Nikita

Title: Sanctuary

Air Date: January 13, 2012

Synopsis: Sean attacks Nikita and Michael in an effort to protect mother. Meanwhile, Percy gets the upper hand on Amanda and threatens to level Division unless she releases him.

Prologue. We see Senator Pierce as a member of Oversight and her son Sean placing a tracker in Alex’s father’s watch.

Gates House. Oversight. The remaining four members of Oversight are meeting to discuss the current situation with Nikita and they are not happy with how Amanda is handling things.

Beach house. Birkhoff tells Nikita that Michael is on his way back as they suspect the two cleaners to attempt to release Percy. And Alex tried to take Birkhoff’s pain medication.

Nikita goes to talk to Alex about trying to get the pills. Alex is still struggling with finding out her mother is still alive and had an affair with the man that killed her father. Nikita urges her to try to give her mother a chance. Then shares a story about her past when she knew a woman at a half way house, Carla, that helped her try to get clean. But Carla left without an explanation one day. And she ended up in prison on death row. Both Nikita and Alex share some tears. We see Alex is still wearing her father’s watch.

Gates House. Sean is checking Alex’s location on his laptop. Madeline Pierce is overruled when the remaining three decide they need to implement Clean Sweep to liquidate Division and all personnel.

Division Headquarters, rural New Jersey. Amanda goes to talk to Percy about the escape that he hinted to Fletcher about. Amanda sees no way out. Percy assures her that he will be out before the day is over. “And my favorite part. There’s nothing you can do to stop it.”

Amanda calls Division together to advise them of an imminent threat and put them on high alert.

Oversight. Madeline goes to Sean to convince him to try to dismantle Division rather than the Clean Sweep. He hesitates but agrees after hearing about Clean Sweep. He tells her that he has a solid lead on Nikita, nothing to do with Alex, but a solid lead and he has to leave now.

Beach house. Alex and Nikita are talking. Nikita is still unsure of her relationship with Michael. And the two girls realize they were both in Belarus at the same time. Birkhoff questions Alex about how Percy got his message to the Cleaners, she realizes the money Percy gave her for the bank transfer was the signal.

Bader Field. Trenton, New Jersey. The Cleaners arrive with sky diving gear and execute the pilot.

Back at Division, Roan helps deploy the defense perimeter. He receives a call from the cleaner. “See you soon.” Amanda goes back to question Percy. He tells her to let him out and they can join forces but she doesn’t go for it.

Beach house. Michael arrives. Birkhoff and Alex welcome him back then leave he and Nikita alone to talk. She starts to apologize for making the decision for him to stay in London. But he replies that he needed the time.

Outside on the beach. A diver raises up out of the night surf. Sean quickly sets aside the dive gear and sets up his rifle. Sean sets his sights on Nikita as she and Michael talk inside the house.

Alex tackles Sean just as he squeezes the trigger and the shot goes wide hitting the window. Alex fights with him and just as Sean starts to get the upper hand Nikita runs in with gun aimed at him then Michael hits him from behind, knocking him out.

Back in the house. They restrain Sean in a chair and prepare for the Division back up time. Birkhoff scans Sean and pronounces him clean of trackers or comm units. Nikita realizes Sean is on his own without backup. “How’d you find us?” An angry Alex pushes the question and he looks down at her watch. She is upset further that he would do that to her father’s watch. Alex is about to smash it but Birkhoff stops her saying he can get the tracker out of it.

“Not even your mother can save you now.” Nikita fills in Alex on his mother being Senator Pierce from Oversight. The former Seal, Sean, continues to remain silent unti finally telling Alex he didn’t want her to get hurt. Alex whacks him in the head again.

Division. Percy and Amanda continue their banter with Amanda leaving the room after Percy tells her she is incapable of love.

Outside somewhere at night. The Cleaners drop from the sky and proceed with Roan’s instructions.

Beach house. Birkhoff wants to shoot Sean. Michael wants to leave him tied up and leave. Alex says it is not Sean’s fault he has questioned how Division operates. Nikita decides they should tell Sean their side, “If you want to make peace, you don’t talk to your friends. Talk to your enemies.”

Oversight continue to discuss how to handle Percy’s kill switch. Madeline is still arguing against the Clean Sweep but Bruce has a control case brought in (like the President’s football). Bruce pronounces Division a domestic threat that must be handled. Amanda calls from Division and gets permission to induce a coma in Percy.

Beach house. Nikita and Michael begin to reason with Sean and how he is protecting his mother from the wrong people. They begin to get through to him. Sean tells Alex that he supported her in Russia to help her get out of Division. (Leaving out the part where he told his mother he was going to use Alex to get to Nikita.) Birkhoff finds a bug in Sean’s phone.

Outside in a wooded area. The Cleaners are still approaching their target. Elsewhere, Roan plants some type of explosive on an entrance in a corridor somewhere, apparently, in Division.

Beach house. Sean realizes Amanda may have overheard his conversation with Madeline about Oversight not being happy with Amanda. Then Sean tells them about the Clean Sweep fail-safe. Which involves a hidden tank of VX gas, that Percy had built in, that will flood Division 20 minutes after Oversight pulls the trigger. Sean questions why it matters to Nikita and Michael and they insist they want to take out the leadership but the foot soldiers are just like them and are not there by choice. Nikita tells Sean they are going to call his mother and threaten to upload a black box, which they don’t have, if Oversight doesn’t stop the Clean Sweep.

Division. Amanda calls someone about a plan changing.

The Cleaners are still approaching their target. They dispatch two guards.

Division. Amanda is preparing to inject Percy.

Oversight begins to enter their pass codes and fingerprints to arm the Clean Sweep switch. Senator Pierce receives a call from Nikita. Sean advises Madeline about their plan to release a black box, lying to his mother about its existence. During the call, gun fire is heard and the Cleaners are infiltrating Oversight. Madeline slips the cellphone into her pocket as Nikita, Michael, and the others listen to the events unfold.

The two Cleaners control the room with the Oversight members and the Clean Sweep switch.

Beach house. As they listen in, Michael recognizes the Cleaner.

