Nikita, Season 3, Episode 22: “Til Death Do Us Part”
Written by Albert Kim
Directed by Eagle Egilsson
Airs Fridays at 8pm (ET) on the CW
Despite Division having more resources all season, Amanda was a looming threat on all the organisation’s major players, and remained so no matter how few allies and operations she had. Her alignment with The Shop thus spelled very bad news for Nikita and co., news that came to a head last week with the reveal that Michael’s new hand had come with another caveat, putting Nikita between a rock and a hard place; kill the US President, or watch her own partner die a brutal death. The season finale explores the outcome of that choice, providing some genuine twists, and bringing closure to a major part of Nikita.
Watching how Nikita operates on her own is a very intriguing prospect, particularly because it’s unprecedented in the show’s run. Even at the beginning of the series, Nikita had Alex to rely on, and when Percy and Amanda drove a wedge between the two, Michael had already come over to Nikita’s side. Nikita is not only on her own by the end of this week’s episode, however, she also is a national, and possibly international, fugitive, and has more to lose than at any point in the past seasons. This puts her in a unique position, but Nikita has proven time and time again that she is a survivor, and the fact that she will have people watching her back, even if she leaves them behind to ensure their safety, gives her the added protection she needs to really let loose. How Nikita goes about clearing her name and getting revenge on Amanda next season, working on her own with limited resources, is something worth looking out for next season, particularly in how Nikita copes with walking away from her loved ones.
It was also nice to learn more about The Shop, and their relationship with Amanda. The death of Dr. Kang, and the subsequent decision to hide the information of Michael and Alex’s visit to him from Amanda, is an interesting turn, and may bode well for Nikita and co. Amanda has burned bridges before in her vendetta, most notably severing a years-long relationship with ex-Gogol leader Ari Tasarov earlier this season, and even targeting his son in the process. The Shop is likely very aware of her volatile nature, and it’ll be worth watching to see how they choose to handle her, especially since they no longer are interested in Nikita, as she has served her purpose to them. It’s also worth watching to see how long it takes for Nikita, or someone else, to discover that the President is still alive, and how the group’s priorities change once that information does come to light.
Overall, this was a fantastic season finale to what has been another top-notch season. The final fight was a good way to bring back, and close off, the Dirty Thirty storyline, and Nikita’s entrance serves as a great testament to her ruthless capabilities. It was also great to see Division end up getting destructed, as the death of Division is something that has been hinted at throughout the three seasons, with the looming threat of a government SWAT team eliminating all the members of the place being the major concern, but a chain of events set off by Percy, Amanda, or Nikita herself also being a possibility. The end of Division is another major gamechanger for Nikita, as the place has, for better or worse, been the show’s geographical anchor for the entirety of its run, and to see it get demolished represents the closing of a major chapter of the show, possibly the biggest one. The President’s suicide was a genuinely unexpected moment, and it’s a testament to the show’s writing to date that Michael’s revival was by no means a sure thing. With Nikita and co. fractured despite Division’s death, and The Shop proving that they are as powerful an organisation as has been previously feared, Alex deciding to try her hand at humanitarian work while still helping out her Division allies, and with a six episode pickup next season guaranteeing the return of the show’s major players, where things go from here is an exciting prospect, and worth tuning back in next season for.
– Deepayan Sengupta