The Choice of Failure

**The Choice of Failure** is the fourth episode of the first season of the Paramount+ espionage thriller *Special Ops: Lioness*. It aired on August 6, 2023.

## Synopsis

Cruz is put in a compromising position while out with Aaliyah and friends in the Hamptons; causing Joe and Kaitlyn to doubt her. Kaitlyn and Westfield confront Kyle over what happened at the border, complicating things further for Joe and her team.

## Plot

Aaliyah has taken Cruz to a beach in East Hampton, Long Island, where she asks Cruz if her uncle has found her a husband yet, to which she claims he hasn't. Family is the last thing on her mind right now. Cruz just wants to finish school and have her own life. Aaliyah jokes that she's very American and challenges Cruz to swim out to the sandbar, though Ehsan warns them not to go too far out.

Meanwhile, Joe and her team have acquired a yacht to not only monitor Cruz from a safe distance, but surveil Aaliyah as well. They spot several spotters from Ahmori's team, which they alert Bobby of, who has taken position on the beach as a common beach-goer.

After swimming out several yards, Aaliyah admits to making up the sandbar. From where they are, they can no longer hear the music, only the ocean. Aaliyah remarks that music should be outlawed on the beach. Much like Cruz, she confesses that she doesn't want to get married either, but her desires are not factors into the equation, though it could be worse. At least Ehsan is kind. However, she doesn't want to get old, in fact she dreads it.

Tex discovers why Cruz and Aaliyah are staying in a house owned by Qudrah Petrol. Aaliyah is engaged to Ehsan Al Rashdi. Both he and his brother, Kamal, are in America on a visa. However, neither Tex nor Joe can make sense of a Saudi Royal marrying a Kuwaiti national. Joe then asks Tucker about his mission with Kyle, which was a mess, by his recollection. A daytime extraction on an interstate off-ramp. Kyle let off an EMP, leading to a six car pile up and shootout, with seven KIAs.

Joe calls Kyle to confront him for his recklessness with her team, reminding him that he's no longer in Syria. It was a mess, but the op was successful, with the state police linking the entire incident to the cartel. He has a debriefing in half an hour, and so Joe expects him to call her after.

Back on the beach, Aaliyah tells Cruz about the Surf Lodge and Gurney's, though Malika expresses her disinterest in the former, which tends to consist of horny white boys and ditsy blondes staring death at them. So Aaliyah suggests they head to a dive bar instead, where they can dance on the tables.

Bobby is approached by Kamal, though she immediately informs him that she's a lesbian, so Kamal relents without further attempts. She then informs the team that Cruz and Aaliyah are on the move.

At the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Kyle heads in for his debriefing with Deputy Director Westfield and Senior Supervisor Meade, who asks about his contact agent within the Sinaloa Cartel, who was arrested three days ago, only for him to be taken from police custody by force yesterday, with a total of seven dead. Multiple witnesses report the use of an EMP. Additionally, Meade has surveillance from Border Patrol capturing Kyle and his team fleeing the scene. Westfield asks where he got his team. Kyle is initially reluctant to tell, but he ultimately admits he used the Lioness QRF. In Kyle's defense, his contract agent is bringing over five known Al-Qaeda operatives next week. If he had been transferred to BP, he would've been killed by his own cartel. Kyle didn't have the choice and reveals that the Sinalo is holding the five in a safe house in Chihuahua. They cross on Sunday to a safe house in San Antonio, which he already has wired and ready. Kaitlyn asks for proof and offers to talk to the DIA to get Kyle some cover. After Kyle is dismissed, Meade and Westfield discuss moving forward with having to meet with the governors and senators. If they do this, they're digging themselves into a bigger hole.

After confronting Two Cups about the gun fight on the border, Joe gets a call back from Kyle, who reveals the debriefing didn't go well. Before Kyle can explain himself for hanging Joe out to dry, Meade calls and tells Joe to send her address.

While in a car with several of her friends, Kate gets into an accident and is transported to the hospital, where Neal is performing surgery on a patient. Neal abruptly exits the operating room and rushes to the entrance, where Kate is wheeled in on a gurney, screaming about her leg. Neal remains at her side as the doctors attempt to treat her. Afterward, they view her x-rays and discuss further treatment, as well as the fact that one of the girls didn't make it. Neal then steps away to call Joe and inform her of the wreck. She broke her femur, fractured some vertebrae, but she's stable. She's going into surgery in the morning. Neal doesn't know the details, but asks if Joe can make it to the hospital by noon. Joe says she'll find a way. She then asks about Charlie, who is at the neighbors. Joe won't be reachable, but she assures Neal that she'll be there. Neal is then approached by one of his colleagues with Kate's blood work. From him, Neal learns that Kate's pregnant.

Neal joins Kate in her hospital room. She's conscious and asks about her clothes, phone, and her friends. Neal tells her two of the girls went to a different hospital and not to expect good news. Neal often tells Kate that the two things that have the most likelihood of altering the course of her life are cars and sex, and they both did. He reveals that it killed her friend Holly, and Kate proceeds to cry. He then tells Kate that she's pregnant. Kate initially attempts to lie, but Neal reveals that he has her blood work, and it's very likely the car crash terminated her pregnancy. And if it didn't, it's quite likely the anesthesia will. And if by some miracle, the fetus survives all of this, she will have a big decision to make. This is why she shouldn't be having sex at 14 and why he and Joe forbid her from driving in a car with a teenage driver. Kate apologizes, but Neal tells her to forgive herself so at least she can learn consequences of actions while still benefiting from the lesson.

