NIKITA Recap: “London Calling” (Episode 8)

At their new base of operations, a big office building where they can live and work, Michael comes clean with Birkhoff about Max being his son and that he needs to go to London to see him. Once there, Michael sees a man leaving Cassandra’s home and then gets his opportunity to see her and Max. Upon opening the door, Cassandra quickly realizes that Nikita has told Michael the truth and the three of them take a walk so they can “talk”.

Meanwhile, back at Division, Alex is dealing with demons of her own because she is now stuck inside their walls because of the Gogol hit that has placed her life in jeopardy. She wakes up from an almost too real nightmare where she was back being a recruit under Percy’s thumb.

Alex and Percy

As Nikita does research on Senator Madeline Pierce, Birkhoff is hot on Michael’s heels, wiping all traces of him in London, as Nikita asked him to do; but when he sees the three of them on their stroll, Birkhoff can’t help but tell Nikita. Not being able to resist taking a look, Nikita soon realizes they are being followed and warns Michael. Michael asks about the man who left her flat and she explains that is Nigel an old friend of hers from Oxford.

Soon enough, Michael is attacked by two armed men (while Cassandra has removed Max from the melee to protect him); but he is able to get the upper hand in the confrontation and learns from Cassandra that the men were actually after her not Michael. This situation, though, sets Nikita off and she tells Birkhoff she’s going to London because “Michael’s in trouble”.

Back at Cassandra’s home, Cassandra tells Michael that the men who attacked him work for General Tupelov, a member of her dead husband’s cabinet who believes that she had something to do with his death as he never accepted that the bodyguard was the culprit. Michael will be her security team.

Then Alex pays a visit to Percy, who reveals to her that he has an offshore account containing funds that need “reshuffling”. If she handles the transfer for him, he will give her $100,000 to get the equipment, weapons and resources she needs to get revenge on Semak. He explains the money needs to be moved so that Amanda cannot get her hands on it. The icing on the cake for their deal is that Percy tells her that Semak, after burning her family home to the ground, has rebuilt on the exact same spot and is living lavish on her family’s land.

The next morning, Cassandra’s friend Nigel shows up to take Max to school; but Michael is leery of him and vice versa. Later that morning, Nikita and Michael meet up on the streets of London where she shares with him what Birkhoff was able to learn about Tupelov. The General is in London at a Russian bar and that is where the couple goes to meet with Tupelov and his men. They tell him to leave Cassandra alone, but he claims they have unfinished business and that they should stay out of it. Needless to say, the General and his men are a bit worse for wear once Michael and Nikita are finished with them.

Nikita

Back in DC, Pierce is once again meeting with his mother, warning her that she needs to stay out of sight because of Nikita hunting for her; but she tells her son that she has her own security and that she firmly believes Nikita will not attempt a direct attack on a United States Senator. Pierce tells his mother that he believes Alex is the weak link to getting at Nikita and he will use any means necessary, even seduction, to get at Nikita. “The sooner I take down Nikita, the sooner you’re safe” he tells her. She counters, “And the sooner you can walk away from Division,” she answers.

Once Michael and Nikita are back at Cassandra’s flat, they get a call from General Tupelov who has kidnapped Cassandra. He is holding her in exchange for the $200 million dollars, left to him by her late husband that Cassandra supposedly took from him. Cassandra claims she gave the money to Michael for safekeeping. This sets the trio to work with Nikita and Birkhoff confirming Max is safe at school and then Birkhoff traces Cassandra’s last steps, finding out where Tupelov and his men have taken her. Cassandra is drugged by one of the General’s men, as they plan to make her death look like a drunken accident and he will be elsewhere waiting for the money to be placed in his account, giving him the necessary alibi.

Back at Division, Alex breaks into the tech impound to make the money transfer for Percy, but Pierce has followed her and she thinks she is caught red-handed.

