Taylor Sheridan.
We’re almost at the point where I could just write his name, post a score for the TV show or movie that he’s written and people would go, “Yep, that’s all I need to know!” There are people who have the mindset to just go, go, go and always be doing something, and then there’s Taylor Sheridan, who has got to write and research in his sleep, because it’s the only way he’s getting any shuteye with how much content he’s pumping out there.
Usually when the term “pumping out” is used it’s somewhat negative, like a studio pumping out sequels to a successful movie; however, with Sheridan that’s not the case, as almost everything he does is top tier quality. The only time I’ve ever knocked something he’s worked on was the third season of Yellowstone, and that’s only because he was so focused on setting the foundation for Yellowstone spinoffs within that season that it hurt the overall flow of the main story. But then one of those spinoffs, 1883, came out and was one of the best things he’s written, so you kind of just have to let him do his thing.
Special Ops: Lioness is a series that came out on Paramount Plus, and it looked interesting. Zoe Saldana is awesome, and I knew and was a fan of Laysla De Oliveira from Locke & Key, but once it’s shown that it’s Taylor Sheridan who created the show then that catapults it right to the “must watch” list. I don’t actively keep tabs on what Sheridan is up to, and with the current culmination of Yellowstone being worked on, a second season of 1923 on deck, and other known Yellowstone spinoffs in the works I just assumed that he had his hands full. But you know what they say about assuming!
So out of nowhere (at least on my end) comes Special Ops: Lioness, and I really don’t know where he finds the time, because this show is amazing. It’s an eight-episode series that keeps its foot on the gas right from the opening moments of episode one until the eighth episode comes to a close. There are dramatic beats, and times when the show breathes, but instead of having episodes that slow things down and focus on one particular element or character, it constantly ups the stakes and tension for its lead characters. Certain things happening during this intense period of time may be viewed as highly coincidental, but that’s kind of the point, as the show is about how stressful the lives of these characters are because of the work they do and this is just taking that notion, dousing it in gasoline and lighting a fire under it.
Saldana plays Joe, a CIA officer in charge of the Lioness program. This program sees female assets put undercover to befriend females close to terrorist targets that the CIA can’t get a location on. The idea is that these assets will then gain the trust of the woman or women closest to the target allowing them to get close enough to take them out, or pass along the information needed for the CIA to do so later. In the opening moments of the series Joe has an asset that has been discovered and must make a decision that alters how she looks at her position and the assets she brings on board.
De Oliveira plays Cruz, an incredibly tough woman who has been through hell and back before finding a home in the Marine corps. Her attitude and strength put her on Joe’s radar for the Lioness program and she’s recruited for one of their biggest missions yet: befriend Aaliyah Amrohi (Stephanie Nur), the daughter of one of the most powerful terrorist financiers in history and then take him out if the opportunity arises. While she’s on her own while undercover, the Lioness program has a team of five other QRF members who are ready to immediately touch down and pull Cruz out if her cover is blown or once the mission is completed.
These are some great, strong female characters with a lot of moments for these actors to really sink their teeth into. Saldana has some wonderful moments both in the field and off of it, as she’s beginning to find the struggle of being away from her husband (Dave Annable) and two daughters, Kate (Hannah Love Lanier) and Charlie (Celestina Harris) to be too much. Sheridan writes their relationship incredibly well, showing how much the two love one another, but how unforgiving the line of work Joe is in is to their marriage. They seek companionship elsewhere when apart for long periods of time just to feel something, but really just want some sort of normalcy.
How the show begins with her asset, as well as the story at home really shows this to be the most pivotal and trying time in Joe’s life. As I mentioned earlier, there’s a lot that happens all at once that just piles it on more and more, and while it’s definitely a lot (and possibly too much for some), it really does just keep applying pressure to Joe, who is in the middle of her biggest mission yet with an asset on the field, and the last thing she needs is for everything to be coming to a head at home, and yet, that’s exactly what’s happening.
De Oliveira is a show-stealer here, as she just has such a wonderfully natural charisma, and a strength that exudes on screen any time she’s there. Early on it’s completely believable that she’s a beaten down and abused woman, as she plays the fear-stricken girlfriend perfectly. When she finally breaks free she’s still terrified, looking for help when she literally stumbles into a military recruitment centre. As she trains, we see her confidence grow until she’s finally the hardcore marine that’s introduced to Joe before her recruitment into the Lioness program.