They call Amanda telling her to release Percy or they will trigger the Clean Sweep. She is hesitant to believe them but Percy insists if he can’t have Division no one can.

This episode was rather fast paced. Felt a little like an episode of 24 with much of it happening almost in real time.

Title: Pale Fire

Air Date: January 6, 2012

Synopsis: Alex’s mission to take down Gogol comes to a head as she infiltrates her childhood home and ghosts from her past. Nikita also ends up at the mansion to steal Semak’s black box. Meanwhile Michael and Owen go after the remaining Guardians.

Previously on Nikita. Nikita voice-over highlights how she disobeyed orders and saved Alexandra during operation Pale Fire. But Alex is going for revenge now. Recap of the last episode: The Guardians.

Udinov Estate. Nikita arrives and sees Ari’s car is at the estate. Flash back to seven years ago. Nikita is being briefed by Percy on the mission Pale Fire.

Alex gets teary-eyed at seeing her mother, who thought Alex was dead. Her mother says she doesn’t remember what happened. She woke up in the hospital. Alex tells her mother that someone took her and saved her life, though she’s confused as to why her mother is still in the house. As guards approach, Alex hides in a laundry chute.

Amsterdam, Holland. Michael receives Nikita’s text that she has eyes on the box. Owen takes a moment to caution Michael that he needs to get his relationship straight with Nikita.

Alex returns and sees her mother is being drugged, “Semak can have Zetrov but he can’t have you.” Tells her mother to stay put she’ll be back.

Nikita break finds her way into the basement and runs into Alex, “Oh crap.”

Division. Amanda continues trying to convince Ryan to help her in bringing down Oversight. He tells her that he needs to know everything to help. Amanda puts him in the cell with Percy.

Alex tells a surprised Nikita that her mother is in the house. Nikita agrees that rescuing her mother will come first and the black box can wait.

Amsterdam. Michael and Nikita follow a Guardian and manage to take him out and retrive his black box along with a message leading to a meeting at a dry cleaner. Michael takes a blood sample from the Guardian.

Division. Ryan Fletcher begins to gain a better understanding as Percy tells him bits of information concerning Pale Fire and how Semak reneged on his deal. Ryan tells Percy that Nikita disobeying him was what started his downward spiral into the cage.

Udinov Estate. Alex goes back to get her mother but guards quickly enter the room and take her away. Nikita hears of Alex’s capture on the radio she took from a guard.

Ari and Semak question Alex about Percy, believing Percy took her on purpose to brain wash and send back in. She tells them they are mistaken as Nikita was the one that rescued her against Division orders. And that she infiltrated Division to take down Percy and murder Semak.

Ari orders his men to take Alex away as Nikita watches from a distance.

Amsterdam. Michael gets into the Guardians meeting using the blood sample, under a patch on his thumb, to pass himself as a Guardian that Percy put into play as he was being taken prisoner. He places his black box on top of the remaining black box.

Nikita intercepts the car with Alex in it, efficiently taking out the mercenaries, then heads back to the Udinov estate to get Alex’s mother.

Roan calls into the meeting to advise them of a rendezvous in New York in two days and to visually identify each other. They two Guardians and Michael open the packages to find a phone, credit card, and passports. Michael quickly realizes he can’t pass this one. “You’re right. I’m not a Guardian. Just a guy who rigged the black box with explosives.” Owen busts in firing as Michael detonates the black boxes (leaving one in the hands of Ari). Owen and Michael race away as the two Guardians are left behind. Michael is concerned about Nikita not calling back.

Nikita makes it back into the estate and tries to put Alex’s mother on the phone with Alex. However, the mother knocks the phone away. Alex’s mother still thinks Alexandra was brainwashed and she was protecting Alex by telling Semak. Nikita tries to set the story straight as Alex listens in on the open line. She also reveals that she was having an affair with Semak and that is how she survived the attack, Semake protected her as part of the deal with Percy. Nikita finally tries to force her out but she calls for the guards and Nikita must fight her way out, along with some help from Alex who returned to the estate. Nikita and Alex work together and make it away safely.

Back inside the estate, Alexandra’s mother, Katya, starts to see some truth about Sergei Semak.

Division. Percy hints at his plans to Ryan. “Oversight is irrelevant. As you said, there is always a group behind a group.”

Brussels, Belgium. Owen and Michael realize that Percy is using the remaining Guardians to help him escape. Nikita gets a call from Michael and Michael tells her that they need to talk about their relationship as well as Percy.

Flashback seven years ago to Michael telling Nikita he can get her off of the Pale Fire mission. But Nikita insists on going to see if she can prove to herself what kind of person she has become.

Nikita encourages Alex not to give up on her mother yet. Alex and Nikita begin to reconcile their differences.

I continue to enjoy the lighting of the scenes and the cinematic quality of the show. Birkhoff didn’t make any appearance in this one, I suppose he’s still recovering but I would have expected a mention for continuity. So with Percy planning an escape, will Nikita and Michael help Division or let Percy out?

Title: Guardians

Air Date: December 3, 2011

Synopsis: With Michael out of town, Nikita turns to Owen to help her track down and steal another black box from a Guardian.

Quick recap of the black boxes and Owen meeting with Ari Tasarov.

Colmar, Alsace Region of France. A small house at night. Agents storm into the house. Owen takes off his helmet. “The Guardian is not here.” He tells Tasarov the Guardian left recently and it is unexpected. The tension incrases between them as Tasarov questions if Owen knows what he’s doing.

Owen arrives at his apartment to find Nikita waiting for him. She is not happy that Owen is working with Tasarov and Gogol; as Gogol still wants her dead. Owen assures her he is just using them for their resources and has warned them not to touch her.

Division. Sonya tells Amanda she can’t find Alex but she does show Amanda the satellite images she accessed of the Udinov mansion. Amanda correctly assumes Alex is already in Russia.

Alex goes looking for weapons, when the men don’t take her seriously she quickly incapacitates two of them and pins the last one to a pool table and very explicitly tells him the Glock and knife she needs.

