This is an espionage thriller with a metaphysical twist, Counterpart tells the story of Howard Silk, a lowly cog in a bureaucratic UN agency who is turning the last corner of a life filled with regret, when he discovers the agency he works for is guarding a secret: a crossing to a parallel dimension. Through Howard and his 'Counterpart' on the other side, the show navigates themes of identity, idealism, what ifs, and lost love.
Raced thru this big budget 6-part beeb mini-series. Top stuff, gripping story, BUT some issues for me.
* Hugh Lawrie is Dr House! Sure he does a great job as the super baddie here and this role is an impressively long way from Prince Thicky Regent in Blackadder but a mega-baddie? FFS. No buy in here.
* WHY did the baddies not REALISE Tom Hiddlestone was OBVIOUSLY a spy? Blind Freddie could see it from Mars yet they just let the bloke access all their mega-baddie shit and welcome him in with a "oh, who's this new tosser, oh, ok then, sign here, you own the company now pardner."
* Just dont get why the ladies go so gaga for Tom Hiddlestone. I don't see it and it vaguely irritates me. Everyone swoons over him and yet to me he just looks like a grinny little peanut-headed doofus who looks like Zoolander when he tries to go all "Blue Steel".
by herojig posted 6 years ago
One of my favorite shows of all time, as a once aspiring theoretical physicist who never made it past the math. But, the one bug I'm annoyed with (slightly) is the idea that a two-way tunnel between the worlds could exist. I think, in current thinking, that's not possible. U could go, but u could never get back. Like the Hotel California. But that's the nerd in me... such an entertaining show in all respects :)
by scorpius074 posted 6 years ago
I like how this second season has progressed so far, inching closer and closer to its conclusion. The show continues to be a fine cocktail that's made up of equal parts and has grown well beyond its premise. Counterpart continues its intrigue in grounding its drama to the point where the sci-fi elements of the show is a mere backdrop that seems very plausible. J.K. Simmons is excellent again as the lethal and pragmatic, as well as soulful and pacific, Howard Silk, and the rest of the cast has delivered in kind. There's still four more episodes left in the season, and yet, somehow, that realization feels like a double-edged sword. In any event, Counterpart has lost a little bit of its uniqueness its second time around, but through the dense fog of tradecraft, this sci-fi/spy thriller still shines brightly for me. :)
by lighton posted 6 years ago
I just recently discovered Counterpart. Good show! :)
by Ed_C_NC posted 6 years ago
I too was very impressed with the quality of all the different elements. Plot, writing, casting, acting, dialog are all on a level that's hard to find. And the SciFi element is very subtle and provides for a lot of interesting Cold-War'ish plot lines.
This checks off a lot of boxes of what I like about TV, with a main character I can cue into, a story with a subject that intrigues me and pulls me in, and production that's not just expensive but very well executed with a lot of coverage and events per minute. It's been a long time since I've been able to say that about any show since Better Call Saul.
So long as the story of Counterpart remains anchored in our humanity it will continue to interest me, but as soon as it loses the moral aspects that ground the show, I can see this becoming another lifeless dystopian series that fails to depict people genuinely, like many scifi's on TV these days. That being said, it's not a true science fiction where the science fiction drives the show, but a spy mystery drama that is set after a science fiction event split our universe into two, which reminds me of Fringe that way.
So compelling. Really enjoy it.
by Moze posted 7 years ago
Best show i've watched in ages, the acting and story telling is top notch!
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I recommended it many times to many people, but they mostly didn't share my enthusiasm. :D
I'm happy that many of you here liked it, too. :)
When the coronavirus pandemic started, this series and its parallel world were the first things I remembered...
Raced thru this big budget 6-part beeb mini-series. Top stuff, gripping story, BUT some issues for me.
* Hugh Lawrie is Dr House! Sure he does a great job as the super baddie here and this role is an impressively long way from Prince Thicky Regent in Blackadder but a mega-baddie? FFS. No buy in here.
* WHY did the baddies not REALISE Tom Hiddlestone was OBVIOUSLY a spy? Blind Freddie could see it from Mars yet they just let the bloke access all their mega-baddie shit and welcome him in with a "oh, who's this new tosser, oh, ok then, sign here, you own the company now pardner."
* Just dont get why the ladies go so gaga for Tom Hiddlestone. I don't see it and it vaguely irritates me. Everyone swoons over him and yet to me he just looks like a grinny little peanut-headed doofus who looks like Zoolander when he tries to go all "Blue Steel".
Let me recommend a few similar (spy, but not SciFi):
Berlin Station (2016 , 2 seasons so far - about the CIA in present day Berlin) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5191110
Night Manager, The (miniseries) Super good, with Dr. House actor as the Bad Guy https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1399664
Dig (2015) FBI agent assigned in Israel gets caught up in intrigue. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3597606
Rubicon (2009 13 eps) very mature, zero action but twisty spy work series. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1389371
Counterpart Season 2 Release Date, Cast News, and More...
This checks off a lot of boxes of what I like about TV, with a main character I can cue into, a story with a subject that intrigues me and pulls me in, and production that's not just expensive but very well executed with a lot of coverage and events per minute. It's been a long time since I've been able to say that about any show since Better Call Saul.
So long as the story of Counterpart remains anchored in our humanity it will continue to interest me, but as soon as it loses the moral aspects that ground the show, I can see this becoming another lifeless dystopian series that fails to depict people genuinely, like many scifi's on TV these days. That being said, it's not a true science fiction where the science fiction drives the show, but a spy mystery drama that is set after a science fiction event split our universe into two, which reminds me of Fringe that way.
So compelling. Really enjoy it.