Customer Reviews

La Femme Nikita: The Complete Fourth Season

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

All the fans who wrote Warner Brothers and demanded the 4th season, job well done. I am quite surprised Warner Bros. did not add the 5th season on to this one since it only had 8 episodes but oh well us fans will take whatever we can get. Wish the price would have dropped some but the episodes themselves are worth it.
****Episode Guide Season 4****
1.Getting Out Of Reverse- Micheal obtains Birkoff's help to restore Nikita's memory and learns that Operations wants him canceled.
2.There Are No Missions- Micheal learns that Adrian is not dead and seeks her help but realizes she has also suffered memory loss.
3.View Of The Garden-Micheal offers section a deal he returns to Section with Nikita and asks for his status back in exchange for not revealing the truth about Adrian to George, he allows Section to help Nikita.
4.Into The Looking Glass- Micheal kipnaps Nikita and heals her, Nikita pretends not to be healed but Madeline is not fooled.
5.Man In The Middle- Nikita is forced to marry a suspected red cell member under Sections orders.
6. Love Honor And Cherish- The man Nikita has married is not who he turns out to be.
7.Sympathy For The Devil- Operations offers Micheal and Nikita a deal if they secure the safty of one of his vietnam comrades, Birkoff learns he may have a brother.
8.No One Lives Forever- Nikita is chosen to participate in a new program, she can leave section but must break all ties with section, she contacts Micheal and is brought back in.
9. Down A Crooked Path- Section is attacked with a virus that wipes out information from operatives minds, but who released the virus may be surprising.
10.He Came From Four- A new operative named Jerome is brought in and has paranormal abilities, but who is he really?
11.Time To Be Heroes- Micheal and Nikita are sent to take care of 4 operatives at Section 8 known as "the farm" where new recruits are trained, but when Nikita and Micheal are captured section 8 recruits come to the rescue.
12.Hell Hath No Fury- Red Cell's lead strategist is captured but will not break, Madaline puts herself on the line to obtain information from him.
13.Kiss The Past Goodbye- Micheal learns that Elana has a new boyfriend but learns her boyfriend is a section 1 operative sent to protect her from her uncle who wants to kill her.
14.Line In The Sand- Section 1 learns of a trader inside the section, Operations wants Birkoff canceled.
15.Abort, Fail, Retry, Terminate- Birkoff makes a sacrifice.
16.Catch A Falling Star- Micheal and Nikita are sent to a small US town to retrive a fallen satalite.
17.Sleeping With The Enemy- Section 1 and Red Cell make a 2 day truce to find out who is trying to have both organizations destroyed.
18.Toys In The Basement- Nikita is wounded in a mission but before Micheal can get to her she disappears, he finds out she is being held in a basement of house of a guy who wants to marry her.
19.Time Out Of Mind- Nikita goes undercover to a mental hospital to find information about the antidote to a lethal virus.
20.Face in the Mirror- Nikita escapes section 1 and undergoes plastic surgery to her face, so she is not recognized.
21.Up The Rabbit Hole- Section 1 knows Nikita has altered her appearance but cannot find her, Micheal discovers her in the most improbable place, Micheal and Nikita both escape Section 1 and live on a boat.
22.Four Light Years Farther- The plot thickens, Micheal and Nikita are found and brought back into Section, they decide to cancel Nikita and spare Micheal, but before she is canceled Mick Schtoppel comes to the rescue, who really is Mick Schtoppel? Has Madaline and Operations finally gotten what they deserve. Nikita is more important to Section 1 than she will ever know.

La Femme Nikita is the finest TV series in recent history to run on cable. The casting was brilliant with Peta Wilson and Roy Dupuis playing Nikita and Michael. Their personalities not only meshed, but fed each other on the show. The tension, the sex appeal, the intrigue with Operations and Madeline are palpable.
Beyond that however, the story lines are amazing. Written 10 years ago they are contemporary for today. They are still the most compelling and intriguing stories out there. Not even 24 comes close to Nikita. The set design was state of the art and is fresh today, and who can forget the music for the show? Everything in this series meshed. I would love to see this cast be put back together for a movie based on the series Nikita!

