| Face in the Mirror | |||||
| La Femme Nikita | |||||
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| Episode no. |
Season 4 Episode 20 |
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| Directed by | René Bonnière | ||||
| Written by | Peter M. Lenkov & Lawrence Hertzog | ||||
| Production code | 420 | ||||
| Original air date | August 20, 2000 | ||||
| Episode guide | |||||
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"Face in the Mirror" is the twentieth episode of the fourth season of La Femme Nikita. It was filmed from May 12-23, 2000.
Summary[]
Section One discovers that Maurice Grenet, the new leader of a resurgent Red Cell, is scheduled to appear at the wedding of his daughter. Michael and Nikita are sent to eliminate him. However, Grenet manages to escape when it appears that Nikita is ambushed. Michael’s suspicion that Nikita's wounds are self-inflicted are later confirmed after he shadows her to a secret meeting with Grenet. But why would Nikita work hand-in-hand with Section’s greatest enemy?
Plot[]
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On Nikita's security monitor is Mick Schtoppel. "Love, you in there?" He asks as he knocks. "I really need to speak to you." He adds seriously. Nikita opens the door and Mick steps into the apartment. "We got something critical to discuss," he begins telling her but he stops immediately the moment he spots Michael lying in Nikita's bed. "I didn't know you had company." He plays up his typical Mick persona. He greets Michael and Michael responds unenthusiastically. Nikita is in the kitchen preparing coffee. Mick tells Michael that he'll be quick. "I don't wanna be the cold shower that comes between you two." Nikita asks Mick about his purpose for visiting. He launches into a long spiel about taking dancing lessons to impress a woman he's been dating. He lied about his skill level and he wants Nikita to accompany him to his weekly lessons. Reluctantly, Nikita agrees to one lesson. She makes her way up into the bedroom, effectively ending their conversation. Mick rushes off pleased and on a high. As he's about to close the apartment door behind him, he signals to Nikita to call him.
Act 1[]
Operations arrives to a mission briefing and tells those gathered that the Ghana mission has been aborted. He tells Michael that his team will shift focus to the new Red Cell regime. He calls up information on Maurice Grenet, who has been confirmed has having replaced the Cardinal. His daughter Iriana will be getting married in Bizerte, Tunisia the following day and Grenet is expected to make an appearance at the wedding. He adds that the window they have to work with will only be a minute or two.
Nikita approaches Walter in Munitions just as he's packing up her sniper rifle. He's all business and Nikita calls him out on it. "What no, 'Hey, Sugar'? No snappy come-on?" Somberly, he calls Nikita "Sugar." She asks him what's wrong he tells her about Jason. He adds that his girlfriend has been brought in as possible leverage. Walter thinks Operations and Madeline are setting him up "for a major fall". Their conversation is interrupted when Michael calls for Nikita and she leaves.
In Bizerte, the marriage ceremony is in progress. Michael is in attendance as one of the guests. Nikita is preparing her rifle. On Comm, Quinn instructs Nikita to move and hold at the kill position. Grenet arrives via plane and heads towards the young couple. They greet him warmly. Quinn alerts Nikita about her available window but Nikita doesn't respond. Quinn tries to get a hold of Nikita but there's still no contact. She announces that they've lost their window to get Grenet.
Grenet departs and blows a final kiss to the married couple just before he boards his plane. Michael makes his way to Nikita's position. She is down on the ground as she tries to stop the bleeding from her injury. Michael gently cups her face and reports that they have an operative down.
Act 2[]
"What the Hell happened out there?" Operations demands of Michael in the Perch. He tells him that Nikita was ambushed. Operations wants to know how. "Nikita's numbers are the highest they've ever been and we had teams blanketing the perimeter." Michael tells him that he'll retrace the mission but Operations counters that it won't take Maurice Grenet out of play. "We may never have another chance. You were the team leader on this one, Michael. I'm afraid you're going to have to take responsibility."
In his office Michael reviews the mission.
Michael arrives in Medical to see Nikita, but he discovers that she's gone. He asks a member of the medical team about her whereabouts. He tells Michael that he sent Nikita home to rest. "The bullet penetrated first layer epidermis only. There was no internal damage. I didn't see any reason to keep her here." Michael wants an explanation for the amount of blood loss she experienced. The doctor isn't sure because those types of wounds don't generally produce much blood. "I'll all be in my report to Operations," he adds. "No, it won't," Michael threatens.
In her apartment, Nikita walks out of her bedroom just as he hears at knock at her front door. She takes off her heels before she answers the door. After she greets him, Michael asks Nikita how she's doing. She tells him that she's tired and limps away. Michael tells her that she should be resting. "I've been doing that all day. I'm restless," she answers. Michael gently cups her face.
Outside Nikita's apartment, Michael sits in his car. He watches the current status of a tracker on a hand held device. Looking up, he spots Nikita jog to her parked car and drive away. Michael follows her at a safe distance. Nikita arrives at an industrial park. Michael also arrives. Through binoculars he sees Nikita get out of her car and meet with Maurice Grenet, who is already there.
