Set in a future Berlin, the series portrays two parallel universes connected by a portal that allows communication and travel for credentialed individuals. Both worlds have residents--counterparts--who appear physically identical but who may have different histories and personalities due to the time elapsed since the worlds split. Reflecting Cold War animosities, the two universes do not play well together.
Despite its intriguing premise, able cast, and slick opening credits and theme music, Counterpart fails to rise above a soap opera, with each episode offering only a vague plot, confusing relationships, unexplained violence, gratuitous nudity, sex, and f-words, and dialogue that sounds like the output of a random-sentence generator.
The phenomenal talent of J. K. Simmons in his dual role as Howard Silk keeps us watching, however. An ordinary office worker in one universe and an extraordinary spy in the other, Simmons inhabits both characters flawlessly, often in the same frame. Other cast members have the same opportunity, but Simmons nails it, maintaining every nuance of each personality. Still, the series gives us a jigsaw puzzle with most of the pieces lost.
Despite its intriguing premise, able cast, and slick opening credits and theme music, Counterpart fails to rise above a soap opera, with each episode offering only a vague plot, confusing relationships, unexplained violence, gratuitous nudity, sex, and f-words, and dialogue that sounds like the output of a random-sentence generator.
The phenomenal talent of J. K. Simmons in his dual role as Howard Silk keeps us watching, however. An ordinary office worker in one universe and an extraordinary spy in the other, Simmons inhabits both characters flawlessly, often in the same frame. Other cast members have the same opportunity, but Simmons nails it, maintaining every nuance of each personality. Still, the series gives us a jigsaw puzzle with most of the pieces lost.