Nikita tells Owen about operation Pale Fire where she rescued Alexandra Udinov. Owen understands why Alex was working with her now. And he’s off the Regimen.

Storage locker. A Guardian sends a message to Percy. Back at Division, we see someone reply to the message and quickly walk away but no indication of who it was…

Pinsky Forest, outside of Moscow. Alex has a gun and knife. She jumps off the back of a truck and starts jogging through the forest.

Owen cooks Nikita breakfast. She tells Owen that Michael is figuring some stuff out but she doesn’t want to call him. Nikita wants to check out the farm house in case they missed something. Owen is still confused why the Guardian changed protocol without hearing directly from Percy.

Division. Amanda has Percy secured and removes all of his amenities from the cell angry that he sent Alex after Semak. Amanda appears a little concerned that Alex could die. Amanda questions why Percy wants Semak dead but he doesn’t give her any information.

Udinov mansion. Semak asks Tasarov about Alex’s location. Ari assures him that she is likely in hiding.

Alex is making her way through the forest while flashing back to memories of time in the forest learning from her father when she sets off a perimeter alarm. She uses some fur from her gloves and some blood to make it appear an animal ran into the trip wire.

Back at the farm house. Nikita questions where the Guardian was getting his Regimen drugs with Percy locked up. They use Gogol to track the supplier. Owen Elliot is surprised she wants to use Gogol instead of Birkhoff, she dodges the question then reveals to Owen that Birkhoff was tortured by Amanda. She’s sad. Owen asks her about it. “I’m so tired. I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore”. Owen reminds her that she needs to stand up for the people that can’t fight because it is the right thing to do. “When Division gave you the ability to kill, they also gave you the ability to protect. You taught me that.” Nikita is still sad not knowing if Michael is coming back. Owen replies, “If he can’t see what he left behind. Maybe you shouldn’t be together.”

Tasarov and Semak are on the phone, Tasarov suggests keeping the black box instead of destroying it but Semak is adamant about it being destroyed.

Pinsky Forest. Alex climbs into a tree to hide from a patrol of soldiers. She’s nearly discovered when her rope slips to the ground but luckily the soldiers walk away. However, Alex slips climbing down from the tree, hits her head on a rock and passes out having a flash back of her father telling her she’s not alone.

Owen identifies a likely chemist with Gogol’s assistance. Ari Tasarov sends a team to retrieve the black box telling Owen thre’s been a slight change of plans and they are keeping the black box. Outside on the street, he calls the information to Nikita so she can try to get there first. Then he makes another call and tells someone about Nikita making a solo approach. Just then a couple Gogol men stun Own from behind. They take him with Tasarov to get the black box.

Pinsky Forest. Alex wakes back up and thanks her papa.

Division. Roan decodes a message from Percy’s crossword puzzle. Amsterdam. He relays the location to the Guardian in Switzerland revealing that the Guardians will meet in Amsterdam.

Nikita arrives before the Guardian but is unable to secure the black box before Gogol mercenaries arrive. She works with the Guardian to defend against Gogol. Nikita grabs the black box and the Guardian follows her. The local police block their path. Nikita waves off the Guardian from taking them on and they are arrested.

Alex arrives at the Udinov mansion and has some childhood memories of playing outside. She picks the cellar lock and is inside.

On the road. Nikita and the Guardian are restrained in the back of a van. He tells Nikita she has no idea what’s going on. Then retrieves a hidden knife from his boot and cuts himself free. Now if the police had used handcuffs instead of zip ties that wouldn’t have been possible.

Nikita keeps the Guardian at bay for the moment. Then Gogol launches a rocket at the van knocking it off the road.

Owen struggles trying to free himself in the back of Gogol car while watching Nikita still restrained in the overturned van. Tasarov gets the black box from the police car and informs Semak he’s bringing it to him. Ari tells his men to clean up the loose ends including Owen.

Tasarov’s car leaves. The Gogol mercenaries approach Nikita.

A silver car races into the scene spraying bullets out the driver side window killing the Gogol mercenaries, then slides to a stop. Michael climbs out and cuts Owen loose. “Thanks for calling.”

Nikita finally frees herself in the van and shoots the last Gogol mercenary. The other Guardian is gone.

Owen’s apartment. Nikita asks Michael how Max is, Max calls her the “gun lady”. Owen got the Guardian’s laptop and tells Nikita and Michael that secondary protocol has been activated so the Guardian’s are meeting for instructions. Owen says he’ll go after the Guardians, Nikita and Michael can go after Ari and the black box. But Nikita insists Michael goes with Owen since there will be three Guardians. He’s reluctant to leave her since he just got back. But Nikita insists it is the right thing to do.

Owen put a tracker on Tasarov’s car for Nikita to follow.

Division. Percy is back in his white onsie with nothing in his cell. Amanda offers to give his crossword back if he tells her about what he told Alex. Percy speaks about how he told her she needs to know the truth about her past to think about her future. “If we have the courage to face the truth it can lead to the right path.” As Percy continues…

Alex infiltrates the mansion. Nikita makes her way through the forest toward the mansion. Tasarov arrives with the black box.

Alex walks into a bedroom and sees a woman sitting at a vanity. “Mama?”

Title: Fair Trade

Air Date: November 18, 2011

Synopsis: Nikita steals funds from Oversight, forcing them to host an emergency meeting. Nikita and Birkhoff figure out how to spy on the meeting so Nikita can identify the other members of Oversight, but things go awry and Sean captures Birkhoff.

Washington, D.C. Birkhoff runs into Alison, Senator Pierce’s assistant, in a coffee shop. Senator Pierce is on the phone discussing how Nikita stole 80 million dollars of Oversight’s money and she’s calling an emergency meeting.

Birkhoff planted a micro-tracker in the coffee that Senator Pierce swallows.

Division. Alex lets Sean know she’s going back into Russia as the sex worker she used to be. Sean gives Alex her father’s watch that Amanda had confiscated and asks her to call when she gets into Russia.

Nikita wants to be in motion when Oversight meets. Birkhoff is concerned she’s being too reckless since Michael stayed in London.

