Nikita teaches us the deadly uses of household appliances

My mercury is in retrograde. How do I know this? Last night, when I completed my article and hit save, the system booted me out and dumped all the changes. While this won’t approximate the 800+ words I wrote last night, hopefully, it hits all the main points.

This week Division protects a senator monitored by an international spy. With the presence of a rival agency more evil than Division, the show continues to deepen the spy legacy. With Nikita vs. Percy, Gogol vs. Division, and Gogol vs. Nikita, the triangulated spy vs. spy scheming brings me to the plan-within-a-plan Nikita I like best. It’s pretty clear that while Michael trained her physically, Percy trained her mentally. Who else upped their spy game? Surprisingly, Alex. Her impromptu plan to access the medical lab (without requiring a catfight) and her using Thom’s feeling against him? Awesome.

However, considering we actually see Division commit yet another non-evil mission this week, I have to re-question Nikita’s motives. She still appears blinded by her main anti-Percy mission without looking to the future. Taking down a senator who supports black operations while depriving those agencies of necessary funds doesn’t seem all that forward thinking. Even if Division inherited a large portion (or all) of that bill, what about other agencies (future and current) that might have received assistance? Plus, the senator only brought Division in when he realized his paramour was a spy. Even if he didn’t, Division knew she was a spy before they made the kill. While Percy seems like an evil used car dealer, we learn this week other organizations more evil than Division exist. Has Percy accumulated all of the recent power and funds to defend Division against Gogol’s takeover? Also, while Alex seems similarly blinded by loss, she appeared surprised to learn that Division wasn’t unabashedly evil. Once again, I wonder what will happen when she realizes Nikita snowed her. While the snow contained 100% truth, it was wholly covered in Nikita’s rage. I remain concerned about how the relationship will end, especially considering we learned another difference between the two. While Alex would temporarily compromise her mission\morals to save her life, Nikita remains unrelenting.

I have a couple more thoughts wholly unrelated to my main points. Find them below:

• Each week this show increasingly resembles not only pre-existing iterations of Nikita, but other spy shows, as well. While Undercovers has gone to the “cleaners,” Nikita also resembles Burn Notice. Not only is the main, rogue spy routinely recruited by suspect organizations (each more evil than the previous), I learn new ways to assault people. Last week, thermoses. This week, vacuum cleaners. Man, who knew the deadly capabilities of household appliances?
• The cleaner this week looks like the cleaner who died two weeks ago. Do all cleaners specialize in gray buzz cuts with clunky black glasses?
• How many long-sleeved black skulking outfits does Nikita own? Seriously. I counted four in this episode including the motorcycle outfit, the Regal House outfit, the office outfit, and the second Regal House outfit.
• I always wondered why Percy would send Michael, of the divided loyalty, to retrieve Nikita. Yet, considering the cleaner-level staff are all batshit crazy, on the agent level Michael is the only one able to catch up with or jump ahead of Nikita’s thought process.
• While I loved watching Nikita sucker punch Thom’s baby spy, it’s much better seeing her compete with agents on her level. However, I can’t believe the actor is 32, yet he looks like he’s 17.
• Man, Division has the worst medical ever.
• So, Percy handpicks senatorial candidates (hmm, so that explains the recent changes).

Clacked by An Nicholson
on Nov 05, 2010 @ 18:51 EST5EDT