Nikita’s back — did she deliver?

While last night’s episode didn’t offer anything special in terms of fireworks, it brought a well-developed episode with a mature balance and seasoned hand. After the hiatus, I feared Nikita might return to its pilot beginnings – shaky, unstable, and with multiple disconnected plot lines – luckily, it did not.

“Free” focused on Alex’s first week out of Division. If you’ve seen Point of No Return, the original Nikita, or the first season of USA’s Nikita, you know what happens. They nicely recreate the operative’s inability to shop and interact with men. While Bridget Fonda’s character bought an eerie amount of canned food, Alex’s go-to point is jumbo jars of marshmallow Fluff.

Although last night’s episode didn’t bring anything new or explosive to the table, excluding the GPS kill switch, it brought up my old concerns in past reviews about Nikita’s actions.

• Nikita seems too close to Division in her actions, yet does not realize it. She will do anything for the mission, while leaving her operatives in the dark. What is the difference between Nikita contacting Alex or Division contacting Alex? Both equally interrupt Alex’s dream of freedom.
• I disliked Nikita’s blatantly exposing Fletcher to Division. How is Nikita’s usage of a government official as a pawn (including getting him demoted/promoted at will), any different from Percy’s actions?
• If Nikita really wants Alex fully devoted to the mission why not reveal the kill switch in her head? While it might freak her out and return her to her old ways of letting Nikita’s secrets slip, it might make her more interested in running a mission than hanging at a party.

There were other items that did not detract from the script but that I hoped the writing staff would smooth over/explain, including:

• Alex’s age — Alex looks like a 19-year-old to me. How could anyone believe that she’s a fully graduated marketing executive?
• The apartment’s cost — How does the government afford that apartment and her monthly $20,000 spending allowance?
• Jaden’s insane range — I still wish they’d flesh out the Jaden character.Yes, Alex killed the guy who never returned Jaden’s feelings, but I want to see them on the same side.
• Alex’s continuing unexplained appearances in the computer labs — Really? Amanda didn’t ask why Alex was in the server room at night without reason?
• Nikita’s accidental name-dropping — Why did Nikita give Fletcher Alex’s name? I understood the need for the story, but not in using Alex’s name. It’s the one time she could’ve obfuscated and told the tale without providing details.

Overall, Nikita’s return from hiatus was well done. The story-telling of the show continues to improve. I enjoyed the flashback to Thom and the bookend of Alex’s ipod usage, interspersed with scenes from her childhood. What did others think?

Clacked by An Nicholson
on Jan 28, 2011 @ 08:57 EST5EDT