Division's quest for The Dirty Thirty hit a bit of a snag this week. It came in the small package of a kidnapped girl.

Instead of just tracking down a rogue former agent, the team had to contend with a young girl who was programmed to be just as lethal as they each are. This case was wrought with ties to the agents' past lives and the old Division.

Nikita and Alex's early days at Division were reflected back at them through Liza. All three of them were trained to kill and forced to forget their families. By saving Liza, it was if they had saved themselves.

After Nikita shared her secret hiding place with Liza and returned her necklace, I was shocked that she attacked her guard and escaped. I really shouldn't have been though, because the psychological damage from Division training runs deep.

Liza had to return to Wade, because it was what she was trained to do and she also feared for her family. Wade was obsessed with righting his previous recruit's failing by having Liza kill the Pakistani, Saeed Tamir, now. That would restore his perfect training kill rate.

Liza left a clue that led Nikita to the kill location. Liza's moves were quite impressive in the bathroom and into the air ducts. Between taking out the Division guard and her movements on the mission, she was like a mini-Nikita. Wade may have been delusional, but he was a good trainer.

In the end, Nikita was able to break through Wade's control and convince Liza to turn off the bomb detonator. Liza still had a connection to her family through the necklaces she shared with her mother. 

Just as Nikita had saved Alex, they now saved Liza. It was touching to watch them return Liza to her family. Though, Liza was right, she would make an excellent agent. I wouldn't be surprised if that's where she ends up in the future. Though, this time on her own terms.

While Nikita was rescuing Liza, Michael was able to take out Wade. 

The Dirty Thirty update: Two down, 28 more to go.

This mission wasn't without controversy. After Liza escaped, Ryan listed both Wade and Liza as targets, which upset both Nikita and Alex. This was a bit surprising, because Ryan had always seemed to be a sympathetic guy. Has the pressure of Division already corrupted his moral center?

Luckily, Nikita was able to convince Liza to stand down, because I don't think Nikita has it in her to kill a young girl. It would be like putting a bullet in Alex's head or even her own.

"Innocence" reminded me a little of one of my favorite movies, The Professional. In the movie, Mathilda (Natalie Portman) sought out the professional hit man, Leon, to train her to get revenge on her parents' killer. This episode turned the premise on its head, but there were similarities between the girls, their training, and abilities.

Overall, this was an entertaining episode that pulled in aspects of the old Division into what they are doing now. If all the take-downs of The Dirty Thirty are wild, twisted rides like this one, we are in for an outstanding season.

Source:
http://www.tvfanatic.com/2012/10/nikita-review-innocence/