Hello everyone! Lately, I’ve noticed some exciting military series featuring fierce female leads — and I’m all for it! It’s refreshing to see women breaking away from the usual stereotypes of being delicate, which, by the way, is definitely not me. That’s how I stumbled upon Special Ops: Lioness on Amazon Prime one weekend, and I was instantly hooked. Naturally, I ended up binging almost the entire series in one night because it was just that good!
Special Ops: Lioness (2023) follows an elite special operations team on high-stakes, undercover missions within Muslim communities. At the heart of the story are Cruz Manuelos (Laysla De Oliveira) and Aaliyah Amrohi (Stephanie Nur), two bisexual protagonists navigating intense moral dilemmas that challenge their loyalty and personal values at every turn.
Before we go any further, a couple of warnings: first, SPOILERS ahead! Lioness blends elements of terrorism, thriller, action, drama, and espionage. However, I’ll keep things as light and surface-level as possible. I’ll also be rating this series using our Unicorn Scale metric — if you’re unfamiliar with it, you can check it out here.
Cruz, operating under the alias Zara Adid, infiltrates a Muslim community by posing as an American Muslim. Her mission is to befriend Aaliyah, a young Arab woman on the verge of marriage and the daughter of an internationally wanted terrorist.
The relationship between Cruz and Aaliyah is both complex and captivating. They support each other through the challenges of their personal and professional lives, while also confronting the social and religious norms surrounding their bisexuality. As the series unfolds, the two women fall in love, drawing viewers into a gripping story filled with suspense, intrigue, and unexpected twists that keep audiences on the edge of their seats until the very end.
What I Liked:
I liked watching the exploration of different ways of experiencing bisexuality in the series. Cruz’s ethical conflict when discovering his attraction to women and the risk this represents for his undercover career contrasts with the moral conflict of Aaliyah, who questions the teachings of the Koran due to her feelings towards Cruz.
Aaliyah, a devout Muslim engaged to an influential Muslim leader, forms a deep connection with Cruz that soon evolves into a romantic and physical relationship. This bond forces Aaliyah to confront profound questions about her morals and the place of bisexuality within her faith. The teachings of the Quran emphasize traditional gender roles, asserting the duty of submission for women and prioritizing men’s authority. These beliefs create an intense internal conflict for Aaliyah, making her question whether her desires align with her religious identity. As a result, she lives her love for Cruz in secret, struggling to reconcile her emotions with her faith.
Aaliyah faces an inner conflict between her faith and her feelings for Cruz. While religious teachings allow women some social freedom before marriage, they also emphasize submission to a husband. Although her fiancé is aware of her relationship with Cruz, he views it as a passing phase that will end with their marriage. This struggle highlights Aaliyah’s longing for a deeper, monogamous connection with Cruz, even as societal and religious expectations restrict her from fully embracing her bisexuality.
Cruz also grapples with her bisexuality on an ethical level. Tasked with infiltrating Aaliyah’s life to gain access to her father, she never anticipated that their forced proximity would spark genuine feelings — something entirely new to her. This unexpected connection compels Cruz to confront and accept her bisexuality, allowing herself to embrace a deep, intimate, and loving relationship with Aaliyah.
I also appreciated the moment when Cruz expresses to Aaliyah her desire to abandon everything — their current lives — and run away together, free from the social norms that keep them from being their true selves. This scene resonated with me, as it highlights the profound connection they’ve built and the commitment they both share to their relationship.
What I Didn’t Like:
I found it interesting that the show avoids explicitly using the term “bi” to describe Cruz or Aaliyah. In fact, no specific label is applied to their sexual orientation, even though both characters are portrayed as being attracted to people of different genders, with their relationship unfolding as a romantic one. Notably, the series does use the term “lesbian” when referring to Bobby, the captain of the Lioness team. This suggests that the show is comfortable addressing sexual diversity, though it takes a more subtle approach with the protagonists.
While Cruz and Aaliyah aren’t labeled as bisexual, their relationship and the personal struggles they face — navigating their beliefs and societal expectations—strongly reflect their sexual orientation. I hope that future episodes will explore their bisexuality more openly and explicitly.
The Rating:
The series presents two bisexual characters, Cruz and Aaliyah, whose intertwined stories explore different ways bisexuality can be experienced, along with the internal struggles that often come with it — especially in environments where their orientation isn’t always accepted or understood.
Overall, Special Ops: Lioness is an entertaining show with an action-packed plot and complex characters. While the representation of bisexuality has its weak points — such as the lack of explicit use of the term “bisexual” by the protagonists despite their clear bisexuality — I see it as a positive step to have characters like these on screen, especially given the intersection of Muslim morality and the ethics of military life.
I appreciated that the series goes beyond the high-paced action to explore the personal lives of Cruz and Aaliyah. As main characters, we follow their coming out journeys and witness the internal conflicts they face — navigating the moral and ethical challenges that come with being bisexual. Their storylines also delve into the sacrifices they make to balance societal expectations with personal desires, caught in the constant tension between their religious beliefs and duties as secret government agents.
Although the series avoids explicit labels, it clearly establishes that Cruz and Aaliyah are bisexual through their deep emotional and physical connection and the personal struggles they endure. For this thoughtful portrayal, I award it three unicorns!
