Special Ops: Lioness

Taylor Sheridan and one solid undercover special ops operation in a series dominated by female protagonists. An excellent Zoe Saldana, an even better Laysla De Oliveira, an uncompromising Nicole Kidman, and the insanely sexy Stephanie Nur, who gives you an instant boner with her gaze. It's a bit of an unconventional series where we don't get much action, it's a spy political thriller that's blends family drama, but the two levels work so well that the series gets by without action. Sheridan knows what he's doing, so the dialogue is precise, the emotions work, the political intrigue packs a punch and doesn't get boring despite the slower pace. The craftsmanship is of course top notch, the music is excellent, all the actors are spot on and the action from recruiting the main character, training, infiltration and defusing is rendered very realistically. The final episode is the highlight (the last 15 minutes are awesome!), so for me a job well done. I enjoyed a lot the military politics, which nicely pointed out that everyone is just puppets and everything is controlled by the scumbags behind the desk. There could have been more action, the plot could have been better paced and overall it could have been more intense, but it is still a decent genre piece above average. If you like these undercover operations to take down a terrorist, you won't go wrong. 7/10. (09/26/2023)

Sheridan! You did it again! I can't remember a time when Ty Sheridan has disappointed me, this guy was born to do his job and he's got it down pat, and here he serves up another dense, spy-action-infiltrative-political miniseries with a Sicario (!!!) vibe that takes our breath away. Zoe Saldana is the head of the operatives, and the amazing Laysla De Oliveira stars as an infiltrating agent who has to get to know the daughter of an oil boss and eventually get to him and kill him. I absolutely love the female cast, they both have something going for them and Zoe as the uncompromising badass commander is great in contrast to the sensitive Laysla, they both build their characters skilfully over time and this mix of gritty action, espionage, family drama (which also has something going for it and thankfully didn't bore me) and backstage political gamesmanship is just fantastic. It's got drive, it's got heart and emotion, the whole team of agents are likeable and each of the eight characters has their own memorable traits. It managed to keep me entertained in the dramatic parts, enthralled in the action and the final 15 minutes when we get to the grand finale and when the agent gets to her destination are possibly some of the most intense minutes in series history in recent years, I sat there with goosebumps devouring every scene. At the same time, it's also a great demonstration of how all agents in the field are just puppets of politicians and high office rats and how emotionally crushing their actions can be for them personally, Laysla delivered this in an incredible authentic fashion. I have no complaints, it might not be an original, memorable life-changing gem, but it held my attention without a problem and I got through it in one sitting. I want a second season right away and even more stealth action with target neutralization, as the authenticity literally oozed out of them here!! (09/06/2023)

I was quite worried about how this would turn out, but Taylor Sheridan once again proved his quality. His signature style is evident at every turn. As the title suggests, Sheridan took on special units this time. The result is another intense drama with an excellent audiovisual presentation. Zoe Saldana as the commanding officer was perfect; she fully immersed herself in the role, delivering an outstanding performance. Michael Kelly's presence is also a plus (he was clearly born for these political roles) and Morgan Freeman’s cameo (he never disappoints) was a nice touch. It’s truly incredible how authentically Sheridan can portray stories in his works. It’s a superb viewing experience in every aspect. And the climax was so gripping that I even forgot to breathe. The only slight disappointment is the limited number of action sequences. For me, it’s a 7.5/10. (09/26/2023)