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4.15 Abort, Fail, Retry, Terminate

Walter: "It's going to be okay, sugar."
Nikita: "No, Walter. It's never going to be okay."

Maybe this one should have been called, "Ego, Superego, Id, Kaboom." Omigod, did I hate it. I hated it even before Birkoff died.

This episode went right over the line into science fiction, and it wasn't even good science fiction. A couple of the scenes were direct rip-offs of "2001". "Would you like to play a game?" was right out of "War Games." Outwitting an evil computer that unexpectedly took over the place is a bad Star Trek plot. At one point, Michael was even in something that looked a lot like a Jeffries tube.

The artificial intelligence Birkoff created took him up on the mountain (metaphorically) and tempted him, offering him freedom and Nikita. Birkoff showed what he was made of by rejecting that offer. He again proved himself to be a superior human being, just as he did in the previous episode. The scene where he died to save his friends was quite moving. (And by friends, I mean Nikita, Michael, and Walter. Since Operations and Madeline were prepared to put Birkoff to a horrible death in the previous episode, I can't imagine that they were all that broken up about it.)

But a strong death scene wasn't enough. This episode was so hard to take seriously that it lessened the impact of Birkoff's death, and that pissed me off. Knowing Birkoff has a twin out there also made it less tragic, since we know we're going to see the actor again. Bad writers. No biscuit.

Bits and pieces:

-- Birkoff got two months off for catching the Cardinal. It was a shame he didn't get to take it.

-- Walter gave Birkoff a compass. ("I just wanted to be sure you could find your way home.") Perhaps Birkoff could use it to find his way around in the afterlife.

-- Operations and Madeline are level nine, Michael is level five, and Nikita level two. Why the big gap between levels? Birkoff made the accurate observation that Nikita deserves a promotion. Shouldn't she be level five by this time? What happens at level three and four?

-- The elevator doors opening on a half-naked Nikita made me laugh out loud. Now, why couldn't they have trapped Michael in there with her?

Quotes:

Computer: "I imagine you would provide stimulating conversation, and look quite attractive in a bathing suit."

Operations: "Are we secure?"
Computer: "Self-destruct activated."
I'd say no.

Walter: "I'm just a little shaken, a little stirred. I'll be okay."

I hated that Birkoff's goodbye was like this. "Line in the Sand" was a much better tribute to him.

One star,

Billie





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