Maggie Qhas always been a force to be reckoned with.Mentored in martial artsby none other thanJackie Chan, she swiftly became a superstar of Hong Kong cinema. Even thoughher first American blockbuster, 2006’sMission: Impossible III, wasa promising start that should have ignited the flames of her international career, it took a while for Hollywood to catch up. Flash forward almost two decades, and Q now leads Prime Video’sBallard, the critically acclaimedBoschspin-off based on authorMichael Connelly’s novel series of the same name. An austere, driven, and sophisticated detective, Renée Ballardsolves cold casesand confronts sexism, bigotry, and corruption within the Los Angeles police department.
Earlier in Q’s resume, she combated similar immoral forces inNikita, an American re-imagining of the 1997 Canadian seriesLa Femme Nikita, itself a remake of the1990 French film of the same name. Primarily overseen by executive producerCraig Silverstein,Nikitaran for four seasons from 2010 to 2013 on the CW, with Q’s reformed assassin as the undisputed lead.Nikitais an action-heavy, high-tech espionage thriller filled to the brim with twisty plotting, paranoid conspiracies, psychological chess games, systematic abuses of power, and female vengeance — all anchored by Q’s presence in a star-making role worthy of her skills.
What Is ‘Nikita’ About?
Nikita Mears (Q) is on a mission. Years before the series starts, Division, an independent black ops organization, “rescued” a teenage Nikita from death row, faked her death, and rigorously trained her in the art of spy craft, seduction, and assassination. This is standard protocol for Division; they target complex people with criminal pasts or individuals at a disadvantage and forcibly recruit them into their ranks. As soon as their operatives graduate from trainee to agent, serving Division becomes a lifelong prison sentence, and stepping a toe out of line provokes lethal punishment. Nikita abandoned her so-called saviors three years ago, and is number one on Division’s wanted list for that defiance.Division murdered Nikita’s civilian fiancé, Daniel Monroe (Sebastien Roberts), and she’s determined to claim vengeance by wiping Division off the face of the earth.
Beyond her personal vendetta, Division’s recruiting tactics are questionable at best and exploitative at worst. The group’s director, Percy (Xander Berkeley), bends people and events to his will in the name of profit and power, which includes accepting bribes and paid assassinations. Only those who benefit from Division’s influence would argue against the idea that the world would be better off without their corrupt meddling. To that end, Nikita recruits Alex Udinov (Lyndsy Fonseca), a troubled and traumatized young woman with direct ties to Nikita’s past, to infiltrate Division and be Nikita’s double agent on the inside. As the duo tear down the system,Nikita gathers other rebellious agents into a tight-knit, loyal group, including her former trainer, Michael Bishop (Shane West) — and forced proximity means Nikita and her former mentor must address their fractured romantic tension.
‘Nikita’ Is a Surprisingly Mature and High-Stakes Thrill Ride
Nikitaaired during the CW’s golden era.Gossip GirlandThe Vampire Diarieswere already smash hits, whileArrow,Reign, andThe 100’s debuts were fast approaching. At first,Nikitafeels reminiscent ofJennifer Garner’sAliasand other women-led action thrillers in the same vein. From that angle,the series delivers everything you expect, but with more acerbic boldness than one might anticipate from a television budget, with action sequences several levels above the network standard.Nikita’s hand-to-hand combat isn’t as gory as its material warrants (this is the CW, after all), but its relentlessly fierce technique remains startlingly visceral.
Nikitaalso offers the familiar, satisfying thrill inherent towatching tenacious underdogs, led by an empowered lone wolf figure, resist a seemingly untouchable and shamelessly corrupt organization. The series freely borrows its mood and focus from1970s paranoia thrillers, just with the modern benefits of high-tech espionage. Nikita’s team remains undaunted in their quest acrossthe series' four seasons, despite the countless obstacles. Living their lives as both the hunters and the hunted, her rogue agents weave their way out of Division’s traps, make mistakes, and hurt each other.
Overall,the series approaches complicated topicslike sexual assault, emotional abuse, and trauma with the delicate respect such material warrants, as well as the widespread danger of an agency devoid of checks and balances but replete with surveillance technology and unlimited political sway. People like Nikita are told they can redeem their sins in the name of their country, but patriotic loyalty is merely another manipulation tactic.
Between Nikita, Alex, and secondary villain Amanda Collins (Melinda Clarke),Nikitaalso lives up to its title’s implications. Technically, more men round out the main and recurring cast than women. However,women are at the series' forefront where and when it matters most. They drive every major decision, they exist in a fallible moral gray area, their motivations are clear, and they’re always empowered, even when they’re temporarily trapped or victimized.Nikitamakes a point to avoid the exhausting trope offemme fatalespiesroutinely and overtly sexualizing their characters. That approach makes for arefreshing change, both in the context of early 2010s television and our contemporary landscape.
Maggie Q’s Star-Making Performance Is ‘Nikita’s Secret Weapon
At the time, Q was only the second woman of Asian descent to lead a primetime television series.The first was 1951’sThe Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong, starring pioneeringsilent filmactressAnna May Wong, Hollywood’s first Asian-American superstar. For Q’s casting alone,Nikitamarks a groundbreaking shift, andher presence is the glue holding everything together. Nikita’s past dips her toes into antiheroine territory, and that nuance lets Q’s range shine. Instantly commanding your attention and never letting it go, Nikita is defined by dualities: she’s pensive but compassionate, merciless but empathetic, a woman of unrivaled focus operating on ferocious determination, willpower, and competence. Q infuses even the silliest dialogue with natural gravitas, and, of course,performs her own stunts. Even when she isn’t wielding her Glock or snapping necks while wearing a glamorous gown, she effuses dignified, grim assurance.
Through it all,Nikita boils with quiet, contained, yet explosive female fury. She’s guarded because the world made her so, and she’s resolved to break that cycle or die trying. Although Nikita’swell-versed in uncompromising violence, she’s haunted by guilt and regret. She agonizes over having “evil inside of me,” yet always retains her kind heart, never dancing to Division’s tune by becoming a cold machine. This is a woman trying to re-discover her identity beyond the missions and murder and lies, striving to earn her redemption, and seeking to free herself from exploitative, systematic control.
Yet despite Nikita’s solemnity,Q displays an easy, imminent charisma. When moments of dry humor break through Nikita’s emotional shield, it reveals the humanity Division tried to suppress. Her chemistry with West is a contender for the spy genre’s best romance, and like Nikita’s rare quips, it reveals adifferent and crucial layerto her character. Once the duo resolves their persistent romantic yearning and simmering sexual tension, Nikita acts beaming and brave with Michael. She longs for companionship — for the simple, average life she knows she can’t have.
In a recentinterview with TVLine, Q called her time on the series an “invaluable” experience that helped her tackleBallard— and in a fun Easter egg,Ballard’s first season reunited Q withone of herNikitacast members. The two series, separated by 15 years, certainly share accidental DNA, butBallardisn’t a case of Q replicating her past performance.It represents a natural progression that began when the CW realized what they hadand afforded her a proper showcase.
