Lioness Season 2, Episode 8 brought out the big guns (quite literally) as the CIA set out on an important mission to protect the United States of America.
The Season 2 finale of Taylor Sheridan's Paramount+ series, "The Compass Points Home," follows Joe's (Zoe Saldaña) team of expertly trained agents as they look to intercept enemy intel in Iraq as covertly as possible.
Lioness Season 2, Episode 8 premiered on Paramount+ on December 7.
Lioness Season 2 Episode 8 Cast: Which Guest Stars Appear in the Finale?
Morgan Freeman - Edwin Mullins
Morgan Freeman returns as Edwin Mullins, the U.S. Secretary of State who loops in his staff about the main directive of the CIA's mission: to send a message to the country's enemies.
If the mission fails, he will be solely responsible. If it is successful, his staff can receive all of the credit.
Here is why Morgan Freeman is wearing a glove in Lioness Season 2.
Freeman is best known for his roles in The Dark Knight, Se7en, and Driving Miss Daisy.
Jennifer Ehle - Mason
Jennifer Ehle reprises her role as Mason, a U.S. Secretary of State staff member who advises Mullins to let the U.S. President know about the truth behind the CIA's mission before it's too late.
Ehle has credits in Zero Dark Thirty, Little Men, and Pride and Prejudice.
Bruce McGill - Damian Hollar
Bruce McGill is back as Damian Hollar, the NSA chief and Secretary Mullins' advisor who is confused about Mullins' strategy of not letting the President (aka the commander in chief) be aware of the CIA's dangerous mission.
McGill previously appeared in Love & Death, Reacher, and The Crew.
Taylor Sheridan - Cody
Lioness creator and director Taylor Sheridan guest stars as Cody, a reliable ally of Joe's Lioness program and QRF team who aids them during their mission in Iraq as one of the snipers tasked to protect them.
This isn't the first time that Sheridan appeared in one of his shows since he was also part of the cast of Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 9. The actor also starred in 1883, NCIS: Los Angeles, and Sons of Anarchy.
Demián Castro - Pablo Carrillo
Demián Castro guest stars as Pablo Carrillo, Captain Josephina's father and the brother of the Los Tigres cartel leader who is being convinced by the CIA to cooperate in exchange for a massive deal that would assure his freedom.
Castro can be seen in Bad Monkey, Them, The Refugee, and The Idea of You.
Crew Wyard - Battalion Commander
Crew Wyard appears as the U.S. Army's Battalion Commander in Iraq who welcomes Joe and the QRF ahead of the mission.
Wyard is part of the cast of The Demon Inside, Trunkfish, and Sick for Toys.
Marcus DeAnda - Alvaro Carillo
Marcus DeAnda appears as Alvaro Carrillo, the head of the Los Tigres cartel.
DeAnda's notable credits include Better Call Saul, 13 Reasons Why, and Free Dead or Alive.
Dawn Olivieri- Amber Whalen
Dawn Olivieri joins the cast of Lioness Season 2, Episode 8 as Amber Whalen, the one responsible for the team's briefing regarding the crucial details of the mission.
Olivieri recently appeared in the cast of Yellowstone Season 5 as Sarah Atwood. The actress can also be seen in House of Lies, Den of Thieves, and Bright.
Here are the series regulars who also appeared in Lioness Season 2, Episode 8:
- Zoe Saldaña - Joe
- Genesis Rodriguez - Captain Josephina Carrillo
- Laysla De Oliveira - Sergeant Cruz Manuelos
- Nicole Kidman - Kaitlyn Meade
- Michael Kelly - Byron Westfield
- Thad Luckinbill - Kyle
- Max Martini - Tracer
- LaMonica Garrett - Tucker
- James Jordan - Two Cups
- Austin Hébert - Randy
- Jonah Wharton - Tex
- Jill Wagner - Bobby
- Dave Annable - Neal
Lioness Season 2 Episode 8 Plot Recap: Did Joe Survive?
A Death-Defying Mission
Lioness Season 2, Episode 8 begins with Joe leading her team alongside two of her Lioness agents back to the Turkey-Iraq-Iran border base to prepare for the mission to intercept a transport carrying two Chinese nuclear scientists en route to Iran.
How important are these nuclear scientists? These individuals are capable of upgrading the country's nuclear arsenal which could spell doom to the United States and its allies.
Upon arrival, Bobby gives out weapons to the rest of the team while she reminds Joe that her role only includes "observe and advise" because she is still suffering from gruesome injuries from the bombing in Episode 6.
