Nikita - Series Premiere Recap "Bikinis, Guns, Revenge"

Opening scene: we see Nikita (Maggie Q) looking at a computer and voicing over her life history in The Division, how they took her off the streets, molded her into a killing machine and now she wants revenge...

Some robbers wearing rubber pig masks break into a house and upon hearing the cops escape except one - who is hurt or left behind to look for something - gets captured. It turns out to be a young girl Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca) and when she's brought into prison she attacks the guards even though she's handcuffed. A man is watching all this. This is Michael (Shane West) who works for The Division - a government financed spy/assassin agency - that takes young juvenile delinquents and shapes them into sexy killing machines. Alex wakes up in a white room where Michael informs her she is "dead" and shows her the plot where her "ashes" are buried.

Meanwhile Nikita is lounging around a pool in a skimpy, red bathing suit at a party for a south-of-the-border type man. It's nice to see that she's not silicone enhanced but the suit looks almost painted on during the butt shots. The smarmy man beckons her over and she proceeds to snap his neck and then get away from the bodyguards by using furniture as a shield. She talks into her hidden headpiece to Michael and asks where is the exit, suddenly Michael appears next to her. *Gasp, Choke* she wakes up and turns out it was just a nightmare.

Alex is at the cafeteria at The Division training camp, a black gal Jaden (Tiffany Hines) comes up to her and they get into it. Thom (Ashton Holmes) stops Jaden and the girls glare at each other. Jaden is sort of scary looking - gigantic eyes, Michael Jacksoned nose, fake looking hair.

Nikita visits her dad Gary to give him a message for The Division: "It ends now." Gary gets visited by Michael and a "cleaner" guy. Michael can't get any info about where Nikita is so the cleaner shoots him.

Alex is introduced to Amanda and some cocktail dresses. Amanda tells Alex she's going to teach her to be a lady.

Nikita visits the grave of her former love - who we see in a flashback proposing to Nikita in bed. The Division tracks her and shoots at her kneeling by the grave but this turns out to be just a dummy. Nikita is in their black SUV and kidnaps the computer guy Birkhoff. She takes him to a warehouse and tries to get him to give her the computer codes and passwords to the org. so she can take it down. Instead of shooting Birkhoff she leaves him duct-tapped to a child's playground springy rocking horse.

Thom is going on his first mission to kill a prominent head of an African state in New York City. Jaden, Alex and Thom talk about it in a circle during training. Jaden's strange, plastic-surgeried features are too distracting here.

At the hotel of the African target, Thom and another sinister looking guy get rid of the bodyguard in the bathroom, but Nikita is there also and kicks them unconscious. She goes to the African president's room and puts him on a room service cart. The cleaner shows up but she gets past him and eventually takes Mr. President to the U.N. where she peaces-out after she gets him to safety there.

Alex takes a pair of scissors to Amanda's throat and tells her to take her to the elevator so she can escape. Amanda coolly informs her that there is no exit and no escape.

Michael and his boss Percy are at a Washington D.C. shindig. They're talking about Nikita, saying that if she wants to be found she will be. Enter Nikita on the arm of a politician who's influential in keeping The Division funded. She tracked down his escort service and wrangled her way to be his date. The Division has agents poising as caterers but Nikita sets off a car bomb to create a diversion to get away. Michael chases her into a deserted alley. Turns out they were in love once, he still has feelings for her and lets her get away. She shoots him in the shoulder to make it look like he put up a fight.

Nikita is looking at her computer. She's been somehow getting Division inside info all during the episode. She writes to her contact to log off. The contact asks how everything went. Nikita urges the contact to log off. Alex is seen typing away on a Division computer and Michael walks in. Alex promptly pretends she's just getting the hang of how to work it. Nikita looks over her shoulder at a pig mask hanging on a coat rack...

Next Episode: Alex is put on assignment earlier than expected while Nikita attempts to hinder a Division plan but someone beats her to it.

Notes:
- Thought at first the show was taking itself too seriously but the twist ending was unexpected and made it much more intriguing.