Special Ops: Lioness Shoots To Be Everything At Once (And Misses On All Fronts)
Taylor Sheridan has proven himself with Yellowstone, but it looks like even a star-studded cast isn't going to save his new show.
It seems that Taylor Sheridan 's new project is not going to be the new Yellowstone, or even the new Mayor of Kingstown. So far, most viewers have the impression that the show's creator tried to put too much into his new project, but in the end did not succeed in any aspect.
Special Ops: Lioness is more of a disappointing observation of Sheridan using the same tricks over and over again, which is why his characters already resemble walking clichés.
Partly inspired by a real-life anti-terrorist program, Lioness follows the standard formula of almost every other series or movie devoted to the community 's fight against Middle Eastern terrorists.
The screen time is divided roughly in half between the harsh realities of the forefront and the problems of civilian life. In both, only Zoe Saldana's character is more or less present, again recalling Sheridan's difficulties with writing female characters.
Joe is a typical strong woman, much more comfortable in the field than at home: the scenes in which Joe tries not to feel like a stranger in her own family are among the most boring moments in the story.
Fans agree that the development of the plot with Joe's difficult choice between work and home would somehow enliven the plot, but unfortunately this is not the case in Lioness.
As a result, the viewers got a story that doesn’t work like a special ops drama, not like the story of a woman facing a difficult choice.
Even less can be said about her new ward, Cruz, except that she is a strong woman, too.
The contribution of the other two stars who serve as bait on the poster is difficult to assess from the first episodes: Nicole Kidman, who plays Joe's boss, appears for a total of one and a half minutes, and Morgan Freeman's character has not yet been introduced at all.
At the same time, the screenwriter sometimes seems to remember why we are all here and gives us another tense situation, but it is quickly replaced by a not so dynamic narrative that tries to do too much, but as a result only scatters the attention.
The general fascination of the project, which is in no hurry to reveal its trump cards, will depend on the direction the series will take in the future. In the meantime, it's not that boring to watch, but it's not really clear why.