Rewatching ‘Nikita’: “All the Way”

The first time I watched Nikita, it’d already gone off the air. But I distinctly remember seeing the promos when I watched Smallville. So when I saw it in my Netflix recommendations, I knew I had to watch it. It’s been a while since then so I decided why not rewatch it? So now I’m binging the show from the beginning all over again. Last time, I watched the tenth episode so now I’m onto the 11th episode of Nikita.

All the Way

• With a show so intense, it’s kinda nice to see a short fashion montage. It’s like a nice little break before we get whatever’s coming.
• Everything for Alex moves so fast in Division. Jaden’s been there for a few months longer than her and she isn’t getting the same chance to go into the field. Granted, Alex is a pretty skilled fighter already (thanks to Nikita’s training beforehand). But I assume Michael, Percy, and Amanda just assume she’s a natural and a fast learner at this point.
• I actually really love that we see Alex freak out after she leaves. I mean, it’s her first kill job. But of course, she keeps her cool in front of them. Meanwhile, they all think she already killed someone (i.e. why she landed in prison in the first place). But for Alex, I don’t think she expected she’d get already get this close to graduation this fast.
• See? Even Nikita knows this is way ahead of schedule.
• One of the best parts of Nikita and Alex’s relationship is how protective Nikita is of her.
• I completely forgot that this entire idea of infiltrating Divison from the inside was Alex’s idea.

Alex’s First Kill Job

• It’s Robin Givens! I swear I’ve seen her in everything. Not just as a recurring character on Riverdale (which I haven’t watched since their second season, in all honesty), but also in Lucifer. And probably some other shows I’m forgetting at the moment.
• Of course, Nikita’s already here. And she’s already taken the pictures for Alex.
• She “knows what angles Michael likes”? I feel like they just completely waved past what could’ve been a more suggestive line. Especially since there’s already this great tension and chemistry between Michael and Nikita.
• Wow, Alex really wants to do this mission herself. But it’s unclear if it’s because she wants to avenge the death of her parents or if she wants to prove she’s stronger than Nikita’s giving her credit for. It’s probably both.
• Well, Alex doesn’t actually have to shoot her target. She has to kill him at close range with a needle. So, I guess that changes things.
• I don’t remember what Nikita’s plan is but I don’t know what good blowing a fuse does for her. Or Alex.
• It probably wasn’t the best idea to try to kill the target from behind when he’s standing in front of a mirror.
• It wasn’t the stealthiest move for Nikita to just walk into the party but Alex was in trouble. I doubt she cared at that point about Division seeing her. Especially since they made it pretty clear that they knew she was there somewhere after they messaged her.
• None of them care about going under the radar anymore. Now, it’s just about taking out the target and Nikita by any means necessary. Too bad someone shoots Michael in the leg though.

Thom Comes Back

• It’s no surprise that Jaden’s onto Alex.
• I forgot that they do make it pretty clear that Jaden and Thom were kinda a thing earlier. But once Alex shows up, Thom seems to be more into her. So, Jaden’s not just jealous because Alex progresses faster towards being an agent, but also because of Thom.
• Thom’s nice for trying to look out for Alex.
• It’s nice to see the softer side of agents. And Thom’s just a big softy so of course he still thinks about his first kill. And seeing Nikita be vulnerable about what it’s really like to take life is also great to see.
• Well, I guess Thom takes out the target for Alex this time.

Birkhoff Finds the Shell Program

• At least the engineer helped Birkhoff before he died. Hopefully, that makes Percy feel at least a little guilty about killing him. But it’s Percy, so I doubt it.
• I think I remember part of how Nikita and Alex deal with this later but for now, Birkhoff found the shell program Nikita built.
• It’s smart that none of the chats get logged though. So at the very least, Birkhoff (and now Percy and Michael as well) don’t know who the mole is. But now they know there is one.
• I have to admit, Percy sending her a message via chat was a smart move. But then again, Nikita never addresses Alex by name in the chat so she’s safe in that regard.
• Percy’s a little too obsessed with taking down Nikita. He always has crazy eyes whenever he concocts a plan to catch her.
• And of course, Percy screws up. Just when I said his idea of messaging Nikita was smart. Granted, he doesn’t know that Alex is the mole so he doesn’t see the problem with messaging her in the middle of this mission. But now Nikita knows that they know about the shell program.

Nikita Goes Back Inside Division

• Considering the fact that their covers are almost blown, taking Nikita in is one way to solve their problems.
• With Alex being the one to bring Nikita in, Percy, Amanda, and Michael must think she’s pretty impressive now. More so now than they did before.
• What did Alex just grab? I guess the guard didn’t notice but it looked like it might’ve been a key card?
• That image of Nikita hanging from the chains is so iconic.
• I think this might be the first time we get to see Nikita and Amanda face-to-face (at least at the present time). And knowing how their relationship develops, it’s exciting.
• You can just tell that Nikita’s nervous seeing Amanda. I mean, Percy’s the big bad boss, but Amanda’s the better villain. She knows how to manipulate her in ways that Percy can’t.
• Using Nikita’s interview where she talks about Daniel is cruel. And to show security footage of them together from Daniel’s house? Even worse.
• It’s always an interesting dynamic between Amanda and Nikita. Even in these earlier episodes. They’re both incredibly damaged and they both feel betrayed by the other. Amanda’s just doing her job but also thought of Nikita as family. And Nikita finally realized that Divison wasn’t as great as they made themselves out to be. So, she left.

Alex Helps Break Nikita Out

• Aww, Michael’s still looking out for Alex.
• Alex is smart. She still lied but she didn’t try to make up some elaborate story.
• Of course, Jaden just wants to fight her. But as much as she hates her, Alex doesn’t want to kill her so she’d rather set a time to fight later far away from the bombs she’s setting up.
• I forgot that Thom’s the one who catches Alex. And now I remember what happens to Thom. And it’s a shame because he’s honestly such a good guy.
• Thom can’t even bring himself to kill her. He cares too much about her to pull the trigger. Even though it’s just his job.
• The bomb going off above Nikita and her pulling herself up to let herself out is such a good scene.
• Aww, Nikita stopped when she saw Michael in the med bay.
• This big fight scene between Nikita and all the recruits is amazing. And Percy just standing there in front of the glass watching Nikita shoot the gun off is hilarious. I mean, it’s bulletproof glass so he knows nothing’s going to happen to him. But still. The lights go out and when they come back, Nikita’s gone.
• Alex’s first kill was Thom. She couldn’t even kill some random target, so this is definitely emotional. But Thom also ends up being the perfect patsy for being the mole.
• I mean, it wasn’t Alex’s original mission, but the end result is the same. She’s an agent now!