Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Nikita: Season 4

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from season three, but no major season four spoilers.+++

Nikita was a bubble show on the CW that was in danger of cancellation after season three. It was given a very short (just a six-episode) final season to wrap up all of the remaining storylines. The story starts out three months after the events that ended season three with Nikita on the run after being framed for killing the President. She returns to the United States in an attempt to clear her name and faces multiple setups by Amanda to deepen the frame. Ultimately, the episodes amount to Nikita versus Amanda and the attempt to bring Amanda to justice. I will not spoil anything, but the show wraps up the lingering storylines and ends giving the fans a glimpse at how life turns out for the various characters.

If you decide to get the Blu-Ray set, it just has the episodes and nothing else. It is basically a MOD set, so there are no commentary tracks, behind-the-scenes material, or the like. The show packs a lot into the six episodes to tie everything up. That is a blessing and a curse because there is no filler, but the plotlines do seem a bit rushed. The Blu-Ray ends up being very expensive to get six episodes and no extras, so really the only reason to get it versus streaming the show is to keep a physical disc collection complete. The show does look and sound great in HD, but you are paying for a full-season release and getting less than half a season's worth of episodes and no bonus content. But, it is good that the show did not end on the season three cliffhanger and was given the opportunity to wrap everything up.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Nikita: Season 3

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from the prior season, but no major season three giveaways+++

The third season picks up down the line from the events that ended season two, with Percy being killed and Amanda dispatched (and now on the run), Nikita (Maggie Q) is now back in the fold at Division, running it along with Michael (Shane West) and a CIA analyst named Ryan Fletcher (Noah Bean). They are trying to hunt down Amanda (Melinda Clarke) who is now fully the series' "big bad" and Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca) has mended fences with Nikita and is again a part of the team. The show continues to blend mission-of-the-week self-contained stories with the larger arcs that run throughout the season. The big story arc being the cat-and-mouse game between Amanda and Nikita/Division that plays out throughout the entire season. The season ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger, although a fairly closed-ended one because the showrunners were not sure whether the series would get a fourth season.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, as was the case with the first two seasons, the A/V quality of the show is stellar. The extras, however, are not. There are only 11 minutes worth of deleted scenes and a five-minute gag reel. Much less than the season one and two releases received.

Overall, the season was very good, even though the ratings did not really reflect the quality. This season definitely took the show in another direction, which was good, and necessary to keep it from becoming stale. All of the actors did a wonderful job with their characters, and the new cast members fit in well with the existing cast. So, if you liked the first couple of seasons this is definitely worth sticking with. If you are a fan of action/dramas and are looking for a show you have not seen, you definitely need to see seasons one and two to really track what is going on in season three since most of the characters are established and the serial storylines are an extension of the prior seasons.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Nikita: Season 2

 

+++Warning, this contains minor spoilers from season one, but no major season two giveaways.+++

Season two picks up right after the events of season one, with Nikita and Alex's relationship effectively having ended and Nikita and Michael's relationship restored. Now, Nikita and Michael are on the run with a hard drive called "the black box" containing the Division's darkest secrets and they plan to right the wrongs that Division has committed over the years. This allows the show to keep the procedural case-of-the-week format and then tie in larger serial arcs throughout the season. This season sees Miranda in charge of Division and Percy locked up in a cell in the basement, with Miranda manipulating Alex to keep tracking Nikita down. The season does have some twists and turns, which are, like the case-of-the-week elements, sometimes work and are sometimes silly. It does not ever stray too far from the formulaic approach, which I think is partly good and partly bad.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the show looks and sounds great in HD. The extras include a commentary track on the season finale, a documentary on the writers and the writing process, a feature on Maggie Q's health and nutrition regimen, just under half an hour's worth of deleted scenes, and a short gag reel. So, a decent amount of extras especially for a show that has more of a cult following than it does wide, mass appeal.

Overall, the season is good. You definitely have to like action shows (or movies) whose plots can get a bit silly at times and be willing to just go with it. If you overanalyze things too much, you will definitely not enjoy it. The fight scenes are good and all of the actors do a great job with their characters. Melinda Clarke's role as Amanda is expanded a lot this season, and as she did on The OC, when she got more of a leading role, she crushes it. As in the first season, there is a lot of violence and some sexual content. Obviously, since it aired on regular broadcast TV they could not get too extreme with either, but they do take every opportunity to show off Maggie Q in skimpy outfits. Just, just be aware if that is an issue for you.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Nikita: Season 1

 

This is the latest adaptation of the French movie La Femme Nikita, which was also adapted as an American movie called Point of No Return, and a 1990s TV series that aired on the USA network. In this variation, Maggie Q stars as Nikita, who escaped from, and is now trying to bring down, a secret government organization called Division, which performs any number of black ops, including assassinations. Division "recruits" young men and women to perform operations, basically by giving them a choice of prison (or worse) or working for them. Nikita, who escaped Division three years prior to the events of the show, enlists the help of a young woman named Alex, played by Lyndsy Fonseca (best known for her role in the Kick-Ass movies) to take down Division. The show is basically a case/mission of the week procedural, with larger arcs that run throughout the season. Nikita, with Alex's help (unknown to Division agents), does what she can to sabotage the missions and throw a wrench into the plans of the organization. The show has a very strong supporting cast including Melinda Clarke (from The OC), Xander Berkeley (from 24), and Shane West (from ER).

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the A/V quality is very good, with the colors looking very crisp. The show does not have a ton of special effects, but what there are do not look fake (as is definitely the case for some shows which tend to stand out even more in HD). The extras include It also includes deleted scenes, a few making-of featurettes titled "Inside Division, Part 1: The New Nikita", "Inside Division, Part 2: Executing an Episode", "Profiling Nikita, Alex, Percy & Michael", audio commentaries on select episodes, and a gag reel. So there is a lot there if you like watching the extras.

Overall, the show is very entertaining. It is pretty much a straight-up action/thriller but does mix in some drama. It does have some sexual content, but not a ton since the show aired on network TV, but Maggie Q is put in some very skimpy outfits. So, keep that in mind if that is something that would bother you. It is well written and very well-acted, and the large ensemble cast is balanced very well. So, if you are into that genre of shows, I highly recommend this one.