This past fall, the CW network launched a new show entitled “Nikita,” based on the 1990 French film from which it takes its name. The show, an action drama, has been adapted from its French roots and now features a U.S. Black-Ops program that trains former troubled young adults to be assassins and spies. This latest reincarnation of the tale stars two female leads: Nikita, a former agent now trying to bring Division down, and her mole on the inside, Alex.
There have been a few action series throughout the past two decades that feature a strong female lead and create huge fan followings. “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” and “Xena: Warrior Princess” are the two most prominent, and “Nikita” has the potential to follow in their footsteps. Each of the episodes features a lead with superhuman strength and abilities, fighting evil wherever she finds it (and additionally, the female leads all have pretty rad names). Buffy vanquishes demons. Xena destroys warlords. Nikita is taking down a power-hungry and rogue branch of the U.S. government. Given the dearth of female action leads on television and in movies, “Nikita” is a breath of fresh air. Maggie Q, an American-born actress who made it big in China’s movie business, stars as Nikita. Q has worked with Jackie Chan and is an action movie veteran. Alex is played by Lyndsy Fonseca, otherwise known as Ted’s couch-bound future daughter from “How I Met Your Mother.”
“Nikita” is an action packed show. Each episode features extensive fight scenes and lots of explosions, shootings, and people just barely dodging bullets. All the cool spy gadgetry is there: tracking chips implanted in all of Division’s agents, hacker software that brings down the Pentagon, and a dazzling array of guns. There are enough fast cars, shoot-outs, and jumps out of airplanes for James Bond himself. Nikita is probably more than enough for Mr. Bond as a matter of fact; she is the best of the best. Not only is she the strongest agent Division ever trained, she is also the only one to escape and live to tell the tale. Her hand-to-hand combat skills are the stuff of legend, her marksmanship impeccable. She can think on her feet and disappear in the blink of an eye. Even when injected with a poison that destroys the brain and tied to a chair in a basement, Nikita escapes, gets the antidote from her mole Alex, and still manages to shoot all her enemies in the course of one episode. Nikita is larger than life in a way that few television women ever get to be.
All of her exploits are in the name of bringing Division down. Betrayed by the same people who trained her, Nikita now lives to destroy her former home. Nikita escaped and very pointedly did not disappear into the void to live a peaceful life. She returned to open a big can of whoop-ass on the people who killed the love of her life. Alex, her young protégé, also has a revenge storyline. Born in Ukraine to wealthy parents, a Division operative killed her family and orphaned Alex. She ended up running from her burning home directly into the hands of Russian sex slavers who owned her before Nikita rescued her.
Women are often delegated to the role of supporter on television. On shows such as USA’s “White Collar,” a show about the FBI, there is a single female agent in the cast, while the two main characters and heroes are men. Also on USA is the show “Covert Affairs,” which follows CIA agent Annie Walker. The show features plenty of female ass-kicking, but it is worth noting that Annie was only promoted to agent in the pilot episode to help the CIA track down her ex-boyfriend. In “Nikita,” women take not only center stage as the “good guys,” but they are seen as the enemy, as well. Amanda, played by Melinda Clarke of “The O.C.” fame, is Division’s in-house psychologist, a manipulative woman with no conscience. Female storylines drive the plot and propel the show forward. Rather than running from the idea of strong females, the CW has embraced them.
“Xena: Warrior Princess” premiered in 1995. The pilot had 4.5 million viewers and it ran for six seasons. “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” premiered in 1997 to rave reviews. The series ran for seven seasons. “Nikita” has been picked up for a full 22-episode run this year, but has yet to be confirmed for a second season. The premiere had 3.57 million viewers, and a repeat viewing the next day drew an additional 2.6 million viewers. It seems the public is hungry for its next Xena or Buffy, and Nikita may just be it.
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