Ryan's big bad secret is finally out. And no one flew the Division coop. Phew!

However, if Ryan had his way, the President's threat to wipe Division off the map - everyone included - would still be under wraps. It was rogue agent Markov that let that shocking reveal out in "The Sword's Edge."

I'm surprised that none of the team was upset that Amanda and her rogue agent, Markov, knew more about the New Division and Ryan's agreement than they did. What else is Ryan keeping from them? Despite his secret, they decided to continue to support him as their leader and help keep Division a secret. Now that they understand the pressure that Ryan's under and the importance of quiet missions, their actions will be more stressful - but they will all be working towards the same goal.

The quest to bring in the Dirty Thirty led the team to a rogue agent, Markov, who was able to get himself elected as the President of Uzbekistan. What is it about Nikita and Central European Presidents? Cassandra's husband was the President of Belarus and he was replaced by a look-a-like. It's too bad that prior mission wasn't at least referenced, but I guess Michael and Nikita were rogue at the time.

One huge confusion of the episode: When did Division headquarters go from being below a remote farm to being within a secret passageway to the White House? It's certainly convenient, but since they are in the same facility that Percy and Amanda ran, it's an odd change. But, okay, I'll go with it. It should create tension and drama going forward.

The Markov capture really was just a means to reveal Ryan's secret deal with the President. It didn't really accomplish anything else, though the mask technology was quite impressive. I hope we see that again. Was the team right to keep the assassination attempt and their success a secret from the President?

They fulfilled their goal of running a quiet mission, but why wouldn't they want the President's gratitude? If she knew what they were capable of accomplishing, wouldn't she be less likely to exterminate them? At the same time, perhaps, she would be tempted to use them as an active black ops force, which they don't want to do any more.

Alex was assigned to look for the mole within Division with the technical support from Birkhoff and Sonya. Her search initially sent her to Owen, but he was just looking into answers about his past. Even though Nikita was able to forgive Owen for his actions as a cleaner, not everyone will. Someone he hurt tried to kill him with an explosion. Will this be the last time he has to watch those around him? Not likely.

Through the investigation, Owen and Alex have started to bond. Are their butterfly tattoos a coincidence? Or, is there more to them? Now that Sean has pushed for Alex to leave Division and Nikita behind, will she push him away and become closer to Owen? I was a fan of Sean and Alex, but his pressure on her to leave is not what she needs. I'm definitely open to her pursuing love somewhere else.

Another Dirty Thirty member captured, Amanda and Ari are still on the loose, and Division has a mole. Their job is not getting any easier.

Were you surprised the team agreed to still work with and support Ryan? Are you committed to an Alex-Sean relationship? Or moving towards Owen? 

Source:
http://www.tvfanatic.com/2012/12/nikita-review-the-swords-edge/