Graybrier Hotel. Nikita and Birkhoff observe Sean, Nikita doesn’t know him yet, with Senator Pierce and the increased security. Nikita devises a way to get into the hotel as a floral assistant. She gets photos of two out of three of the remaining Oversight members.

Dance club. Alex is undercover as a worker.

Division. Amanda is driving the agents to find Birkhoff and Nikita.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid the dance club stating the got an anonymous tip. Alex assaults them to ensure they are deported.

The Division agent discovers Birkhoff’s traffic on the hotel wifi and Oversight aborts the meeting. Nikita tells Birkoff to leave but he’s not able to get away. Sean chases Nikita out of the hotel and through a park. Nikita manages to knock a kids basketball into a police officer who turns in time to see Sean with his weapon drawn and makes him stop allowing Nikita to escape.

Dance club. Another dancer is upset with Alex but Alex assures her it will be ok.

Division. Birkhoff is strapped to a chair. Amanda begins to interrogate him and quickly takes a hammer to one of his hands.

Nikita returns to the safe house, not finding Birkhoff, she calls Michael in London for advice. Michael works to calm her down and suggests she trade the black box for Birkhoff.

Birkhoff refuses to give up Nikita’s location to Amanda. She begins to shove a large needle up his nose to paralyze his brain.

Nikita contacts Amanda at Division to offer the trade. Amanda pulls the bloody needle back out of Birkhoff. Perhaps the cruelest we have seen Amanda yet. Nikita assures Amanda that Birkhoff means more to her than the box and she is willing to trade.

London. Michael is spending some time with Max while giving Nikita advice on the meeting location and getting more leverage. Nikita realizes Sean is Senator Pierce’s son.

St. Petersburg, Russia airport. The immigration agent is selling the girls back into the sex trade. Alex kills the men coming to pick them up along with the immigration agent. Then loads the girls into the truck and drives away.

Nikita calls Amanda back and requests the boyscout, Sean Pierce, to meet for the trade. Amanda agrees.

Sean asks for two teams to shadow him but Amanda denies it stating that Nikita is on the verge of losing someone she loves and they must tread lightly.

Amanda confirms with Percy that the data on the black box can’t be copied.

Nikita sends a taxi to pick up Sean and Birkhoff. Nikita hacked the taxi’s transponder signal to interfere with Sean’s tracker so they can’t be tracked by Division while in the taxi. The taxi turns into a parking garage and a waiting Nikita. She has a dead man’s trigger in her hand. Sean is back on Division’s grid now that he’s out of the taxi. Nikita advises Sean that the trigger will cause the black box to upload on multiple wireless connections.

Sean sends Birkhoff over to Nikita. After checking himself for trackers Birkhoff goes upstairs. Nikita lays the black box on the ground for Sean. He tells Division, “Plan B.” and shoots the box. Nikita disarms him and tells him to open his eyes, “I’m not the threat. You wore your Kevlar right?” Nikita shoots him in the chest and runs upstairs to a waiting helicopter. Sean is unable to pursue.

Russia. Alex releases the girls and gives them all numbered bank accounts for them to start new lives. Then walks away.

Birkhoff is trying to use Nikita’s voice activated software and questions why it sounds like Alex. Nikita reminds him of her shell program that it took him over 3 years to find. Birkhoff holds up his bandaged hand, “You give no meaning to the phrase insult to injury.” She apologizes for getting him in that situation. Birkhoff remains strong even though his hand is shaking as he takes a drink, “I almost gave you up in there.” Nikita replies, “But you didn’t. You are so worth it. You rule nerd.”

Nikita leaves to find Owen and another black box.

The senator is upset that Sean destroyed the black box. She tells him to activate his plan for Alex.

Alex calls him, as he asked, he urges her to call somebody if she gets into trouble. Even Nikita.

Division. Sean walks over to a monitor where he has a tracker on Alex. Apparently in the watch he gave back to her.

Title: London Calling

Air Date: November 11, 2011

Synopsis: Michael becomes alarmed when he hears Cassandra (Helena Mattsson) is in trouble and rushes off to help her.

Michael and Nikita meet Birkhoff in some New York City office space, the new ‘safe house’. Michael tells Birkhoff that he expects a short trip to London, he just wants to see Max and doesn’t really have a plan.

Sean gets Alex from her bunk telling her to rise and shine and leads her into Percy’s office. Percy says, “Good morning recruit.” Alex starts asking why he let Percy out of the cell. Then it spins into a dream sequence with Percy tormenting Alex inside of the cell. Alex wakes up.

London. Michael is standing in the rain outside a window watching a man leave Cassandra and Max. Then he goes to the door, “We need to talk.”

Cassandra lets him in but doesn’t want Max to know the truth. Michael sits down beside Max as he’s watching a cartoon. Max breaks his cookie in half and gives half to Michael.

Nikita and Birkhoff are researching Senator Madeline Pierce. Birkhoff shows her a video feed of Michael and Cassandra taking Max on a walk. Nikita looks jealous.

Nikita calls Michael to let him know they’re being followed. Michael fights off the men. Cassandra tells Michael they are after her. Nikita leaves for London.

Back at Cassandra’s house. Michael keeps watch while Cassandra fills him in on General Tupelov’s men attacking because they believe she stole 200 hundred million dollars.

Division. Percy is working on his crossword puzzle when Alex arrives. He makes a deal with Alex to move some money for him to keep a hundred thousand to fund her revenge against Semak. And tells Alex that Semak is living in her old family home.

Cassandra’s friend returns to take Max to school.

Nikita joins Michael and lets him know they soldiers were not Division. They go to see General Tupelov to warn him off. Nikita has to pull Michael off of Tupelov.

Sean Pierce warns Senator Pierce that Nikita will target her and that he may have a way to Nikita through Alex. And he plans to seduce her to gain her trust.

Cassandra’s apartment. Michael answers the phone, it is Tupelov holding Cassandra hostage. Cassandra told Tupelov that Michael has the money.

Division. Alex goes to a computer in the tech impound to move Percy’s money for him. Sean discovers her there but covers for her when guards arrive. When Alex asks why he’s helping, he is evasive and then asks for a kiss. She ends up kissing his hand, “You never said where.”

