What I’m Watching: Nikita (Season Premiere)

Nikita: Season 3, Episode 1 “3.0” (B+)

I didn’t expect much from this premiere after this show earned a very surprising renewal last year. My expectations, however, were exceeded, as this opening hour turned out to be action-packed, exciting, and productive in terms of a wholly new direction for the series. Ryan running Division presents the opportunity for much more organized missions, yet it still has its share of problems, like Birkhoff not being allowed to hack the CIA and Nikita having to, as she tends to, go rogue when Ryan tells her to call off the mission. Hunting down former Division assets who didn’t come in the from the cold could be a fun recurring plotline, and Jeffrey Pierce, recently seen as Jack Sylvane on “Alcatraz,” was a good start as the calculating Martin, who got angry that his plans went awry when Nikita stayed behind to get Michael back. The show still has its token humor, mainly expressed by Birkhoff in just about every scene he’s in and also evident in a handcuffed Michael enthusiastically running back to reclaim Nikita’s engagement ring. The new Division is in a state of limbo, not officially existing and still working to clean up the mess made by Percy, and the president threatening to burn Division to the ground if more mistakes occur is a bad omen. Amanda’s return should only complicate matters even more, and I’m looking forward to that. I hadn’t necessarily planned to continue watching this show, but I’m intrigued, and I think I’ll stick around.