'Nikita' - 'Pilot': My fair killer
What did you think of the Maggie Q remake?
Lyndsy Fonseca as Alex and Melinda Clarke as Amanda in the "Nikita" pilot.
Credit: Ben Mark Holzberg/The CW
In yesterday's review of "Nikita," I wrote that the pilot was very well put-together, but wasn't strong enough to overcome my current ennui with dark spy series.
But since tonight was the debut, and it's a slow night in a slow week, I'm curious who tuned in, what you thought, and whether you intend to stick around once the Big Four networks are back in this timeslot with the likes of "The Office," "CSI," "Fringe" and "Grey's Anatomy."
Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupKicker of Elves
September 9, 2010 at 10:14PM EST Reply to CommentBased on that picture, I might just tune in for the boobage.
JeffInBK
September 9, 2010 at 10:25PM EST Reply to CommentThis show is Tivo-proof. In the sense that my Tivo is already full and I won't be recording this.
Leemats
September 9, 2010 at 10:36PM EST Reply to CommentI can't wait to find out who plays Lyndsy Fonseca's mother.
UnHoly Diver
September 9, 2010 at 10:50PM EST Reply to CommentWell, since I don't watch "The Office," "CSI," "Fringe" or "Grey's Anatomy"(ok, once in a while, I'll peek in on Fringe), yeah, I'll stick around and watch it. Unless it goes all Dollhouse on us, then I'm outta here.
Yarrington
September 9, 2010 at 11:20PM EST Reply to CommentI was surprised by how little it sucked. In fact aside from some really iffy acting, it was a lot of fun. Not appointment viewing, but I'll let it sit on my DVR and burn through a bunch of episodes when I'm bored some weekend
Desmund Hume
September 9, 2010 at 11:21PM EST Reply to CommentSlow day? Alan your a FB Fan ... This game will get incredible ratings tonight
ZacharyTF
September 9, 2010 at 11:23PM EST Reply to CommentI'll comment after the pilot re-airs on Friday night. That is, if I can stomach the non-HD feed. Stupid CW not in HD in my area.
ZacharyTF I forgot to add that I'm a fan of the 90's TV show and the original movie, so I'm kind of Nikitaed out.
September 9, 2010 at 11:25PM ESTPhdelicious
September 10, 2010 at 12:02AM EST Reply to CommentOriginally I wasn't going to watch Nikita as I do feel a bit "been there; done that" towards the premise. Then it showed up on MoRyan's list of best new shows for this season so I decided to give it a try. I found the pilot to be solid and interesting, at least enough to keep me watching through the next few episodes.
Then again I no longer find any of the other shows in the Thursday, 9pm time slot to be appointment TV so I have more room than some people.
diemunkiesdie
September 10, 2010 at 12:56AM EST Reply to CommentI tuned in, thought it showed potential. Will be sticking around!
Daniel Thorpe
September 10, 2010 at 1:23AM EST Reply to CommentI'm with Alan on this one. Maggie Q is a kick-ass action star and the show is put together well enough. But, the whole thing is so ponderous and humourless. And the moody-spy-haunted-by-the terrible-things-she's-done schtick is just plain getting old.
I think I've been spoiled by shows like Buffy, Firefly, Burn Notice, etc which dare to put interesting and recognizably human characters in their starring roles (characters who occasionally say something witty or even tell a joke).
klg19 This.
September 10, 2010 at 8:01AM ESTI just finished watching the pilot and was so bored by the unrelenting intense solemnity of it. I mean, even Birkhoff? He was so much fun in the old series! Not a single bit of levity?
I don't think I'll watch any more of it.
Disappointed since Season One Agree! These characters seemed humorless, uncharismatic and I kept comparing them to the previous show and coming up short.
September 10, 2010 at 9:39AM ESTThere was nothing to hold a candle on Peta Wilson or Roy Dupuis in this!
September 10, 2010 at 2:34AM EST Reply to CommentI'll see this series, if only because of that production still of Maggie Q in the red swimsuit. OMFG.
DTorni
September 10, 2010 at 3:03AM EST Reply to CommentGreat twist, well done. Kinda surprised they could do enough with an old concept to hook me.