With Birkhoff’s help. Michael and Nikita find the location where Cassandra was being held but she is not in the room. Michael and Nikita are pinned down by fire. Michael tells Nikita to save Cassandra but she hesitates and goes to his aid instead. The car with Cassandra in rolls over a cliff as Michael watches. Michael is furious and charges at the last of Tupelov’s men. We see Cassandra’s head rise up over the edge of the cliff behind the men and she quickly shoots one and tosses the other guy off the cliff. Michael is stunned.

Cassandra was with MI6 and was undercover for two years when the Division operation began. She suspected Michael was an agent. MI6 does not know Max is Michael’s son. Nigel, the man who was with her when Michael arrived, is her handler. Cassandra gets her turn at being surprised when Nikita tells her they are rogue now and if MI6 finds out they are there it won’t be good.

Cassandra lets Michael know she is grateful for Max. Nigel shows up with soldiers to take question Michael, realizing that Max is Michael’s son. Meanwhile Nikita slips out an upstairs window before the soldiers find her.

Cassandra meets Nikita outside and gives her the alarm code to sneak back in to rescue Michael. Not willing to risk her position with MI6 and being there for Max. Cassandra goes back in the house and convinces Nigel to go with her after a lead on Tupelov. Nikita frees Michael and they realize Nigel was asking about the money too much and wants it for himself. And Cassandra has no idea.

Nigel tries to kill Cassandra as Nikita arrives. Cassandra slides Nikita a gun and Nigel is dead.

Alex completes the bank transfer. A guardian recieves an encoded message from Percy to go to secondary protocol.

Michael is saying good bye to Cassandra, who’s still with MI6. As Michael and Nikita start to walk away, Nikita tells Michael he needs to decide if he is really willing to walk away from Cassandra and his son Max and never see them again. “You need to make the decision without me here.” Nikita walks away as Michael stands there.

Michael has certainly getting more of a family life than the Michael in LFN.

Title: Clawback

Air Date: November 4, 2011

Synopsis: While in prison, Ryan Fletcher (CIA agent from the first season), discovers patterns in the news that reveal how Oversight gets much of its funding. Ryan sends a coded message to Nikita but Amanda intercepts it and alerts Oversight.

Roan enters a man’s home and uses a device to simulate a heart attack while he’s on a treadmill.

Amanda calls a man to report his order has been filled, he phones in a stock trade.

Ryan Fletcher, in jail, catches the report on the news and sees the pattern of how Division raises their funds by engineering accidents like this to affect the stock market. He makes a coded call to Nikita.

Michael sees that Cassandra is leaving Belarus and wants to go to her but Nikita cautions him against rushing off and putting his son in danger. Michael is still upset that Nikita kept the information from him. Amanda also intercepts the message and understands that Fletcher wants to meet with Nikita. Amanda lies to Sean telling him that Nikita corrupted Fletcher with sex.

Sean finds Alex gearing up with some guns as she feels she is being followed by Gogol. He wants to ask her some questions, for himself not Oversight, as he feels she will give him honest answers.

Nikita sends a stranger to meet Fletcher, wired with a radio so Ryan can talk to her. Ryan gives her the pattern to track right before Roan discovers the stranger and pulls off the radio. Ryan just became a bigger target for Division.

Sean and Alex are working through a park at night, he’s questioning the story Amanda gave him about Fletcher. Alex sets him straight and questions why is working for Oversight. Gogol agents attack. They take a young man back to Division for questioning. Alex recognizes him as the son of one of her father’s bodyguards. Alex goes in to question him.

Nikita and Michael confirm Ryan Fletcher’s findings that Division is taking on missions that result in funding Oversight. They find an address in Delaware for a member of Oversight, codename: Midas.

Amanda is talking to Midas in his office, along with Senator Madeline Pierce, to apprise him of Fletcher. Midas wants a meeting with Fletcher to find out how he discovered the pattern. Midas, Jonathan Gaines, meets with Ryan but Fletcher refuses to give up any information. Content that Nikita got his information even if he gets killed in prison. Ryan tells Gaines he’s a dead man.

The prison guard attacks Fletcher but Ryan manages to overpower him and ends up in the infirmary.

Michael and Nikita only find a post office box at the Delaware address. But they do recover a couple of letters that lead them to Jonathan Gaines.

Nikita wants to break out Fletcher.

Sean asks Senator Pierce, his mother, about who took out the hit on Fletcher. She informs him Oversight voted on it. He tells her that he wants out. As they discuss the situation, Amanda listens in via Sean’s cell phone (not certain if Sean knew about it at this point). The senator wants Sean to take over Division. He wants the hit on Fletcher called off before he considers anything.

Alex tries to get through to her old friend Uri, the Gogol agent, but isn’t getting too far. They discuss the past and how Semak came to power in Zetrov.

Nikita impersonates a guard with Michael as a prisoner. Michael is shot in the arm. Roan gets to Fletcher first and he appears to die as he tells Nikita to get Gaines. We hear the heart monitor flat line.

As they discuss getting Gaines, Nikita drugs the injured Michael telling him he has a son now and she can’t risk him.

In a limo, Sean lets his mother the senator know he is not happy about losing Fletcher. He gets out of the limo telling her that he’s going to turn in Gaines.

Roan and several agents are protecting Gaines as he packs to leave the country. Nikita uses some motorized device to scale the office building and some chemical to melt the window into Gaines’ office. Nikita dispatches a guard and has a gun on Gaines, “Ryan Fletcher says hi.” She demands names of Oversight.

Sean Pierce walks into the office, he tries to reason with Nikita as he knows Fletcher is innocent. Roan quickly calls Amanda and she tells him to kill both Gaines and Nikita.

Gaines, apparently realizing the end is near, names Senator Madeline Pierce. Sean fires the first shot and Gaines is dead. Nikita is pinned down by several Division agents. Sniper shots from across the street take out the agents, it is Michael. Nikita dives out the window and glides to the bottom of the building on that motorized device.