Act 3[]
In Nikita's apartment, Michael lights a pair of candles. When Nikita arrives, she's surprised to see him there. He's cooked her dinner and is finishing up his final preparation "I thought you'd be hungry. Wouldn't want to go out." He approaches her and helps her out of her jacket. She tells him that she was feeling better so she thought a walk would do her good. She leans forward and gives Michael a kiss. As Nikita takes note of the impressive meal Michael has prepared, Michael removes a tracker he'd placed from Nikita's jacket. Nikita also notes the Pouilly-Fuisee wine Michael has selected. She pours while Michael plates their meal. As they take a seat, Michael tells her that he's been retracing the mission. He asks if she knows where the shot that hit her was fired from. She's unsure but she guesses that the roof would have been a good location. Michael agrees. "You're very lucky to be alive, Nikita. Given the angle of attack, no obstructions, and the caliber of the round you were shot with, a surface wound seems impossible to extrapolate." "You know how we are. We defy the odds," she tells him. "If you're in trouble, Nikita..." Michael tries to get her to open up to him. Instead, Nikita deflects his concern. "The only trouble I seem to be having at the moment is you're too far away from me." She holds up her wine glass and offers a toast. "To defying the odds." Michael takes a sip from his glass but immediately notes something off. Nikita asks if Michael read her Med report. She asks if he found something he didn't like. "You shot yourself, Nikita," he tells her. She agrees that she did. Michael wants to know why. "It seemed like a bad idea to assassinate the one man that could get me out of Section forever." Michael begins to feel woozy. Nikita apologizes to him. He places his glass on the table. "I had my chance. I had to take it." Michael tries to rise but he fall onto the floor. Nikita grabs her phone and makes a call. "We have a problem," she tells the man on the other end.
Nikita drives down the street with an unconscious Michael in the passenger seat. She pulls into an underground parking garage where Grenet waits. "Michael Samuelle," he proclaims. "I remember when he fought for something he had passion for." Grenet asks that the scanner be handed to him and one of his men does so. He approaches the passenger side of Nikita's convertible and reaches for Michael but Nikita stops him by placing her hand on Grenet. Nikita lifts up Michael's right eyelid while Grenet captures his retina. "In Section, I suppose passion is out of the question." He hands Nikita the device and she removes the contact lens with Michael's corneal scan. She places it in a case for safe keeping. Grenet orders his men to take Michael and he's lifted from the passenger seat and placed the trunk of Grenet's car. "Michael's iris scan. That's your ticket into Level Five clearance, Nikita. It's also your ticket out of Section One," Grenet tells Nikita. He asks her about how much Michael knows. "Enough," she answers dispassionately. "Can you turn him?" Grenet inquires. :Not from the inside. Maybe once I'm out."
Nikita enters Van Access and the door closes behind her. Nikita emerges into the train station and walks away.
Act 4[]
Michael walks away from the projection table and out of Systems, leaving Madeline alone. Operations arrives and asks how everything went. She tells him that Michael is ready. "I showed him the variation we discussed." Operations wants to know if Michael accepted it and Madeline thinks that he did. "It was all quite realistic." She reached over and activated another projection of Michael and Nikita at the table. The playback is almost identical. "I let you in close enough to hurt," Michael tells Nikita. She rises and circles the table to sit on Michael's lap. Nikita caresses his face and leans forward to kiss his cheek. "Come with me," Nikita tells him. "I have the access codes. You can sink your files. Leave Section, come with me. I love you. We can do this, Michael. Put everything that's happened to us behind us." Nikita presents Michael with the disc.
Tag[]
In a medical clinic, Nikita lies back with her face covered with bandages. The doctor carefully removes them and tells Nikita that it'll need some time to heal but that the bruises and minor incision he made will disappear in a few days. He hands her a mirror. "It's gonna take some getting used to," Nikita tells him.
In a crowded restaurant, Michael waits. A waiter brings him a bottle of wine for serving but Michael declines. The waiter tells Michael he'll come back when his friend arrives.
In Section, Quinn tells Operations that Michael is in position. "This isn't an eval mission, Michael. When Nikita shows up, you know what you have to do."
Michael continues to sit at the restaurant, waiting for Nikita to show.
Cast[]
Main Cast[] |
Special Guest Stars[]
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Episode Quotes[]
- Nikita: "You know how we are. We defy the odds."
Michael: "Are you in trouble, Nikita?"
Nikita: "The only trouble I seem to be having at the moment is you're too far away from me."
- Michael: "You shot yourself, Nikita."
Nikita: "Yes, I did."
- Grenet: "Michael Samuelle! I remember when he fought for something he had passion for."
- Madeline: "Using Michael's corneal access is grounds for cancellation."
Nikita: "Madeline, your threats are of no interest to me any more. Not that they ever have been."
- Michael: "Have you located Nikita?"
Operations: "I'm afraid she's off the board, Michael. She's destroyed her file database and to the best of our knowledge, removed and disabled her tracking chip."
Michael: "Then she can't be found."
Madeline: "Not without your help. Nikita may have cut her ties with Section. It's unlikely that she'll cut her ties with you."
- Michael: "She drugged me. Turned me over to Red Cell."
Madeline: "She's well aware of your ability to take care of yourself. If you were to make yourself approachable, I believe that you'll take that approach."
Music[]
No third party music was licensed for this episode.
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