Cruz Manuelos joins the Lioness Engagement Team through a series of events that unfold in Season 1, particularly in Episode 1 ("Sacrificial Soldiers"), which establish her background, recruit her into the U.S. Marines, and eventually lead to her selection for an undercover CIA operation. Here’s how it happens:
How Cruz Is Recruited Into the Lioness Team
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Domestic strife and escape Cruz is living in Oklahoma City, working at a fast-food restaurant and stuck in a physically abusive relationship. After a violent confrontation, she defends herself with a frying pan and flees. She ends up at a women’s shelter before stepping into a Marine recruitment office.
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Enlistment and proving herself She enlists in the Marines. Even though she has personal baggage—including her mother’s death in her youth and an absent father—Cruz quickly stands out as a recruit due to her athleticism, resilience, and raw physical strength. Her performance in basic and Force Recon-style training earns her recognition from Marine leadership.
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Joe sees potential Joe McNamara, head of the CIA’s Lioness program, is looking for a new asset—one who can infiltrate a terrorist threat from within. Hearing about Cruz’s capabilities, Joe decides to evaluate her. A key concern is that Cruz may have tattoos that could blow her cover; Joe even requests a full strip-search to ensure there are none.
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Deep cover mission begins Having been vetted, Cruz is brought into the Lioness program and assigned a covert mission targeting Asmar Ali Amrohi, a terrorist financier. Her role: infiltrate the social circles around his daughter, Aaliyah, to get close enough to gather intelligence and ultimately take down the target. Cruz uses her fluency in Arabic and recent deployments as part of her credentials. The initial break in her cover happens in a mall in Kuwait City where she gains Aaliyah’s trust.
Cruz’s recruitment into Lioness is portrayed as both a way out of a brutal past and a leap into a life of danger and moral complexity. Her strengths catch Joe’s eye, and by the end of Episode 1 she’s officially in the deep-cover game.
If you want, I can walk through how the rest of Season 1 treats Cruz’s journey—developing relationships, moral dilemmas, and how her mission concludes.
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