Jones: "Always trust your father."
This episode had a certain symmetry to it, a synchronicity bordering on predestination.
His son, her father. It was satisfying to see Michael and Nikita working together and trusting each other under the most serious and emotional of circumstances. Early in the episode, Nikita chose Michael over her absentee, manipulative father. Not a surprise. Jones sacrificing himself was a surprise, though. He redeemed himself in the end. He gave his life, not so much for Adam or Michael, but for Nikita.
That bridge scene was amazing. Michael really believed he was going to his death, and so did Nikita. Nikita kissed his hand, a gesture of adoration and respect, more moving than a kiss on the mouth. Nikita kept her sunglasses on, and we couldn't see her eyes. (I kept thinking, geez, Nikita and her eternal sunglasses.) She also kept them on during the train station scene, right up until the very end. When she finally removed them, she was crying. I thought this was so appropriate. We were finally seeing the real Nikita again. She was symbolically unmasked.
There was a ton 'o symbolism in these last two episodes, in fact. They've used glass many times to illustrate the artificial separation between Michael and Nikita. In "Let No Man Put Asunder," which was chock full of rampant wedding symbolism, Michael and Nikita met at the altar of the church in front of towering stained glass windows. In the train station, they again stood in front of towering, arched windows. The last shot of the series was Nikita in the perch, once again behind glass and unobtainable. The bridge also symbolized the transition to a new life for Nikita, Michael, and Adam, and the end of life for Jones. Possibly not intentional, but the shape of the bridge resembled the perch, too.
Yes, I would have preferred a happier ending, but it makes sense when you place it within the context of the entire series. Michael got his freedom, and the chance to raise his son in peace. Nikita got to remake Section in her own image, something that meant a great deal to her. That last look at Nikita, alone in the perch with a resigned look on her face, was so sad, but right somehow.
And it won't be forever. Nikita would never give up Michael permanently. Someday, they'll be together. A time for every purpose. And I can live with that.
Bits and pieces:
-- I'm so glad they brought Matthew Ferguson back for the final episode. And it was great to see him save Walter's ass one last time, almost in memory of Birkoff.
-- Loved the scene with Michael and Nikita, in black, walking together in the snow. Stark and beautiful.
-- Why did the Collective kill Jones? Did they know he wouldn't permit capture? Or was it simply the final instance of loose-string-tying on the part of the writers? After all, if Jones had walked off with them, we'd always wonder.
-- Kelly and Myra. Two women vying for control of Section, that eventually went to a third woman. Section must be an equal opportunity employer.
-- The first line of this review is a recycled Buffy quote: "There is a certain dramatic irony that's attached to all this. A synchronicity that borders on predestination, one might say." If you're not a Buffy fan, this may be a good time to tell you that I use Buffyisms in my reviews all the time.
Quotes:
Jason: "You did her."
Walter: "Worse than that. I didn't do her."
Nikita: "Very clever. Did you think you'd found a way to kill Michael that I'd find acceptable?"
Jones: "My dear girl, none of us have a choice. Least of all me."
A little hint about what was coming.
Michael: "He claims that Section exists to protect the innocent. Let him prove it."
He did, didn't he?
Nikita: "You'll know where I am."
One final note. Four of the producers/writers of this series created the series 24. There were unsubstantiated rumors that they offered Roy Dupuis the lead, and he turned them down. It recently occurred to me (today, in fact) that they may have originally intended to spin off the Michael character. Wouldn't 24 have been a fascinating vehicle for Michael?
Saying goodbye to reviewing this series is hard for me. But I guess it's that time.
Four out of four stars,
Billie
11 comments:
Its sad to see it finish. Do you really think they would meet up again? what are the chances of that happening? I also couldn't help but notice that Nikita thinks in absolutes while Michael still has hope for them to be together in the future. Isn't that the biggest role reversal.
A suspenseful and moving finale to the series, with writer Michael Loceff returning to give the audience proper closure after angering the fans with “Four Light Years Farther”.
Spoilers follow...
Despite budget constraints limiting the action sequences and locations, Loceff is skilled enough to engage the audience with a suspenseful episode that puts every one of our characters in jeopardy, even Walter! Loceff also effectively delivers numerous plot reversals as Michael uses both deception and cunning to try to free his son from the Collective. But when all of Michael’s efforts fail, and he faces death once again to save his son, it’s time to break out the Kleenex! The final plot twist came as a complete surprise to me, though by his sacrifice, Mr. Jones still manages to manipulate Nikita into doing what he wants. The series ends in a bittersweet fashion, with Nikita forced to take over Section One in order to save Adam, but at least the audience is left with the promise of Michael returning one day after Adam is grown.
Emotionally, this ending is far more satisfying than “Four Light Years Farther”, as the Michael/Nikita relationship is honoured properly this time. But since the apparent goal of this season was to make Nikita the new Operations, I have to say that Nikita’s character was not suitably developed in order to believably achieve that goal. For example, in this episode Nikita is portrayed far too passively, merely choosing between Michael’s strategy or her father’s. If Nikita is supposed to take over the Perch, she really should be initiating her own strategy! Far better if Nikita had rejected both Michael’s and Mr. Jones’ plans, and come up with a brilliant third option instead, thus demonstrating that she is qualified to become the new Operations.
In fact, the audience hasn’t seen Nikita plan and execute a successful mission since Season Three’s “All Good Things”. In my mind, Season Five was really a missed opportunity to show off Nikita’s strategic acumen. By omitting evidence of Nikita’s competence, it casts doubt not only on whether Nikita deserves the position of Operations, but whether she will even survive without her father’s protection or Michael’s strategic genius, since so many other Section operatives are clawing for her position.