Back at the temporary safe house. Michael asks Nikita, “What the hell were you thinking drugging me like that?” She replies that, “Avenging Ryan was my mission.” Michael tells her there is no more “my” only “our” and she should not have made the decision for him. “Do you ever stop to think how I would feel if I lost you?! You have no idea how much you mean to me Nikita. No idea.” As Michael walks away, “If you ever pull a stunt like that again, we’re through.” (This Michael definitely shows a lot more emotion that Michael from LFN, or Michael from the movie.)

Alex returns to Division wanting to talk with Uri again, Amanda lets her know he was cancelled. A sad Alex walks down a hallway and lays down in a small bedroom at Division; not feeling safe in the outside.

Sean meets Senator Pierce on a park bench. She states that the loss of Gaines is critical. He lets her know that the reason he fired the first shot and the reason he’s going back to Division is because she was named and will be Nikita’s next target. “I may not agree with what you are doing, but you are my mother. And I will do whatever it takes to protect you.” She tries to take his hand and he avoids it. “After I know you are safe. I’m out.”

Nikita goes to see Fletcher’s mother, telling her that Ryan was a hero.

Amanda descends to a dark corridor of Division (like those mysterious corridors and basements of Section One in LFN) and in the shadows Ryan Fletcher is strapped to a chair. Amanda lets him know the world thinks he’s dead. Ryan wants her to kill him, refusing to help her. But Amanda wants him to continue going after Oversight to take them down.

Title: 343 Walnut Lane

Air Date: October 28, 2011

Synopsis: While searching for information on the black box, Birkhoff stumbles upon Nikita’s birth certificate. Nikita and Michael track down her father, Richard, but the reunion is not quite what Nikita expected.

Alex goes to confession at a church. She’s actually talking to Nikita through a video link. Alex wants a file from the black box. Roan observed Alex at the church.

Flashback, Percy tells Alex that there is information that will help her avenge her father’s death on the black box. He offers what he knows for a box of cigars, but Amanda said no fire allowed. Alex apparently decided to contact Nikita instead.

Percy anticipated Alex going directly to Nikita. While Birkhoff is searching the black box he finds information on Nikita’s father that leads them to believe he was a CIA agent. Percy tells Amanda that he can deliver Nikita for a cell above ground. Nikita and Michael plan to infiltrate a CIA archive.

Flashback to September 2004. Nikita is a new recruit severely beating large man that insults where she came from. Michael makes a plea to Amanda and Percy to reason with her.

Nikita is still troubled over lying to Michael about his son Max.

Birkhoff tells Alex that Percy played her.

Amanda finds out about Nikita’s break in and knows Nikita is going after Richard Ellison, who she believes is her father, Amanda tells Percy she doesn’t need his information now.

Nikita meets Richard in his house at 343 Walnut Lane. They flee to Birkhoff’s safe house as Division agents arrive. Richard and Nikita begin trying to bond about the past. Nikita tells him about Michael’s son Max.

Alex learns from Percy about the plan he and Amanda put in place 7 years ago for Nikita to “discover” her father, but never implemented because Michael was able to talk sense into Nikita, Alex realizes Nikita is in the middle of a Division trap.

Roan and a team are waiting outside Birkhoff’s safe house. Alex alerts Birkhoff to the trap, before he can warn Nikita Richard confronts him looking for the black box. Birkhoff manages to defend himself long enough for Michael and Nikita to restrain Richard. Amanda sends in the agents telling them to kill everyone. Richard reveals the truth about the plan to Nikita as the Division team opens fire.

Nikita tells Birkhoff to use his drones for air support. A missle obliterates part of the house. Michael, Nikita, and Birkhoff walk out looking back to see Richard stand up from the rubble. Nikita shoots and kills him as Michael pulls her away. Roan sits up in the rubble beside the fallen Richard, finds his glasses, and makes it back to his fit (looking somewhat like a Terminator).

Alex goes to Percy. He tells her that he knows she warned Nikita and he will tell Amanda if she doesn’t do what he says. “I own you Alex.” Alex tells him to go to hell and walks out.

With Birkhoff’s safe house is compromised and destroyed. Seymour uncovers a sports car and says to Nikita and Michael, “We’ll rendezvous on Tatooine or wherever I setup the next rebel base.” (Gotta love the Star Wars references from the geek. He referred to Cerebro, from X-Men, in the last episode Looking Glass).

Nikita and Michael both feel they should have known better. Nikita lets Michael know about his son Max. Telling him that’s why she shot Richard, to protect them, not for revenge. Michael is clearly confused going through emotions from happy to anger to confusion and drops Nikita’s hand.

I really thought Nikita was going to keep that secret longer. But I suppose it fits with her effort to be more trusting and quit keeping secrets.

Title: Looking Glass

Air Date: October 21, 2011

Synopsis: Michael discovers Cassandra, a woman who once romanced under Division orders, is in danger. Feeling guilty for how things ended and wants to help her but Nikita suspects there is more to it.

Michael is in bed talking to a blond woman talking about art as she joins him on the bed. Belarus, Six Years Ago. She has to leave. Michael reveals that he is an American agent assigned to neutralize the threat of her husband. And he asks for her help.

Present day. Michael sees that the puppet Belarusian president that Division put in place during operation Looking Glass is getting out of control. Cassandra stayed to sell the deception.

Amanda fills in Percy who now has a chair, area rug, and tea in his cell.

Michael reveals to Nikita that he was intimate with Cassandra to acquire her help. Nikita asks about how many times he had to seduce women for Division since he was her handler and knows how many times she had to. He replies that it was only once.

Amanda wants Alex to go on a mission to take down Ovechkin, when she refuses another agent volunteers instead.

Minsk, Belarus. Nikita outbids Cassandra on a painting to get her attention and sets up a meeting with Michael. When Cassandra arrives to meet Michael she has her son Max with her. Michael lets Nikita know things just got a little more complicated.

When Michael asks, Cassandra tells him that Max is not his son that he is 4, and Ovechkin kept it a secret to protect him. She tells Michael she has her own plan to get out.

