LIONESS 2. Don’t Trust the Twins [REVIEW]

In the second season of Taylor Sheridan’s popular series Lioness, a new soldier is recruited for a risky operation – the ruthless and tough helicopter pilot Josephina Carillo (Genesis Rodriguez), who is unlucky enough to be the niece of a drug cartel boss. The veteran Cruz (Laysla De Oliveira), already proven in battle, is tasked with overseeing the proper mindset of the new recruit.

This time, the action starts with the kidnapping of a congresswoman, which is rightfully considered by Kaitlyn’s (Nicole Kidman) and Bryon’s (Michael Kelly) team as a provocation. The congresswoman is rescued from her captors, but the situation on the Mexican border becomes significantly more complicated, and Joe’s (this year’s Oscar winner for her role in Emilia Pérez, Zoe Saldaña) leadership organizes a retaliatory action against the head of one of the cartels. Despite Joe’s passionate protests, a candidate for the lioness role is forced on the team. It turns out that Josephina, unaware of her father’s wealth and her uncle’s career path, was simply passing by with porters. She loves her country and is ready to sacrifice even her military career and life for her mysterious uncle. It would be foolish not to take advantage of such a fortunate coincidence, only it needs to be ensured that no unnecessary doubts, driven by familial sentiment, arise in the young pilot’s mind.

The action, even for Sheridan, is quite threadbare, but who would worry about that when the stakes are incredibly high? This time, the USA faces threats from Mexico, China, and Iran simultaneously, and the problem can be solved with the help of a pretty girl. Or, rather, two, maybe even four. I’ve written before about how stereotypically female characters are constructed in Sheridan’s series, particularly in the first season, and I won’t repeat myself here, but I would just point out that, moving towards telenovela-like emotions, Sheridan has decided to focus more on the tearful and dramatic relationship between Joe and Neil instead of the cold and sparse relationship between Kaitlyn and her husband. It’s a shame. On the plus side, Sheridan tries to balance this by developing the character of Kyle (Thad Luckinbill), who is perhaps the most believable and well-placed in the context of the show. He gets more screen time in season two, and the scenes between him and Gutierrez (Kirk Acevedo) always catch the viewer’s attention.

On the front line, however, we have a repeat performance – two tough women, walking like Terminators (the logic of this type of production dictates that as soon as a woman picks up any weapon, she immediately starts walking, swaying from side to side like a sailor on leave, to add some bravado), but still discreetly touched up and with perfectly styled hair, just like freedom and democracy fighters. It’s good that Cruz cut her hair in this season, because otherwise, they’d be indistinguishable.

Sheridan knows no limits, and Special Ops: Lioness 2 is another example of this. I admit, it’s very enjoyable to watch as long as you don’t pay too much attention to the logic. It’s one of those productions where you just need to film a few scenes in dark, windowless rooms where super-secret agents plan actions so risky that even they won’t admit to them, and contrast that with an operational unit that – cursing, farting, and complaining – tightens their belts (in some cases very shapely and appropriately exposed) and heads into hopeless but necessary operations. They shoot, fly, defy orders, risk their lives and others’, and drown it all in typical American pathos – though we miss the fluttering flag – but Saldaña’s expression, whose clunky script makes her confess at least once per episode how much she loves her husband and how much she sacrifices for her country, also works its magic. And since Sheridan knows how to skillfully weave storylines and shift the viewer from one action to another, not giving them a moment to breathe or think (there’s a method to this madness), Special Ops: Lioness once again takes us on a wild ride. And even though there’s a fear of losing teeth lurking under the skin, you won’t want to get off this rollercoaster.

In an interview with Vanity Fair in November of last year, Zoe Saldaña confirmed that her contract covers at least three seasons of the series. Although Sheridan is hardly short on work, Special Ops: Lioness has been receiving very good reviews and awards (last year’s Critics Choice Super Awards for Saldaña as the best actress in an action TV series, limited series, or TV movie) and features a truly star-studded cast, though, in my opinion, not fully utilized. So there’s no reason why the king of TV should abandon this project. The question is which direction it will take – will he replace one of the lionesses with fresh blood, or will he create a small pack based on the “the more, the merrier” principle? As for the action itself, there’s nothing impossible for his imagination; it looks like he could create a global conflict from an overdue book at the library. So, we can be confident that he’ll have enough ideas for many more seasons.