They should have just called this show: "Hostages, Pimps, and Whores". Because when you break it all down, that's all it really is. Everyone in Section is being held against his/her will, and they are all pimped by Paul to do his whoring for him, especially Nikita. But there's something even worse than Nikita being used repeatedly as a government/personal whore -- much worse. After season 2, she becomes increasingly...irrelevant; nothing more than a prop, displaying one close up uncomfortable glance after another. And that's unconscionable, especially given the quality of the show, and of Nikita's role, during the first 2 years.
The biggest flaw? It's hard to care about Nikita when she clearly does not care about herself. There's just no getting around it. She is repeatedly used and abused by just about everyone, especially Michael -- her love interest/pimp -- who is nothing but a sociopath. She suffers from Stockholm syndrome big time, identifying with her captors despite her intermittent protestations to the contrary. She goes so far as to defend Paul and Madeline from Jerome's telekinetic outburst, screaming at him: "It's not their fault." Really? It's not their fault? Then whose fault IS it? And that's exactly why LFN died a slow painful death -- it's ONLY likable main character went from a truly intelligent, rebellious, sympathetic character to a truly pathetic character, and it's impossible to like that type of character. Pity, maybe. Like -- not really; not if your eyes and ears are open to what's actually going on.
Sure, they WANT us to like her, just like they WANT us to believe that Michael is actually capable of love. He is not. He's a self-serving sociopath who twists the truth around to serve his needs every step of the way. And furthermore, the way his character was portrayed (writing, directing, acting) is simply idiotic. It's not "stoic" to mumble monosyllabic utterances -- it's autistic/catatonic. And anyone who can't see the difference...can't see the difference. And the thing is...Nikita KNOWS what Michael is all about. In fact, in season 4 she confronts him and tells him, quite accurately, that he needs Section, while she herself knows she needs to leave Section. Yet she acquiesces over and over and over again, selling herself short, and basically just selling herself out. And that's simply not a protagonist that's worth caring about. Instead of developing her character, they destroyed it.
Of course, what LFN is really all about...is torture. The problem is...after the first 2 seasons...it's the viewers who get tortured. On a weekly basis. Without fail.
The biggest flaw? It's hard to care about Nikita when she clearly does not care about herself. There's just no getting around it. She is repeatedly used and abused by just about everyone, especially Michael -- her love interest/pimp -- who is nothing but a sociopath. She suffers from Stockholm syndrome big time, identifying with her captors despite her intermittent protestations to the contrary. She goes so far as to defend Paul and Madeline from Jerome's telekinetic outburst, screaming at him: "It's not their fault." Really? It's not their fault? Then whose fault IS it? And that's exactly why LFN died a slow painful death -- it's ONLY likable main character went from a truly intelligent, rebellious, sympathetic character to a truly pathetic character, and it's impossible to like that type of character. Pity, maybe. Like -- not really; not if your eyes and ears are open to what's actually going on.
Sure, they WANT us to like her, just like they WANT us to believe that Michael is actually capable of love. He is not. He's a self-serving sociopath who twists the truth around to serve his needs every step of the way. And furthermore, the way his character was portrayed (writing, directing, acting) is simply idiotic. It's not "stoic" to mumble monosyllabic utterances -- it's autistic/catatonic. And anyone who can't see the difference...can't see the difference. And the thing is...Nikita KNOWS what Michael is all about. In fact, in season 4 she confronts him and tells him, quite accurately, that he needs Section, while she herself knows she needs to leave Section. Yet she acquiesces over and over and over again, selling herself short, and basically just selling herself out. And that's simply not a protagonist that's worth caring about. Instead of developing her character, they destroyed it.
Of course, what LFN is really all about...is torture. The problem is...after the first 2 seasons...it's the viewers who get tortured. On a weekly basis. Without fail.