More LFN S3

[swatkat]

Okay, Hand to Hand? WTF was up with that episode? There *are* enjoyable things about the episode, and it certainly isn't as utterly inane as S4, but the main plotline? The fight sequence in the climax? If they *did* want hot girls fighting each other, they could've at least done it with some style (ref BtVS S3 for further info). *shakes head*

Actually, I'm surprised TPTB never took advantage of PW's looks to insert some girl/girl action scenes. I mean, as far as shows are concerned, LFN was as violent as it gets - apart from Open Heart (and probably Recruit – didn't Nikita and Karen fight?), where were the girls?

Um. Nikita's dream? Was it a premonition, or was this entire episode in flashback?

The Paul-Madeline-Renee plotline was fantastic. I wish they'd kept Renee around longer – she's eminently slashable. It also highlights yet another parallel between Paul and Nikita – they will both push and taunt and needle their partner, hoping to provoke them into action. Unlike Michael, however, Madeline always rises spectacularly to the occasion (and I have no doubt that Paul loves it, even when she outmanoeuvres him. hmm, sub!Paul? Paul/Madeline s/m? why isn't there more of this in fandom?). The 'Bitch, please' expression on her face when she talks to Renee, and the triumphant look after she kicks her out is simply priceless. *g*

Pimp!Michael is kinda hot.

Aw, Nikita can be so stubborn and annoying when decides on something against the mission profile. She'll even stoop as low as bringing up Michael's sister to get her own way. *pets her girl* I love how Michael coolly replies that she now has ten minutes to get to the van, because he knows exactly what she's doing. And then Nikita just moves into his private space (purposely giving him an eyeful ) and declares that she's not going – no wonder Michael sounds pissed when he asks them to take her away. *g*

ETA:

"I have to try. I can’t leave these women here. I have to help them". Nikita to Michael

"I think I’d feel too guilty, knowing there were people out there risking their lives." Nikita to Walter

"To yourself. At night you go to bed knowing that you live in hell - that’s the truth." Walter to Nikita

I have thoughts regarding these dialogues, but I'm a bit too sleepy to be coherent right now. Saving here for further reference. *g*

Comments

[ashfae.livejournal.com]

I loved that episode if only for the visuals. And I bet they made the whole episode just for the visual of Nikita in blue and girl in red circling each other, intersperced with the pictures of Siamese fighting fish. Mmm.

I recognize I am the only person in the world who likes this episode. Eh. =) That comparison made me happy, what can I say.

[swatkat24.livejournal.com]

Heh, you're not alone. nell65 below says she likes it too.

The red/blue combination *is* beautiful, but I was too busy being annoyed by the plot to appreciate the visuals. *g*

Swatkat

[ashfae.livejournal.com]

It was clear to me from the trailer that it was going to be one of those "Who cares about the plot? We're all here to be dead gorgeous with sexy accents and dramatic music" episodes. More so than usual, I mean. *wry gryn*

[swatkat24.livejournal.com]

Yes, the music was *very* dramatic in this ep, wasn't it? LOL

Swatkat

[nell65.livejournal.com]

Oh, Swati. *ALL* of the mission episodes have plot holes you could drive semi-trucks through - not to mention a million and one escape possiblities for almost everyone. From the very first season.

I've discovered, painfully, that the only way I can cope with them is not to question *any* of the actual logistics/planing/strategizing of misisons. Because once you start, you end up with the pieces all over the garage floor and there is no way to put them back together again in any working order. Because, well, they don't actually work.

I love them all anyway - I may even, in time, develop a sick fondness for Season Five... who knows!

Nell

[nell65.livejournal.com]

PS - I actually am very fond of this episode for a number of reasons - the Paul/Madeline/Renee stuff is great (I love the one Renee/Madeline story about it - have you read it?), the interactions between Nikita and Michael are wonderful, the images are rich and baroque and beautiful - especially the fighting fish/girls in the pool shots.

I also really like that it reveals the hollowness of Section's promise to protect 'innocents' - in that they had every intention, apparently, of leaving the girls, many of them not initially 'professionals' and instead tricked into prostitution/their own deaths in a classic story from the alive and well sex-slave trade, to be killed in a classic story right out of a number of horror/ghost/fairy tales I remember from childhood. (The only out here is that they were counting on a predictable Nikita breaking profile and coming up with something on her own without wasting any of their own time on the matter.....but still, as a matter of priorities, it doesn't speak well of anyone involved in a leadership position at Section. IMO anyway)

That the plot actually makes no sense in terms of a 'mission' is really a minor concern - especially as they hadn't ever had a plot that does make sense.... from that perspective anyway.

N

[swatkat24.livejournal.com]

There is a Renee/Madeline story out there? Where????

