If you’re looking for girl power on television, Nikita has for the past three seasons been a testament to the ideal. A female-dominated cast, headed up by the superb Maggie Q as the eponymous lead, Nikita has proved easily the most resolutely entertaining and intriguing action drama on TV since its 2010 debut. It boasts everything a good spy-show should: a gaggle of armed-goons to be beaten up, loads of exotic locales and supreme special effects. It must rank among the most criminally under-watched shows in history.
With a cast as attractive as any of the CW’s other stalwart shows and writing leagues ahead of most of its’ other output, Nikita has thundered along for three seasons, delivering thrilling action sequences, dazzling plot developments and frequently laugh-out-loud funny moments. This show dodges easy potential pitfalls by avoiding clichés of the genre. You won’t find Nikita calling her opponents ‘darling’ before disposing of them or pulling out pistols that she gives pet names. Aided by her apprentice-of-sorts, Alex (Lyndsy Fonesca), Nikita wages a personal war against a rogue government agency, Division, responsible for covertly recruiting troubled teens and turning them into deadly assassins.
Nikita herself is central to the direction and plotting of the show. It focuses upon her personal grievances against the shadowy leadership of Division, Percy (Xander Berkeley), the calculating Machiavellian mastermind and Amanda (Melinda Clarke) the psychopathic behavioural coach. Percy is a particular delight: “The last thing we need is another recruit finding their inner-Nikita.” Michael (Shane West), at first her enemy as a former instructor, becomes instrumental as Nikita’s support mechanism, moving from her enemy to her ally in the war against Percy. Though there isn’t all that much room for development of chemistry, they avoid a cringe-inducing Mr & Mrs Smith style fighting partnership, and instead normally operate as formidable independent assassins, with a deep concern for one another when the other is placed in the line of fire.
Beyond the action sequences though Nikita’s success lies in the interactions between the characters. Amanda proves prominent in this, emotionally manipulating and exploiting the understanding she has acquired of all-involved for her own ends. In part, Nikita is fighting against Division but adapting to working from beyond it. She hesitates numerous times, when offered the opportunity to destroy Division because she wants to avoid collateral damage. Indeed, the Third Season focuses upon Nikita and her allies attempting to undo the damage wrought by Division since it went rogue.
Through its three years on the air, Nikita has consistently been overshadowed by the heavyweights on the CW network but has continued to deliver whirlwind plot twists and stellar performances from the cast as though this were the network’s biggest hit. It is a testament to the writers that rather than focusing upon establishing lengthy arcs to ensure renewal, there has been close attention on ensuring each and every episode is as enjoyable and enveloping as any other. With a talented cast, a heroine to root for and a thousand fights to be fought, Nikita delivers an explosion of action entertainment.