What I’m Watching: Nikita

Nikita: Season 1, Episode 16 “Echoes” (D+)

Let’s call this a waste of an episode. When you go deep inside someone’s head, it’s often difficult to ensure that you don’t lose coherence along the way. It doesn’t help that there’s little to no action going in the real world at the same time, making this all a rather stupid journey through Alex’s head. This has been done poorly recently on “Smallville” and much better recently on “Dollhouse.” I mentioned last week that Alex’s regal ancestry is an entirely unnecessary part of this show, and the whole episode-long search for the woman who’s chasing her was pointless. Seeing a wig-wearing future version of herself was even worse than Jaden’s appearance. Alex’s graduation and promotion should at least mean we no longer have to see one of the show’s worst characters. The underused Melinda Clarke got her own Xander Berkeley-style opportunity to chew scenery throughout the episode, and her kill order on Alex is definitely going to complicate matters. Nikita’s meeting with Nathan was less than interesting, and it’s hardly helpful that Alex’s only two allies can’t hope to get along because they just want to attack each other. What’s infinitely more intriguing than nearly everything that transpires in this episode, including the buildup to this involving the irritating Birkhoff, is Michael’s appearance in Nikita’s loft in the final moments of the episode. To say Michael is a smart guy is a stretch, but I’m legitimately interested to see how he’s going to handle his latest bit of knowledge and where his allegiances will truly lie.