BigTed
September 10, 2010 at 4:37AM EST Reply to CommentI actually enjoyed both movie versions and the first TV version (though I only saw a few episodes) of the "Nikita" story. This one seems a little less intense than any of them (with the exception of Maggie Q, who really sells the kick-ass character). The main problem I have is that it seems to have lost its moral ambiguity -- the "Division" is no longer set up as a secret government team doing bad things in the name of the good guys, but a breakaway agency that's killing its enemies without the government's knowledge. (Granted, the employees are still largely captives, and Nikita will still have to fight her former friends to take it down.) It's interesting that the idea of government-led black ops -- a staple of spy movies right up through the "Bourne" franchise -- is apparently too hot a concept for the network to handle.
dougs
September 10, 2010 at 7:23AM EST Reply to CommentTo me it just seemed like an unholy alliance of CSI Miami and Dollhouse. That opening scene at the sun-drenched pool party had nothing original (except the bikini, which seemed to have been designed by Frank Gehry), and the scenes inside Division were far too Dollhouse reminiscent. Plus, didn't Melinda Clarke play a similar role in one Firefly episode? Guess there's a lot of Whedon love going on, but not enough. Maggie Q is very attractive, but is that enough of a reason to watch a show? Also, in the longer shots she looks to be about 4'9".
Best part about the ep was the Supernatural season 6 trailer.
dougs
September 10, 2010 at 7:23AM EST Reply to CommentTo me it just seemed like an unholy alliance of CSI Miami and Dollhouse. That opening scene at the sun-drenched pool party had nothing original (except the bikini, which seemed to have been designed by Frank Gehry), and the scenes inside Division were far too Dollhouse reminiscent. Plus, didn't Melinda Clarke play a similar role in one Firefly episode? Guess there's a lot of Whedon love going on, but not enough. Maggie Q is very attractive, but is that enough of a reason to watch a show? Also, in the longer shots she looks to be about 4'9".
Best part about the ep was the Supernatural season 6 trailer.
dougs sorry for double post...grr argh.
September 10, 2010 at 7:24AM EST
September 10, 2010 at 8:01AM EST Reply to CommentIt felt a lot like Dollhouse, which was sad. And I'm sorry to say that as soon as FRINGE comes back, that's what I'll be watching...I DVR GA to watch when I'm bored, I was looking forward to this because of my love for Maggie Q, but somehow I knew that this network wasn't dark enough to do it right...
Kujo Yeah, the Dollhouse similarities were undeniable.
September 16, 2010 at 12:11AM ESTI didn't see that twist coming at all, nicely down.
A slick, if unspectacular pilot. I like this type of subject matter, and because of Maggie Q, I'll continue to watch.
Jon88
September 10, 2010 at 8:22AM EST Reply to CommentLyndsy Fonseca trying to sound like a meth-addicted street kid at the beginning took me way out of the show, but things improved after that. I'll be sticking around, at least long enough to get used to the American avatars of the Canadian actors I know so well. (Sorry, Melinda Clarke, you're no Alberta Watson.)
belinda
September 10, 2010 at 9:31AM EST Reply to CommentMaybe a couple more. I actually found Maggie Q to be kind of uninteresting in her acting, contrary to most reviews (and for the first episode, she is the only character really on the show we see much of, so whether I'd like the show would be dependent on her character). She's super smokin' hot and looks great in fight scenes, but other than that, meh. She hasn't made me care very much about her character or her whatever vendetta, so she has a couple of eps to convince me otherwise before other shows return.
Disappointed Since Season One Agree with belinda. Don't care about any of the characters and that is the key for me.
September 10, 2010 at 9:41AM ESTWon't be sticking around!
Brian
September 10, 2010 at 10:00AM EST Reply to Commentas a somewhat fan of the previous tv iteration, I found this version to be a worthy successor, both in story and style; and I just hope it maintains itself through its run.
Kelli Oliver George
September 10, 2010 at 10:54AM EST Reply to CommentI have never seen any of the previous incarnations of Nikitia and I did not watch Alias and I only watched part of Dollhouse. Since I have not "Been There, Done That", I enjoyed last night's episode - I'll give it my 3 Episode Minimum, at least.
James Kang
September 10, 2010 at 11:14AM EST Reply to CommentI thought this was more than good enough. The story is extremely familiar, but very well-told. Great final scene. Filled me with a lot of confidence for future episodes.
I do have some complaints. It seems like the least interesting thing about this show so far is Nikita herself. I found Alex's half of the story much more compelling. And even though Hollywood prefers women with small breasts, Maggie Q's chest is still too flat here. The bikini and cocktail dress were very unflattering to her body. I only bring this up because sex appeal seems to be important to this show. They should consider getting a new wardrobe person.