In season Three we left Nikita brainwashed to be ambivilant towards Michael. And it appears that it is working but for how long? This season is just as steamy as the last two. But we are heading for the conclusion and more twists are in store for the characters (Seymour's twin brother) and Section 1.

Each season, the characters develop further become more complex. The best of these are Alberta Walker as Madeline (can anyone be any colder) and Eugene Robert Glaser as Operations. And in contrast to these we have the sizzling hot Peta Wilson as Nikita and Roy Dupuis as Michael. This is near perfect casting, especially for a cable show.

Disc 1:
Getting Out of Reverse - A top person from Section is abducted and Nikita must find her. But when Nikita finds the operative behind bullet proof glass, she offers to terminate the location even though there are children there. This alarms Michael. Michael tries to find out what Section has done to Nikita but when Operations finds out he orders Michael cancelled.

There are no Missions - Michael has gone rogue and found out that Adrienne is not dead but in cryogenics.

View of the Garden - Operations uses Nikita to bring Michael down but this does not work. Michael brokers his return to Section.

Into the Looking Glass - Michael confirms Nikita's brainwashing but learns that the brainwashing is reversible if he can do it in time.

DISC TWO:
Man in the Middle - Madeline and Operations realize that Nikita is no longer brainwashed. Michael and Nikita are put undercover to infiltrate a Red Cell arms dealer, Helmut Volker (Maxwell Caufield). The thing is that Madeline expects Volker to fall for Nikita and drive a wedge between Michael and Nikita.

Love Honor & Cherish - Volker and Anna (Nikita) marry and he returns home with his bride. After a kidnapping attempt Volker tells Nikita that he is actually INTERPOL. Further, Nikita finds that her "squeaky clean" brother-in-law Christof wants his brother dead.

Sympathy for the Devil - Paul Wolfe better known as Operations needs a favor from Nikita and Michael. An Army buddy who saved his life is in danger and Section wants him protected. Seymour finds out that he has a twin brother, Jason. Operations proves that Section is more powerful than even the Mafia.

No One Lives Forever - George releases Nikita back into civilization with one stipulation -no contact with her previous life or life with section. Madeline and Section wonder what is George's real motive. Nikita gets her own place, a job at a small bookstore and meets a man. But she finds out that the price for freedom is Operation's death. This episode is also the beginning of Nikita finding out the reason she was recruited.

DISC THREE:
Down a Crooked Path - This is their version of a clip show. A bio-breach is released into section and one by one the team members are reviewed for exposure. It turns out this is a play by George to bring down Section but it fails. In the end George becomes Operations and Madeline's pawn.

He Came From Four - A Command Clone program is stolen and George sends an operative from Section Four - paranormal agents. The team finds him hard to control as he is only a child.

Time to be Heroes - This appears to be a possible pilot for a spin off. Michael and Nikita are put in charge of training a new group of recruits for a suicide mission. If all goes well Operations will solve two problems, Michael and Nikita but what he doesn't count on is the newbies surviving and rescuing the duo!

Hell Hath No Fury - To break down the top Red Cell operative, Madeline makes him fall for him but in the end she falls for him and helps him escape Section.

DISC FOUR:
Kiss the Past Goodbye - Elena, Michael's "widow", is under suspicion for the murder of her father by his cell, Valentine. She is being romanced by an operative and only Nikita can save her life.

Line in the Sand - Seymour thinks he has found Red Cell's head, the Cardinal but his nemesis doesn't believe he has found him and when he realizes Berkoff is right, he sabotages the extraction. Mick Staubel (Nikita's obnoxious neighbor) is revealed as Section head Mr. Jones.

Abort, Fail, Retry, Terminate - This is their tribute to 2001. Berkoff has created an A.I. to help relieve his job load but when the A.I. goes rogue, Seymour must make the ultimate sacrifice.

