The first contact

I love the scene where Nikita and Michael will meet again. The pictures bring us back to the Middle-Age: it is like an illumination. The spot is excellent : to have chosen a church is smart. The stained-glass windows as a background is also a great idea. Nikita is wearing a long black leather coat which gives the impression that she’s wearing a dark, entrancing wedding gown. She proves without a doubt her ever-lasting alliance to her prince. This scene could well be a wedding scene. The way she comes down the aisle, dignified like a queen, searching for Michael and then she stops and waits for him.

Then he will appear, tall and beautiful , flashing his great green look of his eyes.He fills up the screen like he fills up the space left in Nikita during his absence. We had been waiting for this moment for ages : now it is time for happiness.

Michael will meet Operation, then Nikita’s father. Michael remains true to himself. Stoical, alert and intelligent, perhaps faster to respond with a
gesture. His eyes will tell if he becomes impatient. He will give a nod before saying yes. But remember that all his gesture is always done most subtly.

When he goes out on a mission with Nikita, we can feel that he is always controlling the situation. They are great feline partners. Sometimes we wonder
how Section One had survived without their talents.

Here I will recall three love scenes. The first one is the famous "hand dance", as my American friends would say. Then the legendary caress of Nikita’s eyebrow...a typical trademark of Roy’s characters which seals the ties between them and their female characters.

Then the scene of the two lovers in bed. This is another beautiful image, sublime painting of their faces, hair and shoulders...Nikita is embracing
Michael in her arms. I’ll never forget that scene, as I believe it to be the best and most tender gesture that she had for him in the last five years : when Michael puts his head on Nikita’s shoulder, then she caresses his neck, his hair as to calm him and hold him down...to protect him...showing us that she certainly was the strongest. This scene is a clear demonstration sine qua none.

There is also the Restaurant scene. Michael holding Nikita’s hand will propose her, in his own way, and with a smile...which is a rare occasion.

Then things liven up again. Adam is abducted by the enemy. Operation tries to stop it but he is killed when trying to save the life of Michael’s son.
When he finds out that his son is in the hands of the enemy, he will decide to take over the situation himself. Once again, you must see Michael in the
Dragon’s Cave back door where his son is detained, this is the most intensive moment. He must refrain his rage and increase his courage, all this emotion in an absolute stoic presence. Roy did it marvelously, Michael opening up his powerful inner strength with a terrifying look in his eyes.

The real finale

It is on a cold night. Nikita walks down the street, sad and full of melancholy. She did not receive any news from Michael.

Michael finally locates her, he is wounded. Nikita will take him to the nearest bench. Michael will tell her his adventures with the enemies, while trying
to save his son. The situation, present and past are shown very rapidly, with actual and flashbacks scenes in trying to tell her what has happened
to him. The results is a happy mix of Michael’s green eyes and of his short, hurried and oppressed breath and his beautiful look of a wounded wolf.

We can see how much he is suffering, but he is still alert and strong like a wild animal that must fight right up to the end.

Michael is smart and he will use the power he has on Nikita, to achieve his goal. He is not really wounded and he will go in Section One, to get hold of Nikita’s father, who he will try to exchange for his son.
In the following heavy two-way trafic that takes place, which is hard to describe, Nikita’s father will be exchanged for Adam. The scene takes place on a deserted bridge. It is a freezing atmosphere. At first, Nikita believes that’s Michael who will be traded in, so she gives him a last kiss on his gloved hand. Then the situation will change, it is typically LFN, as it is Nikita’s father who will be exchanged. The old man will rightly say :"Always trust your father", put his hand on Michael’s shoulder, to then walk to his destiny. He will not have a simple gesture for his daughter, to whom, he just gave his authority and power.

Michael looks so terrific in his black coat with a leather collar, his hair floating away in the wind, with sometimes a gray, green or blue look in his eyes... the famous "vair" look of Lancelot, his sculptural face almost to perfect...He will be a witness at the transfer of power between Nikita and her father, knowing very well that this will forever keep him away from her. So he stands in a noble manner and this is how we can appreciate him in the scene. He will become human again when calling for his son,
he will open his arms to welcome him back.

Nikita sees her father being murdered and Michael presses his son against his heart. A Finale well deserved by LFN.

In the last scene, we see Michael and Adam waiting for the Train, along with Nikita. The two heroes will say farewell, Michael encouraging Nikita, telling her that one day, Adam will not need him anymore, while Nikita replies that she knows how to reach him.

At last, Michael will pronounce the three words...the ones that we have been waiting to hear for a long time : I love you. Then he will walk away. Nikita will remain with the look in his eyes showing tears. Her prince has left her. She will assume the power all by herself now, the same power that we hoped would have been shared by the couple.

Then I shut down my VCR. Eight hours had gone by. I was finally in complete agreement with the way Michael had left. And also happy that the story had come to a close.

To be able to play a character of the class of Michael is not an easy task. Not only because it does require a lot from the comedian but most of all
by the enormous time spent in the life of the actor. Roy gave Michael everything he had. On the other hand, Michael was most generous in allowing him to become world famous. No doubt that Michael will remain one of Roy’s most important character that he ever created. As Ovila was. One of the reasons for this, it is because he was a timeless hero.

Michael is immortal.

He is the rebirth of an endless list of legendary people, who are carrying with them the eternal light of the human soul.

Now, Roy is looking forward to a new horizon.
That’s another character who is now behind him, but he will always be Michael in the imagination of a generation of women who lived at the end of this
century. What a beautiful man, dressed in a black leather coat, standing up with such a noble gesture. We will always remember the sobriety of his
movements, the fluidity of his gesture and his powerful look in his eyes, which is unique to him.

Michael 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13