Fuzzy Logic | |||||
La Femme Nikita | |||||
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Episode no. |
Season 2 Episode 15 |
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Directed by | Ken Girotti | ||||
Written by | Michael Loceff | ||||
Production code | 215 | ||||
Original air date | July 5, 1998 | ||||
Episode guide | |||||
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"Fuzzy Logic" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of La Femme Nikita.
Summary[]
A high-tech terrorist group finds a way to tunnel into a U.S. Defense Department satellite and uses it for attacks on civilians. Although Section eliminates the satellite, the threat remains for further attacks, and when Birkoff is unable to break the terrorists’ code, a brilliant young mathematician is temporarily recruited to decode it. Unfortunately, his uncontrollable nature puts everyone in Section at risk.
Plot[]
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At Comm, a frustrated Birkoff is angry at his entire team. He repeatedly reprimands them for what he perceives are flaws in their performance. From the Perch, Operations takes note of the proceedings down below. Eventually, Birkoff runs everyone off and he stays behind along.
Operations walks into Madeline's office frustrated as well. "I've been as accommodating as I can be. This has got to stop," he tells her upon arrival. He asks why the job can't be handed off to someone else. Madeline explains that even though they've tried, Birkoff is the only one who knows how to approach it because it's an unusual code. "Is it worth holding up a dozen operations that need his attention," Operations argues. She reminds him that they've tried for two years to get sourced into the group they're pursuing. "We were lucky to even intercept the communication." They agree to give Birkoff until morning the following day.
Back at Comm, Birkoff is quietly trying to work through his problem. He walks out into the middle of the main floor. He crouches for a moment and then lies down in full of Operations, who is back in the Perch. Suddenly, he rises and quickly heads back to his station. With a breakthrough imminent, he begins working until he gets a notification that his decryption is competed. He gets up excited at his progress.
Act 1[]
In her apartment, Nikita talks to a new neighbor who's moved in. Barry is going through a divorce and talks to Nikita about the way his two children are handling the situation. She asks about how often he gets to see them and he tells her that it's only a couple of times a month. He tells Nikita that he's going to get a job and that he's also going to get his wife back. Nikita offers him tea but he tells her that he needs to get back to his apartment and finish unpacking. She offers to help if he needs anything. Barry asks Nikita if everyone in the building is as nice as she is. "I don't really know anybody else," she answers truthfully. He thanks her for the tool he borrowed and leaves.
At a Section briefing Operations outlines several small and seemingly unrelated terrorists acts across the globe that are linked only by the fact that Section has been unable to source them. Birkoff adds that each of the detonations was the result of a trigger communication from a D.O.D. satellite. "Someone drilled into a friendly satellite and was using it for terrorist acts. Michael asks why they were using it on such small incidents if they can get control of D.O.D. computers. Birkoff tells him that is being beta testing the software and working out the kinks. "And when they do, we can assume that the actions will be more devastating," Operations adds. Walter suggests that they take out the satellite. "We have, but the same techniques can be used on others," Operations tells them. Birkoff has managed to find a location from the group's last encoded command set. Operations wants Michael to work up an approach strategy. He wants them to bring back as many people as they can. He wants to know who they are.
In a Section van that is enroute to the location site, Michael briefs his team. He tells them that the building is stand alone. Birkoff reads twelve bodies inside in addition to transmitters and computers. He'd like some of that equipment brought back intact. "Assume a high density defense. We'll strike quickly. Teams two and three, stay outside. cover the retreat," Michael tells everyone. At the site, the operatives exit the van and fan out. They breech the building and work their way through it. In the van, Michael asks for a report from team one. He's told that there's no one in the building. In Comm, Birkoff insists that his sensors continue to pick up twelve bodies. The team comes across a setup on a platform. Both Birkoff and Michael watch the discovery from cameras. "It's a trap," Michael concludes just as one of the operatives reaches out to touch the installation. It explodes, killing everyone present.
In Madeline's office, she and Operations watch the playback tapes of the mission. "What does analysis have to say about what they found on-site?" Operations asks. "Everything was state of the art, no expense was spared," she answers. Operations suggests Red Cell but Madeline says that it doesn't have their signature. "Red Cell wouldn't go to the trouble to fully automate an operation. They'd use personnel." Birkoff arrives with information. "It was a bogus code, probably a decoy," he says. Operations tells him that the N.S.A. says otherwise. "The information's in the code. The data you extracted was simply an outer shell, a protective mechanism." Birkoff asks if the N.S.A. could get at it and Madeline says that they tried but it's beyond their capabilities. "This is unacceptable. There's got to be someone who can do this," Operations suggests. Madeline asks Birkoff if he can find someone. "From the outside? There's probably no more than a handful of mathematicians who work in this area at this level." Operations tells Birkoff to find him.
