Nikita: "Fair Trade" Review

Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow...

Thanksgiving, the ultimate family holiday, is almost upon us so it was fitting that Nikita found herself having to fight to protect her family in the well-scripted Fair Trade. In a season devoted to revenge, Nikita and Alex were both reminded of the importance of retaining their humanity. They are the good guys, after all.

Alex's dangerous plan to pose as the illegal immigrant and sex worker she once was showed both her desperation and her ingenuity. It was very Br'er Rabbit of her to get Immigration to "force" her to return to Russia, when of course a free trip home far under Gogol's radar is what she wanted all along. I'm also choosing to think that Alex knows Sean's tracking her through her father's watch because I'm tired of her acting kinda dumb.

I'm not sure I believe that Alex had the time, know-how and resources to set up bank accounts for all those other Russian girls, but it was a nice emotional beat to have Alex help them (the way Nikita helped her). And I'm really glad the personal symbolism behind her butterfly tattoo was quite powerful unlike, say, the disappointing lameness of Jack Shephard's. I did feel that Michael and Percy were shoehorned into the episode. Percy's mini-monologue about the 99% seemed particularly tacked on. Interesting, but tacked on.

We learned quite a bit more about Oversight, including the disgusting fact that Madeline helps fund the group by diverting African relief funds to "the evil council of evil," as Dr. Horrible fan Birkhoff likes to call it ("the Imperial Senate" was also nice). As a Californian, I was horrified to find out Senator Pierce represents me--I'd organize a recall but I like breathing.

While Nikita did get pictures of two of Madeline's Oversight cohorts, naturally it was the one nicknamed "Hades" (god of the underworld) by our heroes that remains a mystery. Any guesses? I'm going with Cassandra because her name also comes from Greek mythology and I hate her. Plus I need a new crackpot theory since my "Amanda is a secret good-guy" idea has been busted apart with a ball peen hammer like Birkhoff's fingers. Unless his hand was a horcrux.

Amanda was magnificently evil in the torture scenes with Birkhoff, for example mentioning his 120-words-a-minute typing speed before crushing one of his hands and quipping, "Now 60." Now, Birkhoff is the guy that chomped on Twizzlers while cheerfully observing Alex's torture back in Resistance, so I loved Amanda's extreme reaction to his devotion to Nikita, and his calling Amanda a psychopath. He's changed and she can't figure him out anymore, and that drives her nuts.

Sean's heard about how awesome Nikita is, but you could tell by his stunned awe that he didn't believe the hype until she dismantled his gun while it was still in his hand. Another classic moment was when Sean tells Nikita he has to stop her because she has targeted his mother. I expected her to lecture him about the African relief funds and say how the Senator was a traitorous villain, so her simple "Your mother is a bitch," was a laugh-out-loud surprise.

Of course, the beautiful beating heart of "Fair Trade" is the sibling bond that's developed between Niki and Nerd. Amanda tried to infer a sexual attraction on Seymour's part in order to explain his devotion, but I think it started as hero-worship (he's a comic book guy and Nikita is a real-life superhero) and has since grown into deep admiration and friendship.

For her part, Nikita may experience Birkhoff as an annoying brother at times, but she also genuinely respects that like her, he's the best at what he does. The pain in her eyes when she saw what Amanda had done to him spoke volumes, especially since it was her recklessness that got him caught. When she said he was worth giving up the black box for, we know she meant it. Nikita's not just fighting against an enemy, she's fighting for something: a peaceful future for herself and her improvised family.

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