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La Femme Nikita Season 1 Episode 21

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8.6

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 9/28/97

Jovan Mijovich has been elected as premier of his new nation, but there is a hit man out to assassinate him. Nikita and Michael, along with other Section One operatives, are dispatched to provide security. During the inaugural celebration, the hit man is taken out, but a hostage situation develops that no one expected. A man, Bruner, claims Mijovich raped and blinded his daughter during the nation's civil war, and threatens to kill him. Nikita tries to defuse the situation, and manages to keep Mijovich alive for the time being, but when Bruner's daughter appears to give her side of the story, the accuracy of her testimony will mean the difference between peace and war for her people.moreless

Fan Episode Reviews (3)

Michael shot Griffin in a room, full of people and everyone kept drinking, laughing and talking...no one saw anything. (?)

8.7

By Troooika, Jul 12, 2008

So Nikita and Michael are on mission again. To protect Mijovich, who's been threatened to kill. Asassin appears on a 'party', where Michael shoots her in a room full of people. Not even one saw the guns? or heard the shot? i mean, there was no loud music or loud conversation. How come no one was looking at their direction? Then a group of waitors pull out their guns. 'L'maitre' puts his gun to Mijovich's throat and ... starts to speak in english! and it's obvious they're the same, slavic nation...would you speak in english while threatning a guy, angry, pissed off because you found the guy who did all those bad stuff? they say that under emotions (like happiness, fear, anger) you start speaking in your language. In this case there were 2 men, both speaking the same mother tongue, and they speak in english. yea right. only in movies (and series)

Interesting, intriguing plot. I like what Michael once said: I don't let personal considerations interfere with my work. He said it with such power, determination. but is it true?moreless
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Moving and intriguing plot, little different than usual, very good story turns and unexpected outcome.

8.6

By Parricida, Sep 19, 2007

After quite horrible episode, this one was just what needed -a deeply emotional story with ethical dilemmas, doubts and people hiding their real personality.

First, I like the way the episode starts, those teasers - they are always done very well and this one goes the same way - we first do not understand what goes on, but soon we realize Nikita is following (?) Michael and he is with someone. And then the boom and look on his face. For me it seems, that Michael loves to control situations and that was surprise for him and for moment he needed to think what to do.

But that was just an introduction to the story - we learn that Mijovich is back on the focus again and they need to protect it. We have a party, a stylish way how to take down a people (ok it looked little weird that Michael shot and noone saw it but it was stylish) With little more than 10 minutes, every threat seems to be cleaned.

But the story is just to start as four local desperate man take the people on the party to hostage. They have suffered greatly turning the war on their country and they believe Mijovich is behind rudely murdering and torturing women and children on one village. He denies it, and Nikita, having her thing with innocent souls again, does everything to win time for section to work out a rescue and keep Mijovich alive.

From that point, the story goes really catching and one dilemma over other arise. Nikita asks for prove, a witness, to confirm their story and so Maria, a blind girl who survived, is brought in. She is just so innocent looking, so much suffered and her blindness - we feel sorry for her from the first minute and so does Nikita, who has no divided interests – she feels that those man has done nothing wrong than seek for justice (matters her greatly) and on the same time, she needs to get Mijovich away from that party alive (and she admires his tries to get a better future for his country and without him a war will start again)

With Nikita's skill to see into the people, she manages well to make Maria doubt and in the end, Maria tells that she is sure that is not the man. They almost manage to talk out the situation - noone will suffer no more but Michael is managed to get in on the meantime and he kills one of those four man - Maria's brother (I think he was). Leaving the scene, the main hostage taker looks for his son and saws the body, Michael shoots. And the main man aims Mijovich and Nikita, for that moment, understands the truth but she has to shoot as her duty is for Mijovich even her heart wants to protect innocent man. Crying Maria scene is heart tearing and when she looks Mijovich's hands - there is a prove that he was there, he was the man. Very emotional and the way Peta Wilson plays that part - all those emotions - amazing. You just lose the sense of reality as everything looks so real.

Powerful and moving episode.moreless
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Mijovich from episode two returns, and Nikita must protect him again. Wasn't someone trying to kill him in the episode two also? This poor guy needs to make better friends.

