(Published July 31, PDI-Entertainment)
By Oliver M. Pulumbarit
Contributor
Thrilling and tautly reinvented, the spy action-drama series “Nikita” borrows concepts from its similarly titled 1990 film predecessor, expanding on the suspenseful conflict between a rogue female agent and the sinister organization that created her.
The spy-assassin Nikita, portrayed by nimble Maggie Q (“Live Free or Die Hard”), now sabotages the operations of the covert mercenary agency Division, which previously trained and unleashed her on unsuspecting targets. But Division also killed the innocent civilian that Nikita fell in love with while she was undercover, which led to her escape and revenge mission.
As part of her plot, Nikita plants a mole, Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca), a young woman falsely accused of murder. Also victimized by Division, the formerly drug-addled Alex was secretly rehabilitated and trained by Nikita to resist the conditioning of the group, which plans to turn her into another assassin.
From within the Division facility, Alex is able to relay information to her “sensei” Nikita, who manages to whip up all sorts of trouble for her former masters.
“Nikita,” developed by executive producer Craig Silverstein, focuses on two strong female characters, giving the show unique and broad perspectives. The war is being waged on two separate fronts that routinely converge through specific encounters and even integral flashbacks.
The complex back story unfolds weekly, significantly enhancing the characters, including Nikita’s reluctant friend and Division agent Michael (Shane West).
The show’s more suspenseful sequences are consistently paced and often complemented by tightly choreographed stunts.
Story-wise, the mole angle is reminiscent of the double-agent situation in the early seasons of JJ Abram’s spy show “Alias,” but “Nikita” has an intriguing take on the infiltration. Also noticeable are the similarities to Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse”—the hidden Division headquarters also has clean but claustrophobic interiors, where young and attractive recruits are often assessed and “programmed” by shady overseers.
Comparisons aside, the reimagined “Nikita’s” espionage conflicts are inveigling, and it’s quite easy to sympathize with and cheer on this new breed of action heroines.
“Nikita” airs Tuesdays,
2 comments:
Can't bring myself to watch this show, since Maggie Q is too waif-thin for me to be a kick-ass heroine.
I'm a fan of the old Peta Wilson series, though. Which is better, in your opinion?
I only watched a few of random episodes of La Femme Nikita, so I really can't say for sure. But those were pretty good.
I suggest that you give this new version a chance... Maggie's doing stunts too, and they look quite cool. There's another agent, who's fit but not really Maggie-thin, maybe you'll like her. :)
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