"Nikita" last saw Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca) captured by the cunning Amanda (Melinda Clarke), who proceeded to sow seeds of discontent between the young agent and her mentor, Nikita (Maggie Q). Then, after Nikita refused to alter her mission to help Alex rescue a friend in need, it seemed as though Alex had taken Amanda's manipulative words to heart and was starting to question Nikita's leadership. Is their relationship irreparably damaged?
HuffPost TV caught up with executive producer Craig Silverstein to find out what's ahead for our heroines and for the future of Division. Although the show is preempted this week, hopefully the intel will be enough to tide you over until "Nikita" returns on March 29 ...
We know that Amanda is a master of psychological warfare, so there was obviously far more to her capture of Alex than the simple desire for a trade for Ari [Peter Outerbridge]. Would Amanda say that her plan was a success?
Well, the question is, "Did Amanda get what she wanted?" She wanted Ari back so she could unlock the black box and she didn’t get that, right? But Alex has been returned to Division. Did Amanda get what she wanted? There is a quick little shot in the episode that might hint towards something that’s been done by Amanda.
Last week's episode seemed like a huge turning point for Alex, because Amanda clearly got inside her head in terms of her relationship with Nikita. Can you talk a little about her thought process and what it might mean for both Alex and Nikita in upcoming episodes?
Well, what you see there is really just as taste of what’s to come as Amanda has essentially created a situation that is going to pit the two girls against each other, not necessarily directly, but in a way that ensures that the prophecies of what Amanda is saying to Nikita in the fire in Episode 13, Amanda brings about.
Alex is now having doubts about Nikita, and all season long we've seen the other Division agents feeling suspicious about the promises that Nikita and Ryan [Noah Bean] have made them. Will those two threads tie together at some point?
Yeah. I would say that it begins to explode, starting in Episode 15.
Where is Nikita emotionally at this point in the season, since she's had both Michael and Ryan disagreeing with her strategies over the past few episodes? She must be feeling like the lone voice of reason right now.
Yeah. I think that there is a line in Episode 15, where Birkhoff [Aaron Stanford] and Alex have a little bit of a storyline, which is great to see. In Episode 15 he says, “Say what you want about Percy, at least he was actively evil. He made the decision to cross the line. We just keep letting ourselves get pushed over it.” That’s sort of what I think has happened with Nikita. She is in between the line of doubt and thinking she’s doing the right thing. At some point, even she is going to make mistakes in terms of thinking she is doing the right thing, but doesn’t see that everyone else thinks that same way.
How does she feel about Alex pulling away again? With everything else going on this season, they haven't had time to talk or address any issues that could be lingering between them.
I think that’s a good observation; they haven’t had time to do that. That’s part of the thing that creates the problem. Something that started with just the two of them really has grown up to become this much larger family and now this much larger whole organization. Their relationship has gotten a bit diluted in the process. Really there is a consequence to that. That’s sort of what we begin to play. What I think Ryan says to them is, "Division can survive a lot, but not a war between the two of you.” That’s what becomes the dark expression, the reminder that their relationship is really at the center of the show.
Thanks to Ari, Amanda just lost her black box. Does that mean that their importance will take a backseat for a while?
Oh no. In fact, the next episode, 15, will show that the last one -- as long as there is one there is just badness.
Now that Division is no longer government funded, I'd imagine that will present its own set of problems ...
Yes it does. It means that they have a finite amount of money and if that is compromised, they’re running on fumes. The operating budget is the pillar that keeps everything going. If you remove that, things begin to crumble.
I love that you've brought Sean [Dillon Casey] more fully into the fold at Division now. How will he play into Alex's current predicament?
I think that Sean, being so close to Alex, is really the first one to begin to pick up on signs that she hasn’t come back fully right from [her encounter with Amanda]. So he becomes a canary in the coal mine about what’s growing inside of her.
But if it came down to choosing between Alex and Division ...
He would choose Alex. But I think it’s like the Meatloaf song: I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that. There are some boundaries he won’t cross, but that’s the area we think where good drama lies.
"[Sean] becomes a canary in the coal mine about what’s growing inside of her."
But...those canaries died...