Episodes Season Two
201
Hard Landing: Hard
Landing: The Epic Contest for Power and Profits That Plunged the
Airlines into Chaos, book by Thomas Petzinger, 1997. The term is used
to describe a situation where the economy goes directly from a period
of expansion to a recession.
202
Spec Ops: A computer game,
meaning special operatives.
203 Third
Person: Reference to a type
of computer game where the player can see his character on the screen
while playing, as opposed to "first person" games creating a view of
the environment as if the player itself was actually -in- the game.
204 Approaching Zero:
"Approaching Zero: The Extraordinary
Underworld of Hackers, Phreakers, Virus Writers, And Keyboard
Criminals", a book by Paul Mungo and Bryan Glough, 1992.
205 New Regime:
From this line in the script:
Petrosian: She is now. I suggest you review the Mission profile and
use any remaining time to rest. This is the first action of the new
regime. We will all want to be at our best.
206 Mandatory
Refusal:
A song of the rock group 283 from
the 2000 album Grand Unified Theory.
207 Half Life:
Also a computer game. Initial title:
"Michael's Past". The technical term of "half life" is used to designate in the
case of a radioactive substance, the time it takes for half of the material to
undergo radioactive decay. More generally, for any kind of quantity following
exponential evolution, it is the time it takes to fall to half of the initial
value.
In the context of La Femme Nikita,
Half Life means that even though Michael and Rene were together years
ago, they had separated and one of them is living a 'half- life'!
Which of them it's up to the viewer.
208 Darkness
Visible: A book by William
Styron, 1992, described as "a memoir of madness".
209 Open Heart:
"An Open Heart: Practicing Compassion in Everyday Life", a
book by Nicholas Vreeland, The Dalai Lama, 2002. Since the episode was
aired before the book, the title probably makes reference to open
heart surgery. Initial title: "Behind Bars".
210 First
Mission: A computer game
called "Metal Slug: First Mission". The first Christian mission in
California is San Diego de Alcalá, founded in 1769 by Father Junipero
Serra, named after Saint Didacus of Alcalá. The first mission to the
Moon was Apollo 11, landed on July 20, 1969. The first mission to Mars
was Mariner IV, launched on November 28, 1964.
211 Psychic
Pilgrim: A pilgrim is also
defined as someone who travels to a shrine or holy place, usually to
make offerings and/or to request blessings and favors. Also as someone
who embarks on a quest for something perceived as sacred. The title
makes reference to the fact that Armel, just as a pilgrim, comes to
Nikita who is a psychic as if she was a holy place and makes a
request, to talk to his son, which for him represents something close
to sacred.
We can also see this as if Nikita was in fact the psychic pilgrim, on
her voyage towards a sacred quest, Michael's love. The episode is a
step stone in this voyage, and almost like a trial or test for her. It
lets her make progress, but in the same time brings her sadness in
the short term.
212 Soul Sacrifice:
A song by Santana from the album Santana, 1970.
213 Not Was:
There was a group in the 80s named Was
(Not Was).
214 Double
Date: Initial title: "Rouge
Lovers". In reference to a practice where two couples go on a date
together.
215 Fuzzy Logic:
Reference of a branch of logic calculus
used in artificial intelligence defining truth values as "fuzzy",
where a statement can be more than just "true" or "false", like any
combination of percentages in between (ex. 80% true, 20% false).
216 Old Habits:
From the proverb "Old habits die hard". Initial title: "Serial
Killer".
217 Inside Out: Initial
name: "Out Break". The name of the Toronto Lesbian and Gay Film and
Video Festival, currently at its 14th edition.
Also the name of a story, "Inside Out", by Barry N. Malzberg,
1978. First published in Alfred Hitchcok's magazine, also included in
"100 Malicious Little Mysteries", collection of short stories selected
by Isaac Asimov among others.
The meaning of the name could be that when the virus attacks the
Section, people find themselves "inside out", showing qualities,
defaults, or feelings that they usually don't reveal. For example,
Birkoff shows unusual strength, Operations shows his feelings for
Madeline, Michael shows how far he would go for Section, lying to
the doctor about his wife.
218 Off Profile: A
profile is a frame used to cut the pieces for making clothes or
furniture. Something "off profile" is a custom feature of the cloth or
piece of furniture that was not designed from the start. In reference
to the romance between Michael and Andrea being off the usual mission
profile.
219 Last Night:
"About Last Night", movie from 1986 staring Rob Lowe and Demi Moore.
Also a song "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life", by Indeep, 1982, from the
album "Sounds of New York", later featured
in the film Glitter with Mariah Carey.
The name probably has nothing to do with Brutus, the computer, but
rather with the girl Nikita is looking for the next day after a mission
where the girl might have been injured.
220 In Between:
An album by Jazzanova, 2002. From the expression "being caught in
between", as Nikita is caught between Madeline and Operations.
221 Adrian's Garden: The initial name of the episode was "Last Chance Part
1". Adrian's name could be a reference to Ariadne, daughter of King
Minos. The king had build a labyrinth inside which he placed a
terrible beast called the Minotaur and he was punishing his enemies by
sending them to confront the beast or be lost forever in the
labyrinth. He did the same thing to Theseus, but Ariadne fell in love
with him and helped him escape using a thread that he unrolled while
in the labyrinth which helped him find his way out after he killed the
Minotaur. This labyrinth was some sort of garden.
There is also a park named "Adrian's Garden" in Rome.
The interpretation would see Operations in the role of King Minos,
Section One as the labyrinth, and Adrian the one that could demise the
plans of the evil king.
222 End Game:
A computer game. Also Endgame, a play in one act By Samuel Beckett, 1958.