"The Copenhagen Test" is a espionage thriller that's somewhat lacking. Whilst the cast is mostly pretty capable and the action scenes, are competently done, where this series falls down, is the story, rather noticeably, just doesn't hold together all that well. The notion of a US spy with a hacked brain, where everything he sees and does, is monitored by an unknown, presumably hostile group, isn't a great foundation to build upon. The result is a lot of contrived, often awkward, scenes, that visibly don't function as the script probably hoped they would.
A dash of the by now expected but nonetheless tiresome, woke nonsense and US exceptionalism, doesn't help either.
In summary, slow, with a core premise, that was never going to be easy to work with from a storytelling perspective, "The Copehagen Test", is a rather bland watch.
Simu Liu cannot act his way out of a paper bag. He should never been put into the position of a lead role. He is a "charisma vacuum" and Peacock needs to fire the cast dept for this entire show. I cannot believe how atrocious the acting is. I bet everyone on the set of the show were embarrassed. The producers, the directors, the actors all obviously know they are putting out SLOP.
The plot and the story are pretty basic and simple-minded too. Who is actually hiring these writers? And who is running Peacock right now? It seems like all they put out is garbage, over and over. Maybe someday people will get hired for their **ability**, not the checkboxes these network demands. All I know is that sooner or later the money will stop spewing out of their diversity firehoses and we'll get back to decent TV. 🤞🏻
_The Copenhagen Test_ is _Kingsman_ but serious, if it met _The Truman Show_ but worse.
Espionage is in itself a tough choice for a dramatic thriller, as the nature of the always levelheaded, astute spy archetype doesn't lend itself into actually dramatic and compelling performances, which is precisely the problem in a series that takes itself too seriously. The Copenhagen Test also lacks any subtlety, it holds the viewer's hand all throughout the story and can't possibly make up for it with a surprising turn at any point.
You can't find it in you to care about practically any one character in this, for Liu's performance is lackluster at best and Barrera (whose involvement I was the most excited about, and who is second down the credits line) is unfortunately underutilized. Really, the true star of this show is Sinclair Daniels as Parker, the only character performed with enough openness and time to make contact with the spectator. Motives are all over the place, or backstories unfinished, I don't care about any of these people.
Thematically, it's but another propagandistic tale of the US government running amok, shooting itself and everyone within distance in the foot in its own interest and getting away with it. Nothing ultimately new nor subversive about it, specially not with it all closing in on "family". _(The other reviewer had me thinking there was gonna be something woke, but no, just a predominantly racialized cast and two seconds worth of Head Asshole octagerian lesbians)._
