do and the people who had to hurt in order to complete her mission. She was left feeling like she didn't accomplish anything of note and that the issues of the world would still persist regardless of there being one less terrorist living. The ending highlights the emotional toll these missions can have on people, with not just Cruz but also Joe shaken in the aftermath, while the rest of the world knows nothing of the sacrifices they made.

That also speaks to the injustice Lioness communicates in regard to these operatives. While they are putting their lives on the line in dangerous missions, politicians are playing games from the comfort of their meeting rooms, showing that Cruz and others like her are pawns as they try to decide what the most strategic target will be. It suits the series that Special Ops: Lioness season 1 ends with the mission complete but feeling nothing like a victory.