After last week’s thrilling premiere, I’m really excited for the follow up. Check back in at 9/8 Central for a live blog. All times central.
8:02-It’s nice to see the gang back together again.
8:04-Well, that whole doubles plot is a bit too easy, isn’t it? While I do love Melinda Clarke and the work she’s doing as Amanda, I can’t help but lament the fact that Roan was killed off way back when; his vendetta would feel more human (kind of ironic, isn’t it?) than Amanda’s. I just don’t feel very invested in the whole Nikita connection, as great as their dynamic is.
8:12-So it looks like we’re drawing the Owen/Sam-Alex parallels now: two people with trust issues, both with another identity that’s slowly fusing into what they want it to be as their confidence increases. I like the idea; hopefully it’ll help integrate Owen/Sam into the proceedings, much like Alex was last week.
8:13-Nice focus on the evil mouth there.
8:16-I get that this is the type of person Nikita is, but I can’t help but feel a bit annoyed at her whole “Who else is going to get hurt because of me?” attitude. This is something she should’ve come to terms with a while ago and put forth all of her being into saving them, not worrying about them. They’ve proved they can handle themselves.
8:19-HUGE gun there. Love it.
8:24-Nice to see Sonya out here in the field, too.
8:27-I hope this whole “It’s bigger than Nikita” plot doesn’t become too convoluted; the last thing a short season needs is some huge conspiracy. What this should be about is a deeply personal story about Nikita, NOT about the Shop.
8:32-And here lies Nikita’s flaw: she’s all talk when it comes to her friends; she’s an inherently individual person. She realizes that leaving will hurt her friends, so she puts up a facade, trying to make herself believe that doing everything herself IS better. That’s why her excuse to Michael is “You didn’t get hurt!”
8:40-Nice, some Amanda-Alex and Amanda-Nikita phone calls.
8:49-So it seems like they’re sending Nikita down some type of redemption storyline, which isn’t a bad idea. She’s had to sacrifice her morals myriad times over the years, and she’s now even more conflicted. It’s great that Michael understands the shit Nikita’s gone through and still does what needs to be done.
8:54-“I forgot how much I need you guys.” I think she’s still trying to convince herself that going off by herself was NOT a good idea, now that she’s back.
8:57-“I’m done fighting for us.” This is a very sensible decision by Michael, yet it’s heartbreaking to watch Nikita’s own personality and sense of righteousness bring about the downfall of the relationship. She just shouldn’t be going through all this, even though at the same time you could say she kind of deserves it. That’s the essential conflict of this whole series; it’s the whole duality motif of spy vs. person, much like the doppelgangers tonight.
9:00-Yeah, not too ecstatic about this Birkoff reveal. I hope the writers surprise me somehow, because this isn’t needed if it’ll lead to a bit of wheel-spinning.
GRADE: B
FINAL THOUGHTS: As expected, this is a step down from the premiere and its explosiveness. Still, there’s lots of stuff to like here: the Owen/Sam-Alex dynamic, the Nikita-Michael dynamic, and the Nikita-Amanda dynamic. The show’s really strengthened the characters here, and hopefully the next episodes deliver; it looks like Alex is being set up, which is an interesting storyline to take. As for Birkoff, time will tell. Four more.
Credit to The CW and Nikita for all pictures. I own nothing.
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I would just like to see more Nalex, but I know that’s not happening, which is kind of sad because for me Nikita and Alex were and always will be the heart of the show…. Not Michael and Nikita. The reason I started watching this show was because of Nikita and Alex.
True, that is a fantastic relationship; that’s definitely part of what hooked me, too. I do think the show’s doing a better job now of making me invested in Alex’s storyline than it was last season, but yeah, I’m looking forward to their reunion.