Which brings me to that apology I owe to Shane West.
I didn't say the most flattering things about his acting when he first stepped into the role of Michael. I said that he didn't have the gravity and he was trying too hard. After seeing this episode, I owe him a definite apology, because I've misjudged him and what he's capable of. Over the course of the last few weeks, I've seen his work in ER, Once & Again, and a handful of movies, and I understand his acting a whole lot better than I did when I looked at the pilot. I appreciate how he can communicate so much without a line of dialogue, as we saw in "2.0." I get the dry humor that he tries on occasion to inject into a character that didn't have hardly any in the original incarnation. Slowly but steadily, I've seen the direction that Shane is trying to take this character, and I can say that I'm fully behind him in doing so. His conflicted, almost permanently disgruntled Michael is a joy to watch (even if the man seriously needs more than four suits), and the show's secret weapon (as secret as a second-billed star can be, anyway) in that we don't know where he's headed, or which side he'll end up on. We're watching a guy whose black-and-white world is turning grey, and the inner conflict that's generated because of that. Michael has become the most compelling character to watch, and the one that I'm honestly pulling for, because now I understand and empathize with him. I get him, and that makes me embrace him.
Shane, if you ever read this, I apologize for being wrong about you. Hopefully someday soon I'll get the ability to tell that to you myself, but until then, just know that I was wrong, I admit I was wrong, and I'm fully behind you now.
Before anyone starts taking that too far, I stand behind what I've said about the show so far. It isn't resembling La Femme Nikita or either of the films at all, which still irks me, and it's still not going to be something as ambitious as that series. It's still a CW spy show. Yet Nikita has won me over because it's finally stuck in my head. It's finally made me cheer for Michael and Nikita, and want to know what happens to them next. I finally have a passion for this show, regardless of its flaws, and like most things in life, some shortcomings can be overlooked as long as you enjoy the ride. (Even 24 got preposterous at times.)
"Rough Trade" is the episode that Nikita fans have been waiting for, and that should silence some of the doubts that other portions of the audience might have. It certainly got rid of a few of mine. The one criticism is that we had to wait until episode four to get this far, but I'm not sure we would have understood this hour as well if we hadn't seen at least "2.0" first. We see a lot in "2.0" that makes "Rough Trade" make sense, whether it's the war criminal's brokered relationship with Percy (which is no doubt similar to the one Victor had with him) or Michael starting to see things he really doesn't like. Unfortunately, I wonder how many people gave up quickly on this show and tuned out before they could see this episode. I know I was on the brink, and now I find myself on the other side of the line, finally and without reservation wondering what happens from here.
This is, unquestionably, the best episode of Nikita yet, and a real example of how good this show can be. The question will be if the show can continue to turn out episodes as good now that it's passed. Here's hoping "The Guardian" is just as good. I'll see you in a week to find out.
Am I the only one who thinks the person with the gun in boots in Alex's flashback is going to turn out to be Nikita? Would that be possible given their ages?
I actually had that thought myself! But like you, I'm not sure how that would work continuity-wise. The information we got in "2.0" doesn't really tell us much about how Nikita came to be watching Alex, so it's possible…but it also feels off to me at the same time. Nikita's 27, so depending on how old Alex is, it might not be plausible.
La Femme Nikita took probably half a season to get off and running, and so I guess I should extend that courtesy to this version. However, Shane West is badly miscast. He looks like such a wuss pawing at that punching bag at the end. Roy Dupuis looked like he could own anyone and the icey detachment in his eyes was chilling to say the least. I don't get it. This has CW tampering all over it. Also, how many times is Michael going to show up and not shoot Nikita? This formula is getting old fast.
I think the writing of this show is just off. Percy needs to be more developed fast. Operations was menacing in the original. I think this actor can pull it off, he just has no material to work with. All we get is a 'damn, lost another good client there' at the end. The character is so 2D it hurts. The guy is so blase about everything, it seems like no big deal that Nikita thwarted another money maker for him. Operations was such a threat, everyone would risk certain death and years of running to get out. Not feeling it here. Just one good scene could turn that around, but that could have been done in the pilot.
This is the wrong network for this show. I think a super gritty FX version would be awesome! I think the CW executive teeny clamp will forever keep this show down to a level of mediocrity. Hopefully, I'm wrong. – DoubleA
Having seen more of his work, I'll have to disagree with you on Shane. I think we can't really compare him to Roy anymore because his character is going in a vastly different direction from Roy's incarnation of Michael. I think he's pulling that character off, not necessarily the Michael that we remember or would assume he would play.
As far as Percy/Operations, though, I completely agree with you because he IS playing the same role we expect – and he's not doing it. Xander Berkeley is a great actor himself (from 24, Terminator 2, Gattaca, and on and on)…but he's the guy you come to when you want sarcastic pain in the ass, not really menace. I've never really been scared by him. That, and he doesn't have much room to inject menace in the scenes he has. It's the same problem I have with Melinda Clarke. Madeline had no soul, but Amanda is just…there. This is the first episode where we see her do something that could be described as evil.
The CW influence is definitely felt in this show, and that can be concerning for people like me who enjoy their spy shows to be dark and twisty and serious. We'll never get that from this. But I have come to appreciate that they've given me characters I can finally care about, which makes me want to go on this ride, even if it's not the one I originally wanted to go on.