Jump to content

Counterpart (TV series)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Joshbunk (talk | contribs) at 02:01, 13 March 2018 (Tweaks). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Counterpart
GenreThriller
Science fiction
Created byJustin Marks
Starring
ComposerJeff Russo
Country of originUnited States
Original languagesEnglish
German
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Production locations
CinematographyMartin Ruhe
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time56–60 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkStarz
ReleaseDecember 10, 2017 (2017-12-10) –
present

Counterpart is an American science fiction thriller television series created by Justin Marks, ordered to series by the premium cable network Starz.[1] The first episode was directed by Morten Tyldum.[1] Starz ordered two 10-episode seasons.[2] The premiere episode first aired on December 10, 2017. It stars Academy Award–winning actor J. K. Simmons in a dual role.

Premise

Howard Silk has been working for a bureaucratic UN agency based in Berlin for thirty years; however, his station is too low for him to be told what his work really involves. In fact, the agency oversees a crossing point to a parallel Earth, a copy of Howard's world which was created by East German scientists in 1987, and which has been diverging ever since. Silk's "other" self, his counterpart from the other side, is, among other things, a field agent who regularly makes crossings to retrieve "others" who have gone rogue. Factional in-fighting in the agency on the other side spills over to this side, putting Silk and his comatose wife in danger.

Cast

Main

  • J. K. Simmons as Howard Silk, an Interface employee at the Office of Interchange (OI), a Berlin-based UN spy agency[1]
  • Olivia Williams as Emily Silk (née Burton), Howard's wife[3]
  • Harry Lloyd as Peter Quayle, OI Director of Strategy in the Alpha world[3]
  • Nazanin Boniadi as Clare, Peter Quayle's wife, an enigmatic young woman of curious origin[4]
  • Sara Serraiocco as Nadia Fierro / Baldwin, a mysterious assassin[4]
  • Ulrich Thomsen as Aldrich, OI Director of Housekeeping in the Alpha world[5]
  • Nicholas Pinnock as Ian Shaw, an aggressive OI Inquiry operative and watchdog in the Prime world[4]
  • Mido Hamada as Cyrus, an OI Housekeeping operative[6]
  • Betty Gabriel as Naya Temple (season 2), a former FBI agent recently hired by the OI to clean house[7]

Recurring

  • Kenneth Choi as Bob Dwyer, OI Director of Strategy in the Prime world[6]
  • Guy Burnet as Claude Lambert, the Prime ambassador to the Alpha world[8]
  • Stephen Rea as Alexander Pope, Howard Prime's mentor and an influential associate of the Indigo prgram[9]
  • Bernhard Forcher as Andrei, Howard Alpha's Go partner
  • Sarah Bolger as Anna Burton-Silk, Howard and Emily Prime's daughter[9]
  • Bjorn Johnson as Heinrich, an expatriate from the Prime world and part of Howard Prime's contact network
  • Lotte Verbeek as Ringleader, one of a trio of infiltrators from the Prime world
  • Jamie Bamber as Eric Burton, Emily's brother
  • Karim Saleh as Marcel, an OI Interface employee in the Alpha world
  • Richard Schiff as Roland Fancher, OI Director of Diplomacy and Quayle's father-in-law[9]
  • Nolan Gerard Funk as Angel Eyes, one of a trio of infiltrators from the Prime world[10]
  • Liv Lisa Fries as Greta, a barista who becomes involved with Baldwin[11]
  • Jacqueline Bisset as Charlotte Burton, Emily's mother[11]
  • Stefan Kapičić as Lieber, Ian Shaw's right-hand man[11]
  • Jacqueline Antaramian as Ava Fancher, Roland's wife[11]
  • Christiane Paul as Mira, the head of the Indigo program's School[11]
  • Ingo Rademacher as Friedrich, Quayle's best friend[11]
  • Marco Khan as Raash, Howard Prime's right-hand man, a loyal and reliable operative[11]

