All times central. I’m excited for this.
8:01-How fitting that the final episode of the series opens with a Nikita-Amanda origin scene.
8:03-…which is immediately followed by Alex and Nikita teaming up for a badass take down of Jones; man, am I glad we get to see this dynamic again.
8:04-To be honest, I’m not all too surprised they eliminated Jones this early; it’s the safe way out, and it’s understandable that the show would want to focus on Nikita and Amanda’s relationship. Still, I do think the Jones-Nikita dynamic would’ve been interesting to explore a bit more; Jones is emotionally distant, essentially a robot who isn’t compromised by personal connections. He’s even more callous than, say, Roan, and if this was a longer season, I know we would’ve seen more.
8:07-“Now, she could destroy…the world.” Dun dun dun.
8:10-So, here we see the resurgence of former relationships; Michael’s always been the one wary of Nikita’s power, and it’s now his job to stop her. Amanda’s always wanted to harness Nikita’s power, and now she’s being encompassed by both her former protege and her current associations.
8:14-The tennis ball-smoke grenade sequence was pretty cool.
8:16-We also got a nice Nikita-Alex scene earlier. Nikita acknowledges the impact Alex has had on her–and vice versa–but they don’t get overly sentimental or emotional; they’re, first and foremost, two women on a job.
8:22-“Amanda wants you to do her dirty work for her.” We’re back to the fundamental aspect of their relationship, coming full circle from Division times.
8:26-One last desperation call by Michael. Both people are still clinging onto some sliver of hope, reaching out for anything from the person they once knew. That’s really the mark of the entire series; there are some truly desperate people here fighting to stay alive.
8:29-“What do you care? There’s no profit in it for you!”
8:30-“It’s about your heart.” Groan.
8:31-True, Nikita’s mind is the clearest it’s ever been, but it’s simultaneously the most muddled. She has a clear purpose, but that purpose has brought her to the precipice of her emotional stability. She’s now willing to murder to get what she wants, and Fonseca does great work with her reaction to Nikita shoving the poison down the guy’s throat.
8:35-It hurts to see Nikita and Alex fighting each other. It’s also awesome.
8:40-Okay, so Amanda being all powerful like this is a bit too easy, but I’ll forgive this plot point for now.
8:47-Well, the tables have turned now, haven’t they? I feel duped, but pleasantly so. Deception>brute force, indeed.
8:52-“Welcome back to the basement, Helen.” Also, a nice callback to the early title cards and Nikita’s “The last word they’ll breathe before the end will be my name.” It’s fitting for Amanda to end up like this, powerless in a basement; it’s much more damning than death, and while I do feel a little cheated by the whole plan, it does illustrate Nikita’s growth as a person; Amanda’s always hated Nikita because of their similar situations, but what sets them apart is Nikita’s ability to change. Also, good work, show, for making me believe that she’d gone off the deep end.
8:54-Jesus, a commercial break now?
9:00-Well, it’s certainly a satisfying end; I like the shot of Ryan here, the person who both helped motivate her in the end and helped keep her tethered to reality. I’ll miss you, Nikita. Final thoughts to come in a few minutes.
GRADE: A-
SEASON GRADE: B+
SERIES GRADE: A-
FINAL THOUGHTS: Well, this is it. The last four years have been absolutely amazing, and the final episode wraps everything up very nicely. First of all, the show does great work playing with the viewers’ notions of who exactly Nikita is now; it’s entirely believable that Ryan’s death would motivate her to kill, but it’s also just as believable that the family she’s known for years–really known–would pull her back. I’ll admit to feeling a bit cheated at the end, but there’s some great poetry at play here; Nikita’s no longer the snarling, wild animal she was back in that flashback. She’s grown as a woman, a lover, and a sister, and although I do not like some of the decisions she’s made, it’s nice to see her win without losing hold of who she is; she’s not a hero, but she doesn’t have to be one. She still mentions that she wanted to kill Amanda, and you know what? I would’ve been totally fine with it; Amanda deserves it. However, kudos to the writers for sticking to who Nikita was at the beginning of the series and having her be more successful, both physically and mentally, than Amanda is.
So, although I lament the lack of Sonya (and a Percy cameo! Argh!), I do believe this is a thoroughly satisfying series finale; even Sam/Owen and Alex’s relationship doesn’t evolve into anything more than a flirty, grudging friendship, and that’s how it should remain.
Michael and Nikita, meanwhile, are off on on a beach, but Nikita realizes she can’t let go of her past. It’s a nice coda to this series’ themes, and at heart, Nikita’s both the same and different person. She’s been able to turn off the dark side of her, but she’s also down for some more ass-kicking.
Goodbye, Nikita. You were always better than your ratings suggested. A final round of applause for one of the most underrated, exciting, and endearing action series ever created. I salute Craig Silverstein, Maggie Q, and all the rest. Thank you, and thank you to all the readers; I’ll miss covering this show.
Photo credit: The CW, Nikita
Polar Bears Watch TV 
I loved this finale! Great review! When Nikita turned it all on Amanda I cheered. It was the perfect ending to the show.
Yeah I loved that. while I wanted Amanda to die I was afraid Nikita would also, and that would’ve been devastating.