What I’m Watching: Nikita

Nikita: Season 2, Episode 3 “Knightfall” (C+)

Anytime Alex’s secret Russian past is brought back up, this show is never quite at its strongest. Alex was a fine character in season one and is even more compelling at times this season, but she’s much better off without all those Russian childhood flashbacks. Her seeming assassination of her target after she was ordered to stand down is likely going to get her into trouble as well, and that’s to do only with the fact that she happened to know the guy personally back in the day when she used to be near-royalty. This week’s bad guy is Ramon, who it just so happens was present when Nikita got a conscience and decided not to kill her Division target, but that didn’t bode so well for him since a furious Percy decided to break his spine just for effect. The revelation that Ramon was wheelchair-bound and therefore not carrying out his own hits did present an intriguing opportunity for Nikita to expose Division’s system. It’s hard not to root for last-minute redemption, and therefore Ramon’s call to Michael to help him make it out alive is decently satisfying. That final shot of Percy in the jail cell hearing about the news with Ramon’s video was rather eerie, and there’s a real sense that, though he’s currently powerless, he’s still pulling the strings in some matter or another, and won’t be behind bars for long. In his absence, Amanda is getting to be more cutthroat, but he’s still the one everyone thinks about when they consider Division.