Episodes

No.Title [12]Directed by [13]Written by [13]Original release dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"The Crossing"Morten TyldumJustin MarksDecember 10, 2017 (2017-12-10)[b]0.394[16]
Howard Silk is a low-level bureaucrat in a Berlin-based UN agency called the Office of Interchange, where he works in the Interface division, exchanging coded call-and-response messages with another agent. Despite his long tenure, Howard has never learned the purpose of Interface or OI. Peter Quayle, OI's Director of Strategy, later denies Howard a promotion to his department, citing Howard's lackluster career. After work, Howard visits his comatose wife Emily, who was struck by a car. The next day, Howard is taken to a separate room with Quayle and Aldrich, the Director of Housekeeping. A man identical to Howard is brought in: Howard Prime.[a] Quayle explains that during the final years of the Cold War, the East Germans accidentally created a portal to a divergent parallel universe in the basement of what would become the OI building. Howard Prime explains that an assassin from the other side codenamed Baldwin has crossed over with a kill list that includes Howard's wife. That night, Howard Prime imitates Howard Alpha at Emily's hospital and ambushes Baldwin, but she escapes. Howard Prime returns to his side and stops by a bar where he encounters Emily Prime, whom he had told Howard Alpha was dead.
2"Birds of a Feather"Stephen WilliamsJustin MarksJanuary 28, 2018 (2018-01-28)0.506[17]
After Howard Prime's estranged wife tells him of a rendition order against him, he kills the contractors sent to bring him in and then meets with Alexander Pope, his mentor and an influential member of Prime OI, to discuss whether the rendition order was official or a rogue assassination attempt. Pope gets him a 36-hour visa to the Alpha side. Meanwhile, Howard Alpha has been promoted to the Analysis division, and later meets with Aldrich and Prime to discuss Baldwin. Prime tells them her real name is Nadia Fierro, and her Alpha version is a virtuoso violinist. Baldwin meets with her handler Clare, who orders her to kill Nadia Alpha. Emily Prime is revealed to be in a relationship with Ian Shaw, a fellow operative. Baldwin goes to kill Nadia, but is unable to follow through. Alpha OI agents corner Baldwin, resulting in Nadia's death and Baldwin's arrest. Afterwards, Howard Alpha fumes over Nadia's unnecessary death and punches Aldrich. Emily Prime meets with Pope and declares she wants to keep the peace between both worlds. Pope answers, "I wonder when we've ever had peace" and "if there will ever come a reckoning for what they did to us."
3"The Lost Art of Diplomacy"Jennifer GetzingerAmy BergFebruary 4, 2018 (2018-02-04)0.299[18]
Emily Prime is told who ordered Howard Prime's rendition. Upon learning of imminent negotiations for Baldwin's return, Howard Prime visits Prime world ambassador Claude Lambert to have him stall for time while Aldrich and Howard Alpha interrogate Baldwin. Lambert dismisses Howard Prime's request, and Emily Prime and Ian cross over to question him about the Baldwin fiasco. At the negotiations between Lambert and Alpha OI Diplomacy director Roland Fancher, lingering tensions over the cause of a deadly pandemic that devastated the Prime world initially block progress. Emily Prime explains Pope ordered the rendition, while Prime reveals his source on the schism in Prime OI's Management is from the Alpha world. The negotiations wrap up, but Baldwin fails to crack and is later freed in an ambush. Howard Prime realizes the negotiations were a ploy and suspects Lambert's involvement. To circumvent the revocation of his crossing privileges, Prime decides to switch identities with Howard Alpha. In the Prime world, Emily Prime discovers Howard Prime's source was Emily Alpha, who asked Howard Prime to reach out to her husband if she was harmed. At her apartment, Emily Prime is drugged by intruders, who stage the drugging to look like a self-inflicted overdose.
4"Both Sides Now"Alik SakharovErin LevyFebruary 11, 2018 (2018-02-11)0.360[19]
Howard Alpha and Howard Prime discuss their routines. Baldwin denies to Clare that she revealed anything to her captors. Alpha crosses over to the other side and is taken to Prime's apartment by Raash, an associate of Prime. Prime arrives at Alpha OI to work, but leaves when he finds the position is drudgework. Alpha discovers Prime has an estranged daughter, Anna Burton-Silk, and learns from her that Emily Prime is still alive but hospitalized due to an apparent overdose. Lambert secretly meets with Clare, relaying her superiors' dissatisfaction and orders to remove Baldwin. With Quayle in tow, Howard Prime visits an old contact, Heinrich, who reveals Pope and Lambert are with a faction of fanatics who have been smuggling crossers to the Alpha world for years; among the crossers was a mole who has been placed high-up in Alpha OI's Strategy. Howard Alpha bluffs his way through meeting Emily Prime and Ian, but Emily catches on. Clare deceives Baldwin and sends an assassin to dispose of her; Baldwin kills the assassin. Howard Alpha and Emily Prime decide to work together to aid Howard Prime. Howard Prime concludes he must live Alpha's life until Quayle can smoke out the mole.
