• From: The 13th Floor
  • Registered: 2013-08-01
  • Posts: 404

Topic: Counterpart

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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, Prime, the show will navigate themes of identity, idealism, what ifs, and lost love.

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Counterpart is an unexpected, dark, quirky, noir sci-fi fantasy playing in today's world but within a setting mixed with modern (2017) and retro (1970's) locations and gizmos. The story is not about the past, it is about the present, but of 2 parallel worlds that connect. I don't want to give too much away so you'll have to find out the rest on your own. Trust me, you won't be disappointed, and if you haven't started watching this yet then I hope the reason is because you're waiting to binge the entire season after it ends. Otherwise you must have missed the memo! A must watch show for its high quality story telling, character build up, set design, music, editing and classic yet seamless directing. Oh, did I forget to mention that J.K. Simmons, whose double-barreled performance is GODLY phenomenal in this, works so subtly, and seemingly effortlessly, that you always know which Howard you’re watching, but you’re never aware of how you know. wink

This past episode 1x07 "The Sincerest Form of Flattery" has truly been the best episode so far and believe me that's saying a lot based on the previous six.

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  • Wizard
  • Wizard
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  • From: England
  • Registered: 2006-02-16
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Re: Counterpart

This is a really great show.  Great acting from both sides smile
Loving it so far

DRM "manages access" in the same way that Prison "manages freedom".
http://xkcd.com/488/

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  • From: essex
  • Registered: 2011-06-22
  • Posts: 9

Re: Counterpart

this show gets better and better every time i watch

Please, Captain, not in front of the Klingons
  • Registered: 2012-06-06
  • Posts: 666

Re: Counterpart

Especially now that they are providing more details on the backstory.

  • Moze
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  • Registered: 2008-08-12
  • Posts: 426

Re: Counterpart

Best show i've watched in ages, the acting and story telling is top notch!

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6 Reply by paisley1 (edited by paisley1 2018-03-10 19:07:41)

  • Registered: 2008-10-16
  • Posts: 1,787

Re: Counterpart

Amazing!  It's like a movie. 

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.

  • LuC
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Re: Counterpart

I really enjoy this show.

  • From: The 13th Floor
  • Registered: 2013-08-01
  • Posts: 404

Re: Counterpart

smile

Counterpart Season 2 Release Date, Cast News, and More...

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  • From: Raleigh (Triangle), NC
  • Registered: 2011-02-02
  • Posts: 20

Re: Counterpart

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.

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

--
The NSA - proof that Your Government really DOES listen to you!
  • Registered: 2018-03-21
  • Posts: 32

Re: Counterpart

I just recently discovered Counterpart. Good show! smile

11 Reply by scorpius074 (edited by scorpius074 2019-02-07 05:38:23)

  • From: The 13th Floor
  • Registered: 2013-08-01
  • Posts: 404

Re: Counterpart

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. smile

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12 Reply by herojig (edited by herojig 2019-01-27 07:09:32)

  • Registered: 2017-08-22
  • Posts: 6

Re: Counterpart

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 smile