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Nikita S2 finale
THIS SHOW, YA'LL.
Seriously, all the people who are over in Avengers for badass spy ladies and found-family teams and redemption ~feels~ need to get their asses over to this fandom RIGHT NOW.
Okay, first let's talk about how satisfying it was that Percy went splat. *happy sigh* I mean, he was a consummate, gloriously intelligent snake, but I spent the entire episode going "SHOOT HIM IN THE FACE!" and I'm not sure I could have stood having him weasel his way out again. And now Amanda's going to be the big bad again, with Ari at her back and a new shadowy network in the background. I have been incredibly pleased with how the show builds up and pays off its plot arcs so far, so I am in 110%.
I don't even know where to start about how much I love all of these characters. Season 2 has been a fantastic ride, bringing everyone together in a truly convincing way and making them all complex and loveable. The last scene where Sean steps right off and Nikita & Alex have that glorious moment of we're in this together, I've got your back even when you're crazy and/or trying to kill me that they have earned so beautifully. How Michael and Nikita argue but back each other to the hilt anyway, admit when they're wrong (eventually), love each other with their eyes fully open to the best and the ugliest parts of each other. Birkhoff! Best. nerd. ever. The four of them and their amazing spy-sibling dynamic, with Alex giving Birkhoff shit about his energy drinks and arguing about who pays for the next, or Michael with relationship advice for Alex (which, lol, Nikita is not the person for that talk, so good call), or Nikita & Birkhoff's amazing arc in Shadowwalker, where they fought for valid reasons and made up in equally true ways. And I could talk for pages about Nikita and Alex's constant, genuine support and care for each other, how much deeper and equal it is after all the shit they pushed through. ♥♥♥
And the wider ensemble keeps getting better and richer. The way Ryan went from 'meh' as a character to having me cry over his (fake) death, cheer for his prisoner-in-the-basement snark, and adore his Data Ninja skills ever since. Sean's secret dorkiness coming out and making Alex laugh despite herself ("What do you Russians use for building? Field stone? Petrified potatoes?"). Sonya's growth from timid mouse to standing up for the right thing, which I cannot wait to see more of next season.
*glee dance* Next season is gonna be AMAZING.
On a less spoilery note: I was looking at the IMDB page for this show, and the gender equality is stunning. If we just look at the recurring characters that get character development (excluding long-dead people, generic muscle, and nameless techs), the female/male split is almost even at 9 to 10. In the main cast, i.e. the characters who appear in almost every episode, the split is EXACTLY even at 3:3. I honestly can't think of another show that has those numbers, and Nikita does it with consistent depth, complexity, and Bechdel-passing, with characters that kick ass and characters that win fights with their minds, characters that are flawed and strong, sometimes wrong and sometimes wise, with complex networks of relationships to everyone around them.
Seriously, check my math.
FEMALE *MAIN (3)/RECURRING (6)
*Nikita
*Alex
*Amanda
Sonya
Senator Madeline
Cassandra
Carla Bennett
Jaden
Katya Udinov
MALE *MAIN (3)/RECURRING (7)
*Michael
*Birkhoff
*Percy
Ryan
Sean
Roan
Ari
Thom
Owen
Sergei Semak
This show does ensemble cast *right*.
Seriously, all the people who are over in Avengers for badass spy ladies and found-family teams and redemption ~feels~ need to get their asses over to this fandom RIGHT NOW.
Okay, first let's talk about how satisfying it was that Percy went splat. *happy sigh* I mean, he was a consummate, gloriously intelligent snake, but I spent the entire episode going "SHOOT HIM IN THE FACE!" and I'm not sure I could have stood having him weasel his way out again. And now Amanda's going to be the big bad again, with Ari at her back and a new shadowy network in the background. I have been incredibly pleased with how the show builds up and pays off its plot arcs so far, so I am in 110%.
I don't even know where to start about how much I love all of these characters. Season 2 has been a fantastic ride, bringing everyone together in a truly convincing way and making them all complex and loveable. The last scene where Sean steps right off and Nikita & Alex have that glorious moment of we're in this together, I've got your back even when you're crazy and/or trying to kill me that they have earned so beautifully. How Michael and Nikita argue but back each other to the hilt anyway, admit when they're wrong (eventually), love each other with their eyes fully open to the best and the ugliest parts of each other. Birkhoff! Best. nerd. ever. The four of them and their amazing spy-sibling dynamic, with Alex giving Birkhoff shit about his energy drinks and arguing about who pays for the next, or Michael with relationship advice for Alex (which, lol, Nikita is not the person for that talk, so good call), or Nikita & Birkhoff's amazing arc in Shadowwalker, where they fought for valid reasons and made up in equally true ways. And I could talk for pages about Nikita and Alex's constant, genuine support and care for each other, how much deeper and equal it is after all the shit they pushed through. ♥♥♥
And the wider ensemble keeps getting better and richer. The way Ryan went from 'meh' as a character to having me cry over his (fake) death, cheer for his prisoner-in-the-basement snark, and adore his Data Ninja skills ever since. Sean's secret dorkiness coming out and making Alex laugh despite herself ("What do you Russians use for building? Field stone? Petrified potatoes?"). Sonya's growth from timid mouse to standing up for the right thing, which I cannot wait to see more of next season.
*glee dance* Next season is gonna be AMAZING.
On a less spoilery note: I was looking at the IMDB page for this show, and the gender equality is stunning. If we just look at the recurring characters that get character development (excluding long-dead people, generic muscle, and nameless techs), the female/male split is almost even at 9 to 10. In the main cast, i.e. the characters who appear in almost every episode, the split is EXACTLY even at 3:3. I honestly can't think of another show that has those numbers, and Nikita does it with consistent depth, complexity, and Bechdel-passing, with characters that kick ass and characters that win fights with their minds, characters that are flawed and strong, sometimes wrong and sometimes wise, with complex networks of relationships to everyone around them.
Seriously, check my math.
FEMALE *MAIN (3)/RECURRING (6)
*Nikita
*Alex
*Amanda
Sonya
Senator Madeline
Cassandra
Carla Bennett
Jaden
Katya Udinov
MALE *MAIN (3)/RECURRING (7)
*Michael
*Birkhoff
*Percy
Ryan
Sean
Roan
Ari
Thom
Owen
Sergei Semak
This show does ensemble cast *right*.