Catch a Falling Star - When a section satellite comes crashing into a small town, Michael and Nikita are sent to retrieve it. But what they find is a this town is a Red Cell training camp for foreign sleepers. Also, Seymour's "twin" brother, Jason, is recruited to replace him.

DISC FIVE:
Sleeping with the Enemy - Jason begins training. Section's and Red Cell's self destruct codes are hacked by a boy who thinks he's playing a video game.

Toys in the Basement - Mix William Wyler's The Collector with Hitchcock's Psycho and you have this episode. Nikita is wounded in an operation and taken by a deranged junk collector. When she is better, he announces that they are going to get married. But his mother is alive and as wacked out as him.

Time Out of Mind - Michael Sarazan guest as a psychiatrist. Nikita is sent undercover to a mental institution to make contact with a man who has codes that Section needs to prevent a Red Cell attack. The only problem is she is not the only one after the codes.

Face in the Mirror - Nikita botches an assassination - or does she. It turns out that the target has offered her a way out of Section and she takes it. But the price includes delivering Michael to Red Cell. Jason is trained to be Seymour.

DISC SIX:
Up the Rabbit Hole - The chase for Nikita continues but instead of catching Nikita, she runs away with Michael. Jason is sent out on a mission and finds out that there is a Red Cell mole in Section, George.

Four Light Years Farther - You will either accept this episode or hate it. Most fans hated it. Michael and Nikita are caught and Nikita is set up for Cancellation but at the last minute Mr. Jones saves her. It turns out that Nikita has been Mr. Jones mole for three years - which does not make sense. And she has to evaluate everyone's future. She decides that Michael must be cancelled and sends him on a suicide mission but in the end she saves him!

DVD EXTRAS:
Discs 1, 2, 5 and 6 - "Cancelled" Scenes with the option of commentary or no commentary. I watch them first without then with commentary.

Disc Two: Episode Commentary by Eugene Robert Glaser and director Brad Turner.

Disc Three: Episode Commentary by Eugene Robert Glaser and writer Peter Lenkov

Disc Six: Gag Reel - Four minutes of flubs and gags

This season many of the actors got a great chance to shine. Alberta Watson shined as the cold as ice Madeline Eugene Robert Glazer is perfect as head of operations who runs from hot to cold but is always interested in improving his status at Section. Don Francks had his best scenes with all turmoil with the others he became the emotional center of the show. Matthew Ferguson had a chance to break out his geek computer nerd to play his suave twin brother. But as always Peta Wilson and Roy Dupuis shine as the star crossed lover Nikita and Michael.

This is a show is one of the most underrated programs of the 90's. It is definitely worth owning the entire series.

Fans of this show have waited a long time to get this far and we only have one mini-season left due out for Christmas!

Complete review when the DVD is released!!!

Looks like we gotta wait another year for season 5 set too. Each season box set has been released around July each year they sure do take there sweet time compared to other tv show box sets. But it's worth the wait, gives me time to watch them over again. Geeze! Can we get a picture of the box set already too?

Wonder how long they'll make us wait. The last season was just to wrap things up after the show was canceled and is only 8 eps.

5x01 Deja Vu All Over Again
5x02 A Girl Who Wasn't There
5x03 In Through the Out Door
5x04 All the World's a Stage
5x05 The Man Behind the Curtain
5x06 The Evil That Men Do
5x07 Let No Man Put Asunder
5x08 A Time for Every Purpose

