[yasr_overall_rating]
A hapless UN employee discovers the agency he works for is hiding a gateway to a parallel dimension that’s in Cold War with our own, and where his other self is a top spy. The war slowly heats up thanks to spies from both sides.
Parallel worlds, the concept has always been fascinating. A doppelgänger of yourself exists, maybe more successful, more handsome, dating the person you wish you were with. In this series, the two worlds are in quiet conflict, keeping most of the action secretive. Counterpart captures spies, contract killers, and the uninformed citizens caught in between.
The series opens with a walloping image of shards of glass covering the sidewalk like snowflakes with a body falling to the ground. Above, fireworks fill the night sky whilst Berlin Polizei descend on a luxurious hotel suite to find a girl hiding in a shower. Not everything is at it seems, immediately she’s revealed to be a calculating assassin. There are two worlds where people share counterparts living completely different yet intersecting lives.
J.K. Simmons, with typical aplomb, plays the dual lead roles of Howard Silk. Ever since his breakout role as an imprisoned complex white supremacist in the HBO hard-hitting yet enlightening prison series “Oz,” he has demanded audience’s attention. In the more relatable world, Howard is a lowly bureaucrat working in a Kafkaesque building doing “interface.” He discovers a portal to another world where he meets his counterpart. His counterpart (to differentiate let’s call him by his last name) Silk, who happens to be a capable deadly spy. Silk is dressed in black, confident, and usually two steps ahead. Howard is dressed in drab colors and has been working for a shadowy company, unquestioning anything for 30 years. Howard’s wife is in a coma after being hit by a car, Silk’s wife allegedly died from cancer some time ago. Simmons brilliantly juxtaposes the knowledgeable, well-postured spy to the ignorant unmotivated employee. The two men must work together to reckon with their parallel worlds’ covert wars.
The production design and cinematography is fabulous. The colors are stark, like a cold Berlin winter, interspersed with settings and buildings that breathe vivid life. The action choreography is at times symphonic and utterly engaging. There’s some great music supervision as well, the superb Velvet Underground Avant-Garde alumnus John Cale track “Big White Cloud” quietly lingers while Silk takes out ambushing enemies. It’s an ambitious story, but it stays grounded and interesting. Luckily it’s been renewed for a second season. With the analogous atmospheres, they lay down a foundation of subversive subconsciously delving analysis.
Now available on Blu-ray & DVD
