| Line in the Sand | |||||
| La Femme Nikita | |||||
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| Episode no. |
Season 4 Episode 14 |
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| Directed by | Joel Surnow | ||||
| Written by | Peter M. Lenkov | ||||
| Production code | 414 | ||||
| Original air date | July 2, 2000 | ||||
| Episode guide | |||||
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"Line in the Sand" is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of La Femme Nikita.
Summary[]
For 20 years, Red Cell has been the West’s most dangerous terrorist threat, and Section One has aggressively pursued the “Cardinal,” Red Cell’s, top leader with no success… until now. Immediately, Operations mobilize his teams to move in and capture him, but George commands Operations to stop the mission and withdraw. Concerned that George is trying to undermine him, he refuses to obey. Now, everyone's life is on the line when Oversight declares war on Section One.
Plot[]
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Birkoff works alone at Comm. He quietly ponders over data he has. Walter wanders by and observes him for a moment. "You're still at it," he points out but he gets no response from Birkoff. He approaches Comm and Birkoff looks up at him distracted. He asks if Walter said something earlier but Walter tells him not to worry. Walter asks Birkoff what he's working on. "Blowback from the Islamabad mission," Birkoff answers. Walter asks him if he ever considers going out for a walk to stretch his legs or get some sunshine. Birkoff isn't paying attention and instead asks Walter to hand him some nearby equipment. Walter asks if he's found somebody. Birkoff says that he has.
At Oversight, Greg Hillinger is tapped into Section One's system and wonders what Birkoff is looking for.
"That's a Red Cell thread," Walter points out when he takes a closer look at Birkoff's terminal. He asks how high it goes and Birkoff thinks that it goes all the way to the top. "Think again. The head of Red Cell wouldn't be on a relocation profile," Walter tells him and adds that it's just a hunch. He once again suggests that Birkoff take a break so he can see things clearer. Walter heads out but Birkoff jumps back into his work. Getting back some data, Birkoff automatically asks about Operations' location. He's told that Operations is in the Tower. Birkoff wants access but he's told that Operations is not to be disturbed. Birkoff leaves and heads to the Tower where Operations reiterates his request to not be disturbed. A woman speaking Vietnamese speaks from within the Tower and Operations responds in Vietnamese before turning back to Birkoff. "I found the Cardinal," Birkoff tells him.
Act 1[]
In her apartment, Nikita stands by the balcony doors lost in thought. A jaunty knock at her front door draws her out of her thoughts. She checks her security monitor and bows her head in resignation. Nikita opens the door and begins to walk away. Mick Schtoppel is on the other side and he immediately enters with a young woman. He compliments Nikita's foyer as "sparse, airy but inviting." He promptly introduces Nikita to Monique, his interior designer. Nikita is polite but tries to cut the visit short by telling Mick that she's in the middle of something. Mick explains that they won't be long. "It's the flow," Mick tells Monique when further describing Nikita's apartment. "A little bit of nouveau fung shoey" Monique looks around and compliments Nikita on what she's done with her apartment. Nikita thanks her but once again tries to convey to Mick his imposition. Mick continues to prattle on about what he wants for his apartment while Nikita sits resigned to his presence. Nikita's land line rings and Mick answers. Michael is on the line asking for "Joséphine".
The corridor near Van Access is highly trafficked by operatives. Walter walks by as Nikita arrives in. When she asks about the commotion, Walter tells her that Birkoff thinks that he's found the Cardinal. "Twenty years we've been looking for this guy and suddenly he surfaces." She asks his opinion. Walter thinks that it could be anyone in the Red Cell food chain or perhaps a misread. He adds that Birkoff hasn't slept in days.
Michael waits in Systems when Nikita approaches him. "How was Albania?" She asks. "I was called back," he tells her. Nikita begins to take a seat while Michael watches her. "I haven't seen you in a while," he tells her. Operations and Birkoff arrive, interrupting their conversation. "You've all been pre-briefed and I'll short the details," Operations quickly tells them. "The mission is two fold. Extract the Cardinal, eliminate the base camp." Michael wants to know what else they have on him. "Nothing. He's never been photographed. All we have to go on is a partial. A balaclava he once wore. This image was taken during an evac of temporary outpost we raided," Birkoff replies. An image of a man wearing a balaclava to shield is face is projected. "It's the closest we ever came to eliminating the target. He was alerted; we were ambushed," Operations adds. Birkoff used a pinpoint diagnostic to create a makeshift profile on the Cardinal's face. "We're going to layer this six deep. Michael's team will have point. Birkoff tells them that because of the target, it's extreme wetware and hard defense. Each team will need stealth gear and trip wire detects." Tactical details will be uploaded to their panels and the mission departs in one hour.
