Lioness season 3, episode 5 ending explained: Where is Joe now?

Lioness season 3, episode 5 pushes Operation Treasure forward while revealing a major clue about Joe McNamara’s (Zoe Saldaña) whereabouts following her kidnapping.

Much of the episode takes place before the events of Joe’s abduction. Her team works undercover to identify the people behind the attack on her home. Cruz Manuelos (Laysla De Oliveira) and Josephina Carrillo (Genesis Rodriguez) target Russian asset Cade McWeaver, a software engineer, while Two Cups (James Jordan) works undercover at a strip club.

Cade eventually leads Joe’s team to Mr. Lin, a contract agent connected to China’s Ministry of State Security. The CIA discovers that Lin has been blackmailing employees at major technology companies using their past academic misconduct.

Meanwhile, Two Cups’ operation exposes three Belarusian contract agents. During their interrogation, Kyle McManus (Thad Luckinbill) discovers that one of the men is Muslim, raising the possibility of a wider connection to the Middle East.

The episode also reveals Joe’s plan for dealing with compromised US lawmakers. After learning that seven House members and two senators are Russian assets, Joe proposes forcing them to choose between retirement and prison while using them as intelligence sources.

The biggest reveal comes in the final moments. The story returns to the present as the Russian kidnappers land with Joe aboard an untraceable private jet.

Joe immediately looks for clues about her location. She spots a Texas flag nearby, confirming that she has been taken somewhere in the United States.

The discovery gives Joe and the CIA a potential lead, while setting up the next stage of her rescue mission in Lioness season 3.