What's that you say?
Easy job? Michael never smiles? Not true.
Just go back and review
all your tapes (I know you have them). Sometimes the smiles are real,
genuine, honest. Sometimes they are cold or hollow. And sometimes they
are in the line of duty as in the scene above from "Nikita".
Also, because Roy has high cheekbones, he somehow manages to look like
he's smiling when he's not.
Key To Michael's
Different Smiles:
Slight Smile (One or
both sides of his mouth turns up slightly.)=SS
101 . "NIKITA":
SS in reaction
to Nikita's comment: "So who are you, my father?" Also, later
when he asks Nikita: "How's it going?...goin' out. Dinner tonight.
You've earned it." ILDS
over dinner, although, I'm convinced that this is when he fell in love
with her. Then later still in her new apartment he does SS
(smile slightly) when she asks "What do you mean mine?" and again
when he tells her her codename is Josephine. It's almost as if the shows
creators and writers hadn't decided yet on how dark the Michael character
should be. They wanted him to seduce the audience as he seduced Nikita,
not scare either of us, and give away nothing.Boy does it ever work.
102 . "FRIEND": Nikita
tells Anton Millovich as he tries to grab her "I'm part of security.
Hands off." SS from
Michael. Not to make a value judgement here, but I think he was proud of
her.
103 . "SIMONE": No
smiles here. I could be wrong, but I think it's in this episode that Roy
and the writers nailed the character. Michael gets darker from here on
in.
104 . "CHARITY: Michael:
"Why didn't you accept his invitation? Suppose he (Alec Chandler)
doesn't call." Nikita: "He'll call." The phone rings. The
resulting smile is broad but no teeth and
he SWHE. *Note:
When Nikita says to Birkoff "Up yours, Birkoff," and he shoots
back "Anytime babe. My number's in the book," Operations smiles.
105 . "MOTHER": Forget
about it. He could barely look at her when she was being beaten. However,
upon the suggestion of a fan (Elena), I reviewed this episode and she's
right. I missed one. In the very beginning of the episode, as Chuck is
departing for a mission, Michael asks, "Chuck, what's with the hair?"
Chuck replies, "I had to do something. I was startin' to look like
you." Michael smiles a BS
(broad smile but no teeth).Thanks Elena.
106 . "LOVE":
SS when Walter
says to him: "Michael we're (referring to Nikita) having a moment
here." IS when
he shows interest in how Nikita's doing. ILDS
as the Peter half of Peter and Sage. There
are many instances here. I felt some were actually real, like when Nikita
nibbled his face. But then I could be inferring again.
107 . "TREASON":
Very little Michael in this episode. (You know my favorite scene.)
108 . "ESCAPE":
Pleasant SS when
he acknowledges Nikita's new glasses. In a flashback, Nikita remembers
Michael's smile (from Charity). I think he wants to smile in the end when
Nikita throws the surveillance equipment down on the table in front of
everyone. Yeah, a definite IS.
I know he's smiling inside.
109 . "GRAY": Nada.
None.
110 . "CHOICE": OS
as he meets and greets Gray (pretending to
be Nikita's cousin).
111 . "RESCUE": SWHE
when nurse Angie says: "I have lived
more in the past twenty four hours than in the last seven years."
112 . "INNOCENT": Birkoff
is the big cheese in this one.
113 . "GAMBIT":
One of, if not the most depressing episodes of Season 1. (I'm afraid though
that I laughed at the idea of Michael being disguised as and mistaken for
Madeline.)
114 . "RECRUIT": Lots
of BS (no pun
intended) with Karen, but I fear all ILDS.
My favorite scene is when Nikita, coming to retrieve Karen, gives him "the"
look. She didn't say anything, but every woman in the world understood
it. Michael was wearing a very BS.
115 . "OBSESSED": ILDS
as he meets and gets to know Lisa Fanning.
I smiled you-know-when.
116 . "MISSING": OS
"Hi," upon his return with the CM12.
In response to: "In other words you don't trust us." M. BS:
"In other words." Then: "I want to make sure the price you
hear is the price we'll get."
117 . "NOISE":Cold
Op all the way in this one. Birkoff cries though. (Some emotion is better
than none.)
118 . "VOICES": IS
when Nikita lies about following up on the
guy who attacked her. SS as
Madeline adjusts his tie (hmmm?) Maddy: "Where's Nikita?" Michael:
"She's with (the) first team." Later as Michael greets the cop
who is tracking Nikita he says hello and smiles with his eyes.
119 . "WAR":
There's absolutely nothing to smile about here. The most emotionally draining
episode of the season. There are twists, turns, revelations, betrayals,
genuine affection and there are the lies. Can't tell the players without
a score card this time out. Again, a fan emailed
me and asked me to fast forward to the scene in the cages. I looked at
it over and over again, but I couldn't detect a smile. If anything, he
appeared on the verge of tears. Let us not forget that whatever the emotion,
he was faking it in order to manipulate Nikita.
120 . "BRAINWASH": SS
for lack of a more precise description, as
halfway through the episode, Michael goes to check on Nikita at her apartment
after she's used the Phasing Shell. Of course he also slaps her.
121 . "VERDICT": In
the prologue Michael kisses his contact on each cheek then smiles as she
gets into her car and of course she is then blown to smithereens.
122 . "MERCY":Very
short, quick smile during the prologue's dancing sequence. You can't blink
or you'll miss it. Use slow mo if you have to, but look again. It's there.
We're getting desperate.
