We "Wanted" More NIKITA, and We Got It

Article first published as We "Wanted" More NIKITA, and We Got It on TheTVKing.

The CW's Nikita has had a very exciting, albeit brief, run. It all culminates in these final six episodes, which kicked off this week in "Wanted." It's been one hundred days since Nikita (Maggie Q) was framed for killing President Kathleen Spencer (Michelle Nolden), and one hundred days since she abandoned her friends and went on the run. But they haven't forgotten about her, and when Nikita's efforts to sneak back into the U.S. are exposed, they rush to her aide.

For the titular character, the major arc of the show has always been about accepting others' help. She's a lone wolf, and that served her well for quite a while. Yet, somehow, by accident, she built a family that cares for her. It's because she's a hero who cares and inspires others. She just has trouble adjusting to those emotions being reflected back at her, especially when personal danger is afoot.

"Wanted" is an action-packed thrill ride that spends as much time exploring this aspect of Nikita as it does keeping us on the edge of our seats. Nikita's interactions with others go hand-in-hand to how she might be able to clear her name and save the day. She must rely on their help if she wants to get through this. They are one tool she has not been willing to use.

Will this change? It has to, right? I mean, Michael (Shane West) has every reason in the world to be upset, Nikita having left their engagement ring when she fled, and yet he comes to her aide. If he can forgive her and move past her abandonment, anyone can. And when Nikita sees that, hopefully it will allow her to open up a little more, since she truly does love Michael.

Nikita's arc in "Wanted," which finds her making contact with a reporter named Dale Gordon (Todd Grinnell, Desperate Housewives, Hollywoodland), who is building a name for himself on her story, feels quite familiar, like classic Nikita. She frequently encounters those who need her help and Dale is no different, as working with Nikita could lead to his dreams being realized. What's surprising is how it ends and how quickly it ends, telling viewers right away that these last installments will be fast-paced and surprising.

Along those lines, it seems easy enough to figure out FBI agent Matthew Graham (Alex Carter, CSI, Burn Notice), until a twist late in the hour changes perspective on him. He may end up still being a good guy, blackmailed by Amanda (Melinda Clarke) like so many others, but it doesn't change the fact that his actions in "Wanted" will be unforgivable. Yet, he's small potatoes and likely to remain that way because the ultimate bad guy has to be Amanda, a conflict that has been building for a long time.

The death of Gordon and the revelation of Graham as a villain immediately takes away the predictable arc for the finale. One can be forgiven for assuming the two of them, somewhat familiar faces to TV audiences, will be major players this year until, at the end of the episode, that's no longer the case. This leaves Nikita with no ground to stand on, and raises the stakes even more for the fugitive.

The one hope Nikita still has is that President Spencer is alive. Nikita doesn't know this yet, but if she can find the POTUS, obviously that will forever save her face and reputation, as well as allow her to stop being on the run.

One scene I particularly enjoyed because it highlighted the character of Nikita so well was when the local cops try to arrest her against federal orders. Two idiots think they can handle someone as notorious as Nikita, hoping to claim glory for themselves, and get taken down for their hubris. Even with guns pointed at her, Nikita easily handles the officers without hurting them. She's that cool.

"Wanted" makes time to give other characters story, too. Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca) and Sonya (Lyndie Greenwood) have their own mission to take down Amanda by way of a human trafficking network. Birkhoff (Aaron Stanford) has a cool new plane with awesome tech. Ryan (Noah Bean) is hard at work on conspiracy theories that just may be proven true. And Owen (Devon Sawa) is still Sam, his evil alter ego, presumably in Amanda's employ. This means the last tales won't be confined just to Nikita herself.

That's fitting because Nikita, despite its singular title, has always been an ensemble series. To let an hour-long show grow and breathe over several American-broadcast-network-length seasons, there has to be more than just one person at the center. The only shows that make single-character premises work are formulaic procedurals, and that would not describe Nikita at all, thank goodness. Thus, while Nikita may be the most important person in the end, fans who love everyone else should be satisfied by "Wanted," too.

