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4.3 View of the Garden

Walter: "Who would you rather be killed by? Operations or Michael?"

I mean, really. Who would I be more afraid of? It's a difficult decision. What must have tipped the scales for Birkoff and Walter was that Michael was trying to save Nikita. Plus Michael is a man of his word. Operations is not a man of his word.

So I was surprised when the "real" Adrian returned, and sad when she almost immediately lost herself again. I also found it sad that she and George never connected. Adrian used her father's garden, something she cared deeply about, to resist the Gelman process, and at least the vacant Adrian was left in the end with a real garden to comfort her. That final scene with Adrian's new keeper made Michael appear so sweet... right up until he told the guy, "If you fail, I'll kill you." Yes, I know, Michael is never sweet. But Michael himself is Nikita's "garden," which makes him the key to her recovery, doesn't it?

Stalemate. I actually got chills when Michael and Nikita walked back into Section. And the role reversals continued. In "Hard Landing," Nikita was free, but came back to Section for Michael's sake. This time, Michael was free, but came back to Section for Nikita's sake. In the final scene of this episode, Michael was watching Nikita through a glass door; we were back to the "look but don't touch" symbolism. This scene was exactly like Nikita looking at Michael walking away at the end of "Hard Landing."

Adrian is now Michael's insurance policy. Jurgen tried and failed to hold Section hostage back in season two. Can Michael succeed where Jurgen failed? And the status may once again be sort of quo, but Nikita is still a perfect robot. I really want Nikita back. I want them in love again. Yes, I know Section will keep them apart somehow, but I just don't care.

Bits and pieces:

-- Loved Michael fighting the multiple Nikitas. What a clever way to handicap Michael in a fight. (How Star Trek.) And then we got a Michael/Nikita knife fight. Very cool, but sort of disturbing.

-- It appears that a "Y Directive" will get Oversight into Section immediately. After the vid of Adrian that failed to attract George's notice, why didn't anyone get into trouble? I expected heads to roll.

-- Nikita got a "Josephine" call, but the caller was a woman. Didn't sound like Madeline.

-- I think director Jon Cassar was the guy with the bazooka who shot down George's helicopter.

-- George said "piggyback." :)

-- Birkoff has new glasses. They don't become him.

-- Cancelled scenes: (1) In the cryo lab, Operations and Madeline discuss how they will cover what happened with Michael. (2) In the farmhouse, Michael tells the restrained Nikita that the Gelman process is dangerous. She says she doesn't know why she ever trusted him, and laughs somewhat maniacally. (3) In the scene where Operations shot out the screen to keep George from seeing Adrian, he followed it by shooting the operative, too.

Quotes:

Operations: "I've come here to ease your mind."
Walter: "That'll be a first."

Birkoff: "Michael's been in touch?"
Walter: "Yeah."
Birkoff: "Oh, god."

Nikita: "I prefer this. No needs, no fears, no desires. I used to think you were like that. But you're not. You're weak. You should let them make you feel stronger."
Michael actually looked upset here. Upset for Michael, that is.

Three out of four stars, and I'm loving this arc,

Billie





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