5"Shaking the Tree"Stephen WilliamsZak SchwartzFebruary 18, 2018 (2018-02-18)0.416[20]
Three infiltrators cross over from the Prime world. Clare confronts Heinrich over Howard Prime. Howard Alpha encounters Pope, who is aware that Alpha and Prime switched and attempts to sow distrust between Alpha and Emily Prime; Alpha informs Emily, who believes Pope was behind her "overdose". They seek out a diplomatic courier linked to the fanatics and Lambert. Emily elaborates that the Prime world's pandemic was a form of flu that killed half a billion people in the early 1990s. Prime world defector Alice explains to Quayle and Aldrich that Prime OI's Strategy implemented an unauthorized program called Indigo, which set up "the School" to train sleeper agents from childhood; Indigo was funded off-the-books by Prime OI staff who blamed Alpha OI for the pandemic. Alice also mentions an agent codenamed Shadow may have been sent to infiltrate Alpha OI five years ago. When Andrei suspiciously tries to visit Emily Alpha under another name, Howard Prime breaks into his apartment and uncovers Emily Alpha's research, but discovers Andrei is only a civilian who had been having an affair with Emily. Clare gives the three infiltrators their orders, unaware Baldwin stalks her. Howard Alpha tries to forge a relationship with Anna.
6"Act Like You've Been Here Before"Jennifer GetzingerJustin Britt-GibsonFebruary 25, 2018 (2018-02-25)0.429[21]
Angel Eyes, an infiltrator, experiences Berlin's nightlife; when questioned by his compatriot, Ringleader, he reaffirms that the people of the Alpha world are "filthy" and deserve to die. Anna discusses her father's odd behavior with Emily Prime. Ian is told of Emily and Howard Alpha's encounter with the courier and submits Howard to a lie exam, which Howard "beats" because he has no knowledge of Howard Prime's activities. Emily Prime shares a Potsdam address gleaned from the courier with Ian; they, Howard Alpha, and a squad of agents travel there, but Pope is alerted by an insider and the building's residents begin burning papers. Baldwin attends her other's funeral, then strikes a bargain with Clare to finish her contract; she later develops feelings for Greta, a barista. Howard Prime confirms Emily Alpha's research is photocopied Alpha OI Strategy documents that had been passed to Prime OI, and tells Quayle to identify the documents' origin. When Heinrich is found dead, Howard Prime deduces that the mole is somehow getting intel directly from Quayle. While Aldrich concludes from his own investigation that Quayle is the mole, Quayle notices the documents are from his personal files, leading him to suspect his wife: Clare.
7"The Sincerest Form of Flattery"Alik SakharovGianna SobolMarch 4, 2018 (2018-03-04)0.268[22]
In 1997 in the Prime world, Clare Fancher is taken in by the School after her parents succumb to the flu epidemic. She is ruthlessly molded into a copy of her other, and taught by supervisor Mira to hate the Alpha world for unleashing the flu virus. In 2013, Clare crosses over after her other becomes engaged to Quayle, then a Deputy Director in OI, and observes her in preparation for assuming her identity. When Clare Alpha breaks the engagement off after Quayle cheats on her, Clare Prime kills her, replaces her, and sets the marriage back on track. In the present, Quayle sends Clare on an errand and has Howard Prime search his house for evidence of her duplicity; they find a cyanide capsule in Clare's medicine cabinet, and realize Clare has been tracking Quayle's whereabouts through his phone. Since Clare is unaware she has been exposed, Quayle is forced to play innocent during his birthday party, but drinks heavily. After the guests depart, an agitated Quayle openly accuses his wife of being a spy and tries to get her to swallow the cyanide, but Clare confesses that she let the pill expire because she enjoyed her new life.
8"Love the Lie"Alik SakharovAmy BergMarch 11, 2018 (2018-03-11)N/A
Ian's team raids the School. The fanatics fight to the end while Mira escapes; Howard Alpha finds the students' bodies, all of whom were poisoned to prevent their capture. While most evidence was destroyed, Ian and Emily Prime deduce the School's purpose. Howard Alpha uses Howard Prime's clout to obtain the identities of the three infiltrators, and the two arrange to meet in an Interface room. After Howard shares the intel, he and Prime clash over their growing dislike for each other. Emily Alpha wakes up, but remains unresponsive, and her mother Charlotte informs Howard Prime that she'll be taking up residence in Berlin to supervise Emily's care. Baldwin kills the first of her three remaining targets. Kept handcuffed in their bedroom, Clare reveals some details of her infiltration and her faction's plans to Quayle, but dissuades him from turning her in because of how it would affect him and their infant daughter. Aldrich visits, and uses the story of how he drove his counterpart mad to deprive Prime OI of his talents to convey that Quayle should surrender himself. That night, Quayle admits to Aldrich he leaked the documents, but claims Howard Silk was the true mastermind all along.
9"No Man's Land, Part One"Stephen WilliamsErin LevyMarch 18, 2018 (2018-03-18)N/A
10"No Man's Land, Part Two"Jennifer GetzingerUnknownMarch 25, 2018 (2018-03-25)N/A

