Counterpart Season 1 Episode 6 Review: Act Like You've Been Here Before
Carissa Pavlica
at
.
One of the benefits of a second watch through so early in the game is seeing the clues laid out along the way for the fun reveals.
On Counterpart Season 1 Episode 6 the two stories were finally tied together, even if there is still a long way to go until we discover the details of the other side's plan to take over the worlds.
I didn't see any chatter that correctly outed the mole before the reveal. That's some pretty good writing, folks.
The hour as a whole was somewhat disjointed, but I think it was done intentionally so the reveal would slap you upside the head at the end.
There has been so little contact with the latest team who arrived to be integrated into the embassy that it's almost easy to forget they're here.
Related: Counterpart Season 1 Episode 5 Review: Shaking the Tree
But Clare has been working very hard to bring in people from the other side to replace those here, and things came to a grinding halt when Baldwin allowed herself to get captured after a sudden rush of feelings upon spending a few minutes with her other.
Baldwin is still a wildcard when it comes to carrying out the plans. But she went to Clare and promised to finish the kills for the money, which she received.
At the same time, Baldwin was pretty ugly to Clare about living the lies she's forced to live to do the job, too.
Thinking back through Counterpart Season 1 so far, it wouldn't be too difficult to want to pull everything to do with Peter Quayle's life down to the ground. Clare shared with Baldwin once how desperately unhappy she was to be here all alone.
Related: Counterpart Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Both Sides Now
It might have sounded like a lie, but the man she lives with hates her. Whether he has always hated Clare and whether this Clare has always been the one married to Quayle seems like it might be better understood after Counterpart Season 1 Episode 7, but Quayle is not a good husband.
OHoward: How many more are there?
Quayle: What?
OHoward: The hookers. Do you keep a fucking rotation with them?
Quayle doesn't do much to give Clare pause about what she's doing to the father of her child (genetically speaking, at least). If he loved her and cared for her, she might have a more difficult time living with him while trying to destroy his life.
Related: Get Starz via Amazon Channels for Captivating Original Series & Hit Movies!
Instead, Quayle lives his life like a 1950's bachelor out of a Hollywood movie. All he needs is a little go-go music, a woman in a bathing cap peeking around the shower curtain and tray of martinis to make it look like a Dean Martin classic.
It was also why his eyes weren't on the ball, and his wife was swapped and playing spy games right under his nose. He took her for granted, tossing her off as just the boss' daughter and his wife. He'll live to regret that, won't he?
OHoward hasn't been there that long, and he's already begun putting the pieces together. Aldrich managed to finish the puzzle, but instead of it looking like a picture of the birthday boy, it probably looked more like a Picasso.
The previews prove Aldrich doesn't just blow away Quayle for being a traitor, so things get sorted out fairly quickly, but I loved the way everyone discovered the same information at the same time.
Related: Counterpart Season 1 Episode 3 Review: The Lost Art of Diplomacy
Quayle was investigating his coffee stains, Aldrich had fingered one dead comrade, and OHoward was teetering on the edge of the discovery.
They killed one of ours to make room for one of theirs, and we've missed it all this time.
Aldrich
It is going to be one pretty damned awkward birthday dinner party, don't you think?
Quayle and Aldrich will be eyeing everyone up and down to see who is not themselves. Hopefully, after Aldrich realizes it was Clare who was...killed, I guess, he'll convince the group to look at the bigger picture. Anybody may not be who they say they are.
Can you imagine?
At least someone had a good time. Part of the reason I'm not so sure Baldwin will go through with the assassinations is that she's going to want to stay on this side.
Greta is a pretty cool chick, and what were the odds Baldwin was going to find one of those at the first restaurant she went to and with the first person who served her free of charge? Pretty slim, if you ask me.
She saw what her other Nadia had when she went to her funeral, and Baldwin wants a part of it. If Nadia had it, Baldwin also knows she can have it. She's going to take it.
Related: Counterpart Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Birds of a Feather
The other side was really hopping, too. Howard is getting more impressive with every breath, but I hope he doesn't lose too much of himself while he's impersonating OHoward. The ease with which he took that lie detector test showed how much of OHoward he's got in him.
Of course, he knew he had nothing to fear because he had nothing to lie about. He had no idea what they were talking about. But a true whimpy guy would have worried anyway. If you say "I don't remember" instead of "I don't know," is that a lie? I'd think I was lying, but not Howard.
Sitting at the table, I didn't see any difference between him and OHoward, and that shows he's come a long way since Counterpart Season 1 Episode 1.
What the heck was going on in Pottsdam? What documents were they burning? We know there are plans to kill everyone over here (if we listen to Angel Eyes), but what are the plans for everyone over there? Color me intrigued.
Make sure you watch Counterpart online if you've not been paying attention to all the small stuff. Did you catch any clues along the way
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
