Round Two: Nikita

Nikita: Season 1, Episode 2 “2.0” (C)

Week two for the new programs of fall 2010 has not been an optimistic one. I’m purposely neglecting to review the second installments of both “Hellcats” and “Terriers” because the former quickly got horrendous and entirely trite while the latter proved just as bizarre and boring as its first episode. The saddest news has to do with the CW’s Thursday night program, which wowed me as the strongest out of ten pilots I’ve seen so far this fall. Tragically, episode two preserves none of the thrill or excitement of the first installment. I owe an acknowledgment to G1000 in regards to the dialogue, which he generously called “clunky” last week. I didn’t notice it as a negative in episode one, but now nearly everything anything says pains my ears. It would be particularly great if the Birkhoff character was turned into a non-speaking role, and I also cringe whenever Nikita and Alex are chatting and the text-to-voice service has to interpret what they’re saying even though they can both read it on their respective computers. Plot-wise, this episode tried to have a standalone operation that both the Division and Nikita were running, and the show quickly runs into the problem of having them interact way too much. Will every episode feature a lame standoff between Michael and Nikita? The pilot of this show got me pumped for it, but now I’m really not so sure. Thursday nights really aren’t all that crowded for me considering the one other new drama is a certified dud (“My Generation”), so I’ll likely keep watching. I’m not impressed, however, and I’m saddened by all the lost potential here.