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Well, I am a few hours late, but I have finally managed to finish my report. It is a bit long, so bear with me my fellow operatives :

La Femme Nikita meets Jack the Ripper and nothing is what it seems in this high-octane episode of our favourite series.

As usual for Operations, he sacrifices one of Section contacts in order to protect a bigger asset: a document forger for Bright Star. The forger, Gregory Formitz, the way Madeline describes him to Nikita, likes a taste of danger.

In the meantime Walter and Belinda joyfully inform Birkoff that they are getting married the next day. Yet he knows something that Walter does not, so, understandably he is so startled that he congratulates them only when practically prompted. He approaches Nikita, and tells her that the next day Belinda is scheduled to go on a suicide mission in Rio. Nikita suggests he do something, but Birkoff tells her that he had already taken Belinda out of abeyance once (you were right on that point, Pattyko – he didn’t just change her termination ranking as I have previously thought), but that Operations noticed. Nikita then advises that Birkoff tell Walter nothing, and let the couple have whatever amount of happiness together they had left.

I really liked the scene preceding Nikita’s first contact with Formitz. The club/bar (or whatever it is) looks modern, the techno music is really cool, and Nikita is wonderful at beating up the cowardly dirty pimp who has been beating up one of the ladies of the evening.
       
At this point I must comment that for someone who is supposedly attracted to danger, Formitz doesn’t appear to be so brave from the beginning. He almost bolts on Nikita when he realises that she is his contact, and Nikita has to threaten him with an even bigger public “scene”.

Unfortunately, the way things turn out, Formitz becomes an even more important contact to Section after the bus depot tragedy. That is when Nikita properly meets Danielle, and finds out that Danielle’s friend Erica has been missing since the previous night and that girls have been disappearing and then getting found murdered and mutilated.

On her unscheduled visit to Formitz’s apartment Nikita is about to leave after getting the names of the terrorists, when she notices Erica’s scarf.

Surprisingly, Formitz agrees to show Erica to Nikita – just the look on his face when he says “Why not?” is so insane! At this point I must admit that when I first saw this episode, I thought that by leading Nikita into that dark room he was going to try to kill her: not that Nikita could not kick his a$$. When she sees Erica’s body and hears the forger’s crazy rambling about how this “means something to him”, she practically beats him to a pulp.

Naturally Nikita does not want to have anything to do with this “asset” any more. But Michael orders her to see him again. This time she goes up to Formitz’s apartment wearing one of her dark sunglasses, I can imagine to hide her eyes and make her forced apology to the monster easier. She gives the SOTW a very valuable stamp. He looks at it, and then announces that he is glad that he now has someone to share his propensity with. What’s more, he tells Nikita that he has decided on his next victim and that it is going to be Danielle.

Nikita has to physically chase Formitz away from Danielle when he pretends to offer her $200 for one hour. She hides Danielle in a hotel room.

I have really liked Belinda’s serene acceptance that she was not going to survive the mission on which she had been sent. When she approaches him with a message to give Walter, Birkoff still does not want to tell her the truth, but she is open with him about the fact that she knows it. I think her quote is a classic: “Tell him that he is the best man I have ever known. I love him…And it’s not such a bad thing to die on the best day of your life.”

Meanwhile Section manages to actually capture one of the Bright Star terrorists, but the woman Nikita tries to interrogate after even Madeline gives up, is unbreakable and quite insane. (I could hardly watch the scene where she was breaking her own fingers – Eek!)

The matter becomes even more urgent and complicated when the intel indicates that the Bright Star “are starting to use other forgers and may not need [Formitz] for much longer”. Operations wants to send Nikita to persuade Formitz to actively set up the next meeting with Halir. Michael comments that Nikita’s relationship with Formitz “is not without problems”. Madeline adds that it is so because “she became aware of his propensities”. Naturally, Operations is not a happy camper:

“She has a job to do. I would hate to feel that she is regressing. Becoming sentimental again.” -- That is so classic of Operations!

Michael tells Operations he will go along. Of course, Operations and Madeline make contingency plans as well.

At the meeting, Formitz agrees to set up the meeting, but only if Nikita gives him Danielle. Naturally, Nikita refuses to tell Michael where the girl is. Michael acts as if he agrees, which is actually credible – it would be very hard to believe Michael would tell Nikita to give Danielle to Formitz.

The scene is interrupted by Madeline who announces to Nikita that the prisoner broke after all. It is an obvious lie and at first Nikita does not believe it, but Madeline tells her that her suggestion of an interrogation technique worked. Operations gives Nikita the details of the mission, and tells her that she will assist Birkoff with tactical overview in Section.

The next scene is … explosive! (Sorry, guys, but I feel the need to actually transcribe it.) The mission is about to start when Walter finds out that Belinda is dead. Poor Birkoff cannot handle this on his own and calls Nikita. The two operatives hurry into Munitions just as Walter, mad with grief and hatred, loads his gun.
Birkoff tries to talk to Walter, but Walter simply shoves him out of the way so hard that Birkoff kind of stumbles against the wall.

