It may be light on the major plot points, but I find myself endeared to this episode of Nikita, because it directly addresses something I've long talked about: it makes me care about the recruits. By giving us an episode about two recruits and their divergent stories, in which our heroes are basically supporting players, it elevates the usually supporting recruits and gives them identities. Robbie might be an arrogant, generally unlikeable guy, but at least we feel something for him, and we get to see him take a journey. If Michael does eventually turn sides and Division needs a replacement for him in the hunt for Nikita, Robbie might be a decent choice, albeit inexperienced; at least I buy him as committed to Division and being willing to kill anyone to get what he wants.
Likewise, we see in Sara what Nikita might also have seen in Alex, and we care about what happens to her. Alex gets more depth from her unlikely bonding with Robbie, and how she's forced to do him in for the greater good. Even Thom gets more developed as we see how he seems to save everyone's behind when they need it. That last part comes just in time, as next week we're about to see the relationship between him and Alex take a big leap. Now if the show can continue to flesh out these recruits - the recruits that we should be invested in because Nikita is working so hard to free them and Michael has stayed in a position he no longer completely believes in to protect them - it's going to be an even more complete series.
There is one thing we do learn with Michael, and that goes back to his final scene. I wasn't able to tell with what we saw if Michael did see Sara hiding in Nikita's backseat and presumed that was her body, or if he's smarter than that and was intentionally lying in order to let Sara go free. I'd like to think it's the latter; it's been established that Michael is, to use a familiar phrase, "the smartest guy in the room." Even smart guys make mistakes, but it would still be a little weird if he got duped by something that simple. It's more interesting if he's lying, which fits perfectly with what we've seen of his character so far. If his primary interest is to protect the recruits, of course he'd rather let Sara go free than have her hunted down by Division. (I wonder if he had a hand in helping Nikita escape.) Sara was already scheduled for cancellation anyway, so he knows that they have nothing to lose and she has everything to gain. He's doing a very noble thing if he lies, and there's a lot of nobility in Michael.
Yes, I'm missing Michael this week, but I didn't mind so much because for once, I was engaged with these usually forgettable characters. This was an episode about Sara, Robbie, Alex and Thom (in that order, and surprisingly no Jaden), and all the actors involved used that to the most potential. They made me believe in the recruits as people, not just as pieces. Believing in them makes me understand why our heroes are so concerned with their fates, and that in turn gives the whole show more credibility. It might not be my favorite episode overall, but it's a necessary and very welcome step forward to fleshing out the complete series.
For more Nikita, check out my feature this week, where Michael's fate tops the list of five burning questions I want to see answered. I'll see you next week for "Phoenix." Try not to trip over the (fake or real) bodies on the way out.
Why was there no review or recap for "One Way" That episode was AWESOME!!!