Nikita - Pilot - Recap

The CW has said in the past that it wanted a successful show with a strong female lead. Nikita sounded perfect for this! Did the highly anticipated show meet the mark?

The answer is simply ... YES!

The pilot starts with us being introduced to Nikita, an escaped assassin who aims to free other assassins. Even though the introduction was short, I really enjoyed it. In that short space it opened up mystery to the show and made me excited for what's to come.

Nikita goes to visit her foster father where we learn more about her. When she was a teenager she was sentenced to death after being accused of a crime she did not commit. However, Nikita was taken by 'Division' ,a secret US agency, who faked her execution. The agency told her that her death had been faked and she now has the opportunity to serve her country as a secret spy and assassin. We then learn that she broke one of their rules by falling in love with a civilian named Daniel who 'Division' then killed. She then escaped from 'Division' and has been in hiding until now where she sends a message to 'Division' through her foster dad. It's time for her to get her revenge.

At the 'Division' headquarters we see future assassins in training. The head of the agency, Percy, announces that Nikita must be killed. He gives the assignment to Michael. Later on in the episode, it appears there is history between Michael and Nikita as Michael lets her go free. We are also introduced to three future assassins, Alex, Tom and Jayden. Tom has been there almost a year and is about to go on his first mission. Jayden has been there a few months while Alex has only just joined. We also meet Amanda, a member of the 'Division' team, who, in her own words "will show you how to embrace your beauty and use it to your advantage". Throughout the episode we watch them train and talk about future assassin projects. Alex soon learns that her new role will be to kill people which shocks and upsets her. She tries to make Amanda help her escape but she soon realises there is no escape.

I really like Alex. It was nice to see a female character in the pilot who wasn't tough, strong and violent but emotional and innocent. Although, I am sure this will change as the show progresses. I can see Alex and Nikita working together in future episodes to try and defeat 'Division'. I didn't know we were going to be introduced to other future assassins but I liked that we were. It opened up more opportunities for the show and it helped us to learn more about 'Division'.

Nikita is a sassy, strong and intelligent woman who I think a lot of the audience will enjoy getting to know and love. I think Maggie Q fits perfectly for the role of Nikita. Maggie Q was able to show the soft side of Nikita when she visited Daniel's grave. We saw a flashback and could see that they were truly in love. While visiting Daniel's grave, 'Division' tracks Nikita down and sends a team to kill her. We hear the word "execute" and we see guns firing at Nikita. However, it isn't Nikita but it's a replica doll of her. I love this woman already.

TV is lacking in strong female leads at the moment. In the past shows such as Buffy, Charmed, Ghost Whisperer and Joan of Arcadia have been successful in creating these leads and I hope Nikita is successful and can be added to this list. The CW has certainly done well with this show.

The show is full of action/fighting scenes while still being witty with clever twists! I have never watched the previous movie/television series so I didn't know what to expect but I did really enjoy it. A few people have said it wasn't very good compared to the originals but for me, it is just what television needs right now and I shall no doubt be tuning in next week.

Thanks for reading!

Twitter @emily_90