In the Season 2 finale of Nikita – recently picked up for a third season, much to the happiness of its loyal viewers – Nikita (Maggie Q) and Michael (Shane West) are trapped at Division, in an attempt to capture Percy (Xander Berkeley), and Ryan (Noah Bean) must convince the President of the United States not to destroy Division until he is sure that Nikita and Michael are safely out of the building. But, when it comes to The CW drama series, things never turn out how the characters expect, inevitably leading Nikita and Percy to the face-off that fans have been anxiously waiting for.
During this recent interview to promote the finale, which airs on May 18th, show star Maggie Q talked about what viewers can expect from the final showdown, the big question that the season ends with, the mind-set of the characters, memorable Nikita and Michael moments, that there will be loss, and what she would like to see in Season 3. Check out what she had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers:
Question: How did you feel about the ending of “Crossbow” (Episode 22)?
MAGGIE Q: Wasn’t that great?! I love that they always run the finales as two episodes. The last two episodes are always one big story. Yeah, the clock is ticking, but she’s also not listening to anyone. She’s got herself in a position where she’s serious. She doesn’t want to live like this anymore. She’s pissed, so she’s going down. She’s being reckless, but when isn’t she? But, this time, she really isn’t listening to anyone.
What can you say to tease the season finale, “Homecoming” (Episode 23)?
MAGGIE Q: Nikita is back at Division and she’s stuck now. Michael (Shane West) has come down and he’s trying, but they’re still separated. And then, Birkhoff (Aaron Stanford) is upstairs, and Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca) and Sean (Dillon Casey) are making out somewhere. Everybody is separated, but they still have this one goal, which makes it very dangerous. Her com is not working, so she’s completely off the grid down there. We don’t know what’s going to happen to her. It’s the beginning of the end. This is where everything starts to unravel, and nothing is going to turn out the way that they expect it to. It’s pretty cool. I’m excited!
Does the season end on a cliffhanger?
MAGGIE Q: No, not a cliffhanger, but it definitely leaves a big question. I certainly don’t expect people to expect what’s going to happen, in the end. I’m not saying that it’s an impossibility, but you would never think that it’s going to go that way. The tables completely turn. Last season, there was a little bit of resolve, in that Michael and Nikita were together in a car, driving off, so that was cool. And then, you had Alex going to the dark side, and the storm was coming in. You had both, and you have to do that. If it were me, I wouldn’t want any happy ending. I’d want it just to be a cliffhanger. But, I think people need a little bit of hopefulness, so we’re going to give them a little bit. I will say that there’s going to be a lot of shocker before there’s hope, for sure. Eagle Egilsson, who’s from Iceland, directed our last episode and he’s our most visually stunning director. The production value was up the wazoo.
Will there be a face-off between Percy (Xander Berkeley) and Nikita?
MAGGIE Q: Yes, definitely! And, it’s a long time coming. What’s interesting about the episode is that you’re going to see a Percy and Nikita dynamic. Percy puts her in a position where you have to see her working together with him, which is just so putrid and disgusting for her. She could either off him or help him, but only helping him will allow her to reach her goal. It just becomes this whole juxtaposition of, “I have to do this, but hate this human being.” It’s weird. You’re going to see them having each other’s back.
What can you say about the dynamic between Birkhoff and Sonya (Lyndie Greenwood), and them working together in the finale?
MAGGIE Q: They’re cute, huh? They’re such a cute element. I really like them. There’s going to be a cute little pay-off moment with them, in the finale, which is good. It’s awesome how they did the lead-up. They were on two different ends, but there was this mutual banter and attraction. They’re finally, at some point, going to have some proxy, to be able to actually have a face-to-face, which is going to be cool.
What is the mind-set like, at the end of the finale? Is keeping this group of people together still feasible for Nikita?
MAGGIE Q: I had this moment, three or four episodes ago, where Michael and Nikita were looking at them, and everybody was on the couch, and I was like, “What show is this? What is this, Central Perk?” Everybody was sitting there and happy, and it was this very odd moment. I was like, “We can’t have happy couch moments going on, in the show.” It is a reality that Nikita can bring all these people together and keep them together as long as she can, but it’s going to take a third season to see where that goes. The fun, main reason for a third season would be to go into the intricacies of what could happen with that group. You see Birkhoff, who’s central, but Michael and Nikita have their own issues, from time to time. And, Alex and Sean have this little love thing going on now, so who knows? They could go off. We don’t really know. The over-arcing theme of Season 2 was home. So, in the end of Season 2, we understand what home is to her and what it isn’t, and how she’s come full circle, in that way, which is beautiful. As a person, I find that emotion cool.
