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I had always
been interested in the mythos of La Femme
Nikita that was created by director Luc
Besson’s 1990 film of the same name.
The film starred Anne Parillaud in the title
role and was stylishly entertaining, and
one I often recommended. The story of the
streetwise junkie saved from death row and
turned (against her will) into a cold-blooded
assassin was a hit with audiences in spite
of its Foreign Film status, and went on
to spawn an Americanized remake, Point of
No Return, starring Bridget Fonda, as well
as a highly successful TV series. It’s
that TV series I’m here to tell you
about.
Created by Robert Cochran and Joel Surnow
(the same guys responsible for the excellent
24), the series of La Femme Nikita had a
somewhat lackluster premiere on the USA
Network back in 1997.
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Most critics said it wouldn’t make it past
the first season, and at first the ratings were
not what the creators had hoped. But good word
of mouth started building a strong fan base for
the show and it ended up continuing for a healthy
five year run.
I missed the show when it originally aired, but
over the years I had heard a lot about how great
it was supposed to be, and that it held its own
when compared to the quality of the original movie.
I hoped that I would have a chance to watch it
at some point, and kept a lookout for a possible
DVD release. My wait ended back in July of 2003,
when Warner Home Video finally released the first
season of La Femme Nikita on a 6-disc set, complete
with extra features for the hardcore fans.
It took several days to get through the 22 episodes
on that set, but it had not only been worth the
wait, but also well worth my time. La Femme Nikita
was a terrific show. My first concern when I started
watching the show was whether or not it would
live up to the original materials, or somehow
pale due to network restraints. Often this is
the case with movies-turned-series. But from the
first episode alone, I could tell I was in for
something great as it took the original storyline
and gave it a greater depth, both with the characters
as well as their respective storylines.
Nikita’s character was changed in what would
seem to be a small way, but turned out to be one
of the things that made the character click. In
the movie, Nikita had been sent to prison for
a murder she committed. In the series, she instead
witnesses a murder and ends up with the knife
in her hands, thereby being wrongfully accused.
This opens up whole new doors to the character
as she has to wrestle with herself to get over
the thought of having to really kill someone.
She is not, by nature, a killer and because of
this she is less ruthless, and more a survivor.
Because of this she often goes against the policies
of ‘Section One’, the ultra secret
anti-terrorist group she is forced to work for.
Now, these character traits wouldn’t matter
at all if they weren’t conveyed by a strong
actress, but from what I had seen this is not
a problem for the show’s lead actress, Peta
Wilson. Taken from near obscurity, this Australian
actress took the role into new dimensions. At
first glance she was disarmingly beautiful, but
noticeably hardened. My initial reaction was,
sure she’s gorgeous, but can she act? Once
again, Wilson scored high. She is a marvelous
actress, portraying Nikita with a multitude of
layers. This was immediately evident early in
the first episode during a scene where she was
caught up in an unusually happy occasion in her
new life, only to have that happiness shattered
by an unexpected turn of events, almost a betrayal
of her feelings if you will. In that moment, Wilson
nailed the reaction and gut-wrenching emotions
necessary to make that scene work, and proved
to me completely that she had what it took to
make the character live.
As I moved through that first season, I was pleased
to also see that her performance in that scene
wasn’t a fluke. Her portrayal continued
to be strong throughout the entire season, and
was constantly challenged by the intricate and
often unexpected plotting of the series.
The other important character to the series was
that of Michael, played by Roy Dupuis. He is Nikita’s
‘boss’, and the one who recruited
her into the elite organization. The two of them
are constantly at odds in one of those love/hate
relationships. He is on the surface, a cold-blooded
killer, who will do anything for the sake of a
mission. To him, casualties are an expected and
acceptable part of job. This causes no end to
the problems between them. Adding fuel to this
fire however, is the obvious attraction between
them, which was (at least at that point if the
show) never allowed to fully develop. Of course
this was a smart move on the part of the shows’
creators as it adds that level of ‘will
they/won’t they’ that keeps viewers
watching. The two play the parts well, and the
heat that burns between them is a powerful part
of the show’s appeal.
Once I got to the final episode of the first season,
I immediately started scouring the press releases
to see when the second season would be released.
News of its 2004 release hit pretty quickly, but
just days before it was going to hit store shelves,
it was pulled for reasons unknown. The second
season would not see the light of day until March
of 2005. While this was unfortunate for fans,
it was fortunate for me that my copy had already
arrived for review so I was able to watch the
full season, I just couldn’t post any kind
of review until over a year later.
Hot on the heels of the second season release,
Warner Brothers wasted no time in delivering the
third season just a couple of months later. This
new season once again offered up another 22 episodes
if this increasingly exciting series. Over the
course of the second and third seasons, the relationship
between Nikita and Michael heated up, only to
be sabotaged by secrets and ultimately, Section
One itself.
Then suddenly, news of new sets dropped off the
planet again. It wasn’t until a few weeks
ago that the release of the fourth season was
announced. Nearly a year had gone by and finally
a new release. Then to sweeten the pot, Warner
announced it would follow up with the fifth and
final season just a couple of months after.
When the fourth season arrived, my wife and I
immediately dove into it, having been as patient
as we could be for that past year. Fortunately,
this season was every bit worth the wait. I’d
hate to get into too many plot points for fear
of giving away spoilers, but to say that the star-crossed
lovers are put through the wringer is an understatement.
Making matters even worse, Nikita is forced to
go deep undercover and put herself in a position
that would make even the most seasoned agent cringe.
The producers of the series were made to believe
that the fourth season would be the last, so there
is actually a series finale, which I found to
be quite satisfying. But in one of those unprecedented
moves that I wish more shows would benefit from,
the USA Network gave in to the pressure of extremely
zealous fans and continued the series for a very
short additional season. This made me rather curious
to see what a fifth season would have in store
considering the way the fourth season ended.
While the producers only had eight episodes to
play with in this new final season, they made
a strong effort to add to the story without overwhelming
it. The overall quality slipped a little bit and
you could tell that the writers were working overtime
to try and drag out what was a fitting ending
from the previous season, but I commend them for
their efforts. The add-on story arc was as satisfying
as possible considering the situation. I was just
glad to see the characters I had grown so much
to like have an opportunity to entertain us just
a little bit more.
There have been a lot of comments made that this
show was merely a precursor for shows like Alias,
and while this is true, I’ve honestly got
to say that La Femme Nikita is a much, much better
show. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Alias,
but there is a certain grounding in reality that
makes this show much stronger overall.
As with the previous sets, there are only a few
extra features, but they have always been worthwhile
ones. I was hoping for a little more commentary
in order to hear the producers tell of their efforts
to keep the show strong, but there are none here.
There is a bit of a look at the fifth season where
we do hear a little but of what went on, but I
really wanted more. There's also an Internet teaser
for the fifth season introduced by director John
Cassar.
In the five seasons I’ve had the opportunity
to watch, La Femme Nikita never disappointed and
I’m thrilled that Warner Brothers got past
whatever situation it was that held up the release
of these final seasons.
Episodes:
Déjà vu All Over Again
A Girl Who Wasn't There
In Through the Out Door
All the World's a Stage
The Man Behind the Curtain
The Evil That Men Do
Let No Man Put Asunder
A Time for Every Purpose
Starring: Peta Wilson, Roy Dupuis, Don Francks,
Matthew Ferguson, Eugene Robert Glazer, Alberta
Watson
Extras: Season 5 - Declassified, Season 5 Internet
Teaser with Introduction by Director John Cassar
Specifications: Full Screen, English Stereo
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 10/17/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give La Femme Nikita: Season 5 a B.
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