Paramount+ is called, by some, The Star Trek channel when it first launched, but quickly changed to the Taylor Sheridan Channel, as its various series fueled its original programming slate. Fortunately, they are distinct and different, each with its own style.
After conquering the modern and historical West, he gave us harshness Mayor of Kingstown And Sly Stallone’s King of Tulsa. Then, this fall, came Special Operations: LionessAn international spy story that was (finally) female-centric.
According to Collider, the premise for the ten-episode show is based on a real-life CIA program, “Team Lioness,” a Marine Corps program “designed to give the Marine Corps close access to women involved in potential terrorist plots.” Female Marines can spot potential female threats and form bonds in Iran and Afghanistan that their religious beliefs set them apart from men.
Sheridan takes things a step further, with the Lioness team actually embedding a Marine, Cruz Manuelos (Lesla de Oliveira), who is close to the Iranian daughter of their target, a financier behind Iran’s terrorist activities. Each team consisted of an inventor and a guardian angel, with the latter being tough Joe (Zoe Saldana) and his supporting soldiers.
There is a strained relationship between Manuelos, who led a strict life before enlistment, and Jo, who isolates herself from her husband (David Annabelle) and two daughters. Who sees the seer? The ubiquitous Nicole Kidman reprises that role in Langley, and she reports to Morgan Freeman, so the cast is fantastic.
The story follows Manulos’ recruitment and hasty training in the program, and then we see his friend Mark, about to marry Alia (Stephanie Noor), bringing her elusive father into the public eye (and the target area of Manulos’ rifle, they hope).
There are some digressions that feel like fillers to drag out the story and tension throughout the episode. Still, domestic and international stories are evoked, and Sheridan’s recognition of never leaving his characters unscathed continues here effectively. Manulos’ arc is most compelling as she is pushed beyond her comfort zone, forming a social and then romantic entanglement with Alia.
The series may or may not return for a second season, but Paramount Home Entertainment has released it Special Operations: Lioness Season One in a three-disc Blu-ray package. There is no 4K or Digital HD code, but each disc has unique features.
The 1080p digital transfer is good, if not blurry, for home viewing. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack is an equal match.
As for the features, on the first disc you get behind the story: Sacrifice Soldiers (7:21), The Beating (7:14), and Bruises Like a Fist (4:11). On disc two: The Choice of Failure (6:16), Truth is the Shrewdest Lie (4:29), and The Lie is the Truth (7:43); And on disc three: Wish the Fight Away (7:25) and Gone is the Illusion of Order (7:30). Also embedded with Special Ops: Lioness (21:38), a behind-the-scenes look, War Fake Quiet: Tactics and Training (9:02), and Inside the Series (19:00) with LaMonica Garrett playing Tucker, giving us more background leads to
