Sure, the plot is stale, and has been done a thousand times already. Some of the events are ridiculous. The series (judging by this episode) doesn’t give a hoot about realism. More than anything else, the series is concerned about looking awesome, which might explain why so many images appear to have been directly lifted from the Michael Bay/Jerry Bruckheimer school of thought. More on all that later.
Despite (or because?) of all this, Nikita is entertaining. It is slick. And it is certainly something I’m going to tune in every week for.
You might wanna check the Pilot out, if only for *this*.
The series, which is based on the 1990 film Nikita, 1993 film Point of No Return, and 1997 TV series La Femme Nikita, finds the titular character, played by Maggie Q (Live Free or Die Hard), a deadly spy and assassin who has turned rogue. Nikita left Division, a secret Government agency, because she thought the agency was twisted and the acts they perpetrated were evil. After a period of hiding, she now wants to bring Division down. Meanwhile, Division hires new recruits, such as Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca, Kick-Ass), Thom (Ashton Holmes) and Jaden (Tiffany Hines). Moreover, Division operative Michael (Shane West) who had trained Nikita earlier, is told by his boss to try and get rid of her. How all this is set up and what it leads to is what the pilot is all about.
Yes, we’ve seen all this before. But that this story has been done so many times just proves the fact that it is very watchable. There’s nothing like watching a bad-guy-turn-good and defeat all-the-still-bad-guys, while turning some other bad-guys-to-good in the process. This rudimentary plot thread leaves lots of space for slickness, action, emotional drama, character dynamics and much more. And Nikita makes full use of this. The pilot looks fabulous, the action is solidly executed and much legwork has been covered in terms of setting up character dynamics. Let’s see how they evolve over later episodes.
As I mentioned earlier, it’s hard to believe many things in the pilot episode. Ignoring the preposterousness of the basic concept, some sequences specifically leave you astounded/amused with their sheer implausibility. There’s a full-blown shootout inside a cocktail party, one where there are bound to be cameras and monitored exits, which doesn’t stop our protagonists from escaping with only themselves to talk/fight/kill. But a kidnapping sequence inside an elite hotel takes the cake. We are supposed to believe that a VIP diplomat from another country, who’s here on United Nations business, is staying in a posh hotel with just four bodyguards (who are as conspicuous as possible) and can be whisked off by a person just like *that*, with no concern for getting caught on CCTV or the like. Still, once you gel with the wavelength the show operates on, it’s easy to get caught up in the events and just go with the flow.
"Understated" would not be the right word to describe Fonseca's performance
The lead of the cast, Maggie Q, performs admirably. Although her character hasn’t been sufficiently fleshed out yet and the “emotional” scenes she gets are very clichéd, she manages to pull them off. She is very good in the action sequences and looks like someone on a mission. It also helps matters that the makers have gone all out in terms of gratuitousness for the pilot. There are 2 scenes, one with Maggie in a bikini and the other with her in lingerie. Both are unnecessary but sure pretty to look at. Lyndsy Fonseca as new recruit Alex overacts to the hilt. In the scene where she is told she has been selected for Division, watch her when she says “Why me?”. Not one subtle bone in her body. Shane West as principal baddie Michael is one of those smarmy, slimy scoundrels you just love to hate (if portrayed well). However, Michael’s character needs more depth, and Maggie Q thoroughly overshadows West whenever they’re together. The other actors have barely 1 or 2 scenes and it would be unfair to judge them (or their characters) on such a tiny basis.
My main complaint with the episode is that it should have had a more balanced tone. Right now, the series comes off as kind of one-note and myopic in its range. A little bit of humour wouldn’t hurt either. In the entire runtime of 40 minutes, Maggie Q smiles a grand total of 2 times (1 of which is in a flashback). For something like this that is textbook escapist entertainment, a little self-awareness from the people involved would go a long way.
But all said and done, Nikita’s pilot was one hour of wholesome entertainment. And I will surely be tuning in for more. Will you?
(3/4)
PS – The episode ends with a twist that is simultaneously surprising and tantalizing. If nothing else, that has me eagerly awaiting the next episode.
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Photo Credit: The CW
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Marsnook2007