I also really like that it reveals the hollowness of Section's promise to protect 'innocents' - in that they had every intention, apparently, of leaving the girls, many of them not initially 'professionals' and instead tricked into prostitution/their own deaths in a classic story from the alive and well sex-slave trade, to be killed in a classic story right out of a number of horror/ghost/fairy tales I remember from childhood.

That's an excellent way to look at it. The innocents tricked into prostitution storyline *is* a classic - Section, despite all the big words, doesn't quite protect the girls from the Big Bad Wolf, does it? I still have some quibbles about this, but I really, really need to go to bed. Will come back with more later.

Swatkat

[swatkat24.livejournal.com]

I've discovered, painfully, that the only way I can cope with them is not to question *any* of the actual logistics/planing/strategizing of misisons. Because once you start, you end up with the pieces all over the garage floor and there is no way to put them back together again in any working order. Because, well, they don't actually work.

And you have this gift of asking all the difficult questions, lol!

I may even, in time, develop a sick fondness for Season Five... who knows!


Bwahahaha!

Swatkat

[jaybee65.livejournal.com]

Oy. They might has well have named this ep "Catfight" and be done with it.

I can see TPTB's meeting now:

Schmuck male #1: Sweeps are coming up. We need to kick up ratings a notch.

Schmuck male #2: Especially among the 18-35 male demographic. USA's complaining about the advertising revenue.

Schmuck male #3: We need to get Peta naked. Or as close as we can on free cable.

*They sit in thought*

Schmuck male #2: I know! Mudwrestling!

Schmuck male #1: And what, exactly, would that have to do with terrorism?

Schmuck male #2: Uhhhh. I dunno. But she'd be naked! Who cares why?

Schmuck male #3: We could have Nikita infiltrate a strip club where she has to mudwrestle to the death with terrorists. Chick terrorists, of course.

Schmuck male #2: Ooooh! That's hot!

Schmuck male #1: But why are they mudwrestling?

And so on.

They then obviously threw in the Madeline subplot as a complement to the "literal" catfight -- the whole ep just reeks of "women are so cute when they fight" to me.

Can you tell I utterly *despise* this ep? I think it may be my least favorite of the entire 4 1/2 year run.

[nell65.livejournal.com]

You know, I think the whole madeline/renee thing ticked me off the first time - but there is this marvelous fanfic in which Renee and Madeline have plotted the whole thing out ahead of time to get something else they both want.....it is one of those instances where fanon actually improves my ability to enjoy that aspect of hte episode. *g*

[jaybee65.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes. Cathy Atkinson wrote that, and I've got a copy stashed away with the rest of the stuff from the AW website. That *is* a really good example of a "fix-it" fic at its best.

However, we TRs were extremely lucky in that TPTB "fixed" it for us in canon later in the same season. Looking backwards from Three-Eyed Turtle, the idea of Operations and Madeline behaving this way -- and so blatantly! -- in front of a visiting person from Oversight (i.e., someone working for George) is fairly obviously laying the groundwork for the trap they were setting for him. So...I can live with the O/M subplot of Hand to Hand in that larger context without it making me grind my teeth too much.

Still, though, the episode annoys me because of the overarching women-fighting-women theme. Yuck.

fixes aside

[sk56.livejournal.com]

I agree -- this is one of the most condescending episodes I remember. Though yes, M as pimp might be hot, the working girl aspects of the program make me grind my teeth. I liked the treatment of sex work much better in the Formitz episode.

[swatkat24.livejournal.com]

I heart the Renee-Madeline antagonism, the same way I heart the Nikita-Madeline antagonism. What can I say? It's a kink. *blush*

[jaybee65.livejournal.com]

Heh. Nothing wrong with kinks.

I wouldn't have minded Madeline having a female peer who was antagonistic -- that *is* kind of fun. What I hated was that the ep had them fighting over a man in the most stereotypical way possible. Frankly, it rendered the fish-fighting Nikita did quite dignified in comparison. But the fish-fighting *and* the fight over Operations in the same ep? Shows me that the writer has a very condescending (borrowing sk's word) view of women indeed.

Hmm

[swatkat24.livejournal.com]

Were they just fighting over Paul?

Swatkat

Re: Hmm

[jaybee65.livejournal.com]

Whether or not there was some other sort of rivalry going on, that was certainly the prism through which we were asked to view it.

I would have preferred just straight-out professional backstabbing. You didn't see Paul and George (or Birkoff and Hillinger) squabbling over women, and I *loved* the interactions between those pairs.

What you need to do, Swatkat, is write a story fleshing things out so we'll see what the *real* Madeline/Renee hatred was about. *Prods*

[swatkat24.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I shouldn't comment before reading, but I prefer them enemies than friends. *hides*

Swatkat