After Lost ended, I quit watching all network television. I'm pleased to say that Nikita is bringing me back.
bearcouch
September 10, 2010 at 1:07PM EST Reply to CommentI was watching, but only because Maggie Q looked hot in that red bikini. I wasn't expecting much at all. I usually don't tune in to CW so I was way out of my comfort zone.
What's up with the assassin training facility/farm? C'mon man, that's just dumb. I would be more convinced if it was just 3 or 4 newbs being trained to work as a group. But no, it's a freakin' school for assassins! Hey guys, we all know each other! We're a club!
I will watch next week and this is mainly because I'm still watching Dark Blue. You hope it gets better, but it never does. You just wish you were there in the room with the writers and able to shoot down all of their lame ideas. So in a way that is kind of fun, because you think, "well this change would make the show a lot better".
Anyway, more of the gray haired hitman guy cappin' and stabbin' people and NO Maggie Q isnt allowed to kill him midway through the season.
cgeye You got that right -- the gray-haired assassin's the most interesting character, because he's stylish *and* shows humor through his killing flow. If killin' 'n' 'splosions are our new Hollywood musical, it wouldn't hurt for actors to show a bit of grace before the stuntfolk take over.
September 12, 2010 at 9:37PM ESTBix
September 10, 2010 at 2:32PM EST Reply to CommentI enjoyed it, but I'm wondering what it is about Lindsay Fonesca that got her cast as an eastern European immigrant again,
September 10, 2010 at 9:18PM EST Reply to CommentSO confused by the dollhouse references. That was sci-fi idiocy (sorry Whedon, Buffy is still great) and this is a dark thriller.
Conrad
September 10, 2010 at 11:37PM EST Reply to CommentI found the show uninvolving. The actors were bland and uninteresting, as were the plot lines. Someone mentioned CSI Miami, which seems about right. The cast reminded me of people in those commercials for antidepressants, only prettier.
Who’s Maggie Q? Is she any relation to the omnipotent being in Star Trek TNG?
September 11, 2010 at 4:09PM EST Reply to CommentWow, so I was VERY resistant to the very idea of this show from the get go, having been a fan of the original movie and more so, the first TV series. But, I happened to be housesitting in the middle of the Everglades and it was on. So I caved.
Had I not known anything about the first show, I think it would have been a solid pilot with just enough intrigue to keep me watching at least a few more episodes, to at least get to the meat of the thing.
But having watched the first series, it made me much more jaded, and made me really appreciate what a talented ensemble the first show was. Here are the issues I had.
While I love Aaron Stanford, I couldn't help but cringe at how jarringly serious he played the Birkoff character. Granted, given the fact that he was being held captive by someone who could kill him in the blink of an eye would probably make ANYONE a little less than lighthearted... I didn't get that immediate connection with the character that I remember getting in the first series, nor did I sense any of the fondness between Nikita and Birkoff that I was so used to. I keep reminding myself: Different series, different experiences. But there is a reason the first series did as well as it did, and the connections between characters were a big part of that.
The other issue I had was with Shane West. Now, I like Shane West. I find it amusing that he looks very much like Timothy Olyphant, who played in the fourth installment of Die Hard WITH Maggie Q. But I also remember how absolutely mesmerized I was with Roy Dupuis' take on the character and how he could act out entire scenes with NO lines and run you through a gamut of emotions, all while keeping one stoic facial expression. It was in the eyes and it was downright surreal to watch sometimes. Shane West is not surreal. I wasn't even sure if he was REAL when I watched him on the screen. I couldn't connect with him, either. I hope to god they had him tone down this uber emotional, frenetic personality, because I? Need the reminder that this man is a stone cold killer and is one of the very best at what he does. Right now, he's coming across as the jilted lover who just wants to know why he was left at the altar.
Onto the positives!
Melinda Clarke. Oh man. If there was anyone who could portray this role with the style and grace that Alberta Watson brought to it, it is definitely her. She was positively chilling and yet, compelling all at once. I cannot rave about her enough, because truth be told, her scenes; for me; were the most memorable.
I actually really enjoyed the twist at the end. Finding out that this new recruit is actually working for Nikita gave me a bit of a surprise and I have to admit, I wonder how that will play out. There is a great deal of potential in that storyline, and I find it FAR more intriguing than the actual missions/counter-missions episodic drivel. Because, even in the first series, that's generally what it amounted to. Some of those stories were excellent, but most of them were just a basis to build upon Nikita's character and expose certain traits in her personality.
All in all, I think it was a good first (or second, if you want to be technical) effort and I have to begrudgingly admit, they've snookered me in for at least a couple more episodes. Here's hoping that I won't be disappointed!