In “Five Hundred Children,” Special Ops: Lioness delves into some dark and disturbing territory as it balances moral ambiguities and tension-filled action. Fans’ favorite Cruz is back, and high-stakes geopolitical themes are introduced. This episode forces the team to face the harsh realities of their mission and the fuzzy lines they cross to complete it. In a world with lots of moral problems, Joe (Zoe Saldana) and her crew make a disturbing discovery and have to deal with problems of loyalty and purpose.
Special Ops: Lioness Season 2 Episode 4 Recap – “Five Hundred Children”
At the start of the episode, Joe is getting a quick debriefing from Kaitlyn (Nicole Kidman) and Byron (Michael Kelly), who are her bosses. They push her to find a skilled handler for their “Lioness” work, but Joe questions their plan, which makes things heated. When she leaves the meeting, she’s angry to find that someone is following her on the highway. With the help of Kyle, a fellow agent who is following her, Joe stops the person who is after her and learns that the person is Special Agent Gutierrez (Kirk Acevedo), sent by the Department of Justice. Gutierrez gives Joe a brutal speech in which he warns him about how cruel the cartel they are after is, telling him about the horrible things they do to innocent people to stay in power. Gutierrez is aggressive, but he has useful information to share. He says he’s an important asset in the fight against an enemy that has reached the highest levels of government.
The scene shifts abruptly to Dr. Neal, who is going through a terrible time when he loses a young cancer patient during surgery. This has a huge effect on him. This episode doesn’t fully deal with the moment, which suggests that Neal and Joe may have a problem with each other in the next episodes. In this episode, Josephina (Genesis Rodriguez) and Tucker have a revealing conversation. She says to Tucker, “Tell me there’s a sexier sound on the planet than an Apache running up your six while you’re pinned behind a rock.” This is an unexpectedly funny and pointed exchange.
At the same time, Cruz shows up again. While she is practicing her shooting at a firing range, Joe comes over and talks to her. Cruz hasn’t forgotten or forgiven Joe for how the last mission changed her life, and she doesn’t want to join the team again. Joe is sure that Cruz’s commitment to the mission goes beyond her anger, saying that she, like Joe, is totally focused on the job. Since Cruz was moved to the Lioness unit, she had no choice but to “quit or pack your kit.” Cruz reluctantly accepts the truth of her situation.
As things get more tense; Joe’s team goes to a warehouse where they think cartel agents may be hiding. Their ability to figure out where the warehouse is thanks in large part to Gutierrez’s intelligence. They find a scary sight when they get there: hundreds of children huddled together in the dark, being held by the cartel. While Joe and her team are hovering in their stealth helicopter—they are in a very dangerous situation. They have to run away, leaving the children behind, because time is running out and resources are running low. The haunting image of the kids watching the helicopter leave from the front door of the warehouse shows how morally difficult the Lioness mission is.
The show “Five Hundred Children” is a strong reminder of how cruel these missions are and how much Joe’s team gives up, not just their lives but also their humanity.
In the U.S., new episodes of Season 2 of Special Ops: Lioness air every Sunday on Paramount+, and in the U.K., they air every Monday on streaming services.
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