NIKITA: Carla’s Return Brings More Questions Than Answers

The final scene of the last new episode of Nikita, “Origins,” left fans to wonder if the game had changed – again. Carla, who had just saved Nikita’s life in the previous episode, seemed to be alone making a secret phone call to Percy, and revealing the very information Nikita wanted to keep from him for Alex’s safety – Ari and Amanda are and have been working together. Will the camera pan out in the next episode and show Nikita by her side? Or is Carla betraying Nikita?

Just what are Carla's motives anyway?

Mulling on the new facts that Nikita, Michael, and Birkhoff have recently learned about her, it looks like the game could go several directions whether she is loyal to Nikita or not. Along the way, we will no doubt learn all sorts of new things about Carla’s history that are going to affect everyone’s future. Just like Nikita and Alex, she comes with such a potentially rich past full of people and happenings that, added to the mix, could impact this war for power among so many players in all manner of unexpected ways for the fan.

For so long we knew her as the nice girl who took Nikita in years ago. The one who paid it forward in Nikita’s life so she could someday rescue someone else. The reason that Nikita saved Alex.

Now, in a recent episode, she re-entered Nikita’s life after living in an old car full of belongings, including a tv that gets three channels, among a camp of homeless people. By her own words, she was lost in her own head and still on the run from Amanda. And that’s about when our old image of Carla started to wane.

So, what is in this woman’s past that prepared her to walk directly into a barrage of bullets from Percy’s men’s semi-automatic weapons?

What is the history of her relationship with Percy that makes her the only person I recall seeing Percy speak to in a genuine way? Though it was brief, we saw something in Percy that pointed to a relationship with Carla that we haven’t seen with any other character. There was no haughtiness, no game playing, no manipulation, just genuine conversation.

And what about her history with Roan? Did you catch that scene where she reaches out to gently touch Roan’s acid-scarred face and ask him how it happened? Rock hard, emotionless, untouchable Roan didn’t even wince when she reached toward him. Was he one of the men she rescued from death row? How many more like him are out there?

Since she was at division before Michael ever came on the scene there, what rivals and friends does she have that he and Nikita will not expect?

What does she know about what is on the black boxes?

And why is she so protective of Nikita and yet so unresponsive the Nikita’s need to protect Alex?

Whatever the answers to these questions are, we know that Carla is also fixated on gaining control of Division. She says she loves the ideals of the original mission of the agency she started which is now called Division. And she is not ready to accept the fact that Division is past saving.

It reminds me of one of my growing collection of favorite quotes from the show:

“…she needs to think about her future. In order to do that, she has to be completely clear-eyed about her past. After all…we can’t know where we’re goin’, ‘til we know from where we came. It’s not an easy journey. It can be painful, arduous, but if we have the courage to face the truth, it could lead to the right path. That’s something we all seek.” – Percy

New episodes of Nikita return Friday, March 16 at 8/7c on the CW.