Amanda’s agent is captured. Sean wants to rescue her but Amanda tells him it is not Divisions way. Sean Pierce declares you never leave a man behind telling Amanda to go to Oversight if she has a problem with it. Alex goes with him feeling responsible because she turned the mission down.

Cassandra’s plan to leave gets prevented by a suspicious Ovechkin. She calls Michael via the auction house. Nikita looks jealous.

Nikita and Michael plan an escape but have to abort when Max doesn’t want to go out the window with Nikita.

Alex and Sean arrive in Minsk. Ovechkin is questioning the Division agent when Amanda calls him and manipulates him into killing her. Alex and Season watch as she is shot too late to try anything. Amanda already knows Sean and Alex will go after Ovechkin.

Birkhoff, Michael, and Nikita plan to use Ovechkin’s evac car to get Cassandra and Max out of the country. Meanwhile, Sean and Alex plan to blow up the car by planting a bomb inside.

Sean is turning out to be more of a fair agent, doing the right thing, when I expected him to be more of a snitch to Oversight.

Amanda goes to speak to Percy with one of his suits in hand telling him, “Sometimes you have to sacrifice a pawn to motivate your knights.” Percy jokes about how easy the chess metaphors come.

Max mentions a lady coming to the nanny so she is ready when Nikita shows up. Several shots are fired but Nikita is able to overpower her and get to Max. She coaxes him out of a closet talking about happy things like birthday presents.

Sean plants the bomb in the car. Alex delivers a coded message from Percy that causes Ovechkin to head for his evac vehicle. He stops on the porch to look for his wife and child.

Nikita gets Max to Cassandra and sends them to the car and heads back for Michael who is still near the residence.

Sean arms a radio transmitter. Birkhoff detects the signal and alerts Michael and Nikita that there is a bomb in the car. They both race for Cassandra and Max.

Michael runs outside and is knocked down by the bomb blast a pained expression on his face but then Nikita walks out of the flames with Max in her arms and Cassandra.

Ovechkin grabs Alex and questions who is behind all of it. Sean strangles Ovechkin then shoots Ovechkin and Volkov to set it up as a murder suicide.

Cassandra stays behind as Michael and Nikita leave. She speaks to her countrymen to unite them.

Alex admits to Sean that it does feel pretty good to do something good.

Cut to shoes being laced, cuffs being down, a jacket being put on…Percy is back in his power suit “It’s a start.”

Belarus. Cassandra gives Michael a final hug. He apologizes for what he did and hopes that she can move on. Cassandra thanks Michael for being there when she needed him. She walks over to Nikita as Max goes and sits beside Michael. Nikita reveals to Cassandra that while they were playing Max insisted he is a little over 5, not 4, born about 9 months after Michael’s mission. Cassandra admits Max is Michael’s son. But urges Nikita not to tell him because it would mean an end to everything. Michael wouldn’t be able to stay away. And if enemies found out Max would be in danger. But lets it to Nikita’s decision saying, “Our families are liabilities. Our loved ones our weaknesses.” Nikita looks over at father and son sitting together.

Michael, Roy Dupuis, had a son in LFN as well. Max is almost certain to be used against Michael at some point now that we know he exists. Though Cassandra is at least still alive. I kinda like the idea of Seymour Birkhoff bankrolling all this with his hacker skills

Title: Partners

Air Date: October 14, 2011

Synopsis: Nikita is stunned when she hears that her old Division partner Kelly escaped a Turkish prison. Nikita thought Kelly died years ago and always felt responsible because it happened after Nikita escaped from Division.

Van, Turkey. A blond woman, dirty and beaten, kills several police offers and drives away in the police van.

Division. Sonya brings the information to Amanda’s attention. Amanda orders in a cleaner team.

Birkhoff’s house. Birkhoff states the black box lists her as Killed in Action on operation Broken Eagle; when Nikita staged her escape. Michael lied to Nikita years ago telling her that Kelly was killed on a different mission. Michael didn’t want Nikita to feel responsible.

Flashback to them working together on the mission. Kelly thinking Nikita was killed, it was remote controlled guns that Nikita used, Kelly tried to complete the mission and was captured.

Division. Amanda confronts Alex about the Kochenko’s execution. Then asks her to go track Kelly, expecting Nikita to get involved, and offers her more information on planning a hit on Semak.

Semak speaks with Ari and Gregor about Kochenko, he wants to know how it happened. When Gregor starts to challenge him, Semak shoots him in the head. Ari is promoted. Semak knows Percy kept the information regarding Zetrov on the black boxes.

Division. Alex realizes that Kelly must’ve a backup passport she needs still stashed in Turkey since she’s not heading toward the border.

The cleaner, Roan, goes with Alex on the mission to take care of Nikita; he has bad scars on his face from the acid Nikita threw on him last season.

Ankara, Turkey. Kelly recovers a phone from a vent in her old safe house. She receives a call from Nikita offering an explanation and meeting spot. The meeting is quickly interrupted by police. Michael leads the police away while Nikita and Kelly take another direction. Alex sees through the subterfuge and follows the right car with Kelly and Nikita.

Eskisehir, Turkey. Train station. Nikita and Kelly retrieve a disguise that Nikita hid, then board a train soon followed by Alex and Roan.

Birkhoff warns Nikita and Kelly that Roan and Alex are on the train. Kelly questions why Nikita doesn’t want to kill Alex and goes along with Nikita’s vague reason. After a brief fight Nikita and Kelly jump from the train. Kelly sneaks a phone call to Ari, he’s after the black box, and hired her. Kelly describes Alex to Ari and he realizes Alex was Kochenko’s assassin. He tells Kelly that Alex is her new target.

As Nikita and Kelly pull out in a stolen car, Kelly stabs the tire creating a slow leak. Kelly finds out more about Alex being Nikita’s partner. Kelly accuses Nikita of not trusting anyone.

Division. Amanda and Percy are having tea, on their own sides of his glass cell, he knows that Amanda wants her own puppet at the head of Zetrov. Percy suggests that Amanda find the missing members of Nikolai Udinov’s inner circle as they may be able to help reestablish Alexandra. In return he asks to have his clothes back instead of the white onesie.

