Nikita 101 Pilot Review

Whoa, surprise! I was dreading watching this one. But I think I may have found a replacement show for the only-mildly-entertaining Covert Affairs. Maggie Q stars in the title role as a former death row inmate who is taken from prison covertly to be trained as a spy and assassin for the U.S. Government. Or at least a Division of it. Xander Berkley and Shane West play the most visible Division handlers, and they are trying to stop her from taking down Division. Okay, so the ridiculously ridiculous premise threw me off of this one too, but once it gets going, it's just good fun. From sweet action sequences to plot turns to witty one liners, this pilot pretty much nailed it.

Nikita is on a mission to bring down Division, and it's personal. And while that's sweet, I found myself most interested and excited in the new recruit, Alex's (Lyndsy Fonseca's) story line. We get to see her taken from prison and woken up in this training facility. Not only is it interesting to see her progress, but I'm excited to see the interpersonal relationships of all the recruits. I remember that being the most disappointing part of the movie for me;  I wanted more than a montage of this struggle to reach "active" status, and the relationships of the recruits with one another and their handlers. Hopefully we'll get to see more of that.

Nikita's storyline is going to require a bit more gentle handling. I hope the writers are up to it. They don't want us to resent her because every time the story switches to her, we'd rather be with Alex. Still, her presence outside the walls of division will give us relief from the sheltered world of the recruits, and I'm hopeful her story will keep us in touch with the world around her.

Regardless, you should definitely check out this pilot. And if you reach the end and haven't enjoyed yourself, write on here and explain to me why you don't like old-fashioned spy intrigue and action.

I swear folks, I'm gonna get a graphic that shows a rating. For now, I'm giving this 2.5 out of 4 stars because I'm not quite sure where exactly it has to go. I'm just hoping to get one good season of spy fun out of it, but I don't expect anything more than that.

OH! Ahem. Why, hello there!