The <i>Nikita</i> Watch: All the Way

The Nikita Watch: All the Way

Random thoughts while working my way through the entirety of the CW's 2010–2013 show starring Maggie Q.

A dozen episodes into Nikita and things are starting to heat up. The show's mythology is slowly building, piece by piece, and some interesting revelations about various characters have come into play. We've learned that Percy, head of Division, is a master manipulator with zero empathy skills. Michael continues to serve as Percy's lapdog for the most part, but he's starting to bristle and push back against his boss. Alex's natural skepticism seems to indicate she might be doing some pushing back against Division soon, too. As it is, she's already working as Nikita's mole on the inside, corresponding via direct message (and in code) with her, leading to way too many scenes watching Maggie Q and Lindsy Fonseca staring intently at their computer screens.

By the first mid-season finale, several plot lines begin to come together. Alex goes undercover to kill a target at a swanky soiree—her "graduation" mission that leads to her being a full agent. This is exciting news for no other reason than maybe the show will start to move away from the exceedingly dull scenes of Division recruits practicing whatever it is they're always practicing. The party scene builds tension well, leading to some exciting action moments. We're treated to Alex and Nikita teaming up to beat down some bodyguards—and for once Nikita's the sensibly dressed one, while Alex, in undercover party mode, high-kicks and throat-punches in a super-short sapphire cocktail dress and black pumps. The improbability factor is high, but as usual the show's action scenes deliver anyway. A few years after Nikita ended, Daredevil seemed to elevate television fight sequences, but its worth noting that Nikita had already staged some incredible hand-to-hand combat scenes during its time.

Things go south—Division has discovered that Nikita is working with a mole inside the organization, but they don't know that mole is Alex—and Nikita gives herself up in order to save Alex. After some tough talk from a gloating Percy, master interrogator and seriously unethical psychologist Amanda (Melinda Clarke) tortures Nikita by forcing her to watch surveillance footage of herself and her fiance, who was murdered by Division. That's just cruel. So far in the series we don't know much about Amanda but Clarke's resting bitch face is never anything short of delightful. I'm definitely interested in learning more about the character, and look forward to what Clarke will do with the part.

Nikita has certainly sucked me over this first half-season. While I quickly grew tired of the recruits subplot and the over-reliance on showing people glare ominously at one another and at computer screens, the dramatic moments, action sequences, and sometimes sly humor—Maggie Q has a knack for delivering witty remarks with a wink and a nod—always kept me invested. And, of course, the entire thing pivots around the central performance by Maggie Q and she is never anything less than stellar in the role. As long as Nikita keeps doing her Nikita thing, I'm sticking with the show.

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