Notes

  1. ^ Per series creator Justin Marks, the "other" Howard is referred to as Howard Prime, and "our" Howard is referred to as Howard Alpha, or simply Howard.[14]
  2. ^ The pilot episode was later re-aired on January 21, 2018.[15]

Production

The series was ordered in April 2015 with J. K. Simmons announced to star.[1] Production began in December 2016 in Los Angeles, and it was announced that the series would be filmed in additional locations across the U.S. and Europe in 2017,[5] including Berlin, where the series is set.[23]

Reception

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of Counterpart
No. Title Air date Rating/share
(18–49)		 Viewers
(millions)		 DVR viewers
(millions)		 Total viewers
(millions)
1 "The Crossing" December 10, 2017 0.1 0.394[16] — —
2 "Birds of a Feather" January 28, 2018 0.1 0.506[17] 0.510 1.016[24]
3 "The Lost Art of Diplomacy" February 4, 2018 0.1 0.299[18] 0.532 0.831[25]
4 "Both Sides Now" February 11, 2018 0.1 0.360[19] 0.484 0.844[26]
5 "Shaking the Tree" February 18, 2018 0.1 0.416[20] TBD TBD
6 "Act Like You've Been Here Before" February 25, 2018 0.1 0.429[21] TBD TBD
7 "The Sincerest Form of Flattery" March 4, 2018 0.1 0.268[22] TBD TBD

Critical response

Counterpart has been well-received by critics. The first season has a "certified fresh" 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating 8.39 out of 10 based on 29 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Tense and gripping, Counterpart is an absorbing thrill-fest led by J. K. Simmons' multi-faceted dual lead performance."[27] On Metacritic, the first season has a score of 76 out of 100 based 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[28]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Jaafar, Ali; Andreeva, Nellie (April 22, 2015). "JK Simmons To Star In Starz Drama Series From 'The Imitation Game' Director". Deadline.com. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  2. ^ Patten, Dominic (November 2, 2017). "Starz Sets JK Simmons Starrer 'Counterpart' Premiere For Early 2018; Drops 1st Trailer". Deadline. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  3. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (September 30, 2016). "'Counterpart': Olivia Williams & Harry Lloyd To Co-Star In Starz Drama Series". Deadline. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Pedersen, Erik (October 26, 2016). "'Counterpart': Michael Nyqvist, Nazanin Boniadi, 2 Others Join Starz Spy Series". Deadline. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Petski, Denise (December 1, 2016). "'Counterpart': Ulrich Thomsen Joins In Recasting As Production Begins On Starz Spy Series". Deadline. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Petski, Denise (December 7, 2016). "'Counterpart': Mido Hamada & Kenneth Choi Join Starz Spy Series". Deadline. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  7. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 26, 2018). "'Counterpart': Betty Gabriel Joins Season 2 Cast Of Starz Series". Deadline. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  8. ^ Petski, Denise (January 17, 2017). "Guy Burnet Joins 'Counterpart' & 'Pitch Perfect 3'; Johnny Messner In 'Jane The Virgin'". Deadline. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  9. ^ a b c Petski, Denise (January 19, 2017). "'Counterpart': Stephen Rea, Richard Schiff & Sarah Bolger Set To Recur On Starz Spy Thriller". Deadline. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  10. ^ Petski, Denise (January 26, 2017). "'Counterpart' Casts Nolan Gerard Funk". Deadline. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Petski, Denise (March 30, 2017). "'Counterpart': Jacqueline Bisset, Stefan Kapicic, Five More Set To Recur On Starz Spy Thriller". Deadline. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  12. ^ "Shows A-Z - counterpart on starz". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  13. ^ a b "Counterpart – Crew". Starz. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  14. ^ Fred, Topel (January 19, 2018). "How 'Counterpart' Creator Justin Marks Created Two Worlds With Very Specific Rules [Interview]". /Film. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  15. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (January 23, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.21.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  16. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (December 12, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.10.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  17. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (January 30, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.28.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  18. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (February 6, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.4.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  19. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (February 13, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.11.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  20. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (February 21, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.18.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  21. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (February 27, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.25.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  22. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 6, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.4.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  23. ^ "Video: Starz Releases Official Trailer and Premiere Date for New Spy Thriller "Counterpart"". Starz (Press release). November 2, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  24. ^ Porter, Rick (February 8, 2018). "'Waco' premiere doubles in cable Live +7 ratings for Jan. 22-28". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  25. ^ Porter, Rick (February 15, 2018). "'The Alienist' doubles in cable Live +7 ratings for Jan. 29-Feb. 4". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  26. ^ Porter, Rick (February 22, 2018). "'Assassination of Gianni Versace' posts more big gains in cable Live +7 ratings for Feb. 5-11". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  27. ^ "Counterpart: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  28. ^ "Counterpart: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Counterpart_(TV_series)&oldid=830152093"