This series is by far the most sophisticated of all those dealing with, "The First Circle." I refer to Solzhenitsyn's novel about those most valued and talented citizens in the old CCCP, working under special and pampered conditions in The Soviet Union during The Cold War. The protagonist in that novel came to the conclusion that, of all the patriots working for the common good of the communist ideal, they, the very best of the best at whatever they did, were, after all, in the first circle of hell. So it was for all those at Section One. They were specialists that were so important and good at what they did, all of them enjoyed the best and highest location in what only could really be described as hell. Calling it what it was, in that way, is a good description of the situation within which they functioned. At its very best, they were still locked away in what anyone would consider a hellish life, though having the best life hell could offer. It's like calling Section One the best place a bad place has to offer. ALIAS was very entertaining but not even close to the quality of production/direction of LFN. The acting, music, seriousness, the atmosphere which was created by the directors, the drama, the subtleness of the pain and of the love and of the hate shown throughout LFN was very well done, very well blended, yielding a total package that could not be matched by anything else before nor, so far, since.
The entire premise, you realize, is a very hard sell. You know very well you would have walked right up to Operations and shot him point blank, pulling the trigger until the gun went, "click" as John Torturo said in, "The Big Lebowski."
Another absolutely untenable, apparently supposed to be accepted premise, was the fact that Nikita and Michael were extremely valuable to the entire operation of Section One, yet casually threatened with cancellation for burping and sent out on impossible missions any one of which could easily have ended in their deaths. No company in real life would ever risk assets of their value in such a manner. Nikita never used that knowledge of her value to her advantage. If she had, then the entire premise of the show would have collapsed, I realize. That relationship simply could not occur anywhere for any reason at any time in any organization set up for whatever purpose. Getting past that, accepting that situation, then we viewers could then go with it and watch one of the most well done series ever put together, having a distinctive European flare when it came to its style, flavor, taste and touch.

Before there was "Alias", there was "La Femme Nikita". This exciting show was a wonderful 5-year Sunday night ritual for me. Much has been written about the hot/cold/on/off relationship between Nikita and Michael, played by the stunning and compelling pair of Peta Wilson and Roy Dupuis. Almost equally compelling are the other main characters: Madeline, Operations, Walter, and Birkoff, all played to perfection by the talented cast. You really care about these characters to a degree not typical of most TV shows of the 1990's. While I also enjoyed the "Alias" series, LFN will remain my favorite TV spy series. Just when you think you can predict what the characters will do and where the storyline is going -- Surprise! Twist! Not what you expected!

So, thank you, Warner Home Video, for (finally) releasing the whole stunning LFN series on DVD. I can't wait until October 17th for Season 5!

I've only recently discovered this wonderful series and have purchased each Season as it has been made available, through Amazon. I consider this show to be best television ever created. If you like 24 and Alias, then buy this series. It was the original concept and is, in my opinion, superior to both of those later copies. Amazon's prices are great and shipping/ordering is never a hassle.

"Season Four" of "La Femme Nikita" provides successful interlinking among the successive episodes within this season itself and among successive seasons (that is Season One, Two, Three and Four. For example, the first four episodes of "Season Four" commendably solves the nerve-racking dilemma that Michael and Nikita had to face as they struggled to be together in the face of Madeline's determined efforts to keep them apart.
In "Season Four", there are also commendable reiterations and reinforcements of the minor storylines which were provided in the earlier episodes of Seasons One to Three. For example, the reason for Nikita's presence in Section 1. The further progression and development of the relationships between Michael and Nikita, Operations and Madeline and Walter and Birkoff is also very satisfying. However, I am puzzled as to why Nikita was made to want to leave Section 1 as provided by Episodes 20 and 21 since things were working out reasonably well between her and Michael. I suppose the path of true love can never be smooth for the lovestruck pair or any other pair for that matter (as was the case in the failed relationship between Walter and Belinda in one of the later episodes of Season Two).
Overall, the "La Femme Nikita" TV series just gets better and better with each passing episode and season. I really look forward to "Season Five" although not without some regret knowing that Michael and Nikita cannot be together forever. I hope that the cast and the crew can be asseembled again for perhaps La Femme Nikita 2" TV series after about 10 years of break.

NIKITA IS THE BEST SPY STORY TV SERIES, ALONG WITH ALL THE 3 JASON BOURNE MOVIES IN CINEMA