Special Ops: Lioness

Great espionage genre show with exceptional writing. Strong performances from leading characters with a sprinkling of Sheridan here and there.

Initially I thought it would be a corny show but it's anything but that. Season 1 is serious, all business with realism and some complexity in the main character.

Also, here and there this show highlights the bigger picture of the reality of the situation in the Middle East. Wrapped in fictional characters and strong performances if you're listening the messaging is clear. Sometimes what may seem like the obvious moral truth is wrapped in a sea of complexity and greater consequences.

I've put off watching this for a while and after finally catching up it's been utterly brilliant. Seems that some are not so keen which I don't understand. A powerful group of woman doing an incredibly difficult job at great personal expense. Can't wait to watch Season 2 which seems to have had much better reviews. Zoe Saldana as ever is outstanding especially when balancing her work and personal life but the big reveal is Oliveira. Her rage seeps through the entire show making her such a captivating character. I can't wait to see what she does next. Hopefully this will be renewed for Season 3!

Why, why do they always insist on having one teen character who is continuously angry and acts irrationally? It has *never* done any TV show any good. Zoe Saldana's daughter is full-on stereotype, all the sorry-arse angry teenager tropes bundled in one character. One minute you are watching a show about secret operatives in the Middle East, the next you are subjected to never-ending scenes of family turmoil caused by one selfish teenager that *no one in the world cares about*.

My advice: fast forward all the scenes where she appears. They add absolutely nothing - zip - nada - zilch to the storyline. Skipping them will do wonders for your blood pressure.

This has just enough personal story lines to raise it above the level of the garden variety action picture. I find Zoe Saldana's character a bit one dimensional and the uber macho overcompensation gets old, as does the constant dropping of the f bomb. I'm not a prude, but using it like punctuation gets irritating. Nicole Kidman was an interesting choice and she pulls off the American accent pretty well, although she's clearly struggling with it. And what on earth have the make-up people done with her eyebrows?! It was very distracting. Michael Kelly is always hits it out of the park and this was no exception. Definitely worth a watch both for the adrenalin fueled action and the compelling storyline.

Lioness has good storylines, cinematography and action all blended into a great entertaining show. Zoe Saldana, Nicole Kidman and the rest of actors do a great job in selling the urgency and conspiracy of each plot. The military action is great and as an american I love to see the good guys win and of course the missions although difficult are accomplished.

Taylor Sheridan has great writing expressing political realities that has caused many american to wake up to the media's news manipulation or should we say the government using the media as a weapon to keep its citizens oblivious as to the true reality. Make you wonder that even thoigh it may be fiction there is some reality mixed into the stories.

By the end of the series it leaves the viewer wanting for more. Waiting for next season.