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3.14 Hand to Hand Sandra: "How can you be so calm?" Nikita: "Because I come from a place not unlike this." Killer prostitutes and fighting fish. I wasn't sure if this was a good episode or a really bad one. It was certainly different. On the compassion scale, we have Nikita on one end, Section on the other, and Michael hovering somewhere in the middle. Michael couldn't talk Nikita into leaving the victimized women (personified by Nikita's "bitch," the weak and frightened Sandra) but I don't think he tried all that hard. And he was ready to throw the mission away if Nikita hadn't won the fight. I think they missed a good opportunity here for a quick, undercover tumble, though. I was sort of anticipating one when Michael took Nikita off the floor and to his room. That room looked so open, too. Why weren't they worried about observers, or recording devices? Couldn't they have had a passionate pas de deux while whispering intel into each other's ears? This week's Most Obvious Symbolism was very obvious: the women and the fish, both trapped, both forced to fight. Nikita and Aurora in the tank with their long, flowing costumes, interwoven with shots of the fighting fish, was beautiful as well as scary and immediate. The grate coming down to drown Nikita freaked me out just a bit, too. (I noticed that Michael was choking Meyer at the same time Nikita was "drowning.") It was satisfying to see Aurora kill Amagar in the end. Nikita won this time. The prostitution theme was oddly echoed in the disintegrating relationship between Operations and Madeline. It's been so long since they dropped the harrassment plot thread that I was surprised when they picked it up again. Operations showed uncharacteristic joviality as he reduced Madeline to a plaything. Can you imagine the two of them splitting apart in a big way? I'd love to see that happen. War in the corridors of Section. News at eleven. The final scene with Nikita and Walter in her apartment was my favorite. It was poignant. The unwilling prostitutes were freed, but no one is going to come along and free the prisoners of Section. Bits and pieces: -- This episode had something new: Nikita had a premonition dream about drowning in the pit. How did she not drown, by the way? They never did quite explain that one. -- Renee was in Section for last year's peer review. I don't remember last year's peer review. Renee was lucky to get out of Section alive. Would I want to be Madeline's rival? I think not. -- Operations gave Renee three rules: no public displays of affection, she must come immediately when he calls, and work always comes first. How romantic. -- The pain collar was just a bit too Star Trek for me. -- Roy Dupuis got to do a French accent, and he wore a gorgeous suit. -- In this week's hair report, Nikita wore an extra long fall that accentuated her nonexistent resemblance to a fighting fish. Quotes: Nikita: "And the girls?" Madeline: "They're not our concern." Why the hell not, Madeline? What about helping innocent people? Nikita: "How do you do it? How do you stay sane? What's the secret?" Walter: "Knowing when to lie and when to tell the truth." Nikita: "To them?" Walter: "To yourself." This episode was unsettling, and somewhat bizarre. It could have been a lot better. Two out of four stars, Billie View all comments or post a comment. |
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