Elsewhere, Josephina and Cruz have a heartfelt conversation about the current state of their friendship/relationship, especially after the pair kissed before heading out for the mission.
Amber Whalen briefs the team about their mission, which is now dubbed Operation Skyhawk. She lays out the respective advantages and disadvantages of the operation, and the Iranian forces that they will encounter have the same training as them.
As for backup, the estimated arrival is still unknown, so Joe and the others are aware that they might be overwhelmed.
Kaitlyn & Byron Offer a Deal
Elsewhere in Costa Rica, CIA bigwigs Byron Westfield and Kaitlyn Meade come face to face with Pablo Carrillo, the brother of the head of Los Tigres and Captain Josephina's father, to offer an important deal.
Byron and Kaitlyn outright tell Pablo that they managed to freeze all of his assets since the Los Tigrel cartel has now been labeled as a terrorist organization.
They offer him a deal that involves Pablo replacing (aka killing) his brother to become the new leader of Los Tigres. The catch here is the cartel will be working together with the CIA, and some of the responsibilities include informing the U.S. government if any foreign enemies reach out to threaten the country.
Unsurprisingly, Pablo accepts because he sees this as a way to protect his assets and family. It is a win-win situation for him. He then calls his brother to set a meeting the next day.
Mullins Want to Hammer Down a Statement
In the White House, U.S. Secretary of State Edwin Mullins brings in his staff, Hollar and Mason, to observe Operation Skyhawk.
After the pair realizes that the U.S. President has no knowledge of the mission, they voice their concerns because they learn that Mullins only wants to send a message to the country's enemies while also risking the lives of Joe's team in the process.
Mullins points out, though, that he will take full responsibility if the mission fails. If it is successful, all but him will get to celebrate the much-needed win.
Operation Skyhawk Goes Haywire
To give a brief rundown of the mission's operatives, Lioness agents Josephina and Cruz are inside the helicopter tasked to intercept the Iranian convoy while Cody (played by Taylor Sheridan who appeared in Lioness Season 2, Episode 1) and his fellow sniper comrade serve as backup on the field.
Meanwhile, Joe and the rest of the CIA operatives remain at base, and they will just be given the go-ahead to leave to serve as backup if the helicopter goes down.
As Operation Skyhawk begins, the two Lioness agents manage to eliminate most of the convoy, but their helicopter crashes after being shot off by a tank.
Joe, who is still injured, leads her troops to get to the crash site to protect her agents while the two snipers do their best to keep enemies at bay before backup arrives.
It turns out that Josephina is badly injured after the crash, and it is up to Cruz to protect her. Meanwhile, Cody shows how much of a badass he is by taking down a good chunk of the Iranian enemies while Joe and the others arrive just in time to join the shooting spree.
As expected, Joe's team is outnumbered by the platoon of Iranian soldiers whose numbers don't seem to be dwindling down. As members of her team take a few hits, Joe seems ready to give up, but thankfully, the U.S. Army arrives to save the day by eliminating the remaining enemies.
Back at the White House, Mullins and the rest of the staff breathe a sigh of relief before receiving news that the Chinese and Iranian ambassadors want to talk to him due to the fiasco at the border.
A New Los Tigres Leader
In Mexico, Pablo fulfills his promise to the CIA by killing his brother to take over the Los Tigres Cartel which has now become a fully cooperating ally of not just the CIA, but the United States Government.
He does so in convincing fashion by shooting his brother in cold blood while Byron, Kyle, Tex, and Kaitlyn watch.
Kyle then takes the captive Chinese agent into the CIA's custody, serving as the first of many rewards for the newfound partnership between the cartel and the government.
Joe Comes Home
As the chaos dies down, Joe and her team go back to base as the doctors tend to the injured (which is most of the QRF except Cruz).
Cruz thanks Joe for saving them after the helicopter crash, and the pair's mutual respect with each other stands tall. The rest of the team is expected to recover.
Sometime later, Joe heads home to her husband, Neal, and he tells her that he isn't sure if she is ever coming home.
Joe tells him that she isn't sure if she still has a home to go back to, especially after their huge fight in Episode 7 where Joe defies the doctor's order to head to a suicide mission.
Neal reassures Joe that she will always have a home with him and her daughters, and the pair hugs it out before reuniting with the kids.
All episodes of Lioness Season 2 are now streaming on Paramount+.
