['Nikita' - 'Clawback']It feels a little like critical laziness when I find myself heaping praise on 'Nikita' week after week, but I'm not being hyperbolic when I say that 'Clawback' may have just replaced last season's Kasim episodes as my favorite of the series to date.
The plot was densely packed and yet maintained an energetic pace that kept me guessing, and the episode was replete with important character development to drive the emotional story forward right alongside the narrative.
And as for that twist ... midway through the episode, I wanted to hurl my laptop across the room in outrage, before the eleventh-hour reveal had me thanking the capricious televisual gods for their mercy.
In some ways, I almost wish the show had followed through with killing Ryan, because that moment in the hospital was so shocking and so startlingly impactful (for me, at least), that I found myself caught off-guard and reeling in a way that TV seldom affects me anymore.
But then I remember Noah Bean's compelling performance and all the intriguing angles that Ryan brings to the story -- and to his scenes with Nikita -- and I can't help but feel relieved that we get to keep him a little longer. Many genre shows make a habit of killing off so many supporting cast members that death starts to lose its power (especially if they're later resurrected), but 'Nikita' has done an admirable job of illustrating the high stakes of the world the characters inhabit without cheapening the emotions involved, and the bait-and-switch was so well-executed that I can't hold it against the producers.
I'm also very intrigued to see how Amanda intends to manipulate (or "persuade") Ryan to put his talents to use for Division, since their goals have momentarily aligned. Still, despite Amanda's mind games, I doubt Ryan will easily forget that Division and Percy were the ones who got him incarcerated in the first place, nor what the agency has put Nikita through in the time he's known her.
Speaking of Nikita -- just when I thought she was making progress last week, finally telling Michael the truth about Max, she took two steps back this week by drugging him in an attempt to keep him out of the fight with Gaines. She's still hellbent on protecting those she loves at any cost, and far too focused on keeping her makeshift family close to stop and consider what they want or what they think of her potentially suicidal plans. I think Michael was perfectly justified in giving her some long-overdue tough love this week, pointing out that "there's no 'my' anymore, there's only 'ours.'"
Sheltering Alex from a painful truth was one thing, considering she had built up trust with Nikita based on a necessary lie from the start, but Michael is not Nikita's student or responsibility (if anything, it's almost the other way round), and he's demonstrated himself to be a more than capable partner and tactician. The more Nikita continues to inadvertently undermine that trust and equality -- even with good intentions and Michael's best interests at heart -- the greater the distance between them becomes.
And what distance it was. I'd be fascinated to read the script to figure out how much of Michael and Nikita's emotional distance this week was written, and how much was purely Maggie Q and Shane West's nuanced performances. After Nikita's revelation about Max, the tension was palpable between the pair, even when they were in close proximity and working as efficiently as always. While the case was business as usual, their interactions were still brusque and guarded in comparison with their usual intimacy, with Michael clearly still simmering over his partner's perceived betrayal.
That made it all the more satisfying when things came to a head at the episode's end, and Michael's raw and heartfelt declaration of how much Nikita means to him was one of the most painfully honest (and touching) scenes the two have shared yet, brought on by Michael's abject terror over potentially losing the woman he loves. As I said last week, I don't think Mikita fans have anything to worry about -- to paraphrase the immortal words of Spike on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' they'll be in love 'til it kills them both.
Another happy progression in this week's episode: I'm finally warming up to Sean. I know I've been hard on the character thus far because of his status as Future Alex Love Interest, but now that we're finally starting to peel back his layers and get to the motivations beneath, I'm willing to eat humble pie and admit that he's becoming more compelling. It was an interesting twist to tie him into Oversight as the son of one of its key members, giving him an unfortunate conflict of interests that will no doubt lead to some painful decisions somewhere down the line. But now that Amanda knows that Oversight wants to depose her, I wonder how accommodating she'll be towards her resident Oversight overseer. I admire his nobility, and his readiness to trust Alex to tell him the truth despite their initial animosity. But since he clued Amanda in to what his mother and Oversight were planning, then tried to protect her identity from Nikita and Roan (or did he?), where do his loyalties t ruly lie?
The episode also did an excellent job of expanding Alex's story at a slow burn, allowing her to grow closer to Sean in a believable way as well as giving Lyndsy Fonseca some meaty material to work with during Alex's scenes with Yuri. Fonseca brought her A-game this week, and I think she's tied with West for MVP of the episode, thanks to their vulnerable performances.
Clearly, Alex can't have a showdown with Semak this early in the season, but writer Michael Brandon Guercio cannily allowed the show to address the hit that Gogol has placed on her, using it as an opportunity to delve deeper into Alex's childhood and her current alliances. It was interesting to see her defending Nikita and how she chose to kill Alex's father, and it also emphasized just how surreal Alex's life truly is, since I couldn't blame Yuri for being dubious about the veracity of her complicated story.
Now Amanda has Alex right where she wants her, back under lockdown at Division where she can no longer openly communicate with Nikita. Will she find Ryan, or at least a way out thanks to Sean? I'm intrigued to see where they take her from here, since for all appearances, she seems to be trapped.
A new alliance between mother and son revealed, another Oversight member dead, one faked death and another powerful Mikita scene -- I didn't even have time to miss Birkhoff or Percy; did you? (I did love all of Nikita's new gadgetry, though -- how badass was the doohickey she used to scale Gaines' building?)
'Nikita' airs Fridays at 8PM ET on The CW.
What did you think of the Ryan Fletcher twist? Are you glad to see him sticking around? What's your opinion of Sean so far? Share your reactions in the comments!
Follow Laura on Twitter: @LauinLA
{ 0 comments... Views All / Send Comment! }
Posting Komentar