Is Joe still in the US? ‘Lioness’ Season 3 Episode 5 ending explained as major clue emerges
The latest ‘Lioness’ Season 3 Episode 5 saw Operation Treasure moving forward with Joe (played by Zoe Saldaña) and her team. They changed their appearance with their undercover looks and went to different locations to honeypot Russian assets. While Cruz Manuelos (played by Laysla De Oliveira) and Josephine Carrillo (Genesis Rodriguez) were tasked with seducing a software engineer at a club, Two Cups (James Jordan) went to a gentleman’s club to carry out his task. Similar to previous episodes, the latest episode also features a series of events that will eventually lead to Joe’s kidnapping. However, before that happened, viewers are now invested in learning why she was the sole target when her entire team was involved in the task.
The currently ongoing Operation Treasure’s goal was to uncover why Joe was attacked at her home before her kidnapping. The first asset they apprehended was Cade McWeaver, whom Cruz and Josephina caught. After the two led him back to his place, they left the front door unlocked for Joe and the rest of the teammates to arrive and confront him. As a result, Cade led them to meet his handler, Mr Lin, a contract agent for China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS). Soon, Joe learned that both of them were part of a larger network. This included a Georgetown University Professor, who sold exam answers to Mr. Lin. The goal was to blackmail students after they had passed the exam and land jobs at leading tech companies.
As for Two Cups, he managed to get three Belarusian contract agents to target him. However, before they could do anything, Joe’s team, along with Kaitlyn (played by Nicole Kidman), ambushed the agents and apprehended them. While interrogating a Belarusian agent, Kyle (played by Thad Luckinbill) learned that he was a Muslim, which raises even more questions about the plot against Joe and her kidnapping and who might be behind it. Notably, the episode also featured previously caught Russian double agent Oleksandra Balakin (played by Elizaveta Neretin). Through the information she had provided, Kaitlyn and her bosses learned that seven members of the House of Representatives, along with two senators, were Russian agents.
During the meeting, Joe shared that instead of arresting them, they could turn them into sources, which could be more useful. “We approach every compromised official, we present them our evidence, and we give them the option to retire in the next 24 hours, or they face prison,” said Joe. Listening to her idea, the U.S. Secretary of State Edwin Mullins (played by Morgan Freeman) was quite impressed and agreed with Joe’s idea. Episode 5 ended with a shocking turn of events. Fans witnessed the untraceable private jet carrying Joe and her kidnapper land. After she was gagged, she was escorted out of the jet. As she stepped down, she immediately scanned her surroundings. To everyone’s surprise, she saw a Texas flag, meaning she was still on American soil and that it was not too late for a rescue operation.