There’s a lot more I could get into, like how Nicole Kidman is wonderful in her supporting role, as is Annable as Joe’s surgeon husband who has all but raised their kids on his own, but it’s best to just let it play out and enjoy it as it does, as it’s an incredibly addictive show. Each episode runs at the usual 42-minutes, with the finale being a bit longer. The pacing, as mentioned before, is fairly breakneck. It’s not all non-stop intensity; however, it is a constant build-up of things going wrong, stakes being raised, barriers being raised and interference by those higher up in the government. It’s a lot and Sheridan makes sure the pressure never eases up.
While the Blu-ray case does say Season One, there has been no season two officially greenlit just yet. That said, I think the season one is just there to keep the door open if they want to because this can 100% be viewed as an 8-episode limited series that’s one and done. Some things are left up to the audience, but nothing that’s so big that it’s frustrating or feels like questions have been left unanswered. Would I be interested in a season two? Of course. Who wouldn’t want more of what Sheridan has to offer up. But that said, I’m also completely content with how Special Ops: Lioness wrapped up, and highly recommend it for those looking for an addictive and intense show to binge.
Overall Score: 4/5
Blu-ray Video and Audio Review:
The show looks great on Blu-ray, with a sharp 1080p transfer that adds a level of sharpness and detail that is simply lost when only streaming. There are a lot of dark scenes in the show which are elevated with deep blacks and no muddying, which can also plague shows when they’re watched via streaming networks, or on TV in general. As a whole the presentation looks clean, details are fairly abundant, and the colour is as rich as the darker, normalized look of the show will allow for.
On the audio side we’ve got Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless, which will come alive at certain points if you have a surround sound system, but won’t blow you away at any point. That said, the sound mix still works incredibly well, and when the intensity rises it still keeps you on edge, even if you’re not placed directly in the middle of the action. The dialogue is clean and clear, which is often the most important note, and the score comes through nicely to elevate the action and dramatic scenes.
Special Features:
If you know Taylor Sheridan shows then you know what to expect from these special features, as they’re all often the same, but that’s not a bad thing. Often with TV shows you get very little in the way of special features, so to see the cast and crew talking about each episode you just watched right after you watched it is always fun and helps give you a better look into the characters, as well as what the actors were thinking during those moments.
Behind the Story – I’m of course talking about Behind the Story, which is a featurette found after each episode on each disc. They range from 5-8 minutes, give or take, and mostly see the actors in the episodes talking about what their character went through, what they’re thinking and what may be ahead. They also touch on what it was like working on the episode. These featurettes can be viewed however you like, be it after the episode (I’d recommend not before for obvious reasons) or at the end of the disc before moving on to the next if you want to keep the pacing going from episode to episode.
Embedded with Special Ops: Lioness – This is the beefy feature that’s found on Disc 3 with the rest of the non-Behind the Story features. It comes in at just under 22-minutes and sees Sheridan talking about how he learned of the Lioness program and wanted to make a show about it, how that came to be, and a deeper dive into the stories, characters, casting and creation of the show.
Battle Forged Calm: Tactics & Training – This feature comes in at 9-minutes in length and focuses on the combat training that the cast went through prior to filming the show. They were trained both physically and with weapons, and it’s a great look into how grueling the process can be and how much work went in to being as accurate as possible for the show.
Inside the Series – Another Sheridan series bonus feature staple, this time with LaMonica Garrett hosting. This feature is 19-minutes in length and again focuses on the behind-the-scenes of the show, really giving the audience a look at how things were done, why decisions were made, and how much everyone loved working on the show.
Paramount Pictures Presents Special Ops: Lioness Season One. Created by: Taylor Sheridan. Starring: Zoe Saldana, Laysla De Oliveira, Nicole Kidman, Dave Annable, Jill Wagner, LaMonica Garrett, James Jordan, Austin Hebert, Jonah Wharton, Stephanie Nur, Hannah Love Lanier, Michael Kelly, Thad Luckinbill, Martin Donovan. Running time: 352 Minutes. Rating: 14A. Released on Blu-ray: Jan. 23, 2024.
