It's been a long month since we last saw our favorite rogue agents on screen, but "Nikita" is back Fri., March 16 with what promises to be an explosive hour, pitting Amanda (Melinda Clarke) against Percy (Xander Berkeley) with their former protégé stuck in the middle.
HuffPost TV caught up with star Maggie Q via phone to find out what the last few episodes of the season have in store for our titular heroine and the people she loves, as well as Q's thoughts on a potential Season 3. Tread lightly, there are spoilers ahead.
In the new episode, Amanda tries to make a deal with Nikita against Percy, who is killing Division agents now that he's on the outside. Who does Nikita currently see as the bigger threat: Amanda or Percy?
I think that there is an equal threat. I don’t think that Nikita sees Amanda in a position to be as dangerous as Percy, but because Percy is out there and has waged war in this sort of bizarre triangle against the two of them, it heightens everything. It becomes something so much bigger. I think Percy being out and about is very, very strange to me. That is something to be watched very closely. Within Division, there's something that can still be monitored. Outside of Division, I think Percy being on the loose is a little bit terrifying.
Amanda offers Ryan to Nikita in exchange for taking down Percy, but Amanda never makes deals that easily. So what's the catch? Is Ryan still the same guy Nikita remembers after being tortured?
Oh, I love that you’re saying that! We’ll see, I guess. I mean, I know that when Nikita first gets the call and hears Ryan’s voice that she obviously doesn’t believe that it’s him. I think that it all becomes a game of "keep yourself together until he's standing in front of you and you can pinch him and he's real." But you're right, it isn't simple -- it isn't simple at all. You're making a definite, definite deal with two devils. So, she's got to kind of get closer and more in bed with Amanda and Percy than she has really ever in this episode. It's pretty cool. It's nice to see those three big players at each other.
In next week's episode, Nikita and Michael fly to Moscow to confront Cassandra over a secret. What can you tease about that storyline?
Let’s see ... Well, Cassandra again has a secret -- she's lying all the time! There is one big thing that she's sort of kept from them. It's actually Alex that brings something to their attention. They sort of figure it out and then they go to find her because they do need to confront her, because there's something bigger involved here, which is the kid. Really, what the episode becomes about through the reveal -- sort of like the Cassandra reveal -- the main purpose of it is to lead us into what Michael's going to do about it. So, Michael's got to make some big decisions in this episode.
Nikita and Michael haven't really had a chance to talk about their relationship since he got back; it's been all Percy and Amanda drama all the time. Are they actually going to have an opportunity to regroup and redefine themselves in upcoming episodes?
God, yes and no. I mean, what I like about their very sort of strange relationship and how real it is, is that you live in this heightened sort of spy world, but at the same time, they have the same problems that any man or woman have. Stuff goes down, they sweep it under the rug. They don't really want to talk about it; they've got bigger things. You've got to if you want to make it. I think part of their thing is, "We have to survive first, then we'll fix our relationship problems." So that's one of the things. The other thing is that ... there’s an episode coming up in April where I think they touch on things a little bit. I think it's actually Birkoff who says to him, "Dude, you guys have been through all this stuff. Have you ever sat down with her and told her how much she means to you?" You know, kind of thing. He sort of looks at him and says, "What do you mean? She knows that." You know, like any other guy would, like, "What do you mean, I don't have to say that." It's just like, "Actually, you kind of do because she's kind of been through a lot for you very recently. You haven't just said those really simple things that she needs to hear." So, that's always a huge danger. It's like, you may think someone knows, but if they don't they could lose something.
How is Nikita feeling about him at this point?
I think she's really hurt. I mean, no woman wants to be the woman who you're going to come back to just because you can't be with [Cassandra] and the kid because it's dangerous. It's like, "Oh, thanks. Oh, you’re back because the kid would be in danger if you weren't there. Would you rather be there or not?" It's really romantic, right? I don't think that is acceptable for anyone, much less Nikita. But I think what makes her special and different is that she has given him the space and the time to figure it out. Like, she realizes, "It's not just me who's in this sort of crappy predicament." He also had no idea this was ever going to happen to him. He's also got to figure it out too. So, there's loads of understanding that's going on. But what I like about what you asked is that they don't really get into it. Then, when Nikita does get into it, which will be episode 19 ... whoa. I'll just say, "Whoa!" It’s not going to be pretty.
Episode 18 sounds like it has a lot going on between Amanda and Nikita. Can you talk about their dynamic there?
I’m really excited about that episode for two reasons. One is we get to see the relationship between Nikita and Amanda in flashback, which is really cool. And get a little bit of insight into who they were at that time and what she meant to Nikita and what Nikita meant to her, which is one of the thorns in Amanda’s side. Losing Nikita is something that really hurts her. We get into that. The other thing that I've been really waiting for between the two of them that I hope works, is they actually get to confront each other in this episode. It's not Nikita on the computer and Amanda is on the line or Amanda is via satellite. It's like Nikita is trapped, Amanda walks up -- there's this confrontation that happens over three or four scenes. It's heavy duty stuff because it's two women. If that confrontation were to happen with Nikita and Percy, it would be big, but it wouldn't be as emotionally devastating as it is when it's two women. You're going to see Amanda actually say to Nikita, "You hurt me. I gave you everything and you did this to me." You get to see, whoa, Amanda hurts? Amanda has a heart? It’s really exciting.
Another reason why I'm really excited is that our creator actually flew up here the other day and said to me, "By the way, that episode is unbelievable." I was like, "Oh, good." I think it's something people have been waiting for. Nikita, as a girl, became this woman under Amanda’s watchful eye. Now, these two women are confronting each other. It's heavy; very, very heavy. I remember when I read it, I was completely depressed. Just going there in that space, being in that emotional space with someone ... it was really difficult. Melinda is so wonderful in it. She's so good.
Speaking of strong women, Carla has been a great addition to the show, but it seems like she's a little too close to Percy. How's that going to play out in upcoming episodes?
It's actually going to play out in this episode [airing March 16]. It's going to come to a head. I mean, you're dealing with Michael, Birkoff and Nikita. They're not stupid, right? Obviously, things are going to come out. The way that everything unfolds is going to be pretty devastating. It's going to be one of those episodes where Nikita gains something but she also, in the end, just really loses. It was a really intense episode to watch. I was watching it and bawling. The whole idea of it was just very sad. It's just sort of like, you can never fully win.
Do you know anything about the broad strokes of the last two or three episodes, since the show did so well at building towards an awesome climax last year?
I know what the finale is going to be, yeah. What I will say about it is that there is going to be a big chapter that is going to close, as it needs to. I mean, for anyone to begin with something, there's got to be a big loss, something big. It will not disappoint.
What are your feelings on Season 3. As you said, a chapter is going to close, but are we going to be left with a cliffhanger regardless, or are the writers trying to tie things up?
We do have a big plan for the third season. Craig [Silverstein, the showrunner] has got it all figured out. I think he knew what the third season was going to be when we did the pilot. He's always been very invested in this. We're going to go out with a bang. But the plan to close the chapter in two and open up a very new one in three is definitely there. We'll see if they let us -- fingers crossed!
"Nikita" returns with new episodes on Fril, Mar. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
What do you think the future holds for Nikita and Michael? Do you think that Amanda has somehow managed to turn Ryan? Share your predictions below.