Title: La Femme Nikita (DVD) Review Word Count: 525 Summary: Nominated for 18 Gemini Awards (which honor the English language achievements of Canadian television), La Femme Nikita established itself as a stalwart on the USA Network in the late-1990s. Based on the 1990 motion picture of the same name, La Femme Nikita changed its cast, but not its edgy characters and exciting underworld setting. A forerunner to the successful hit series Alias, the show features all the intrigue of its successor coupled with the fast-paced action of 24. A... Keywords: la femme nikita dvd review Article Body: Nominated for 18 Gemini Awards (which honor the English language achievements of Canadian television), La Femme Nikita established itself as a stalwart on the USA Network in the late-1990s. Based on the 1990 motion picture of the same name, La Femme Nikita changed its cast, but not its edgy characters and exciting underworld setting. A forerunner to the successful hit series Alias, the show features all the intrigue of its successor coupled with the fast-paced action of 24. An hour-long action/adventure drama series, La Femme Nikita premiered on the first day of 1997 and quickly built a loyal fan base that followed the series for five stellar seasons before its premature cancellation in Spring 2001… La Femme Nikita follows the life of Nikita (Peta Wilson), a woman wrongfully convicted of a brutal murder. Sentenced to life in prison, a top-secret government agency known only as Section One sets its sights on the woman it believes to be a ruthless killer. Faking Nikita's suicide, they usher her out of prison to train and program her into a willing and obedient assassin. But the conspirators at Section One didn't bank on Nikita's innocence. Now, they're stuck with a bloodthirsty felon who's not as bloodthirsty as they thought. Nevertheless, Nikita (now code-named 'Josephine') must carry out the orders of her superiors or else face her own death at the hands of an organization intent on keeping its secrets from the outside world. La Femme Nikita boasts an excellent cast to compliment Nikita's numerous adventures, among them are Michael Samuelle (Roy Dupuis), Davenport (Lawrence Bayne), Seymour Birkoff (Matthew Ferguson), Walter (Don Francks), and Paul "Operations" Wolfe (Eugene Robert Glazer). Together, they create an intriguing atmosphere of mysterious identities, ruthless assassins, and government conspiracies that is certain to entertain even the most discriminating of viewers… The La Femme Nikita DVD features a number of exciting episodes including the series premiere "Nikita" in which Nikita, a lone girl living on the streets, is wrongfully convicted of a murder she did not commit. When the government fakes her prison cell suicide, Nikita awakes in the care of Section One, a super secret government entity with the goal of turning Nikita into an anti-terrorist assassin. But Nikita, who is innocent, initially resists the brainwashing techniques before finally submitting to the organization in order to stay alive… Other notable episodes from Season 1 include "Gray" in which a hacker compromises the employee database of Section One, and "Noise" in which Birkoff's fear of dying while on a mission threatens to end his career with Section One… Below is a list of episodes included on the La Femme Nikita (Season 1) DVD: Episode 1 (Nikita) Air Date: 01-13-1997 Episode 2 (Friend) Air Date: 01-20-1997 Episode 3 (Simone) Air Date: 01-27-1997 Episode 4 (Charity) Air Date: 02-03-1997 Episode 5 (Mother) Air Date: 02-10-1997 Episode 6 (Love) Air Date: 02-17-1997 Episode 7 (Treason) Air Date: 02-24-1997 Episode 8 (Escape) Air Date: 03-03-1997 Episode 9 (Gray) Air Date: 03-10-1997 Episode 10 (Choice) Air Date: 04-07-1997 Episode 11 (Rescue) Air Date: 04-14-1997 Episode 12 (Innocent) Air Date: 04-21-1997 Episode 13 (Recruit) Air Date: 06-22-1997 Episode 14 (Gambit) Air Date: 06-29-1997 Episode 15 (Obsessed) Air Date: 07-20-1997 Episode 16 (Noise) Air Date: 07-27-1997 Episode 17 (War) Air Date: 08-03-1997 Episode 18 (Missing) Air Date: 08-10-1997 Episode 19 (Voices) Air Date: 08-17-1997 Episode 20 (Brainwash) Air Date: 09-21-1997 Episode 21 (Verdict) Air Date: 09-28-1997 Episode 22 (Mercy) Air Date: 10-05-1997