['Nikita' - 'Fair Trade']I had a feeling that last week's lackluster episode was just a fluke; this week's installment was a welcome return to the 'Nikita' we know and love, advancing the storyline while providing palpable tension throughout the well-paced hour.
'Fair Trade' was a long-overdue showcase for Aaron Stanford, with Birkoff the focal point for much of the hour, and for anyone who underestimates the importance of our resident nerd, this episode was a welcome reminder of just how integral he is not just to operations, but apparently to Nikita's sanity too. We never forget the devotion that Nikita and Michael share, but sometimes it's easy to overlook our irritable little hacker, grumbling in the corner but always coming through for our heroes whenever they're in a tight spot.
Sadly, even though the loss of Birkoff sent Nikita off the deep end, his presence beforehand wasn't quite enough to stop our heroine from going "on a bender" this week, behaving even more recklessly than usual in Michael's absence.
Despite their geographical distance, it was a relief to see Nikita call Michael in her moment of panic -- partly because she had no-one else to turn to, certainly, but also because she knows she can rely on him no matter what's going on in their romantic life. That kind of unconditional love is exactly what every disgruntled Mikita fan should hold on to, because Michael was more than willing to drop everything to hop on the first flight back to America to offer Nikita support. The fact that he can also keep a cool head in a crisis (unlike his other half) and happens to know Division's protocol for interrogation is just gravy. My heart broke for Nikita when she screamed at Michael for not being there -- it was such an honest moment for her, and I'm only sad that Michael couldn't provide her with a good answer.
Proving that they're a kickass team no matter how many miles separate them, Nikita and Michael came up with an excellent plan to rescue Birkoff from Amanda's clutches, even if it would require an ominous-sounding "sacrifice." It was a wise decision for the producers to remove the black box from the board for the time being; it reintroduces the "quest" aspect of the show that we enjoyed in the first season, giving Nikita another goal to pursue to help distract her from Michael's absence, and allowing the writers to shake things up without falling into a storytelling rut.
The black box is, by design, a deus ex machina, and if it exists purely to dispense knowledge and provide missions for the team to embark upon, it's a dangerous plot device to have. Far better to have Nikita back out on the road and relying on her wits to uncover intel, especially since she now has Birkoff to decrypt the next box she retrieves with minimal drama. And since Sean helpfully destroyed the master box, poor Amanda still has to rely on Percy and his beautiful mind if she hopes to keep up with Nikita.
Speaking of Amanda; how thrilling was it to see her truly unleash her dark side this week? Amanda has always been ruthless and calculating, but mental manipulation still can't beat the visceral impact of physical torture, especially when the interrogator seems to take such gleeful pleasure in the torment. Kudos to Melinda Clarke for portraying our woman on top with such delicious malice.
I've seen enough genre shows to have grown desensitized to most forms of on-screen torture, but that cranial needle was one of the most chilling implements I've ever seen on a network drama, and I couldn't help but cringe as Amanda pushed it up Birkoff's nose, even if I felt fairly confident that the show wasn't about to lobotomize one of its regular characters. Suspension of disbelief is one of the most necessary components of a drama series, and it's a testament to the writers and actors that 'Nikita' truly makes us believe that our favorite characters are in danger of being maimed horribly every week.
We dove a little deeper into Sean's relationship with Madeline in this episode, seeing the ex-SEAL losing his cool with Amanda but still managing to orchestrate a fairly successful meeting between the mysterious members of Oversight. True, Nikita did uncover two extra identities in addition to Madeline's, but not only did she not kill his mommy dearest, Sean also successfully snagged Birkoff, despite his normally foolproof method of hiding himself; I'd chalk that up in the win column, if I were Sean.
Though Sean's more overt method of seducing Alex failed miserably last week, actor Dillon Casey did point out to me that Sean is now firmly entrenched in Alex's head, and he certainly dug his claws in a little deeper in 'Fair Trade.' He seems to be taking the sweet and sympathetic route for now, lending our troubled Russian a sympathetic ear as she goes after Semak, and that hidden tracker in her father's watch is doubtless going to come in handy further down the line.
Though Alex has spent the majority of this season (okay, the majority of the show's run so far) being manipulated every which-way by everyone around her, this episode also served to remind us that she's far more capable than she seems, especially compared to the lost girls she encountered on her circuitous journey back into Russia. It might be foolish of Alex to attempt to face Semak head on, but few agents would be brave -- or arrogant -- enough to drop into enemy territory without backup, all in the name of revenge. As suicidal as it is, I still think she should be commended for her resolve. I hope we see more of this confident, resilient Alex, since I think it does her a disservice to constantly see her as someone else's pawn.
I do so love the little touches that are often thrown into fight scenes, like last week's ceiling-walk or Nikita throwing a ball at a police officer to waylay Sean in this episode, but my favorite scene this week was one of the simplest. Nikita's final scene with Birkoff was understated and undeniably touching; I loved the subtlety of Nikita reaching out to take Birkoff's glass when his hand began to shake after his ordeal -- it was an elegant way of conveying the care between the two without either of them getting too mushy about it. Her "you're so worth it," helped too. More adventures with Nikki and Nerd, I say!
'Nikita' airs Fridays at 8PM ET on The CW. The show takes a one-week break next week and returns for the midseason finale on Dec. 2nd.
What did you think of Birkoff's central role this week? Did you miss Michael? Were you as impressed (and terrified) by Amanda as I was? Share your reactions below!
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