Whatever one may think of the tests facing Copenhagen in the decidedly unreal real world, this science fiction-hued spy thriller removes itself from unpleasant current geopolitics to focus on one person's fictional plight.
The Copenhagen Test refers to a field evaluation of covert operatives in which following orders is weighed against an individual's morality.
We won't say how Alexander Hale (Simu Liu, Kim's Convenience, Shang-Chi) fares in it, although the test and its consequences play a significant role in the rest of the series.
Hale is an ambitious intelligence analyst (and former sniper) who yearns for fieldwork and jumps at the chance to work for The Orphanage – a highly secretive kind of "internal affairs department" that watches over other intelligence agencies.
There's a problem, though: his brain has been hacked. Someone, somewhere, can see and hear everything he does, and no doubt has some sinister intent – but to what end, remains a mystery to Hale's superiors.
His supervisor Peter Moira (Broadway star Brian d'Arcy James) wants to use the hack to lure out and expose the culprit. At the same time, analyst Parker (Sinclair Daniel, Insidious: The Red Door) provides valuable, erm, analysis of Hale's movements and actions.
Created by Thomas Brandon, a regular writer on The Originals spin-off Legacies, The Copenhagen Test also counts Liu and horror-meister James Wan among its executive producers.
The show does a neat job in its early instalments of keeping the audience off-balance in sync with Hale's own predicament, as he and those around him begin to realise the extent and potentially fatal implications of the hack.
The Orphanage surreptitiously (heh, love that word) pairs him with operative Michelle (Melissa Barrera, Abigail, the recent Scream movies) – coincidentally, someone with ties to Hale's Copenhagen moment – to flush out the hacker.
As anyone who's watched even the most rudimentary espionage thriller will attest, such a plan only looks good on paper.
True to form, The Copenhagen Test veers and twists from one snafu to another as unexpected factors, hidden players, and Hale's own inventiveness (much of it born out of desperation).
More surprisingly, it keeps a tight grip on the viewer's attention, a much firmer hold than most other endeavours of this sort usually muster.
Effective use is also made of its frequent revisits to earlier scenes and situations, adding a perspective or revelation on each second go-around that further illuminates events and decisions.
Liu and Barrera have convincing chemistry as fake/not-fake/fake-gain partners, while the series star himself makes the most of every opportunity here to showcase a broader range of his abilities.
They are ably backed up by a solid supporting cast, including veterans Saul Rubinek as Hale's mentor, Adam Godley as the enigmatic man with a cane, Adina Porter (True Blood) as inscrutable Orphanage senior Marlowe, and Kathleen Chalfant as The Orphanage's quietly intimidating boss.
It's to the show's credit that it keeps its side players competent and good at their jobs, seldom reducing them to ciphers, fodder, or doofuses who mess up solely to advance the plot – although I did have a minor issue with how Hale keeps getting the better of The Orphanage's most vaunted hatchet man.
Also, did the lighting have to be so darn low-key that I had to keep fighting the urge to turn up the brightness on my carefully-configured TV?
Another tick in the Win column is how it keeps things intriguing right to the very end of its (hopefully initial) eight-episode run, with a few surprises reserved right to the closing minutes.
The overall narrative may get a little jumbled at times, especially viewed in the light of its final revelations. However, in a day when it's far easier to succumb to a cynical world-view, The Copenhagen Test acquits itself by emphasising morality and conscience over the baser survival impulses. And that's enough to earn it more than just a passing grade.
All eight episodes of The Copenhagen Test are available on HBO Max.
Summary:
The windmills of his mind
