What happens to Joe in Lioness? The shocking truth about who’s really behind her kidnapping

Joe McNamara is in serious trouble in Lioness season three, episode six, so here’s what happened to her and who is actually behind her kidnapping.

The new episode sees Kyle McManus track down Ukrainian double agent Oleksandra Balakin, who is now living under witness protection. He believes she could have information that helps them find Joe, and she actually points him towards a much bigger theory about who is responsible.

So, who is really behind Joe’s kidnapping, who is Babat, and does Joe get rescued, or is she going to be killed?

Who is behind the kidnapping?

For most of the episode, it looks like Russia is responsible for Joe’s kidnapping. Russian contract agents are the ones holding her, and she’s being kept inside a Russian safe house in Texas. But Oleksandra isn’t convinced that Russia would take such a huge risk just to target Joe.

When Kyle tells her that Russian contract agents took Joe, Oleksandra asks whether Joe has ever led a successful operation against Iran. Kyle’s reaction confirms that she has, which gives Oleksandra a possible motive for the kidnapping.

She believes Iran could be behind the wider operation because of Joe’s previous successful missions against the country. Oleksandra thinks Iran’s foreign policy is heavily driven by revenge and the need to project strength, so the more damage Joe’s operations caused, the more reason Iran would have to retaliate against her.

Basically, her theory is that Russian operatives are helping carry out the kidnapping, but Iran is behind the bigger plan. She also believes a Russian officer could be working with Iran and says the plan would likely involve getting Joe out of the US through Houston.

That theory becomes a lot more convincing later in the episode when an Iranian operative arrives to take Joe.

So, who is Babat?

Babat is the Iranian operative who arrives at the safe house after Joe’s original extraction plan starts falling apart. His arrival is important because it backs up Oleksandra’s theory that Iran is behind the wider operation.

The Russians realise that Joe’s team is getting too close, while the plane that was supposed to take Joe out of the country has been compromised. They contact the person who ordered the kidnapping and warn that they will abandon Joe unless another extraction is arranged.

Babat then arrives to take over. He makes it clear that Joe isn’t being held simply for information or as a bargaining chip. His plan is to take her somewhere she can be tortured and killed, including being burned alive afterwards.

Joe doesn’t exactly make things easier for herself. She mocks Babat, and he responds by cutting off her pinky toe before ordering his men to put her into a car.

The episode therefore separates the different roles in the kidnapping. Russian operatives are directly involved in taking Joe and holding her at the safe house, while Babat is the Iranian operative who comes to collect her. The wider operation appears to be driven by Iran, although the episode doesn’t explain every part of the chain of command.

Does Joe get rescued or is she going to be killed?

Joe does not get rescued in episode six. Her team does manage to compromise the plane that was supposed to take her out of the country, which forces the kidnappers to change their plans. But stopping the flight doesn’t save Joe because the Russians realise they need to move her before Tex, Randy and the rest of the team can find her.

There’s also a massive near miss when Tex and Randy reach 1117 Hudson, one of the addresses they’re checking. Joe is actually being held inside the house, but they don’t know that. They suggest checking the garage and backyard before moving on, while Army commander Amber Whalen tells them to continue through the list and return later. So they leave without finding Joe, even though she’s right there.

As for whether Joe is going to be killed, Babat clearly intends to do exactly that. He tells her that he is taking her to her death and explains the torture and killing he has planned for her. But that still doesn’t mean Joe is confirmed to die.

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