|
Home | Show Index | Blog | Movie Reviews | Site Updates | About Me | |||
 |
||||
|
 |
1.16 Noise Birkoff: "I can't live, knowing that I could die." Fun Nikita and Birkoff bonding episode. Nikita has practically no life. Hard to believe, but Birkoff has even less. He's not a field agent after all; he really is just a computer geek, the kid that he appears to be. They actually keep him in Section like a pet. And he didn't kill his sister, after all. What the hell is he doing in Section? How did he get there? Birkoff may understand what Section is on an intellectual basis, but he's never grasped the implications on a gut level. If he had, he wouldn't have been so surprised by what happened when he failed them for the first time. This was the first time Nikita "ran a team," and she did just fine. Maybe Michael was right about her, all along. She was also right about Birkoff, making her a better judge of character than Operations. Of course, just about anyone is a better judge of character than Operations. This episode was notable for the first real appearance of the Torture Geeks, the nerdy-looking couple who are brought in to "ready" people for interrogation by Madeline. What's in the orange suitcases? What are those two lines under the victim's eyes? It's actual comic relief, an excellent standing gag that creates a dramatic short-cut to the action, because hey, we don't have to wade through a torture scene every week. I'm down with that. Bits and pieces: -- The opening bar scene with the guy trying to pick up Nikita was a lot of fun. This show is often too serious, if you know what I mean. -- At one point, Nikita told Michael, who was going on assignment, to be careful. He looked at her as if she were nuts. -- Birkoff has a crush on Nikita. Not a surprise. -- Seven years in Section. How old is Birkoff? -- Nikita's little coaching session in the bar had an effect, since Birkoff started dating cute little Gail. -- The painted naked people illustrated (so to speak) a theme of this show: extreme dehumanization, people as objects. -- More gorgeous nightclub clothes for Nikita. And she wore them so well. I noticed that both Nikita and Birkoff wore colorful clothes in Section this time, symbolic of the fact that Birkoff didn't really belong in Section, either. -- Birkoff was placed in abeyance and nearly cancelled. Old linear thinker Simon screwed up big time, and wasn't. I wonder why? -- It looked like Roy Dupuis actually picked up the guy who played Simon. Quotes: Bad guy to Torture Geeks: "Look who they sent in now to spook me. Who are you guys? A couple of accountants?" Nikita: "Seymour." Birkoff: "Don't tell anybody, okay?" I like Birkoff, and this was a good episode. I just have to face the fact that not every episode can be about Michael and Nikita, or Roy and Peta would have collapsed with exhaustion long before the end of each season. Two out of four stars, Billie |
 |
|
Home | Show Index | Blog | Movie Reviews | Site Updates | About Me