Joe McNamara has fought gun battles, black operations, and even one particularly cringe-worthy dinner at which she couldn’t explain why she smelled of a burner phone. However, the season 3 episode 3 trailer of Lioness implies that this time, her greatest challenge won’t be another foreign agent. It will be paranoia, and it will be in the same building with her.
“The Bear Is Infected” episode airs on Sunday, August 16, at 3 a.m. ET / 12 a.m. PT on Paramount+. And while just the name should make anyone shiver with anticipation, the trailer will definitely do the trick. Having seen two episodes of Joe’s double life falling apart at the seams, it’s time for the series to pose the ultimate question every spy thriller asks: What if the leak isn’t out there, it’s in here?
Quick Catch-Up: How We Got Here
By the end of episode 2, Joe had done what she always did – transformed her suspicions into an operation. In a debrief session with her boss Kaitlyn Meade, Byron Westfield and Secretary of State Edwin Mullins, Joe presented her own theory regarding who revealed her true identity to the Russians. According to her suspicions, it’s none other than the Ukrainian double agent who helped them find and apprehend SSD chief Aleksi Yurimov during their previous missions. As per usual for Joe, by the end of this episode, this theory was more than enough reason to arrest the woman and send Cruz, Tex, and case officer Kyle to kidnap her from a bar and interrogate her. Meanwhile, Joe herself was transferred to a safe house along with her family members, struggling to get over a home invasion that ruined her cover.
Finding Yurimov is the key factor that sets off the chain reaction. The team started this war, but it reached Joe’s dinner table, which is absolutely inappropriate for such operations.
Lioness Season 3 Episode 3 Teaser Breakdown, Beat by Beat
The teaser begins with Joe in conflict with Neal, apologizing for, as she says, bringing the war home. This is an unusual instance of vulnerability from someone who always keeps her emotions at arm’s length as if she was privy to some secret security clearance. All of her previous missions had taken place conveniently overseas. This time, the enemy came right up her driveway, and Joe knew it was entirely her doing.
From there, the teaser transitions into a dinner scene featuring Joe along with her two daughters, Kate and Charlie, at what seems to be their secure location since they definitely cannot go back home. Kate is already aware of just what her mother does for a living. Charlie has largely been kept out of Joe’s business, so this seems like a set-up, our assumption being that the truth is about to come out for her too. Not exactly the best family bonding experience, don’t you think?
Now comes the actual driving force behind the show’s plot: the official synopsis shows that Joe faces a threat of a breach and forces the whole team into a dangerous move to eliminate any spies. It does not matter whether the threat is the Ukrainian spy already under arrest, or it comes closer to home, or both; the teaser clearly shows that this will be an internal investigation. Now bring on those wary looks around the conference table, the secret meetings, and the realization that in this world, many people have to be suspects, even the one that brings the good coffee.
“The Bear Is Infected” Is Doing a Lot of Work
Titles within the franchise never lack substance, and this title is no exception. In view of the established plot involving breach-and-infiltration, the idea of infection seems more like a description than an actual threat. In episode 3, we may expect to see a whole hour of an elaborated “guess who” game. Kaitlyn Meade (Nicole Kidman) and Byron Westfield (Michael Kelly) will probably be dealing with the consequences of the infiltration from above, while those below will be thoroughly paranoid about who might be the one.
The change in the main theme of the episode is worth considering as well. Usually, seasons of this series would feature the story line revolving around “the mission went wrong somewhere abroad.” This episode is doing quite the opposite: it turns the focus towards the enemy that doesn’t come from abroad but works together with us at the office.
What This Means for Joe
Everything that Joe does is bound to boomerang back right to her doorstep, and it appears as though Episode 3 will be where she finally has to face the reality of that consequence. In case Joe goes further down her trail of discovery than just the Ukrainian operative that she is holding at gunpoint, then that consequence is going to carry throughout the whole season, not just this single episode. Considering the fact that her family members have already gotten themselves drawn into this, it is possible that she will have to choose between her career and her kids.
Then there’s the whole issue of trust. Should the investigation of any leaks expand further, even the people within Joe’s very own inner circle may not be beyond suspicion by the time all is said and done. After all, there are no secrets that last long on this show, and Episode 3 is hell-bent on proving that point across the board.
Our Prediction
Get ready for a nerve-wracking hour that replaces the typical mission-of-the-week jitters with the feeling of being locked in a pressure cooker. An entire identity unmasking is likely not going to happen in this episode, since this kind of series never wants to rush such a great rug-pull moment. However, there will be plenty of finger-pointing, security checks, and at least one gut-wrenching moment involving Joe’s daughters. Get the snacks ready. Get the tissues ready. Leave your family’s dinnertime discussions at home.
When and Where to Watch
Lioness Season 3 Episode 3 airs only on Paramount+, with new episodes releasing every Sunday at 3 a.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT. Since the start of this season, airing from August 2nd, Paramount+ has remained very true to its release schedule. Release times will vary in international regions, so refer to the listings on your own Paramount+ platform.
But mark your calendars, because the only threat greater than that of the enemy outside in this series is the one that’s already sitting around the dinner table.
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