Review – Simu Liu Anchors a Characer Driven Spy Thriller in ‘The Copenhagen Test’

The Copenhagen Test is the kind of series we don’t see too often anymore. It’s a throwback style spy thriller with a focus on characters, story and twists that keep the viewer guessing. Starring Simu Liu, who also serves as Executive Producer, and Melissa Barrera, the spy thriller adds a modern twist, as Liu plays an intelligence operative whose brain, eyes and ears have been hacked.

Produced by James Wan’s Atomic Monster studio, The Copenagen Test features an intriguing premise, strong character dynamics and a healthy does of spy action.

All 8-episodes of The Copenhagen Test release Saturday, December 27th on Peacock.

Official Synopsis

This espionage thriller series follows first-generation Chinese-American intelligence analyst Alexander Hale (Simu Liu) who realizes his brain has been hacked, giving the perpetrators access to everything he sees and hears. Caught between his shadowy agency and the unknown hackers, he must maintain a performance 24/7 to flush out who’s responsible and prove where his allegiance lies.

Review – A Throwback Spy Thriller With a Modern Tech Twist

Spy thrillers have always been strong crowd pleasers. Who doesn’t like jumping into the mysterious and fascinating world of espionage and intelligence from the safety of their own screens? The spy world is so intriguing because we all suspect that there are some deep cover workings going on around us, but most of us will never have any idea what is actually happening. To fill that curiosity void, story-tellers have long thrived by creating shows and films that claim to give us a peak into that unknowable world.

Shows and films about the spy world hit peak popularity in the 1960s spurred by Cold War tensions. That’s when James Bond, Mission: Impossible and Get Smart dominated pop culture, and many of those stories endured for decades. And while Tom Cruise has elevated Mission: Impossible into a genuine blockbuster film franchise, and shows like The Americans had sought to modernize the genre, it’s been several years since we’ve seen a good spy thriller.

That changes with The Copenhagen Test, about a fictional covert department called The Orphanage, designed to act as an internal affairs for U.S. intelligence agencies. As one might expect, an agency that’s charged with spying on the spies needs to be made up of the best of the best, and that makes The Orphanage the kind of cloak and dagger group that every spy wants to be a part of. One such operatives is Alexander Hale (Simu Liu), a former special forces sharp shooter whose parents were brought over from China as refugees.

After a rescue mission goes wrong, Hale takes a desk job pouring over North Korean recordings in search of data that the U.S. might need to be flagged. As a Chinese-American son of immigrants, Hale is eager to prove his loyalty to the U.S. He and his parents chase an undying need to be the best Americans possible, justifying their presence in a country where they will always feel like foreigners (Hale’s parents even changed his Chinese last name to an American sounding one to help facilitate his acceptance). Of course, one might ask why a Chinese-American agent is in charge of reviewing North Korean tapes, but the rest of the cultural elements are strong enough to make it easy to overlook that awkward set-up.

An Immigrant Story on Identity and Loyalty Add Emotional Stakes

The immigrant story being centered in The Copenhagan Test is a unique element that has largely been non-existent in past spy stories. The fact that Hale and his family are desperate to prove that they are the most loyal and honest Americans, reflects the model-minority stereotype that is pervasive in Asian American and other immigrant communities. It adds an extra character driven urgency to the story, as the question of whether Hale has turned on the U.S. becomes a question of whether he has also betrayed everything his parents hold dear.

Liu serving as Executive Producer on the series and James Wan’s Atomic Monster studio producing, help infuse a unique cultural element that is rare in stories like this. Indeed, having an Asian Canadian as the lead of this spy thriller, along with a Mexican-American co-star in Barrera, makes this series stand out amongst others within the genre.

The series also has a modern technological twist, as Hale soon finds that his brain has been hacked by an unknown actor, compromising his eyes and ears. Everything he sees and hears is instantly transmitted to this shadowy party, which is less than ideal for someone pursuing a career in highly classified information.

One might think that a walking human hot spot would quickly be eliminated by an intelligence agency, but instead they do what they do best – use people for their own benefit. Hale is instead promoted “upstairs” to The Orphanage, a bittersweet moment of being given the promotion and recognition he long desired but for all the wrong reasons. There, operatives Samantha Parker (Sinclair Daniel), Peter Moira (Brian d’Arcy James) and the mysterious founder of The Orphanage, St. George (Kathleen Chalfant), convince Hale to let them use him as bait to figure out who hacked him. To do so, Hale must be attached to Michelle (Melissa Barrera), a fake love interest who is charged with the dual role of keeping Hale safe and in check.

A Strong Supporting Cast and Standout Character Dynamics

The series is full of strong character moments, led by Liu and Daniel, who play two characters deeply connected and yet completely isolated. Daniel’s Parker is charged with becoming an expert in Hale’s psychology, knowing him better than he knows himself, which allows The Orphanage to manipulate him. Yet, as Parker gets to know Hale so well, she develops an empathy for his journey.

For Liu, who is best known for starring in the ensemble comedy Kim’s Convenience and playing the first Marvel superhero, Shang-Chi, the series allows him to shine as an action hero with as much strength in his emotional connection to those around him as in his fighting abilities. Liu’s Hale is relatable and easy to cheer for, and while you never really think he would break bad, there’s just enough danger to those he loves to make it plausible. Of course, it would be silly to waste Liu’s Marvel action talents, and the series does an excellent job of giving him the right amount of scenes to flex his skills, while not overindulging in the spectacle. This isn’t The Bourne Identity or Cruise’s Mission: Impossible, and the restraint should be applauded.

Through seven and a half of the eight-episode first season, The Copenhagen Test is fast, exciting and intriguing. The binge drop on Peacock will be welcomed by viewers eager to click through to the next episode after each previous one ends. The finale however is where the pacing falters. Instead of culminating in an exciting conclusion, the primary story wraps up too conveniently half-way, leaving the rest of the final episode feeling like an overly long epilogue. That’s essentially what it is, as co-showrunners Thomas Brandon and Jennifer Yale clearly have more story they want to tell. I just wish they didn’t spend so much time setting up a follow-up when a thrilling finale episode would more likely improve the odds of a sophomore season.

A lackluster finale aside, The Copenhagen Test is a series that fans of the genre will welcome, with the added cultural and technological twists that should attract new audiences.

Rating: 3/5 Pocky

Ron Seoul-Oh

Ron is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of POC Culture.  He is a big believer in the power and impact of pop culture and the importance of representation in media.