Nikita: “Walter, what are you doing?”
Walter (trying to push Nikita out of the way): “He asked for it, now he is going to get it.”
Nikita (Holding him as hard as she can to stop him): “You are not going to shoot Operations?”
Walter: “Right between the eyes. Get out of my way!”
(He tries very hard to push her out of the way, but she holds her ground and even manages to push him back a bit. Later it is noticeable that Walter is now actually against a wall.)
Nikita: “Walter, I am sorry Belinda is dead. I am sorrier than I can say. How many times you told me not to take the Section personally?”
Walter: “I don’t care what I told you!” (Still doing his best to push Nikita out of the way: eyes very mad.)
Nikita: “It is pointless. They’ll kill you, too!” (In a slightly quieter voice, and with an expression which is a bit sad.)
Walter (Yells): “I don’t care!”
Nikita (Covers his mouth with one of her hands and yells): “Well, I do! So does Birkoff and so do a lot of other people here!” (A bit quieter): “We need you Walter. I need you.”
(Walter calms down, and Nikita takes her hand off his mouth, but his eyes are still mad.)
Nikita: “What would Belinda tell you to do? Would she tell you to throw your life away? Or stay here for the people that need you?”
Walter (Breaks down and cries.): “It’s not fair. It… is not…fair…”
Nikita: “You’ve gotta go on, Walter. You’ve gotta go on. That’s what she would want.”
Voice of Operations and his footsteps as he enters munitions: “Walter…” (Then, as Operations enters and sees Nikita and Birkoff. He does not sound too happy to see this crowd.): “What’s happening here?”
Nikita (Disarming Walter and quickly hiding his gun under her jacket, and speaking in a surprisingly even voice.): “Nothing. We’re just talking.”
(Walter quickly wipes his tears off with his hand as Nikita still partially blocks him from Operations’ line of vision).
Operations: “You and Birkoff should be at your terminals.”
Nikita: “I know. We’re going now.”
(Exeunt Nikita and Birkoff and Walter ends up face to face with Operations, who approaches Walter.)
Operations (This sounds weird coming from him, considering he was the one who put Belinda in abeyance in the first place.): “Walter… I am sorry about Belinda.”
(The look of shock on Walter’s face is replaced by the look of burning hatred. Operations nods, and exits.)

The mission goes as planned, and Michael and his team get Halir, but then Nikita sees the face of the “courier” and recognises Formitz. She immediately knows that something is wrong. She hurries to the hotel where she left Danielle, but the door is open and the room is empty… Nikita goes to see Michael at his office and questions him about Formitz, but Michael gives her the official official story. She does not believe it. She knows that Madeline distracted her while Section found Danielle and gave her over to Formitz. Michael denies Section was involved.

Nikita: “I want the truth, Michael. Did the Section give Danielle to Formitz?”
Michael ( In his usual fashion, lying with a straight face. Or maybe he genuinely does not know…) : “No.”

In the meantime, Formitz comes home to see a lovely Asian lady sitting at his desk. (Bright Star obviously was an international terrorist group – with members from all different ethnicities.) He is very surprised. She declares that they know everything of his betrayal, including the names and dates. Gets up and steps forward from behind the desk, puts gloves on, takes out her gun and executes him.

This time the roles are reversed. It is Michael who comes to see Nikita at her station in Section. He informs her of Formitz’s death and questions her, but she gives him the same evasive answers he gave her about Danielle.

Michael (In his usual cool way.): “This is important, Nikita. I want the truth. Did you give him up?”
Nikita (Lying with a straight face. - What a classic!): “No.”

This episode shows Nikita in yet another light. After all, as they say: “old habits die hard”!

QuiGonJ,

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There she finds out he's not just rude, he's watched Silence of the Lambs too many times and is a serial killer.

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It is a wonder Nikita did not kill him when she actually first discovered this.

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A scary woman, who snaps her own fingers rather than apologize or help.

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That scene in the episode almost made me sick.

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M asked N if she had anything to do with it, and in the same voice M had used, she says no, and the shot closes with Peta giving that really dangerous look of hers that lets you know yup, she got that hideous murderous bastiche back and her only regret is that she could only have him killed once.

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Yeah. That scene is a classic! it shows that Nikita still has not lost her "sentimentality" as Operations calls it.

Pattyko,

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I also like Michael's Jedi mind trick on Nikita: "You will go back. You will not kill him." It cracks me up!

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I think he was actually ordering her to go back. He is still her superior.

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I'm surprised she didn't smell a rat. I was convinced this was all a lie from teh first time I saw the episode!

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Ditto. Madeline can twist everything around her finger to get Section some advantage over the terrorists. And she usually does.