Simu Liu’s Espionage Thriller ‘The Copenhagen Test’ Is a Dastardly Disappointment: TV Review
“The Copenhagen Test” is an espionage thriller that turns on loyalty, revenge and integrity. The Peacock series follows Alexander Hale (Simu Liu), an intelligence analyst with The Orphanage, an organization that serves as a watchman for the United States intelligence communities. Founded by the clandestine St. George (Kathleen Chalfant) and with Peter Moira (Brian d’Arcy James) at the helm, The Orphanage has never been compromised. When Alexander is promoted to field work, however, things take a shocking, perilous turn. “The Copenhagen Test” has a great deal of potential, but its overly complicated plot, crammed with too many characters, leads nowhere.
Three years after his last in-field mission as a special forces soldier, Alexander feels stunted in his current role at The Orphanage. Though his personal life is looking up — he recently started dating a woman named Michelle (Melissa Barrera) — his career has gone stale. Disillusioned with his position as an analyst, Alexander interviews for a more expansive role in a newly formed operation, putting him and his work rival, Edmond Cobb (Mark O’Brien), in competition.
But Alexander isn’t exactly honest about his health: He’s secretly suffering from migraines and panic attacks, mitigated only by the pills his ex-fiancée, Dr. Rachel Kasperian (Hannah Cruz), covertly gives him. What’s more, the last three assets he was assigned to track have been exposed, prompting a review of all analysts at the organization.
Still, following the guidance of his mentor, Victor Simonek (Saul Rubine), Alexander lands the promotion. On the heels of that, he discovers his brain has been hacked for months, thus the headaches: A new technology has given the hacker unprecedented access to everything he sees and hears. Horrified that he might be seen as disloyal, he comes clean to Moira, who, along with St. George, decides to use this knowledge to their advantage and smoke out the perpetrator. The pair enlist Samantha Parker (Sinclair Daniel) to act as Alexander’s handler, documenting and anticipating his every mood.
Despite the intriguing premise, “The Copenhagen Test” never fulfills its promise. What should be a gripping thriller centered on new, uncharted technology and questionable loyalties degenerates into a jumbled mess. The eight-episode first season is so overstuffed that audiences likely won’t be able to follow all the threads, which barely come together in the end. From the sprawling cast of characters to the various missions and timelines, there is too much to wade through. Forming a genuine connection to Alexander, or feeling sympathy for him, is a stretch because the character remains wooden, never fully realized. Moreover, when the villain and their motivations are finally revealed, the discovery feels neither revelatory nor meaningful.
“The Copenhagen Test” presents plenty of compelling plot points. In addition to uncovering who hacked Alexander and why, there is also the history of the previously “unhackable” Orphanage, as well as commentary on xenophobia, racism and birthright citizenship and the question of who is “allowed” to be an authentic American. Yet, because creator Thomas and his writers’ room take viewers on such a dull and unwieldy mission, the show loses momentum and interest as it muddles its way to the climax.
Ultimately, the Peacock show may have a stellar cast and a solid concept, but the execution falls flat. The pacing is overlong, removing much of the tension and excitement that make thrillers so fascinating to watch. A tighter episode count and a streamlined timeline likely would have improved the series’ structure. However, amid so much other programming in the thriller genre, “The Copenhagen Test” isn’t clever enough to stand out.
All eight episodes of “The Copenhagen Test” premiere Dec. 27 on Peacock.
Three years after his last in-field mission as a special forces soldier, Alexander feels stunted in his current role at The Orphanage. Though his personal life is looking up — he recently started dating a woman named Michelle (Melissa Barrera) — his career has gone stale. Disillusioned with his position as an analyst, Alexander interviews for a more expansive role in a newly formed operation, putting him and his work rival, Edmond Cobb (Mark O’Brien), in competition.
But Alexander isn’t exactly honest about his health: He’s secretly suffering from migraines and panic attacks, mitigated only by the pills his ex-fiancée, Dr. Rachel Kasperian (Hannah Cruz), covertly gives him. What’s more, the last three assets he was assigned to track have been exposed, prompting a review of all analysts at the organization.
Still, following the guidance of his mentor, Victor Simonek (Saul Rubine), Alexander lands the promotion. On the heels of that, he discovers his brain has been hacked for months, thus the headaches: A new technology has given the hacker unprecedented access to everything he sees and hears. Horrified that he might be seen as disloyal, he comes clean to Moira, who, along with St. George, decides to use this knowledge to their advantage and smoke out the perpetrator. The pair enlist Samantha Parker (Sinclair Daniel) to act as Alexander’s handler, documenting and anticipating his every mood.
Despite the intriguing premise, “The Copenhagen Test” never fulfills its promise. What should be a gripping thriller centered on new, uncharted technology and questionable loyalties degenerates into a jumbled mess. The eight-episode first season is so overstuffed that audiences likely won’t be able to follow all the threads, which barely come together in the end. From the sprawling cast of characters to the various missions and timelines, there is too much to wade through. Forming a genuine connection to Alexander, or feeling sympathy for him, is a stretch because the character remains wooden, never fully realized. Moreover, when the villain and their motivations are finally revealed, the discovery feels neither revelatory nor meaningful.
“The Copenhagen Test” presents plenty of compelling plot points. In addition to uncovering who hacked Alexander and why, there is also the history of the previously “unhackable” Orphanage, as well as commentary on xenophobia, racism and birthright citizenship and the question of who is “allowed” to be an authentic American. Yet, because creator Thomas and his writers’ room take viewers on such a dull and unwieldy mission, the show loses momentum and interest as it muddles its way to the climax.
Ultimately, the Peacock show may have a stellar cast and a solid concept, but the execution falls flat. The pacing is overlong, removing much of the tension and excitement that make thrillers so fascinating to watch. A tighter episode count and a streamlined timeline likely would have improved the series’ structure. However, amid so much other programming in the thriller genre, “The Copenhagen Test” isn’t clever enough to stand out.
All eight episodes of “The Copenhagen Test” premiere Dec. 27 on Peacock.