Episode 3 of Special Ops picks up right where the previous episode left off, with Aaliyah's invitation to Cruz for a party still hanging in the air. Cruz heads out to Chesapeake, Maryland, with Joe's final instructions ringing in her ears. Joe is meticulous about how Cruz should approach Aaliyah and her circle, instructing her to deflect questions with queries of her own and steer the conversation towards their personal lives, as that's their sole obsession. She also warns Cruz that her car will be bugged and tracked.
Joe convenes with Kaitlyn to discuss the mission at hand. They delve into Aaliyah's access to Asmari's resources, with Kaitlyn suggesting that it might be a calculated move, a trap to expose the mole. Even the house Cruz is headed to is owned by Qudrah Petrol, adding another layer of intrigue to the already complex situation.
Joe has an extraction team standing by, ready to spring into action if anything untoward occurs at the party. As she exits the restaurant, she's approached by Kyle, an apparent acquaintance from her days serving in Afghanistan. Joe's demeanor is visibly tense as she confronts him. She knows he's angling for something, and her anxiety is palpable.
Kyle's team is embarked on an operation to intercept trafficked Syrian nationals at the border. Their target is currently incarcerated and being transferred across state lines. But once word gets out that he's a snitch, his chances of survival in prison are slim. Kyle proposes a daring plan: intercept the transfer midway and extract their target. He asks for Joe's team's assistance, and she looks at him with a mixture of disbelief and calculation. After much deliberation, she agrees to lend him three members of her team, but with a strict condition - they must be returned within two days.
As expected, Cruz faces intense scrutiny from Asmari's team. They immediately conduct background checks and assign a shadow to her for the duration of the party. Aaliyah greets Cruz warmly and introduces her to her circle of friends. Their reaction to Cruz is telling - they're not overly interested, assuming that "Aaliyah has rescued another stray." They even jokingly refer to Cruz as her next "project" when Aaliyah takes her shopping for a swimsuit. Aaliyah is startled to see the bruises on Cruz's body when she changes, her concern outweighing any suspicion. She promptly calls her doctor to examine Cruz.
Joe imparted the information about Kyle's covert mission to his team, and promptly, three brave souls stepped forward, volunteering to embark on the dangerous journey. However, the remaining members of Joe's team were gripped by a palpable sense of nervous anticipation. They had a hunch that Cruz's cover story was perilously close to being exposed, and their instincts were spot on.
Dr. Bramley cast a skeptical eye over Cruz and immediately doubted her fabricated tale of a car accident. He sensed a deeper truth beneath the surface, suspecting domestic abuse to be the underlying issue. Feeling compelled to act, he resolved to report his suspicions to the authorities.
As the team prepared to depart, Joe granted Cruz some precious time to try and sway Dr. Bramley's opinion. Cruz rose to the challenge, deftly navigating the conversation and slipping out of the tight spot.
Meanwhile, Aaliyah sent her friends away to the bustling city and embarked on a serene stroll along the beach with Cruz. Her voice was filled with disdain as she ranted about the oppressive rules and lack of prosperity in the Middle East, beyond the confines of the palace she resided in. She expressed her loathing for the region's restrictive ways and longed for the freedoms she found in her fiancé Ehsan's world in Manhattan. Aaliyah sternly warned Cruz to steer clear of her friends Malika and Nashwa, cautioning that they were bent on sabotaging her newfound friendships.
Joe returned home to a surprising sight - Kate, deeply engrossed in a passionate kiss with a young boy. Joe quickly picked up the phone and called Kate's mother, informing her of the teenager's latest antics. Kate, unaware of the folly of her actions, lashed out at Joe with typical teenage tantrums.
Joe listens attentively, remaining completely unfazed by Kate's baiting remarks. Meanwhile, Neil stands on the porch, engrossed in a surgical tutorial via video. Joe brings Kate's behavior to his attention, and Neil surprises him with the "rules" he has established with Kate concerning such antics. Joe had hoped for Neil's consultation, but Neil rightly points out that she is seldom around.
Elsewhere, the atmosphere in Maryland is tense and fraught. Cruz, unable to find sleep, stumbles upon a drunken Sami in the kitchen. He attempts to forcibly engage with her, but Sami easily repels his advances. Undeterred, he persists, pounding angrily on her door.
Armed with a pen, Cruz prepared herself for the task ahead, but little did she know that the CCTV cameras had caught her every move. Security personnel, alert to the situation, quickly intervened and escorted Sami away. Meanwhile, Kyle and Joe's team anxiously awaited the execution of their mission in Texas. Their hearts skipped a beat when they discovered that the mission was unauthorized by any agency, yet they pressed ahead, determined to succeed.
The mission unfolded seamlessly as they carefully extracted their target without any hiccups. After the successful extraction, the men quickly abandoned their car and equipment in a barn, making a swift switch to another vehicle to evade any pursuit. Kyle reassured his team that the media would not pick up the news, as the administration would ensure that any such information was kept under wraps. This secrecy only added to their perception of weakness and incompetence.
The following morning, Eshan sent Sami packing, his actions from the previous night having sealed his fate in the group. Sami's expulsion hung heavily over the group as they mulled over their next move. The episode concluded with Joe, tense and agitated, grappling with the revelation that Aaliyah had surprised Cruz by whisking her away to a fixed base operator. These were companies renowned for providing charter services for private jets, but their ultimate destination remained a mystery.
Cruz, however, was quick to deduce the plane's plate number, and Joe made sure they were trailed by a jet, leaving no stone unturned in their pursuit of the truth. The tension mounted as they raced against time to unravel the mystery and bring their mission to a successful conclusion.