At Oversight, Greg Hillinger supervises a pair of techs at their stations. One of them has the rendered photo of the Cardinal. Hillinger pushes her away and takes over. Into his headpiece, he requests to speak to George. "Sir, there's been a convergence at Section One. They're pulling back from all active assignments. Tunneling their manpower." George wants to know why and Hillinger tells him of Birkoff's belief that he's found the Cardinal. George asks if he has. "No, sir, he has not," Hillinger replies confidently. George wants to know what exactly Birkoff did find. "The Cardinal dropped a tag as a diversion. Red Cell does this routinely every six months or so. I guess nobody told Seymour it's nothing to get excited about. George wants to know how sure Hillinger is and he confirms that he's very sure. George thinks over what he's just been told.
Madeline approaches Operations in the Perch. He asks if the new contingencies have been assigned and she informs him that Davenport is handling them. On intercom, he's informed that George is on the line. Operations activates a video feed and greets him. "Tell me about this Alpha Team you have going into Northern Europe," George asks. "I'm sending a recon team into the new borders." George asks about the "Q" status that is attached to the mission. "Because of the political situation in that region, we felt dark approach would be best." George reveals that he knows about the Cardinal and that Hillinger looked at the same data as Birkoff and came to a different conclusion. "It's a trap. I want the mission scrubbed," George orders. "We've been after this man for 15 years, George. This is the closest we've ever come to getting him," Operations argues. "The Cardinal mission is grounded," George repeats and then ends the transmission.
Operations approaches Birkoff in Comm. "Hillinger thinks you're wrong," Operations tells him bluntly. Birkoff replies that he's not. "Hillinger's the best there is at surfacing intel and he didn't find the Cardinal," Operations elaborates. "That's his problem," Birkoff comments. Operations reminds Birkoff of his disagreement about Madagascar and how it resulted in significant casualties. Birkoff explains that the mission has nothing to do with Hillinger. "Good. Then initiate mobilization and bring back the Cardinal." Operations leaves and Birkoff rises. Nikita, who was standing at a nearby terminal overheard the exchange. She watches as Birkoff removes his glasses and looks concerned. She asks if he's okay. "What happens if I'm wrong?" he asks with a tremor in his voice. "Can't think that way," she tells him. "Ever since Hillinger came to work here, I've done nothing but second guess myself," he confesses, his voice tight with tension. "Yeah, he's good. So are you. You found the Cardinal. Hillinger didn't." Birkoff wonders why Hillinger didn't and if he's missed something. "I'm about to deploy on the single most important mission Section has ever moved on...and I can't give the command." Nikita sternly tells Birkoff to forget Hillinger. "He's better than me," Birkoff argues. "Yeah, he's brilliant. Takes more than analyzing raw data to do this job." Nikita adds that it takes instinct and she asks him what his gut says. "Is it the Cardinal or not?" Birkoff put in his Comm unit and orders all teams in. "We're operational."
At Oversight, George approaches Hillinger who works at a terminal. "Operations hasn't recalled the Cardinal mission," Hillinger tells him. George considers the information. "Initiate a protocol five against him, effective immediately," he orders. "He has to be taken out of play." Hillinger argues against the order. "Operations has already sealed his fate by sending his men into a trap. He has to proceed or you have nothing. All you have to do is sit back and watch him hang himself.
Michael and Nikita walk down the corridor to Van Access along with the rest of the team. They pass Operations, who stands at the entrance.
Act 2[]
The mission travels at night through the snow. Nikita takes a seat next to Michael, who works at his laptop. "How does it look?" She asks. "Empty," he answers. "Does that make sense?" Nikita looks at Michael but he says nothing. "Shouldn't we be encountering some form of defensive recon?" Michael asks why. "Birkoff superseded Hillinger's assessment. We could be sitting ducks?" Michael turns to look at her. "That's always a concern," he tells her.
