Fix: Badass Lady-Led Vengeance
Platforms: None Currently
Netflix Summary:
Maggie Q stars as the rogue Nikita, who is determined to bring down the very agency that trained her to be an assassin.
FYA Summary:
Division is the kind of enterprise that looks good on the outside: an organization that takes juvenile delinquents and trains them to become useful and powerful citizens. Look a little closer, however, and many of those delinquents have been taken without their consent, and the usefulness they’re trained for often ends up with someone dead. Nikita, one of the brightest stars to ever live in and “graduate” from Division, quickly wised up to the dirty truth. And when Division finally goes one step too far, Nikita vows to be their downfall. No matter what it takes.
Familiar Faces:
Maggie Q as Nikita
Maggie is an FYA fave—and for good reason. She’s not only gorgeous, but also she’s an honest to goodness action star, and an actor with a wide range. All of these attributes come into play in the role of Nikita, which Maggie plays to a T. Nikita is at times cold and distant, and at others warm and charming. Maggie excels at portraying disparate emotions, sometimes even within the space of one scene.
Shane West as Michael
It’s funny. I’d forgotten how attractive Shane West could be. Particularly when he’s playing a bad boy with a soft side. Michael is very much that kind of guy, and Shane brings a real believability to the character’s divided loyalties. There’s also a bit a throwaway joke that had me laughing for much longer than it should have about Michael sounding like Batman. It’s so true!
Melinda Clarke as Amanda
If Melinda’s ever played a role in which she doesn’t play a manipulative, yet appealing woman with a master plan all her own (à la Amanda, or The O.C.’s Julie Cooper), I’ve never seen it. But when you’re so dang good at what you do, why bother with something else?
Devon Sawa as Owen Elliot
I love that Devon made his comeback in this show; it was a long time coming. And he certainly grew up, and filled out, quite nicely. Unlike his early roles, which were often the sweet, boy-next-door type, Owen is a bit of a loose canon. But Devon pulls off the action star mantle surprisingly well.
But—and I hope I don’t anger anyone by saying this *cough*Mandy W.*cough*—WHAT HAPPENED to his teeth?
Lyndsy Fonseca as Alex
Although Alex is supposed to be a badass equal to Nikita, the character never quite lives up to the hype. I’m not sure that it’s Lyndsy’s fault, entirely, but there’s just something about her that’s forgettable. (For example, I’ve seen her in quite a few things now, including, most recently, Agent Carter, and I had no idea it was the same actress.) Plus, Alex is both whiny and extraordinarily gullible, which is so opposite to Nikita that it’s not even funny.
Aaron Stanford as Seymour Birkhoff
I always get Aaron and Vincent Kartheiser confused. Regardless of the number of times I tell myself that Aaron was in a few X-Men movies and Vincent is Mr. Rory Gilmore played Angel’s son, it still happens. #shrug
Couch-Sharing Capability: Medium
Watching Nikita is a time-consuming task. The first season is 22 episodes long (and there are three more seasons of 23, 22 and 6 episodes, respectively). If the people you’re sharing the couch with feel like binging on some awesome lady-led action, then by all means stockpile the snacks and bust out the sweatpants. But if you and/or your watching mates have to do adult things (like sleep or work, laaaaaame) you might want to split things up over multiple days, or just watch it yourself while alone in a hotel on a work trip (like I did).
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Dull the Pain
Nikita frequently takes a licking—but more frequently gives one, to all manner of Division thugs and general bad seeds. Having a drink on hand to toast to her badassery, and dull the sympathetic pain you might be feeling after Nikita faces a particularly challenging mission, is a perfect way to show your respect.
Use of Your Netflix Subscription: Thirst-quenching
Although this show is right up my alley, I never got around to watching it when it was actually on the air. It’s this kind of situation in which I thank my lucky stars that Netflix is around to help me fix my mistakes. And to let me live vicariously through Nikita’s quest for vengeance. (I’m not a violent person by nature, but man it feels good to see the bad guys get their due.)