Nikita calls Michael again to let him know they have a flat tire, then notices that the tire was punctured and draws her gun on Kelly after finding the cell phone and hearing Ari on the other end.

Birkhoff sends Michael to Nikita’s coordinates. Gogol is closing on the position. Nikita locks Kelly in the trunk of the car and tells Michael about the trap for Alex.

Alex and Roan arrive moments later and take fire from Gogol as they run through the forest. Kelly got out of the trunk and has Alex at gun point when Michael arrives. Nikita shoots Kelly to save Alex. Nikita offers to help Alex now that Gogol is after her and apologizes for not treating Alex like a partner. Alex insists she needs to kill Semak now to save herself, not just for revenge, and returns to Division as they will help protect her. Alex reports back to Division that there was no sign of Nikita and Kelly is dead.

Birkhoff’s house. Michael is massaging Nikita’s shoulders. As they are talking Nikita says she doesn’t have a good track record with partners. Michael replies, “You can call it whatever you want.” Nikita looks up, “Boy toy?” “Except that.”

Division. Amanda compliments Alex telling her that even Roan was impressed. Alex is concerned that Gogol has figured out who she is. Amanda assures her that they will get Semak.

Ari discovers that Alex is Alexandra Udinov and advises Semak that she is still alive. Semak orders Ari to shoot on site he wants Alex dead.

Apparently a scene was cut on how Kelly got out of the trunk she was shut in. Typically you can pull a cable on many car models but if that was the case, why did Nikita bother to put her in the trunk? Nice to see more on how Nikita escaped Division but how would she have had time to put those remote gun stations in place during a mission? Quite a few big time jumps in this one. The real time feel of 24 was awesome, would be nice to see more of that.

Title: Knightfall

Air Date: October 7, 2011

Synopsis: Birkhoff tells Nikita and Michael that a black box file reveals that an international terrorist named Ramon, who has taken credit for some serious political assassinations, has been working for Division.

Quebec City. Interesting music. Someone on a motorcycle rides up to a street side diner and executes a few people.

News flashes while Nikita is doing yoga. She turns to the TV when she hears the name Ramon.

Birkhoff’s Shadow Bot flagged the news and Ramon was someone Nikita captured in the past and was let go by Division but kept on the payroll as an assassin. Nikita is upset to find out at the kills he completed after she turned him over to Division six years ago.

Flashback to their first meeting. She apparently had orders to kill him but didn’t go through with it.

According to the black box data the news anchor breaking the Ramon stories gets the news directly from Ramon. So Nikita is going after her.

Division, Amanda is congratulating Ramon on his recent accomplishments. Alex arrives, not thrilled to know someone like Ramon is on the payroll. Amanda tries to talk Alex into taking a mission to execute Anton Kochenko, the public face of Zetrov, to draw out Semak. Amanda takes the mission.

Michael talks to the news anchor about an interview and she offers to go for coffee, leading him down an alley to her car, where she tries to seduce him. Michael knocks her purse down. After seeing the sat phone, “Do you want to call Division or should I?” She attacks him and Michael slumps against the car. The agent dials Division, an unknown voice asks her a few questions about her situation and she reveals she is Ramon’s handler and his location. Birkhoff and Nikita walk into the scene with Birkhoff ending the call. Nikita incapacitates her. Michael stands back up, clearly pretending to be knocked unconscious.

Monte De Concepcion, Colombia. (Nice shot of Michael and Nikita in front of a waterfall; no other real purpose that I see.) Birkhoff is running support from his house. Nikita and Michael flirt about a date after they capture Ramon (certainly a change from the mostly serious LFN missions).

Michael enters a crawl space to tap into security cameras since Birkhoff said the security is tight and that would be simpler.

Alex is researching Kochenko. Flashback to Kochenko intimidating a young Alex into giving him a security code that allowed the Division team to kill her father. Sean offers her some advice to take a sniper shot instead of a frontal assault and she heeds his advice.

Amanda learns from Sonya that Michael and Nikita are near Ramon. After some surveillance they realize Ramon is in a wheel chair and could not have been doing the assassinations.

Nikita scales the wall to Ramon’s house and enters his office as he finishes recording a video for the Kochenko hit. Nikita overhears Amanda telling him that the hit won’t be for about 20 minutes.

Alex impersonates a news reporter to gain access to a high position for her sniper rifle.

Ramon is angry at Nikita for his situation. Flashback to Percy paralyzing him with a bullet to the spine.

Ramon manages to get away while Nikita is pinned down by several guards. Michael comes to her assistance and Nikita leaves to chase Ramon. However, Michael is trapped in a safe room in the house.

Nikita stops Ramon and reports back to Michael, but Amanda replies back on the channel stating she has Michael and is jamming all transmissions on the mountain. Nikita is just outside the jamming field so that Amanda can talk to her. Birkhoff recieves the file from Nikita regarding Kochenko.

Amanda warns her not to release the file as she has a drone circling the house and will destroy it with Michael inside. She tells Nikita to give her proof of death on Ramon as he is now a loose end.

Alex has her shot but Amanda tells her to wait. Alex does have both eyes open at the sniper rifle, nice detail.

Birkhoff tells Nikita he is out of ideas to help unless Ramon will give her the number for the phone line in the safe room. All Division safe rooms have a hard line.

Ramon wants Nikita to kill him. But won’t give her the number. Michael starts to gather supplies to make something in the safe room. Ramon continues to debate with Nikita, revealing she was a foster child and junkie. Nikita finally hands him a gun, “Finish it yourself.” and races off to find Michael.

Birkhoff regains his satellite link to see Nikita is racing toward the house. Ramon calls Michael on the safe room line and tells him of an underground passage. Amanda orders the drone to fire. Nikita arrives in time to get knocked down by the explosion.

Michael walks out of the passage behind Nikita and lets her know Ramon called, “You’re welcome.” Michael replies to Amanda, “You missed.”

Percy sees the Ramon recording playing on air while Kochenko is still alive. And smiles.

Alex disobeys orders and still takes out Kochenko.