NIKITA Recap: “Pale Fire” (Episode 11)

New Year, new recap style – hope you enjoy!

Operation Pale Fire was the turning point not only for Nikita but also for Percy; and that was proven by the events in last night’s mid-season return of Nikita.

How much can one show pack into the first episode back from the holiday break? “Pale Fire” was jam-packed with action, intrigue and a few surprises. First there was Nikita following Ari to the former Udinov now Semak estate in Russia in the hopes of retrieving the black box. There was also Alex’s unexpected reunion with her presumed dead mother Katya who is very much alive and well. And there is the tag team of Owen and Michael in Amsterdam tracking down one of the Guardians. And much more…let’s recap.

Owen and Michael

As the events played out, flashbacks provided valuable information on Operation Pale Fire, which was the strike force sent in to take the lives of Alex and her parents that was orchestrated by Sergei Semak, the man for whom Alex has been gunning since Amanda’s reveal of his involvement in her parents’ death. Nikita is shown visibly shaken during the briefing where Alex and her parents are code-named Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear by Percy.

Owen also stepped up to the plate to knock some sense – metaphorically speaking – into Michael about his staying in London with his son or coming back to Nikita. He reminds Michael that “normal people” that get sucked into their world always end up getting hurt, telling Michael that he was the one who killed Nikita’s lover Daniel (under orders by Percy) and that it was his fault that his love Emily was killed. He tells Michael to make a choice! You go, Owen!

Meanwhile, Alex has an emotional, albeit brief, reunion with her mother right before Semak makes an appearance, gives Katya her pill and kisses her while Alex looks on from her hiding place inside the dumb waiter.

It is a short time later that Nikita enters the estate in an attempt to throw the circuit breakers so she can retrieve the black box from Ari when she encounters Alex, who wants to do the same thing only in an attempt to escape with her mother.

Meanwhile, back at the underground section of Division, Amanda pays a visit to a chained up Ryan, telling him that he needs to make a decision to work for her, bringing Oversight down or she will “correct the mistake” she made in keeping him alive. She then drugs him and takes him to Percy’s plastic prison in order for them to “work” together. It is later revealed – through deduction by the genius that is Ryan – that Operation Pale Fire was the beginning of the end for Percy not because, as Percy had thought that Oversight lost faith in him because of Semak reneged on their deal for him to be their inside mole at Zetrov – but because it was the first time that Nikita went against Division and that is what really sealed Percy’s fate.

Nikita

Soon enough, Nikita, much to her surprise, learns from Alex that Katya is alive and inside the estate; and in seconds Nikita decides to drop her quest for the black box in Ari’s possession and lend her help to Alex to get Katya out.

Back in Amsterdam, Michael and Owen stumble upon one of the Guardians while sipping tea at an outdoor café. They go after this Guardian and despite being a tag team the Guardian nearly gets the better of them both. But, they double team the man, taking him down and getting his black box. Owen also finds a note in the Guardian’s pocket that leads them to a dry cleaners where, they soon discover, is the real meeting place for all of the Guardians.

Michael goes inside the dry cleaners posing as one of the Guardians where he learns that Roan is behind bringing the Guardians together and that their next meeting place will be New York. But the other Guardians knew all along that Michael was lying and a firefight breaks out with Owen charging in to give Michael cover while Michael sets off an explosive on all three of the black boxes. The duo narrowly gets out of the building, racing away in their car (heading toward Belgium) while the Guardians are left to eat exhaust fumes.

That isn’t all of the action, of course. Nikita and Alex make a plan on how to get Katya out of the estate and then off the grounds; but, of course, even their best laid plans don’t work and Alex is caught. Ari and Semak both question Alex before she is taken away by the guards to be disposed of; but Nikita has other plans as she takes out the guards in the car transporting Alex. Alex is injured during that firefight and stays at the car while Nikita goes back to the estate to retrieve Katya.

Owen and Michael

That plan doesn’t work well either because once Nikita is back at the estate and works her way inside and finds Katya, she – and Alex, who is listening by phone – learns that Katya had been having an affair with Semak all along, that was why she was spared during the assassination. Katya was also fooled by Semak into believing the cover story he created for Alex; that Alex was taken by Division and brainwashed by them. Nikita knows that she isn’t going to be able to get Katya out and another firefight breaks out between Nikita and Semak’s guards. Just when it looked like Nikita might not make it out of the castle, Alex shows up and they work in tandem to take down most of Semak’s guards and race off in one of the cars.

Once Michael and Owen make it to Belgium they deduce that the Guardians have been brought together to get Percy out of his plastic prison, which means they need to get back to New York to work with Nikita to stop that from happening.

In the final scene, Alex is with Nikita at Birkhoff’s new hide-out and admits to Nikita that she wasted so much time and energy avenging the father that she loved who wasn’t innocent and a mother who she thinks maybe never loved her at all, given the truths that she learned during the failed rescue attempt. But Nikita reasons with Alex that her mother does love her even if she is misguided and not fully living in reality. They talk about second chances and it looks like their partnership just might be on the mend.

“Pale Fire” is the 11th episode of the second season of Nikita. Nikita will be back next Friday, January 13 at 8/7c on The CW.

How did you feel about this episode? What did you think of Owen and Michael working together? Did you predict that Katya was saved from death because of her involvement with Semak? Did you like how well Nikita and Alex worked together to escape from Semak’s men? Are you curious what will happen next with Ryan now that he is “stuck” with Percy? And how about the presumed plans by the Guardians to get Percy out of his plastic prison, do you think whatever they have up their sleeves will work now that Nikita and the team know what is probably going to transpire? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.