What I’m Watching: Nikita

Nikita: Season 1, Episode 18 “Into the Dark” (D)

Wait, so suddenly Michael’s a good guy? This doesn’t bode well for a second season, because where could this show possibly go? The way Michael and Nikita talk about each other now, it’s as if they’re dating (“did you tell Alex about us?”). Having Owen return just as Michael has switched sides seems inconvenient, and just adds complications when the show just doesn’t need any. The hand-to-hand combat between the guardians several times throughout this episode is decently effective, but the dialogue is still inane and awful. I’ve decided that characters should just punch each other and not be allowed to speak. I was hoping those headaches were going to be something cooler than just a drug reaction, sort of like the implants in “Mission Impossible III.” Owen’s drug supply running low was a bit conveniently timed, and resulted in some pretty dumb behavior, like Owen throwing the guardian off a bridge and pushing Nikita in front of a car in the clumsiest and most obvious manner possible. That final scene with Owen shouting “No!!!” as Michael shot the black box was almost comic in its stupidity. The lie detector test back on the home front was equally preposterous and infuriating in execution. Is there really such a need to check whether she’s lying and report back on it in front of Alex? Melinda Clarke deserves much better material. At least Xander Berkeley gets to smash phones! Let’s hope the next episode is much better than this. This show could be a whole lot better.