In Systems, Birkoff gives Operations, Madeline, and Michael a run down of candidates with the qualifications that they're looking for. Among them is Emil Ondruska, the world's leading specialist in non-linear key theory. A works out of the University of St. Petersburg and "he's owned by Moscow." Sung-Hee Park is a professor at a think tank in North Korea. "She was the brains behind the J-Mev algorithm." He reminds Operations that he warned him that it would be select group of people but he adds that he did pull one match from the West. "He's young. His name is Greg Hillinger. Graduated high school at 11, college at 13, received his Ph.D. after six months, wrote his thesis on non-linear principal components. Because he's the youngest tenured professor in the history of the university, he's highly visible." Birkoff adds that Hillinger has written several papers on statistical L-trees, exactly the kind of approach that's needed. Operations asks about his family and Birkoff tells him that Hillinger still lives with his mother. When asked if he'll help his government, Birkoff informs him that Hillinger has turned down the N.S.A. and other agencies who have tried to enlist him. "Mother doesn't want her only child designing weapons." Madeline concludes that he'll have to be taken against his will. Birkoff adds that the university sends a van every morning to pick him up.
At a modest suburban home, a van drives up and honks. The front door opens and Greg Hillinger, carrying a backpack, exits. His mother calls him back and much to his embarrassment, asks where his gloves are, to which he replies that he doesn't need them. Before he leaves, Greg's mother hands him a packed lunch, muses on him needing a haircut and informs him that they're having spaghetti for dinner. Greg gets into the back seat of the van and greets the driver, Jake. The doors automatically lock and he sees that Michael is silently seated behind the wheel and begins toe drive off. Nikita emerges from the third row of the van and introduces herself. "Listen we're not going to hurt you. We just need your help. You'll be back home in twenty four hours." Greg begins to struggle and Nikita apologizes, assuring him that it will only take twenty four hours.
Act 2[]
Act 3[]
Out in the hallway, Nikita can hear commotion coming from Barry's apartment. Curious, she retrieves the box Barry had left her for safekeeping. She opens it and after moving a few items around, she's surprised at what she finds inside.
Act 4[]
Greg Hillinger demands that the team let him go home in exchange for the work he's done, threatening to erase it if his demands are not met. Unable to coerce or persuade him otherwise, Nikita gets permission from Operations to cut him loose. At home, Greg sees his mother run outside and follows through on his end of the bargain. However, he is surprised when Section operatives continue to follow him. When he asks why, his "mother" suddenly turns and reveals that she is actually Nikita wearing a lifelike silicone mask and wig. She explains that impersonating his mother was a last-ditch effort, and that in fact his real mother isn't even aware that he's still alive. Greg is then forcibly returned to Section custody; when he begs Nikita to tell him whether or not he'll ever be allowed to see his mother again, she says nothing.
Tag[]
Operations enters Madeline's office and informs her that Michael has just returned from Johannesburg. The location was destroyed and hostiles were brought back. The hardware was stripped and is being reversed engineered. Madeline asks about the group behind it. "Oh, just another group of insane misfits empowered by technology." Just before he leaves, Operations asks Madeline about Greg . "I'm working on an integration program." His survival likelihood is over 92%. "He's a surprisingly good match," she adds.
In her apartment, Nikita is working out. She drops the weight and goes to her refrigerator. She pulls out a carton of milk and drinks from it before tossing the empty carton into the trash. On the side of the carton is a photo of Greg with the caption, "Have You Seen Me?" and the number for a lost kids hotline.
Cast[]
Main Cast[] |
Special Guest Stars[]
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Episode Quotes[]
- Madeline: "So, what do we do about you now?"
Nikita: "He's a teenage boy with an extraordinary mind. Who knows what he'll accomplish or how many people will benefit if he lives. You want to lock him up because that's what the rule book says."
Madeline: "Your point is well taken, but these aren't easy decisions. I don't enjoy making them."
Nikita: "I think you do. I think you go home to bed every night hoping someone'll screw up so you can make your hard decisions."
Madeline: "I'll overlook this incident for now, but we will be watching you more closely."
- Nikita: "Hey, guys! We're in here! We got your heroin!" (takes a bite out of her apple)
Behind the Scenes[]
Joel Surnow said the following in Retrovision #6: "A change of pace for us. A funnier show, which is difficult for us to pull off, but we did it. One of those show's that's a great little story that didn't have any Michael or Nikita thing going on, but it worked from beginning to end." [1] [2]
Music[]
No third party music was used in this episode.
References[]
- ↑ Gross, Edward (1999). Retrovision #6, "La Femme Nikita Episode Guide - Interview with Joel Surnow.
- ↑ LFN Forever! Episode Guide: Season 2 - 215. "Fuzzy Logic"
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