I was pretty calm when Shane first arrived at our table. He initially thought my camera and coffee cup were one and the same, because I used the cup to balance the camera. Honestly, you should see the tech some people bring to interviews, like the Zoom Voice Recorder, so it’s an easy mistake. We briefly chatted while I righted the camera and then took the MOST awkward accidental photo of him with it.
However, when the time to ask him actual questions about Nikita started, I morphed into an awkward 13-year-old with braces and coke-bottle glasses. Seriously, Shane West should categorize his looks as a lethal weapon. No wonder he plays Michael’s intensity to such great effect.
The one thing that always bothered me surrounded Michael’s family. I couldn’t believe that a man would go without sex for ten years, deny himself access to the woman he loved (Nikita), obsesses over the would-be killer, and then never think about his family again. At the time I asked the question, the Cassandra episode hadn’t aired. Although Maggie hinted that an “adult” reason might occur to fracture Nikita’s relationship with Michael, she never stated what. She just said most women would get their dander up.
When I asked Shane if they’d ever return to his family’s story line, he stated they pretty much tied up that plot last season. He emphasized that during season two the producers wanted to lighten Michael. But, he feels his delivery seems lighter because of the longer hair, the Dr. Huxtible wardrobe, and the lack of a Division background. Sometimes directors asked him to redo a scene because it didn’t seem intense enough, but he typically pointed out that his delivery remains the same — only the clothing changed.
Because both Nikita and Percy swayed Michael using arguments surrounding the common good, I wondered if Percy could ever sway Michael again. Short answer: No. Long answer: No. Michael would never re-join with Percy after all he’s undergone. But Shane’s still waiting for them to reveal a Division brainwashing technique. Although the initial season two focus surrounds Michael as the boyfriend, he referenced a possible fracture between the two over Ryan.
During other writers’ questions, Shane talked about the acting process, and his fear surrounding feeling too comfortable with playing the character and possibly falling into a rut. On “Mikita” he referenced Michael as a Republican and Nikita as the liberal, with the possibility of the two running Division together in the future. And regarding future story lines, which I asked about, he stated he’s still reliant on the writers to provide the words.
Albert Kim Roundtable Interview
I straight up love Albert Kim’s soft-spoken and relaxed demeanor. His love for his characters easily comes across in his thoughtful baring. When he first sat at the table, he pointed at my Nook Color and asked what it was. Assuming that Albert Kim probably owned multiple iPads, I jokingly called it a futuristic device used to take my notes. But he admitted he hadn’t seen one before. So we held a quick discussion before moving to the main event.
I loved season one’s multiple characters and competing story lines. For each episode, the main and side characters all held individual competing story lines which typically worked independently of the case-of-the-week (for Division and Nikita). For season two, the plot lines slightly converge. Now Michael, Birkhoff (Aaron Stanford), Nikita, and Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca) typically focus on the same issue. I also enjoyed season one’s multiple fleshed-out secondary and tertiary characters such as Jaden, Thom, the Division trainees, and Alex’s boyfriend, which led to additional story lines and episodic bombshells. By comparison this season feels pared down.
Albert pointed out that season two features multiple new characters, such as the awesome Madeline (aka the original Amanda), and Sean, her son. Although they appear on the outside of the Michael, Nikita, Birkhoff, and Alex quadrangle, he hinted they’ll all come together, even if their story lines seemingly run parallel at the moment. While Alex finds herself drawn to Sean, Sean will increasingly fall beneath Division’s influence. Albert hinted that the natural separation between Michael and Nikita over their “adult” problems would also further split story lines.
I couldn’t believe that season one featured so much grittiness — with the multiple assault/drug withdrawal scenes — on a tween-fixated network like The CW. I asked if we’d see more experimentation with episodes, like the Inception-styled show, as well as the crazily disturbing darkness. Albert agreed that pairing the show with Supernatural seemed perfect because they go just as dark, and he particularly loved the ending of episode four.
The other thing I enjoyed included all of the pop culture references to Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, especially through Birkhoff. Albert admitted that they’re all pop culture consumers in the writers’ room, and that writing for Birkhoff proved fun. He spoke highly of Aaron, who took the character and went with it. Birkhoff’s development was more organic because he’s the most “present” of all the characters. The audience always knows that he’s around and watching due to technology. Overall, he viewed Birkhoff as a special character, and lauded Aaron for doing a great job with development.
Similarly, he enjoys Percy’s tiger-in-a-cage, where you know he’s plotting something. However, this season Albert likes not overwriting the dialogue. He allows the actors to have more control to portray the scenes, producing a back-and-forth between the writers and actors.
Don’t forget to check out our review of the NYCC panel!
Clacked by An Nicholson 
on Nov 07, 2011 @ 15:35 EST5EDT