8.0

By swingthesickle, Nov 24, 2006

One of my favorite elements of La Femme Nikita is the teasers. Especially when they set them to music and remove all the other sound. You may see people's mouths move, but you don't hear what they are saying. Michael fluidly moved as the suave super spy that he is. Nikita's facial expressions didn't need any dialogue. Did I detect a hint of jealousy when Michael gave his informant a peck on the cheek? Peta Wilson's major contribution to the role is definitely the range of emotion she can express with her facial expressions.

After the last episode which bordered on silly, Nikita redeemed herself with this great episode. It didn't have a tidy conclusion, but it ended messy for everyone. Real life situations rarely have tidy conclusions, and episodes like Verdict challenge the viewer to wrestle with the theme.

Nikita so wanted to believe that human nature was essentially good, and that if presented with the facts, all parties involved would react in a way that would best benefit their nation. She told Michael, "There are no bad guys here" to which he responded, "There are always bad guys, Nikita." I believe human nature is not essentially good, but rather, like Michael, human nature is sinful. The challenge is how we respond to that nature. As seen in this episode, the morally ambiguous Section has no problem sacrificing an operative to create a diversion allowing Michael to infiltrate the building. The Section keeps the peace with whatever means necessary. Nikita simply cannot agree with that nor should we.

The revolutionary's daughter was blind, yet she saw more clearly than the revolutionaries fighting on her behalf or the Section's shoot-first-ask-questions-later operatives. The scene that alternated between extreme close-ups of the blind girl and Nikita was emotionally charged. I've never seen a television series masterfully utilize the extreme close-up like Nikita does. This emotionally charged episode kept me on the edge of my seat and deserves its 8 out of 10 score.

-Matthew Miller

Find this review and more at tv.swingthesickle.commoreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Peta Wilson	Nikita
Roy Dupuis	Michael Samuelle
Eugene Robert Glazer	Paul "Operations" Wolfe
Matthew Ferguson	Seymour Birkoff
Alberta Watson	madeline

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Eric Peterson	Zoran Bruner	Guest Star
David Calderisi	Jovan Mijovich	Guest Star
Kate Greenhouse	Maria	Guest Star

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (8)
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- Bruner: (when Nikita demands he bring his witness to testify) You don't know what you are asking!
  Nikita: Mr Bruner, you wanted the world to watch. They will. Now you have to show them something. (the members of the press all nod)
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- Nikita: (as Michael infiltrates the building) Michael, there's been a mistake. There is no bad guy here.
  Michael: There are always bad guys, Nikita.
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- Maria: (speaking to Nikita) What does a woman like you know of suffering? Do you know what it's like to beg for mercy but to receive only agony? Have you ever been so tormented that you prayed for your own death?
  Nikita: Yes, I have.
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- Bruner: (referring to Mijovich) If you stay with this man, you may die with this man!
  Nikita: Then I'll die with this man.
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- Mijovich: (referring to the assassin "Griffin") Any sign of our friend?
  Nikita: Come and gone.
  Mijovich: Are you serious?!
  Nikita: Very. And I can assure you she won't be back.
  Mijovich: She?! Oh yes, the more dangerous half of the species!
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- Operations: A word please. The girl in the car, did she mean something?
  Michael: She was a contact.
  Operations: Nothing more? This is an important mission Michael. It's about protecting Mijovich. It's not about revenge.
  Michael: I don't let personal considerations interfere with my work.
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- Nikita: I killed a man whose only crime was he loved his family and wanted justice.
  Michael: You had no choice.
  Nikita: I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.
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- Birkoff: Vakul was a small town in the North. Five years ago while the men were away fighting, women and children were wiped out by commandos from the opposite side. The men swore vengeance. Their leader was named Zoran Bruner.
  Operations: In other words, we're outflanked by a collection of farmers.
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NOTES (2)
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- Eric Peterson and David Calderisi are listed as Special Guest Stars in the opening credits.
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- Music Used in This Episode
  "Working for the Man" - PJ Harvey (when Nikita follows Michael in the park)
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