To counter that concern, I imagine that Michael and Nikita will remain in contact as they did when Nikita was on the outside (“Hard Landing”), and that Michael will continue to give Nikita strategic advice until he can join her permanently. Problem solved ;-)
Final Thoughts:
I must say that I had a lot of fun re-watching this series on DVD, and I am very impressed at how well LFN stands up almost 15 years later. It’s just too bad that the quality of the show dove sharply at the end of its run, as the original creators and writers moved on to other things (most notably, “24"). I think I’ll be revisiting the earlier seasons of LFN quite frequently in the future, though, whenever I want to get my fix of the stylish and morally ambiguous world of Section, and of course the most complex and twisted romance ever depicted on television. A la vie!
Serena, I applaud you. You have posted intelligent, well-thought-out comments on every episode in the series, and on a number of occasions, your comments were actually longer than my review. Thank you so much for making our blog your home away from home, and -- a la vie!
Thanks, Billie, for letting me prattle on ;-) I must say that I admire all the time and effort you put into your website. Thanks so much!
By the way, your comment
" It recently occurred to me (today, in fact) that they may have originally intended to spin off the Michael character. Wouldn't 24 have been a fascinating vehicle for Michael?"
is really intriguing, and now I find myself actually missing what never happened (is that possible?) ;-)
I am very happy to have found this site. I am a die hard La femme Nikita fan. During this holiday I decided I wanted to watch the La femme Nikita I bought in 2006. I have watched all of the episodes again and I most say I am in love with La femme Nikita again. I did not want the story to end in 2001 and 10 years later I still want the saga to continue.
To see Nikita lose both her father and Michael was heartbreaking, but the end was perfect. At the end it was all about sacrifice, all about the greater good. Nikita father gave his life for his cause he believed that Nikita was the one to lead section one victoriously into the future. He believes totally in the Oracle and his cause.
Michael is determined to do whatever he can to save his son. He lays down his life for his son.
Nikita lays down her life for them all Michael, Adam and her dad. She gives up her greatest desire to have love and safety and a family of her own. For the first time there is a true permanency to her being in section. As the new Operations she has become section one had has to let go of her personal desires and dreams.
It is amazing how children at times have an innate desire to love their parents. When I think of Nikita’s dad I wonder how a father can put his child through all this mess. How does a father sentence his daughter to such a life? At least with Elena father he kept himself and his way of life far away from her. What is even more amazing is the way a child will forgive a parent of anything. The way she cried for him was touching. From her comments to Michael about her father telling her she was born for this you can tell that she loved her father and had accepted him for who he was.
I see I wasn't the only one rewatching the series :D
It was a joy to be able to read the reviews here right after, in that way it feels like "sharing" a bit.
This was a much more satisfying ending as the first (as I also recalled from when first aired) but I do agree with Serena that Nikita didn't really show as the one fit to take over section. Not just the strategic planning, but I don't really see her take the hard decisions, choose the thousands lives over one. What if the one is Jason, or Walter?
Michael would have seemed much more suited for the job. But who knows, he might be back in time ;)
It's great to see how, aside some details, the show stands the test of time. LFN rocked, big time!
Hello Billie. First of all, thanks for reviews, I am really enjoyed. I must say that LFN is my favorite TV show, and here in Europe is still popular. Also, after I watched for the fifth time, I want moreeeeeee:))))
I have one question. What do you think about situation where Elena is stil alive? I dont think that Michael wanted Nikita with him, even we know that he loves her. So, Elena haved to die. Could you imagine scenario with Nikta, Michael, Adam and Elena? I cant. And finally, we could hear thet magic words from Michael-I love youuuuuuuu!!! It was worth waiting 96 episodes:)))
Sorry, my English is not so brilliant:))
A la vie!!!!
Hello, Anonymous:
I cannot quite imagine a scenario where Elena was still alive at the end of the show. From the moment she was introduced, I could tell she was going to die. But it would certainly be interesting if she were alive. I bet Michael would work out a joint custody agreement.
I'm glad you enjoyed the reviews. And your English is just fine!
Billie, I've just spent the better part of the last three hours reading through your reviews. Insightful and enlightening, allowing me to re-'watch' LFN with new eyes and a fresh interpretation. Thanks for these reviews. As a massive fan of the original, as you are, I wonder, have you seen the remake on the CW, 'Nikita'? Is that a series you'll be reviewing? I only ask because fans of LFN either passionately loathe and abhor it or inexplicably are drawn to it... Supposedly it's based off of LFN in Season 1 when Nikita leaves Section, but things are...seriously skewed. And stupid. And assinine. And...well I'll let you watch and form your own opinions. I'm of the 'passionately loathe and abhor it' fan-base of LFN. lol
You're very welcome, Jen. I love hearing from LFN fans. As for your question, I did see the pilot episode of the new Nikita and decided I was just too attached to the original to be objective about it. So I haven't been watching it, I don't have plans to review it, and no one on the writing staff has volunteered.
Wow, definately not the end i wanted or expected; I wish Nikita had gone to the train station with her suitcase packed never to return to section, she owed Section and her father absolutely nothing!
As far as the 2010 Nikita TV Series is concerned, i'll just quote one of the reveiws i read;
'Operations should "cancel" it and "housekeeping" should be called in to "dispose" of it! '
Its been so good reading your reviews Billie and Serena; insightful and spot-on as always!
Thank you soo much.
By Jerrie
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