Soon enough, Michael and Nikita get to the hiding place and start taking out the guards outside the shed where Cassandra is being held. Nikita remains outside to handle the rest of the guards while Michael attempts to get into the shed to save Cassandra. But he is seconds too late, as two of the men have already removed her. Then a fire bomb is thrown inside the shed, trapping Michael; but at that precise moment he sees the two men putting Cassandra into a nearby car. He tells Nikita to save Cassandra; that he will find a way out; but instead of doing as he asked, Nikita runs to him, as he leaps through the flames and is nearly consumed by fire as the car containing Cassandra is pushed over the cliff by the two guards. But, somehow Cassandra got out of the car and takes down the two guards and we soon realize that is not what she seems either. It turns out she is an undercover MI6 member! She reveals she had been embedded in her cover for two years before Michael began his mission in Belarus; at the time, before he told her who he really was, she suspected Michael was an agent and that he could be a valuable resource. But now, her only concern is Max; Nikita tells her he is safe at school. Their window to catch Tupelov is closing fast so they need to get to him before he realizes his money won’t be where he expects it.

Cassandra, Nikita and Michael

Back at Division, Alex comes clean to Pierce about the money transfer she is conducting for Percy. But soon enough two guards show up so Pierce covers for Alex and once the guards leave, he lets her finish the transfer.

Then, Cassandra explains to Nikita and Michael that when MI6 approached her she had already been studying in London for years, but she still sounded and looked like a girl from Russia so they thought she would be the perfect fit to get close to Ovechkin. Nigel, as it turns out, is her handler, who she had been reporting to him since Belarus. Cassandra states that Nigel would be showing up with Max any minute. She shared they could tell Nigel that Michael and Nikita are actually CIA there on a tip about Tupelov, but they are forced to tell Cassandra about their rogue status, which will put them in jeopardy with Nigel. Soon enough, Nigel does shows up but he has armed guards with him instead of just Max and they take Michael prisoner, wanting to know why an American intelligence officer is in London, seeking out his agent five years after they met on his missions. Meanwhile, Nikita escapes out the window after going to a different room to make a call to Birkhoff.

As Michael is being interrogated by Nigel in an upstairs room, he figures it out that Michael has to be there because of a personal reason. Meanwhile outside, Cassandra finds Nikita and tells her how to get inside the house to safe Michael. Cassandra provides the necessary diversion, telling Nigel that she received a tip that Tupelov is trying to flee the country; and they need to move fast in order to catch him so as to end the threat on her family. The two of them leave, allowing Nikita to make her move, taking down the MI6 armed guards and getting Michael free. But because of what Nigel said to Michael during the interrogation, he is suspicious that Nigel just might want the $200 million dollars for himself.

Cassandra and Nigel catch Tupelov at the Russian bar where he calmly bargains for his life, but Nigel takes him out anyway then turns the gun on Cassandra, shooting her in the arm. Second later, Michael and Nikita show up at the bar; and while Michael holds off armed men outside, Nikita gets inside to take down Nigel and saves Cassandra.

Back at Division, as the money transfer takes place, Alex grills Pierce on why he is really there, helping her rather than turning her in and he makes a failed attempt to seduce her. She doesn’t fall for it, of course, and the transfer is complete. But, it’s not that simple. It seems the transfer has put into place one of Percy’s guardian and God (and Percy) only knows where that will lead.

As Michael prepares to leave, he tells Cassandra to be careful, but she feels she is safe and that MI6 will protect her because she is cooperating in the investigation into Nigel. Then it is time for Michael and Nikita to head back to the States; but Nikita stops and tells Michael that “something is happening” and he doesn’t even see it. She knows him better than anyone else; that his focus – now that he knows about Max – will be on his son, blinding him to what they still have ahead of them. And while they both declare love for the other, she tells him not to wait for the “what if” – he needs to stay for his son and for Cassandra, as she heads home, albeit upset, and alone.

“London Calling” is the eighth episode of the second season of Nikita. The next, new episode of Nikita will air on The CW on Friday, November 18 at 8/7c.

What did you think of this episode? Were you surprised to see Michael go to London to see his son? How about the reveal that Cassandra is actually MI6? Were you suspicious of Nigel at all or just at the end? Did you agree with Nikita telling Michael that he needed to say? Please share your thoughts on this episode in the comments section below.