Nikita

Nikita is the latest in a long line of shows about a beautiful female intelligence agent named Nikita who works for a secret intelligence agent. The show itself is best classified as action-action adventure, and it starts off with the premise of a secret organization known as Division. Division was once a government organization that severed its ties with the government. After that, it went into business for itself, occasionally taking on decided un-patriotic jobs in the name of profit.

The main character of this show is Nikita Mears, played by Maggie Q. Mears, like other Division employees, was a troubled youth who was taken in by the organization and trained to be a ruthless spy and assassin. After a fairly exceptional career with Division, Mears left due the murder of her fiance by Division agents. The main story of the show features her struggle to bring down this ruthless, shadowy agency.

During the course of the first season, Mears trains a young woman in the fields of espionage and assassination, which results in the woman, Alex, becoming a spy in Division itself for Mears. Michael, a Division agent and Mears's mentor, is ordered to hunt down Mears and to deal with her. During the first season, not only does Mears need to evade Division, she also needs to avoid a Russian organization known as Gogol. She manages to have several near misses thanks to her intelligence from Alex even as she acquires more allies. Michael slowly becomes Mears's ally as opposed to her enemy. By the end of the first season, themes of betrayal and redemption are explored as Mears and Michael depart, leaving Alex's fate in the hands of Division.

In season two, Mears and Michael face off against Oversight, Division's controlling group. The second season moves at a rapid clip and the pair's feelings further develop for one another. More returning characters are used, and on top of that, new recruits are acquired as well.

In general, the critical response to Nikita has been quite good. It has been commended for its excellent design specifications, for its solid plot twists and it excellent action scenes. However, one common critique for the show is that the dialogue is consistently low key and that more humor is required. The acting is considered very solid and has won the show a great deal of support in the first season.

Nikita is definitely a show for those who enjoy action sequences and a long-running plot.