In all, "Wanted" makes a heck of a great season opener, actually feeling like the start of a miniseries (to its credit), and really builds anticipation for what is to come. Nikita airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on the CW.

Nikita "3.0"

Grade: 86%

The CW’s NIKITA returns tonight with “3.0.” It’s been a few months. Ryan (Noah Bean, newly promoted to series regular) now leads Division, with Nikita (Maggie Q) and her friends serving as his senior staff. Sanctioned by the President of the United States herself (Michelle Nolden), they must stay under the radar while they round up the “Dirty Thirty,” agents who have gone rogue since Percy was taken down.

Hopefully, “3.0” won’t be the new format of the series. It feels very much like a case of the week, with a stand-alone mission. Yes, there are thirty of these agents out there that must be caught, but watching thirty separate weeks of this will grow boring. NIKITA works because it’s a serial, not a procedural, and the sooner they return to that format, the better.

Of course, perhaps it’s necessary to take a little break and reintroduce the characters, revealing what their relationships are like now. Ryan and Nikita clash because she still wants to control her own destiny and make her own decisions, as she did for so long on the run, while Ryan needs to establish firm authority in front of the rest of the staff. Birkhoff (Aaron Stanford) isn’t sure what to do with his new promotion, abandoning his desk to take over his inferiors’ and personally run ops. Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca) can’t go undercover, but using her reputation as Alexandra can open other doors for them.

Other than that, they’re pretty much the same people. They have to fit into a new box, and that’s difficult, but because they still get to use many of their talents, namely, spy work, they will figure it out.

As long as Ryan doesn’t crave too much power, that is. After all, it doesn’t seem like, based on his back story, that Percy began evil. Ryan is throwing himself into Division obsessively, dealing with the president, sleeping in his office. Might the temptation to hang onto what he’s building end up being too much for him when the job is done and it’s time to take apart the group? And by keeping Division covert during his tenure, will he have the means to use it to his own will? Or will the staff, whom now have their eyes open to what is really going on, and more importantly, Nikita, the show’s moral compass, be able to keep him on the straight and narrow?

Not appearing in “3.0,” we are still reminded that Amanda (Melinda Clarke) is out there somewhere, trying to recruit others to her cause, and with a decrypted black box. With Percy gone and Gogol crippled, Amanda is the last great villain for Nikita and company. NIKITA needs a bad guy, and I would not be surprised if this “Dirty Thirty” is just filler until Amanda gets some power back under her. Unfortunately, Amanda has never posed quite the threat that Percy did. Is that going to change?

NIKITA remains a highly exciting, action-packed series. The events of “3.0” are as much of an adrenaline rush as ever, even if the stakes seem a little lower. For this reason, it is still definitely worth tuning it. It will find its long-arc legs again soon enough, hopefully.

The series also takes time this week for a little romance. I won’t go into details, so as not to spoil the hour for anyone, but Michael (Shane West) has a plan that has nothing to do with guns and Division. What his plan entails, or the result of it is, well, you’ll see. The shippers should definitely tune in to this one.

I like NIKITA because it reminds me of ALIAS, a superior spy show that I miss. ALIAS’ fault, if there was one, that it was too bogged down in the Rambaldi mythology, or so some (not me) accused, rather than just being a spy thriller. NIKITA doesn’t have that trouble, always skating around going too deep. But other than that, it has taken the best parts of ALIAS and built them in their own way. ALIAS took down their secret-government-operation-that-unbeknownest-to-the-employees-wasn’t-actually-working-for-the-government in mid-season two. NIKITA went the more traditional route and waited ‘til the season finale. Still the same great idea, though NIKITA went with the route that saved them on budget, keeping the same sets.

Will NIKITA learn the lessons of its predecessor and keep re-writing the formula every couple of years? Will they manage to build another villain who matters as much or is as dangerous as Percy was? These are the questions facing the writers that must be figured out during the course of season three. “3.0” does not hold those answers. If NIKITA is going to rise, now is the time to show us. Otherwise, it could turn into a shell of its former self, and quickly become not worth watching. From the season premiere, it’s hard to tell which way it might go. But the characters are well developed enough, I’ll learn towards optimism.

NIKITA airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on the CW.