Redhead-Not Redhead

Roy Dupuis as MichaelWe've taken down the Redhead-Not Redhead poll, as Roy Dupuis himself has answered the question for us with a degree of certainty. We're still gratified that the results of the poll were always pretty much even, with equal numbers of voters agreeing and disagreeing with us about whether Michael's hair is red.

In a live online chat held on the Ultimate TV website, Roy Dupuis was asked whether his hair is red. He answered that he thinks it does have some red strands, as well as brown strands, gold strands, and white strands.

We still think it's very important to distinguish the character of Michael from the actor, Roy. We have seen pictures of Roy in which his hair looks dark brown, but we still think that as Michael, he's a redhead. We've already received several great comments on this subject, including the following essay. This was actually in response to our wondering out loud why Michael rarely wears disguises, while Nikita often does, but it contains some great information on Redheadedness.

Essay from the Redhead

by Lady Crimson

What heresy you speak!!!!! Why would you ever want Michael to go out in disguise? Do you somehow tire of his face, his eyes, his inner redheadedness?

I'll tell you why Nikita wears disguises so often when she goes out...she's blonde! Redhead envy, pure and simple. Notice she's never donned a red wig? That is because she's not worthy.

Although Nikita is a sympathetic and powerful character, she wears her feelings on her sleeve; she doesn't have Michael's depth...are you familiar with the term "still waters run deep", those are the ones that will swallow you up because you are charmed in by their "harmlessness", next thing you know, you're drowning...drowning in those deep green eyes, that virtually hairless chest, as barely audible flinty French whispers flood your mind and reach deep into you, coaxing your submission as you sense his hands along the small of your back, you're unsure if your feet are still touching the ground, until you know he's on top of you even though you don't know -or care- where you stop and the bed begins, and your voice inside lulls you to close you eyes, and allow your senses to bask in the pleasure, but your eyes want to open to reassure you that you aren't dreaming, because your mind knows that there is no way this could be happening, even though your soul knows it should.....

'Scuse me..... just had an out-of-body rendezvous with Michael there; no hickies though.

Where was I? Oh, yeah, well, suffice to say that Nikita disguises herself physically because she is so often exposed emotionally (remember that line from the Meg Ryan-Kevin Kline film "French Kiss": "happy - smile, sad - frown, use the corresponding face for the corresponding emotion"), that's Nikita.

On the other hand, Michael is so busy disguising his emotions that he doesn't need physical disguises. It's true! Have you noticed that Michael smiled more times in the "Obsessed" episode than the rest of the season put together? The only other time I remember him smiling was in the beginning of "Charity" when he frets that the target won't call Nikita because she blew him off, and when he does call, Michael lets slip a grin that admits that perhaps Nikita knows the male psyche a bit better than he. No other time do I recall seeing him smile; I've seen his face betray relief, sadness, concern and care....but he's letting loose like an uncaged animal when he smiles! (Ok he smiled some in "Recruit", but they really looked like those forced ones you have to put on when your aunt comes over for christmas and give you one of those lame sweaters that'll get you beat up at school for sure) Which I guess is just as well that he doesn't smile because he looks uneasy with a toothy smile as opposed to a grin.

Look how well Michael's emotion disguising works...he played Nikita's emotions like a pinball machine when she was contemplating an escape from the section, she didn't even see it coming -when she knew she was being watched- because she thought she was finally going to get some off Michael that her smarts were blinded from warning her that, since Michael was so insistent about staying in the apartment, something was amiss. It's that redhead in us....we're fiery and mysterious, and while people are trying to figure out what makes us tick, we've already figured them out and are working on what to have for dinner later on. (That's probably what Madeline does.)

That is what makes Nikita and Michael such a great pair, they are each other's complement...if Nikita doesn't punch the snot out of him out of frustration.

Our deepest thanks to Lady Crimson for her input. Please e-mail us your thoughts at one of our addresses below, and let us know if we can post your comments here.


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