Counterpart: The Crossing

December 10, 2017 7:33 PM - Season 1, Episode 1

A man working at a Berlin-based spy agency learns the organization safeguards a parallel dimension.

Den of Geek - With Counterpart, Starz presents a complex spy thriller within a parallel worlds sci-fi premise, but it’s a slow burn. (spoiler free review based on first 4 episodes)

posted by oh yeah! (8 comments total)

I watched this premiere after the Outlander season finale, didn't realize until after I submitted the show that it doesn't officially start until January 21, so there isn't much coverage on the tv sites, and I guess most people won't have seen it. (Though it looks like you can stream the first episode on Starz.com or the app.)

Anyway, I enjoyed J.K. Simmons' dual role acting, and am curious to see where the plot goes.
posted by oh yeah! at 8:08 PM on December 10, 2017 [3 favorites]

This was great. I'm excited for the real premiere and the series. It's hardly a secret at this point, but J.K. Simmons is a wonder.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:14 PM on December 18, 2017 [2 favorites]

It's hardly a secret at this point, but J.K. Simmons is a wonder.

I think it was as Chief Pope in The Closer that I first really noticed him as more than a "Hey It's That Guy" guy. When they reveal that the backstory for him and Brenda was that they'd had an affair; Simmons is such a nondescript looking guy - not ugly, but not strikingly handsome, just an ordinary guy-in-a-suit guy. But there was this moment of chemistry between them that was just, wowsa, where I could totally buy that he could inspire bad-decision sex.

So, yeah, I loved the contrast between the two Howards in Counterpart. It's not some huge difference in costumes or mannerisms, just a difference of intensity/confidence/power. There was never any question which Howard was which in any scene, so I'm looking forward to seeing if that changes over the course of the season. Will mild-mannered Howard become more like his counterpart? Or the reverse?
posted by oh yeah! at 6:45 PM on December 18, 2017 [2 favorites]

Here's a fun fact you might or might not know: JK Simmons is ripped.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:13 AM on December 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

I do like JK Simmons, and I do like spy stuff, so I'm ready to keeping going after the first episode we watched last night.

The vagueness of the setting, 15 minutes into the future with a police-light authoritarian feel. An invisibly split Berlin.

I laughed when the hospital where one nurse told the other nurse something like, "Don't talk to a sad man," and I couldn't help but thinking of other possible German proverbs.. "Do not help to the weak, for their repayment is always tin." "Look not at the crying person. Their tears do not scrub out."

I'd probably like a little more spy stuff with JK Simmons character before I'm asked to care this much about his wife and brother and signing a thing ... At the same time, the way they made sure you saw the flower vase part of the routine, it made the characters look kind of dumb.. I'm hoping the spy stuff will be better in later episodes.
posted by fleacircus at 3:13 AM on January 22, 2018 [2 favorites]

I love this sort of thing- semi-dystopian covert/spyworld but still peppered with recognizable modern cultural/technological elements that allow me to feel connected. Cell phones here but small green-text CRTs there? Cutting edge medical facility here, but room full of old-school reel-to-reels there? What IS this place/time/world? Sign me up!

Knowing that in the past, shows that started burning slow usually kept my attention the best, I was fine with just letting this episode do its thing. Simmons is excellent in this. Agreed that even in the same clothing it was instantly apparent which Howard was which. Definitely looking forward to the rest of the series, especially when I spotted longtime fave Stephen Rea as an upcoming character!
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 4:32 AM on February 19, 2018

fleacircus, I think the main thrust of focusing on his wife was best spotted in the preview where DarkHoward's lie about her status became apparent. Why did he lie about her?? She's important to the story, so they had to set that up somehow.
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 4:34 AM on February 19, 2018

Just started watching this tonight. Really enjoying it so far. Simmons is great, callow young boss is fun, assassin chick is 0.5 dimensional so far but cool and has room to grow.
posted by harriet vane at 7:56 AM on January 12, 2019