How fun was it to shoot the kiss between Birkhoff and Nikita?
MAGGIE Q: It was so cute! That made me laugh, so hard. Craig [Silverstein] and the writers have always said that there was always an undertone that Birkhoff has always been in love with her. He’s a techie, but they recruited him very young, and they weren’t too far off in age when she was recruited, so they were good buddies, but there was always this undertone of the nerd and her. They were close, but he never, every told her how he felt. We’re never, ever going to get into that because it’s cheesy and it’s dumb. It’s just one of those things that happened in high school, that you forget about, but it happened. Birkhoff doesn’t think he’s ever going to see her again, so he’s like, “You know what? I know your boyfriend is right there, but I don’t care. I love you. You brought us all together. Good luck, and I hope you come back.” When I read it, I laughed so hard. And then, Aaron texted me and said, “Hey, Birkhoff gets some action!” I texted him back and was like, “I know! It’s cool!” Michael just watches him and doesn’t say anything. It was perfect. And Aaron is such a wonderful actor that it was just this nice moment for him that was like, “I know I joke around a lot and I say stupid things and we have fun, but if I really don’t see you again, I want you to know that I truly love you as a friend and as all these things.” Because Aaron is so good, it was a perfectly written scene for him.
Are viewers going to see Amanda (Melinda Clarke) again?
MAGGIE Q: I didn’t want her to come back until Season 3 because of the way that she went out. It was so epic, and it was very subtle. You’ve got to be a true fan, or someone like me, who has no life. That moment of her and Ari (Peter Outerbridge), in that danky motel room, sitting on the bed, and it’s these two fallen warriors, was so epically perfect to me. Melinda is so wonderful. She thinks about all these little eccentricities. She’s sitting straight up, like she would in her little boudoir room, and she’s still got the poise. She’s hanging on so hard to this thing that she’ll never have again. Not in that way, ever again. It was pathetic and perfect. And then, they have this box and you’re like, “Oh, god, they’re not gone!” I love Melinda and wish she was in every single episode, but because of the way she went out, I didn’t want her to come back and cheapen that out. She will be back, but she doesn’t come back in the way you think. I still get my dream, but you will see her.
Are there any moments with Nikita and Michael, in the finale, that fans will enjoy?
MAGGIE Q: I think we’ll end on a Mikita moment, visually. It is a beautiful moment between them, that’s one of the most visually beautiful things you’ve ever seen. It really was a magical weather moment. And it’s nice because, after Episode 19, there’s no more wall. You see Nikita being a little bit more open with Michael. You either get over that and move on, and you’re over that and you’ve changed, or you go back into the darkness. I think she is ready to be a little bit more forthcoming about who she is and the things that she’s never talked about or said. We get a little bit of that in the end, which is going to be super-nice.
Is the Cassandra (Helena Mattsson) chapter closed?
MAGGIE Q: In Season 3, maybe Nikita will get to shoot her in the head. No, we’ve decided that that chapter is closed. You have to close it because of the kid. You can’t keep going back to it. If you kill her, then we’d have a kid. That relationship, having even a friendship, would put the kid in danger and Michael is much to selfless for that. It was a perfect problem to have, and it was a perfect problem to go away and come back, like it did. I liked that storyline.
Will viewers see more of Ryan Fletcher (Noah Bean) in Season 3?
MAGGIE Q: Yes, very much, which is super-cool. He’s just such a different guy. You have Percy, who’s the villain. And then, you have the Birkhoff character, who’s easy to love and who everybody loves, and he’s super-cute and funny. And then, you have the brooding, sexy leading man character with Michael. And then, you have this beautiful, intelligent, grounded character of Ryan Fletcher, which I love. They’re all different men, which is cool. I think he’d be such an asset to the show.
Should viewers expect any deaths of people they care about, in the finale?
MAGGIE Q: Yes. There will be loss, and I don’t mean a plant. I was pretty torn about it. I understand all the elements that make this show work, and why they work because of those elements, but I was a little bit torn about taking a very important quality element out of what we’ve done for two years. But, at the end of the day, Nikita’s journey has to move forward. To do that, there has to be some big gain or some big loss. Only through those emotions do you grow. We rarely grow when we’re happy, we grow when we hurt.