At Comm, Birkoff announces that First Team is approaching the entry point. "And what entry point would that be," Hillinger's voice asks on intercom. Birkoff is surprised at the intrusion and informs Hillinger that he's in the middle of a mission. He tells First Team to launch tactical.
The van parks and the team exits.
Hillinger asks Birkoff if he's ignoring him.
Act 3[]
Madeline meets with Nikita and Michael in her office. She informs them that they're going to need a mobile unit to pursue the Cardinal. "I would like you two to lead the cell." Nikita is unmoved. "Is that a request or an order?" She asks. "It's a request," Michael tells her. "She's asking us to do a favor? When was the last time you did one for us?" Nikita tells Madeline. "If you don't want to do, just tell me," Madeline answers.
In Comm, Birkoff sorts through discs. Walter approaches him with a device that will keep them off Red Cell's satellites.
Act 4[]
At Munitions, Michael and Nikita pack their gear. Nikita asks Michael why they're participating. "We wouldn't survive under George," he tells her. Nikita thinks about his response before she reaches a conclusion. "You need this place, don't you?" She tells him. "No," Michael replies and walks away.
With his gear, Michael waits inside Van Access. Beside him is Birkoff and Nikita. Madeline and Operations arrive and the five of them enter into the elevator.
Down a snowy rural road, the Section Van travels. Inside are Michael, Operations, Birkoff, Nikita, and Madeline all engaged in various tactical activities. Michael inserts a panel into a dock and confirms with Operations that he's receiving the necessary data while Birkoff jams a satellite. On a Comm headset, Nikita converses with an unknown person in Italian about the satellite. Operations also talks to someone, confirming that the target is a class one priority. Madeline verifies coordinates on her own headset. On a Comm unit, Michael now converses with an unknown party in French,
At Section One, several armed guards from Oversight appear. The fan out across Section, leaving operatives to pause their activities. George and Hillinger then arrive and take a look around.
At Van Access, George and several armed guards wait. The door opens to admit Nikita and Madeline. Birkoff follows closely behind, followed by Michael, Operations and The Cardinal.
The Cardinal speaks to Madeline in the White Room.
In the White Room, the Cardinal speaks with Madeline. George and Operations observe through the glass window. She asks about the advance notice they received just prior to the substation's location. The Cardinal reveals that they traced the signal to the Oversight division of Center.
At an expansive estate, Monique sits at a desk with a headset speaking to an unknown person. Greg Hillinger arrives demanding to see the Cardinal. Monique ignores Hillinger while she wraps up her conversation, in turn angering Hillinger. Monique explains that the man behind the nearby closed door is not the Cardinal but Mr. Jones. She informs him that he's at Center. Monique requests assistance and a pair of armed, sunglasses wearing men arrive. Realizing that he's outnumbered, Hillinger drops his gun. Satisfied, the men remove their glasses, revealing that they are twins and leave the room.
Tag[]
Nikita sits with Mick at her kitchen table with swatches of fabric. Nikita notes how happy Mick is with Monique's suggestions and he's effusive about her. Nikita's phone begins to ring. "Heard Section jumped through a few hoops last week. Things back to normal?" Mick asks casually. Nikita rises to answer the phone and she tells him that they are. She removes her shoes just as she hangs up the phone and tells Mick that she has to go. Nikita heads to her bedroom and Mick starts to head out.
Birkoff is near Comm in conversation with another operative when Nikita approaches him. "Hillinger's dead," she tells him. "He was just cancelled." Birkoff looks disappointed. He glances up towards the Perch where Operations works. They make eye contact. "He didn't have to do that," Birkoff tells Nikita. A member of his team approaches Birkoff and gives him an update on a mission that Davenport is leading. He heads back to his station, leaving Nikita behind.
Cast[]
Main Cast[] |
Special Guest Stars[]
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Episode Quotes[]
- Madeline: "I would like you two to lead the cell."
Nikita: "Is that a request or an order?"
Michael: "It's a request."
Nikita: "She's asking us to do a favor? When was the last time you did one for us?"
Madeline: "If you don't want to do, just tell me."
- Nikita: "Why are we doing this?
Michael: "We wouldn't survive under George."
Nikita: "You need this place, don't you?"
Michael: "No."
Music[]
Frédéric Chopin – Nocturne Op. 15 No. 3 in G Minor
Video[]
La Femme Nikita- "Section Pursues the Cardinal" - Sean Callery
Section goes rogue and pursues the Cardinal.
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