Michael Loceff on Michael: How would you characterize Michael? Michael is a complex character—much more so than any other on the show, including Nikita. He is a man who has an almost infinite capacity to manage internal pain, which is good because he has his share: His unattainable moral, ethical and political self-standards are often in direct conflict with his more human desires which include, to no one’s surprise, his feelings about Nikita. But what is sometimes overlooked is that his feelings about almost everyone else suffer the same onslaught. He no more wants to do wrong by Birkoff or the pizza delivery man in "Innocent" or the children in "Darkness Visible" or his one son, for that matter, than he does by Nikita.

What attributes did you feel were important to incorporate in his character? A capacity for love. A capacity for pain. Loyalty to his beliefs and to those for whom he has dedicated his life. A stoic attitude. A deeply hidden passion. An appreciation for quiet, order and the wisdom of nature. The ability to know when it is required to sacrifice life, and the ability disconnect emotionally when it comes time to pull the trigger. Willingness for utter and complete self-sacrifice. The ability to survive "off the grid."

Who came up with the name “Michael”? I can't recall. In fact, I often can't recall who wrote any given line in a particular episode because these scripts undergo so much revision by the members of the staff, whose names don't always appear as "written by."

What episode(s) that you have written are you most happy with? Innocent, Not Was, Half Life, Mercy, Psychic Pilgrim, Looking for Michael, Hard Landing, Getting Out of Reverse, I Remember Paris, There Are No Missions

What is the most challenging aspect of writing for Michael? It used to be getting him to express a complex idea through his terse, no-words-at-any-cost style. After some time, I felt that I became so in tune with him, that it was not only easy, but fun: "It's best if you don't mention Section." I don't remember what episode that is from or who the credited writer was (me?) but I remember giving Michael that line and thinking "yes - that's Michael."

On His La Femme Nikita Experience: I was drafted for the show by Joel and, while I loved working on it, I never felt at home in Hollywood. I only lived in LA during the weeks when I was working on the show—I had a temporary place across from WB which I used Monday through Thursday. Throughout that period I felt simultaneously alone and overwhelmed with people. When I think back on that time, I will remember the days at the office with Joel and Bob, and the nights where I would select a physics or math book and take it to one of the restaurants or cafes and read. I really liked being alone during that time as much as possible.

Michael Loceff worked on the La Femme Nikita television series as a Staff Writer, Executive Story Editor, and Program Consultant. He wrote the following episodes:
Season One:	Love Simone Choice Innocent Gambit Noise Mercy
Season Two:	Hard Landing Third Person Approaching Zero Psychic Pilgrim Soul Sacrifice Fuzzy Logic Not Was In Between Adrian's Garden
Season Three:	Looking for Michael Someone Else's Shadow Walk on By I Remember Paris Third Party Rip-off
Season Four:	Getting Out of Reverse There Are No Missions Four Light Years Farther
Season Five:	A Time for Every Purpose

Michael
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