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1.22 Mercy Michael: "I can't protect you any more." This episode began with Michael making a romantic gesture: continuing to dance with Nikita after the mission was over. It ended with an even more romantic gesture: he set her free. There are always innocents getting crunched on this show, but Stanley Shays was particularly real and appealing because we knew he could have done something terrific with his life that might have benefited the world. It wasn't surprising that Nikita couldn't bring herself to kill him in cold blood. Stanley's death was one too many for her, even if it turned out later that it would have been a mercy killing. Nikita was seriously depressed. She couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, had no friends. I particularly loved the Nikita and Madeline "truth" scene ("I don't know if I can do this any more. I don't know how I ever did"). Madeline suggested that a private relationship with Michael was the answer, but even that possibility wasn't enough for Nikita any more. Nikita's life was unbearable. Her decision to commit suicide was not just an impulse. My favorite scene was, of course, the one in her apartment when Michael told her he couldn't protect her from Section any more. He even hugged her. Did he realize that she wasn't going to live much longer? Probably. Perhaps he thought he was resigned to the possibility of losing her. Wrong. Even though I knew it was coming, it was still a shock to see Nikita coming down that hallway. I think Roy Dupuis did a wonderful job here; we could see how upset Michael was to see her, even with that poker face. Madeline and Operations believed that Michael would do as he was told, that he would sacrifice Nikita as instructed. Wrong. Bits and pieces: -- The song Michael and Nikita danced to in the nightclub was "My Romance." How apropos. -- Birkoff and Walter were outright shocked that Nikita was to be sacrificed; she's special to them. They didn't show concern for the other five, though. -- Was this the first time we saw Walter in the field? We rarely see Walter in the field. And this actually was a field. :) Quotes: Birkoff: "As far as I can see, he hasn't had a gray day in his life." A gray day. What wonderfully illustrative terminology for criminal activity. Nikita: "So what do you do with all this stuff?" Stanley: "Blow it up." Nikita: "Why?" Stanley: "It's what I do." Operations: "Look, Michael. I know Nikita was your material. We often form bonds." Form bonds?? Geez Louise, could he be any colder, any more inhuman? "Mercy" was essentially part one of a story that continued in the season two premiere, "Hard Landing." Four stars, Billie View all comments or post a comment. |
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