Nikita executive producer Craig Silverstein recently previewed the upcoming arc in the third season, including the growing tension between Alex and Nikita and what Amanda gets from their rift.
Silverstein recently sat down with the Huffington Post to discuss the next batch of episodes, which will resume on Friday, March 29.
The Amanda Factor
In the previous episode, Amanda captured Alex and used psychological warfare to get into her head and plant the seeds of doubt in Nikita and Division. After Alex’s rescue, interactions between Alex and Nikita were tense.
In terms of how Amanda fared despite losing Ari and the black box, Silverstein says, “She wanted Ari back so she could unlock the black box and she didn’t get that, right? But Alex has been returned to Division. Did Amanda get what she wanted? There is a quick little shot in the episode that might hint towards something that’s been done by Amanda.”
However, though Amanda lost her black box, “the next episode, 15, will show that the last one – as long as there is one there is just badness.”
On Alex and her allies
Discussing Sean and Alex’s upcoming dynamic, Silverstein says, “I think that Sean, being so close to Alex, is really the first one to begin to pick up on signs that she hasn’t come back fully right from [her encounter with Amanda]. So he becomes a canary in the coal mine about what’s growing inside of her.”
If forced to choose between Alex and Division, “He would choose Alex. But I think it’s like the Meatloaf song: I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that,” Silverstein concludes. There are some boundaries he won’t cross, but that’s the area we think where good drama lies.”
Silverstein adds that Nikita and Alex’s strained relationship is in part due to the fact that they haven’t been able to talk about the issues between them. “That’s part of the thing that creates the problem,” he says. “Something that started with just the two of them really has grown up to become this much larger family and now this much larger whole organization.
“Their relationship has gotten a bit diluted in the process. Really there is a consequence to that. That’s sort of what we begin to play.” Silverstein goes on to add that Ryan tells them “Division can survive a lot, but not a war between the two of you,” which “becomes the dark expression, the reminder that their relationship is really at the center of the show.”
Power struggles in Division
With Alex turning on her, Michael and Ryan opposing her strategies in recent episodes, and the threat of government annihilation hanging over Division, Nikita is also struggling.
“I think that there is a line in Episode 15, where Birkhoff…says, ‘Say what you want about Percy, at least he was actively evil. He made the decision to cross the line. We just keep letting ourselves get pushed over it,'” Silverstein previews.
“That’s sort of what I think has happened with Nikita,” he continues. She is in between the line of doubt and thinking she’s doing the right thing. At some point, even she is going to make mistakes in terms of thinking she is doing the right thing, but doesn’t see that everyone else thinks that same way.”
Division’s money troubles
Changing gears, Silverstein goes on to address the fact that Division no longer has government funds to fall back on, saying, “It means that they have a finite amount of money and if that is compromised, they’re running on fumes. The operating budget is the pillar that keeps everything going. If you remove that, things begin to crumble.”
Nikita airs Fridays at 8:00 p.m. on The CW.