Old Wine, New Warzone, Served with a Sherni’s Snarl !

Old Wine, New Warzone, Served with a Sherni’s Snarl : My quick take on web series “Special Ops: Lioness – S01 / S02” (Starplay)

If you’ve chewed your way through Homeland, digested Quantico, and taken a polite bite of Citadel, then Special Ops: Lioness is your next tactical tandoori — slightly reheated, but still packing enough punch to keep your eyeballs alert.

Let’s address the elephant in the war room:

This is not a brand-new series. It actually came out in 2023 on Paramount’s OTT, but now it’s being re-dropped (read: recycled) on StarPlay — possibly to give desi audiences another dose of “America saves the world, but this time with Shakti.”

Yes, it’s familiar. Yes, we’ve seen this play out.

But like mom’s leftover sabzi, when reheated right, it still hits the spot.

Zoe Saldaña – The Sherni in Combat Boots

Zoe Saldaña leads the pack as Joe, the CIA handler.

Not the “let’s debrief over coffee” type — more like “tell me the truth or I’ll burn your file, your plan, and your ego” type.

She’s a one-woman command centre, navigating bomb zones and backtalking teenagers with equal precision.

She’s not trying to impress anyone.

She’s too busy commanding missions, managing meltdowns, and carrying the weight of the world like it’s just another rucksack.

Plotline: Familiar But Fierce

Yes, the plot is as recycled as a wedding sherwani:

Plant a mole. Get close to the enemy. Drop intel. Fire bullets. Vanish in smoke.

But the Lioness program flips the usual game. This time, the field agents are women — trained not just in tactics, but in emotional warfare that could make even saas-bahu serials look subtle.

•Season 1 - A slow burn set in the Middle East — full of tension, twists, and terrific pacing.

•Season 2 - Moves to Mexico, but gets stuck in the mud. The “train–infiltrate–repeat” rhythm feels like déjà vu with a desert filter.

Still, the scale is stunning. The action choreography? Tighter than your jeans after Diwali.

Explosions look real, not rendered. Every punch has purpose. Every scene breathes intent.

Supporting Cast That Doesn’t Just Stand Around

Morgan Freeman steps in with his trademark “I’ve seen it all” gravitas, and Nicole Kidman is all poise and precision — like a butter knife that can still cut steel.

No fluff, no flab — just actors who know how to own a moment without begging for a background score.

Overall, Special Ops: Lioness isn’t groundbreaking.

It’s ground-holding.

It doesn’t promise a revolution, but it delivers a reminder that a woman with a mission is more dangerous than a man with a missile.

Watch it if:

•You’re into high-stakes spy drama with shrapnel, sweat, and sher-panache.

•You enjoy seeing women lead, without pausing to explain why.

•And you’re okay with plots that aren’t new, but are tight enough to keep your chai from going cold.

Not a gamechanger.

But definitely a gunpowder-powered reminder that lionesses don’t purr — they pounce.