['Nikita' - 'Betrayals']

Around this time of year, plenty of shows toss around phrases like "game changer" and "raising the stakes," but few of them manage to follow through on that promise with quite as much enthusiasm as 'Nikita' (and, it has to be said, some other bold CW shows: 'The Vampire Diaries' and 'Supernatural' can also be counted on for their end-of-year chutzpah).

There were so many twists and turns in this week's labyrinthine episode that for a while, it was hard to remember which way was up and which was down -- Alex certainly seemed to be having the same problem, and that cliffhanger ending is certain to have fans speculating right up until next week's finale.

Since I'm fairly certain that the CW isn't going to rename the show 'Alexandra' if (when!) it returns next season, I don't think anyone's really too concerned about Nikita's ultimate fate, but we should be concerned about the possible consequences of Alex's actions in the last few moments of the episode. Was she somehow putting on a show for Division as a way of throwing Percy off the scent, or did she really shoot Nikita in cold blood? The fallout from that decision is sure to reverberate throughout the finale and will hopefully close the season with such a bang that The CW feels duty bound to bring it back in the fall.

I can't recall if we already knew that Nikita was the operative that shot Alex's father from earlier this season, or whether it was something I predicted because the show seemed to be aiming in that direction (feel free to remind me in the comments!) but, either way, Percy's revelation to Alex was masterfully accomplished.

A part of me refuses to believe that someone as street-smart and self-assured as Alex could be so easily manipulated by Percy's judicious editing of the facts, especially after spending so long under Nikita's protection and tutelage. We know that Nikita has been haunted by her mistakes for years, while Percy, despite an Oscar-worthy performance, still shows no true remorse for his part in the murder of Alex's parents; even in such a vulnerable position, Alex shouldn't have bought what the boss was selling.

I greatly admired the editing in that scene -- the use of radar imaging from Percy's black box intercut with Alex's flashbacks and the present day lent the scene a palpable sense of urgency, and Lyndsy Fonseca's performance was pitch perfect.

And even though the timing was right for Michael to play his hand and turn on Percy, I still found myself startled when he did so, and even more startled when Percy's gun backfired on Michael and knocked him out -- we should've known that the duplicitous Head of Division would have another trick up his sleeve.



Percy's allusion to Chess was an apt metaphor -- he's clearly playing the game five moves ahead of everyone else, and to find out that he has been letting Nikita win for months, figured out that Michael switched sides, and manipulated Dana Winters into giving Nikita a compromised black box, added a delicious new dimension to the story. It'll be interesting to go back and rewatch the season with that fresh information in mind. I've often questioned whether Percy was totally oblivious, too wrapped up in his endgame to notice what was going on right under his nose, but I was clearly playing into the creative team's hands by underestimating him, just as Nikita and Michael were.

Xander Berkeley did an excellent job of conveying both menace and smarmy sympathy (even if he wasn't fooling anyone), and I can't wait to see how his plan to take down the CIA is executed next week -- perhaps Oversight will have the foresight to block Ryan and Malcolm from getting too far? (Sidebar: Does Ryan give anyone else a Brandon Routh/Clark Kent vibe? He still has an undeniable spark with Nikita, even though she made it clear that she now has "someone to live for" in Michael, aww!)

I was also impressed with the sound editing this week -- the fight scene in Malcolm's home set to that thumping dance track was exhilarating, and Maggie Q. made ass-kicking look enviably effortless, as always.

Do you think Alex has truly turned against Nikita? How do you think Michael will escape Division? Will Percy succeed in bringing down the CIA? Share your predictions for next week's finale below, and check out our chat with Melinda Clarke for more on what to expect from the end of the season.

'Nikita' airs Thursdays, 9PM ET on The CW.

Follow Laura on Twitter: @LauinLA