Aaliyah and Nawla help prepare Cruz for a night out, fixing her hair and doing her makeup.

Two Cups informs Joe that they're moving up to the house in Montauk.

Cruz, Aaliyah, Ehsan and company arrive at a local dive bar, filled with big shot executives. Just outside, the team sits in a vehicle, but Joe wants to get eyes on Cruz and decides to go in herself after Bobby's already been made by Kamal and the guys are all too old. Joe lets her hair down and gets inside by claiming she's with Ehsan. While at the bar, Joe is approach by a man named Paul, but she scares him away after claiming that her husband isn't far off. She then gets a call from Neal, who reveals that Kate's pregnant. They agree this is too big to be mad about and that they're sacrificing their children, trading them for professions. Neal doesn't have any solutions and proposes they seek some, telling Joe to make sure she's there tomorrow, as they all need it. Before hanging up, Joe remarks that they used to say I love you more often, and perhaps they should go back to doing that. Neal agrees, but says they are no easy solutions.

Cruz is approached at the bar by the same man who previously approached Joe, using the same model pickup line he used with her. Paul claims he came with a friend from work and doesn't know anyone from the bar. He was just making conversation, because people who look like Cruz usually make a living from it. Letting her guard down, Cruz asks Paul to dance with her, which doesn't go unnoticed by Joe.

Bobby, Tex, Two Cups, and Tucker continue to monitor the situation from outside, at which point, they're approached by an unmarked vehicle. They clutch their firearms, but become eased when they discover it is only Supervisor Meada. She tells them to have Joe reach out once she's available.

Paul gets Cruz back to the bar after dancing and drugs her drink. The drugs quickly begin to take effect. However, Cruz is left to defend herself as the security team turn their attention to protecting Aaliyah after a fight erupts on the dance floor. Joe loses sight of her and alerts the team. Randy reports that she's moving north, just outside the hotel. Joe, Bobby, Tex, Two Cups, and Tucker track Cruz's location as Paul takes her into the woods and attempts to rape her. Before he can get his pants off, Joe attacks him. While Two Cups and Bobby tend to Cruz and inject her with something to wake her up, the others focus their attention on her attacker. Tex and Tucker stretch out his legs while Joe repeatedly stomps on his genitals, explaining that this tactic was used for rapist in Afghanistan to stop habitual offenders. Joe then warns him not to reveal to the hospital that he saw his attackers, or else they'll kill him. Lastly, before parting ways, they take his ID and a DNA sample.

The team has convened at the house, where Joe now realizes that Cruz doesn't have the skills for clandestine work and that she was thrown in too early. Cruz refuses to quit and insists she can learn. Meade joins them, questioning how Cruz could possibly navigate Riyadh or Damascus if she can't even manage a week in New York. However, Joe isn't quite ready to give up, as they've never had anyone this close to a tier one target before. Joe promises to get her there, as they have no other choice. Cruz then reveals the wedding is in Dubai and insists that she can make it.

On the way back home to see her daughter, Joe and Meade discuss Kate's accident. Joe remarks that she doesn't know how Meada managed to make it work with Errol, specifically how they stay together and raised a family. Moving on to Texas, Meada reveals that Joe's team is on Border Patrol footage performing a hot extraction with multiple casualties.

## Cast

* Laysla De Oliveira as Cruz Manuelos
* Dave Annable as Neal McNamara
* Jill Wagner as Bobby
* LaMonica Garrett as Tucker
* James Jordan as Two Cups
* Austin Hébert as Randy
* Jonah Wharton as Tex
* Stephanie Nur as Aaliyah
* Hannah Love Lanier as Kate McNamara
* Nicole Kidman as Kaitlyn Meade
* Thad Luckinbill as Kyle McManus
* Ray Corasani as Ehsan Al Rashdi
* Carla Mansour as Malika
* Layla Mohammadi as Nashwa
* Priscilla Doueihy as Nala
* Sam Asghari as Kamal Al Rashdi
* Michael Tow as Dr. Hammond
* Daniel Reece as Paul

Co-starring* Hazel Graye as Diasy
* Ruby King as Jasmine
* Richard Haddad as Asif
* Karim Nematt as Guard #2
* Avi Vichner as Guard #3
* Fawad Siddiqui as Guard #4
* Lily Sondik as EMT 1
* Kevin Sebastian as EMT 2
* Matt Consalvo as EMT 3
* Paige Herschell as Hostess
* Kimberly Dodson as Nurse (Kate's OR)
* Crystal Chau as Physician
* Shanna Bess as Trauma Nurse
* Casey Schryer as Waitress
* Stephan Godleski as Bouncer
* Jack Herholdt as Charge Nurse
* Chris Lindsay-Abaire as Dr. Shipley
* Eunice Bae as Nurse (Neal's OR)
* Amalina Ace as Tami
* Jadaya Bivins as Cheerleader #1
* Angelina Boris as Cheerleader #2
* Ellie Kim as Cheerleader #3
* Andrew Haserlat as Anesthesiologist
* Mike Heslin as Polo