Saying Farewell to the Cast and Creator of The CW Series Nikita

On the second day of Comic Con 2013 back in July, the cast and series creator of the CW series Nikita – a remake, of sorts, of the USA Network series La Femme Nikita (as well as the box office film Point of No Return and the original French film that started it all, also entitled La Femme Nikita) – took center stage for a farewell appearance before the final season of the fan favorite series is to air this fall.

Before the panel got underway, though, a highlight reel of the past seasons was screened followed by TV Line writer Megan Masters taking over the reins as moderator, inviting the panelists – which included cast members Maggie Q, Shane West, Lyndsy Fonseca, Aaron Stanford, Melinda Clarke and Noah Bean as well as series creator Craig Silverstein – to the stage.

Considering that the final season is nearly upon them, the panelists was, of course, first asked how they are feeling on the cusp of the end of Nikita. Craig shared that “it’s bittersweet”, but he is “glad to get full closure”. Melinda joked that she would have “no more flying,” as she commutes between filming in Canada and her home where her family lives. For lead actress Maggie, she shared that her “heart hurt” when the cancellation notice was made, but she is glad “to get to end the show (in) a high and big (way)”.

Nikita in Season 4 Premiere

When asked if six episodes was enough to wrap up the series, Craig stated that they “get right to the good stuff” and he sees “it as a bonus” to have the final episodes to conclude the overall stories of all the characters in Nikita. Maggie also shared that she is “excited to go back” to finish of the show properly, especially seeing where Nikita and Michael left off at the end of last season. She then joked that Nikita’s decision to leave Michael the way she did, was a decision “made out of love”.

Then when Lyndsy was asked about all that her character Alex has gone through, she shared that now that Division is really gone, Alex can be the public persona she has been pretending to be and she sees it as “kind of exciting”.

When the final season returns on November 22, Craig shared that the group is all still together – despite Nikita running off and leaving them behind. He also revealed that the new “lair” for the team is actually an airplane, as they “had to go to something different” after all of the secret locations for their operations.

The conversation then shifted over to Noah’s character Ryan and how his character went from being in only five episodes to a series regular. Craig stated that “Ryan became such a crucial person over time” and then Noah joked that “Ryan is flirting with a little Percy-esque [personality], but they are very different guys.” In fact, Noah shared that he thinks “Ryan just may be (in) a little over his head.”

Michael in Season 4 Premiere

It was then time to focus on Melinda’s portrayal of Amanda with the actress sharing that “she was always quite befuddled (with) her”, but “it was the betrayal of her father that made her who she is.” Craig then shared that “Amanda was too evil to destroy”, but he did concede that the plan was to kill her in season three, obviously a plan never came to fruition. In fact, Amanda will be the “big bad” for this final six-episode season.

The subject then moved over to Aaron’s portrayal of Birkhoff with Maggie proudly shouting that “he is so damn good” and moderator Megan stating that Birkhoff “is the glue” that holds them all together; and the rest of the cast certainly seemed to agree with that assessment.

Craig was then asked if he could give away any spoilers for the final six episodes. He was reluctant to give away too much, but he did share that the stories will “come full circle” and the episodes will show a “return to the origins” of the characters. Viewers will see a time in Nikita’s life before Carla Bennett (guest star Erica Gimpel), and we’ll find out “where did all this start for her.” He also stressed that the stories won’t be a “tour of the greatest hits” but rather “new stuff” will be introduced to explain her life beforehand.

When asked what any of the cast members would like to see for their characters in the final season, Shane joked he “would like to know Michael’s last name.” He and Craig teased that there was actually a scene in season three that was cut where Michael’s full name was revealed. Shane further stated that “he (is) excited to see where Michael will go” this final season.

Before the panel was turned over to the audience for a Q&A, Craig stated that Devon Sawa, who has recurred on the show as Owen aka Sam since the first season, was unable to join the panel that day, but his character will be “back in the fold” for these final episodes.

Nikita in Action in Season 4 Premiere

Among the subjects discussed during the audience Q&A included the following:

• It was asked if any returning or new faces will be seen in the final episodes. Craig shared that it is possible that Isaiah Mustafa (aka the Old Spice guy) – who played Cyrus in two episodes – could be returning and that, yes, there will be new faces introduced;

• A few other spoilers that were revealed are that Alex will most likely be going after the human traffickers that were featured in last season’s episodes; they will “dive back into” Amanda’s past; and hopefully see them “clear Nikita’s name”;

• Shane shared that one of the most emotional moments that he cherishes from the show was the “end of season 1 when Michael quit Division for Nikita” and Melinda said that her most cherished moment was actually the scenes between her character Amanda and Percy (former series regular Xander Berkeley);

• And lastly, each of the cast members mentioned their favorite episode from the entire series and the included: Maggie – “Wrath” (Season 2, Episode 19); Shane – “Homecoming” (Season 2, Episode 23); Lyndsy – “Alexandra” (Season 1, Episode 15); Aaron – “Shadow Walker” (Season 2, Episode 20); Melinda – “With Fire” (Season 3, Episode 11) and Noah – “Dark Matter” (Season 1, Episode 10).

The final season of Nikita returns Friday, November 22 at 9/8c on the CW.