The seventh episode of "Lioness" Season 3, titled "Kiss the Girls," delivered a harrowing rescue sequence and presented a startling theory regarding the abduction of lead operative Joe.
The episode opens with Joe in captivity, being transported in an SUV by her abductor, Babat. While Joe's team, including Bobby, Cruz, Two Cups, and Tucker, prepares for a rescue, they remain unaware of her exact location. Kyle and his Delta team are also searching for Babat.
A traffic stop initiated by Texas police on Babat's convoy provides Joe with an opportunity to escape. As the police approach the SUV, Babat's crew opens fire. During the ensuing chaos, Joe fights back against her captors, causing the SUV to crash. She manages to retrieve a pistol, kill Babat, and escape the vehicle amid the ongoing firefight between the police and Babat's men. Joe then makes her way to a soccer field, where Bobby and Cruz are the first to reach her. The rescue is successful, and Joe's team confirms they have her back.
Following the rescue, CIA officials Meade and Westfield, with input from Kaitlyn's husband Errol, develop a theory about who was behind Joe's abduction. They present their findings to Secretary of State Mullins, suggesting that Ukraine orchestrated the kidnapping. According to their theory, the motive was to provoke a military response from the United States against its traditional adversaries, such as Russia, thereby pressuring Russia into a ceasefire in its war with Ukraine. This theory stems from the radical nature of the abduction, which did not align with the typical methods of other global suspects like China, Russia, or Iran. The unusual actions of Babat and his men, described as ideologically motivated rather than tactical, further support the notion that the operation was not Russian.
Despite her ordeal, Joe chooses to remain in the field rather than return home to her family. She contacts her husband, Neal, to let him know she is safe but will not be home until her current mission is complete, a decision that leaves Neal confused and hurt.
Meanwhile, Meade and Westfield lobby Mullins to take action against Oleksandra, implying a permanent solution is necessary, though Mullins acknowledges this would essentially be murder.