This week’s Nikita continues the same quality from last week while expanding on issues I questioned previously: Alex’s recklessness, Michael’s continued dedication, Nikita’s need for another partner, the Alex-Thom Nikita-Michael parallel, and the occasional re-surfacing of old school Nikita.
As Alex becomes more transparent in her eagerness to support external Nikita internally, she seemingly forgets she’s in a long-term undercover operation with a fishbowl environment, limited mobility, and agents with long memories trained to spot discrepancies. While she appeals to the emotional heartstrings of whoever catches her (like her mentor, Nikita, did before her), eventually, Amanda might penetrate her cover. I’m glad that Thom called her out. She immediately put Birkhoff’s fingerprint in her pocket without enough suspended time. Plus, she literally ran out of a group exercise one second later without a sufficient reason. Obvious, much? Considering Division’s probably a locked-down subterranean fortress, could Nikita really get to Alex in time if anyone grabbed her? I’m starting to wonder if Alex is a planned obsolescent.
Either way, I’m glad Nikita has a potential second partner. Devon Sawa rocked the party as Owen. While I love Maggie Q, am increasingly creeped out by her character’s undercover airhead personae, and enjoy her fast-paced fight scenes, Sawa’s physicality seems more natural handling the prop weapons and conducting the hand-to-hand combat while executing an amazing roundhouse-leap kick.
Deb and a couple others mentioned that Maggie Q’s coolness turned them off. But I continue to love the all-knowing knowingness of Nikita 2.0 which didn’t exist in her younger iterations. However, as with last week, flashes of old-school Nikita who displays uncertainty when in a jam surface, including trying to get a GPS location without a passcode from a cell phone operator and fighting with Owen whose style eventually outmatched her. Just like the Nina in Point of No Return’s first mission, the CW’s Nikita when lacking a plan still manages to accomplish her tasks through sheer desperation, luck, or borderline ingenuity. I never knew why section lauded old school Nikita’s missions, but perhaps her natural instincts in getting out of tight spaces always served her well. Felicitaciones to the writers for doing their homework and incorporating a description of old school Nikita’s bluffs in one of Percy’s speeches. Yet, other flashes of old emotional Nikita also exist. For some odd reason, people always trust her. Despite holding Owen’s girlfriend hostage and Owen at gunpoint, she managed to convince his girlfriend and Owen’s super-secretive, cleaner-level operative to trust her after 5 minutes.
In some ways the show continues to surprise me. I definitely didn’t expect a Stan Lee cameo. I didn’t expect Thom to manifest his feelings so soon (in an intimately erotic kiss paralleling Nikita-Michael 1.0 through his denied desire). I didn’t expect Owen’s girlfriend to die (or expect Bianca Lawson to do so well). Am I the only one who forgot she previously starred in Saved by the Bell: TNG despite acting in so much more ? I didn’t expect them to kill off the badass cleaner. I didn’t expect Division to continue to do good missions. However, Michael’s ability to construct anti-terrorist operations including the one in Pakistan for this week explains why he might turn a blind eye to Percy’s divisive Division diversions. However, Thom’s perspective of Division as his savior serves as another.
On a side note, watching Nikita and Burn Notice always shows me new ways to commit crime. Need to open a neighbor’s mailbox? Use the building’s placard! Need a quick fingerprint kit? Use sparkly black eye shadow!
Quotes
Nikita: Hello, gun means question time for me.
Stan Lee: That bugger moved so fast it was like he was a superhero or something.
Percy: You’re messing with the wrong weapon.
Clacked by An Nicholson 
on Oct 08, 2010 @ 09:13 EST5EDT
Quoting…
“flashes of old-school Nikita who displays uncertainty when in a jam surface, including trying to get a GPS location without a passcode from a cell phone operator….”
Are you serious? What was wrong with that? I thought the way she played the operator was a neat little piece of social engineering.
I will agree that Alex is getting away with much too much and the hammer is eventually going to drop. For instance, when she slipped the activated cellphone in Birkoff’s pocket so she could eavesdrop over the bluetooth headset. Wouldn’t be interesting if Michael is the one who catches her and ends up working with her to help Nikita bring down Division?
Oh, and the girlfriend dying? I thought the clock was ticking on her the moment we met her.
I didn’t think her cellphone ‘cheating husband’ improv was bad. In fact, I will no longer curse my operator for refusing my bill pay access when I forget it. However, in eps 1-3, nothing really phased Nikita. If the main event didn’t fit her plan, she had a backup. Someone’s assaulting her spy while a truck full of unknown attackers pulls up? No problem. Percy surrounds her with Division spy waiters, despite her congressman escort? She’s got it covered.
However, in recent episodes Nikita has exhibited a bit of human anxiety once she escapes an unforeseen tight spot. Last week, after successfully convincing the victim’s wife to leave, she walked around the corner and sighed. This week, after grabbing the GPS location, she takes the moment to exhale. Is it bad? No. I loved post-adolescent emotion-baring Nikita, but I also enjoyed the new, coldly calculating Nikita.
Regarding Alex and Michael, I like your idea. The Alex/Michael/Nikita match up could swing any number of ways. Maybe Nikita tells Alex to reveal herself to Michael if anything happens. Maybe, Percy catalyzes the relationship (considering Percy’s increasing awareness of Michael’s slow distrust). What if Owen is a clever plant by Percy?
The writers are doing a good job so far. I hope they continue in that vein.
Stan Lee cameoed in this?!! I missed that.
I was frustrated to see Nikita and Owens go so incredibly unprofessionally careless when they let Percy off the hook. They HAD him!
*POST AUTHOR*
Stan Lee is the Alfred Hitchcock of contemporary sci fi/spy fy. If you saw Spiderman, etc. his cameo was along those lines. If you blinked/walked to the fridge, you’d miss his innocent bank bystander interview.
Hmm, I didn’t see Owen/Nikita letting Percy go as unprofessional, but as a conflict of interest. Owen decided he’d rather fight Nikita (for the right to kill Percy), rather than just killing Percy.
Then again, considering Owen/Nikita had Percy outmatched/outgunned, despite fighting against each other, they still could’ve taken him. So, yea, dropping their guns, suddenly realizing they had disarmed each other, and deciding to jump overboard rather than fight the slightly pudgy (albeit highly evil) middle-aged male, was kinda foolish. I actually found myself respecting Percy. Despite facing agents at their physical height, he still acted as if he could take them.
Ah yes, I see him now. Amazing. To see the man that (along with Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko) created the Fantastic Four, X-men, Avengers, and other Marvel super-heros, brings back nostalgia for my childhood days.
Yes An, I understand your thinking on the point at hand, and you are correct. I suppose my rationale was thinking high-powered superspys would abbreviate their debate until a more favorable time, and more importantly, not turn his back on such a powerful villian. I’m not debating your read on the scene, I just wanted them to nail Percy.
ps: And you brought up a (albeit begrudging when it comes to Percy) revealing point….the man does have courage.