Speaking of Uzbekistan

So, I fully accept the fact that practically no one reads this blog and that those who do probably only watch a fraction of the same shows that I do, so many a post goes unread and unloved. I generally know one or two people who watch each of my shows, but at the moment, I find that I'm all alone in my adoration, particularly of my favorite shows. The day I run into one of the 9 people who watches (and loves) Terriers the way I do is the day I can die happy. At present, many of my loves are only viewed by my online peeps, which works, don't get me wrong, but there's nothing quite like talking about the ins and outs of a show with a fellow fan, in person.

Well, after several weeks of heralding Nikita as the only network show to grace my top tier, I finally found a kindred spirit this weekend. Missy, we need to talk more often. :) Granted, the other two people at lunch were bored to tears listening to us natter on about a show they don't watch, but I had to embrace the opportunity while I had the chance. (I generally try to keep discussion topics group-wide, but what can ya do...) And yes, we stumbled onto the subject of Nikita off Annie's mention of Uzbekistan (sort of). You know, because that's clearly the most likely segue.

Anyway, knowing that there's actually someone out there who's enjoying it as much as I am makes me more excited to write about it.

The show has its faults, but overall, it's an exciting spy thriller that leaves me genuinely excited for next week after each episode. After the pilot, I was pretty entertained and willing to keep it in rotation, but after a few weeks, I found myself kinda sorta giddy for each new episode. I wouldn't say it sneaked up on me, but it has certainly proven to be more addictive than initially believed.

It's kind of remarkable that the show works at all. There are more than a few absurdities along the way, but I'm having such a good time with the show that I'm willing to let a lot of things slide. The conceit has some inherent limitations that inhibit the story to a certain extent, but overall, the writers make it work surprisingly well. Seriously, when I first looked at the set-up, I never would have guessed that it could work. At its core, this show has its lead actress and heroine essentially all alone. Aside from internet communications with Alex, Nikita basically has no one to talk to for 43 minutes a week. That's a foundation that shouldn't work, but somehow, they make it work. That isn't to say that it's a dynamic that I hope persists. I have found that I enjoy the show the most when Nikita does have someone to work with or talk to. Maggie Q is absolutely delightful, charming, seductive, and playful, and when she's out in the cold, there's no one for her to play off of. As such, the episodes where she has a cohort are the ones that work the best. I'm thrilled to see that Devon Sawa will be back in the next episode and hope they make him a more permanent facet of the show. Essentially, she needs a team. Some Scoobies, if you will. Her interactions with Alex work well enough, but Alex has her own crew to play off of. And besides, if Division doesn't start noticing that Alex is casually instant messaging with their Enemy Number One at some point, I'm pretty sure they'll be extremely easy to annihilate... Seriously? They have no one monitoring internet traffic? Anyway...

This all brings me to the most recent episode. When I first saw that Shane West had been cast as her former handler, I was pretty underwhelmed. I've never had any real opinion of him (either good or bad), but he just seemed out of place and a bit miscast in the show. He has grown on me over the past several episodes, but with this mission to Uzbekistan with Nikita last week, I'm officially in his camp. It's been hard to tell thus far, what with Micheal's interactions with Nikita being limited and extremely fighty, but I was very pleased to see that they actually have a pretty steamy chemistry together. I've always had an affinity for the dynamic between old teammates (the unspoken understandings, the intimate knowledge of each other's strengths and weaknesses, and the ability to predict the other's moves) so the relationship between Michael and Nikita appeals to me on a number of levels. The fact they are ex-lovers (to what extent, we don't know yet), are ex-teammates, and are off and on enemies gives the writers and actors a lot of ways to play each scene and I totally loved it. The problem? Well, Michael kinda hates Nikita more than ever these days, so I'm afraid episodes like this are going to be pretty scarce...

Don't get me wrong, I love the cat and mouse of it all, and I really think that at some point, Division is going to do something to Michael that causes him to team up with Nikita officially, but until that happens... well, I've had a taste of what it's like for Nikita to have a teammate and I liked it. Their relationship onscreen was so warm and familiar that you get the impression that they're probably very close in real life as well. They genuinely seem to enjoy one another and that's something a show can't buy or manufacture. The show has always made the tenuous set-up work, but I now see that it's optimal when Michael and Nikita are working together. I found Shane West more attractive and engaging when he was playing off Nikita and I don't want to lose that. The two of them talking on the phone just doesn't quite cut it. After nine episodes, I'm loving the show, but I find myself wanting more... I don't even know what, exactly. Not more facial hair, I know that much, because holy hell, Shane West needs to lose the goatee for good. He looked SO much better in those flashbacks. Like, I actually found him attractive. Even when standing next to Mo Mo (as long as I'm making recommendations to shows, Dear Nurse Jackie, bring back Mo Mo!).

So yeah, this show keeps getting better and better, but I'm afraid this most recent outing marks a precarious turn in the show's development. Long story short, couldn't Michael and Nikita team up always? Pretty please? Um, no. Yeah, that bridge has been burned... like, Burn Notice-style, thermite-immolation burned. Okay, I can see where Michael is angry, but seriously, would it really be that much of a victory to kill the man who killed your family only to die seconds later? Sure, you'd have the satisfaction of taking out your arch enemy for a very brief moment, but shouldn't a trained operative have the capacity to assess the situation and decide that it wasn't the right time? I don't know. It sounds like he had a hell of a time tracking this guy down, so I suppose he felt like this was his only chance, but still. Maybe it's just the sadist within me, but I'd want the guy to suffer and I'd want to be there for it. Michael's plan, if he even managed to kill Mo Mo (I can't remember the character's real name), which is kind of unlikely on its own, would barely qualify for a Pyrrhic victory, let alone a flat-out win. I guess when this much emotion is tied up in a cause, it doesn't really matter if you live or die. The show did a hell of a job making their falling out as heartbreaking as possible. That last conversation between Nikita and Michael where she's begging him not to do it was surprisingly effective. I knew what Nikita was going to say, but Maggie Q brought enough desperation and despair that it was still pretty devastating. At the end of the day, she'd rather have Michael alive and hating her than dead and she was willing to destroy what they had in order to do it. Again, I could see how things were going to unfold, but that didn't lessen the impact. Well done, show. Well done.

Moving forward, it's hard to know what to expect. Michael is now more aligned with Division than ever and Nikita is back out in the cold again. I don't know what's going to happen in the second half of this season, but I suspect a major betrayal will test Michael's loyalties to Division in a way that he can't suppress. My guess is that Alex will get cornered, it will dawn on Michael that she's working with Nikita, and the situation will be such that only Michael can fix things. This show isn't as "What?!?!" as The Vampire Diaries, but it still manages to surprise me, so odds are I'm way off. The fact that I care enough to speculate, however, speaks to the show's appeal and entertainment value. There are certainly aspects of the show that I would change, but every time I start to think that an element shouldn't be working, I watch another episode where is quite simply does. This show has more than a few absurd aspects, but as long as you decided to just go with it, it's a hell of a lot of fun. Way to make Thursdays the best night on the air, CW. Keep 'em coming. :)