You may know him as Juno’s loving father in the Diablo Cody dramedy by the same name, the abusive yet respected professor in Whiplash (for which he received an Oscar), the voice of the yellow M&M, or even the Farmers Insurance guy. But no matter how you recognize him, one thing is true – J.K. Simmons has serious range and is a force to be reckoned with. Last December, Simmons again put his acting skills to the test starring in Counterpart, STARZ sci-fi thriller straight from the mind of writer Justin Marks (Jungle Book). I’m here to say that both the actor and the show deserve your attention – even if they were overlooked for Emmy nominations (though it did get a nom and win for Main Title Design).
It’s no secret that it’s often challenging for a project to be greenlit unless it’s based on original intellectual property or has strong packaging. Whether a book, comic, article, format, or concept that has already been proven to show success, it’s easier for studios and networks to take a chance on something that already resonates with the cultural zeitgeist. However, Counterpart is unlike any other show on television or OTT platform that I can find or immediately think of (and if there are, then tell me). If we want to see more original shows from the minds of really creative people, then we need to start and keep watching. That’s not to say series like Westworld, Game of Thrones, Homeland or the record number of revived sitcoms on broadcast TV don’t have merit, it’s simply to point out that there’s room for both. And thankfully, because of Amazon, Netflix, HULU and in this case, STARZ (owned by Lionsgate), we’re able to see Counterpart and other series come to life.
Olivia Williams and J.K. Simmons in Counterpart
Howard Silk (Simmons) is a seemingly nice guy. Employed as a member of the Interface team in the Office of Interchange in Berlin for 29 years and well-liked by his colleagues, he does the same menial tasks and performs the same routine daily, almost with robotic precision – no questions asked. But six weeks ago, his life changed when his wife, Emily (Olivia Williams) was involved in a hit-and-run. Concussed and in a coma, she clings to life on machines and a breathing tube with Howard visiting her daily after work, placing a single flower in a vase at the nurses station before heading into her hospital room to read to her. And on the day we are introduced to this character, Howard Silk breaks routine not once, but twice – alerting a co-worker to a stain on his tie (which breaks protocol) and deciding to go after what he thinks he’s deserving of for the first time in his life – a promotion. Soon, because of the actions of someone whose existence he’s unaware of, he’ll find himself trapped in between two worlds and become one of the very few people to meet their counterpart, a person who looks exactly like him – Howard Prime. Moving forward to cut down on confusion and also, because the writers room had to differentiate between the two Howard’s, i’ll refer to them as Alpha (our OG Howard) and Prime (our Other Side Howard).
During the Cold War, Eastern scientists had been experimenting when an accident occurred, unintentionally opening up a passage directly beneath where the Office of Interchange stands. “When you go through this door, you come out the Other Side – you’re in another world identical to ours,” OI Director of Strategy, Peter Qualye (Harry Lloyd) explains to Howard Alpha. Surprise, Howard – you’re working for a company that trades information, gathers intelligence and “keeps a lid” on the fact that 30 years ago, the world split in two. But, you also never asked what it is that you do here sooo *shoulder shrug emoji* You and your counterpart share genetics, you share a childhood, but you’re going to find out you’re entirely different people and as the audience, we get to watch it magically unfold.
On the Other Side, Howard Prime is higher in rank than our Howard Alpha, working in Section 2 – gathering a network of spies on the Alpha side. He’s come through what is known as The Crossing where upon entering a room handcuffed, head and face covered, he alerts a small team including Howard Alpha and OI Director of Strategy, Peter Qualye (Harry Lloyd) and OI Director of Intelligence, Aldrich (Ulrich Thomsen) that a contract assassin has been coming over from his side to kill (Baldwin, played by Sara Serraiocco). There has been a lot of in-fighting in leadership on the Other Side and it seems a faction has emerged, wanting to take over for reasons that aren’t clear as the pilot unfolds. Baldwin has already killed a lot of good men on his side and it seems the fight is spilling over. “I don’t know what this is, but it’s not random,” Prime discloses. The next hit on Baldwin’s list? Emily, currently in a coma who poses no danger to anyone. Howard Prime’s goal? Come to the Alpha side, pretend to be Howard Alpha, and take Baldwin out himself using his counterpart’s identity.
“The difference between you and me could be a single moment – one little thing gone wrong.” – Howard Prime
Howard Prime and Howard Alpha – J.K. Simmons pulls double duty in Counterpart
Yes, folks. We get J.K. Simmons in not one, but two very different roles acting against not only others, but himself in a feat that’s nothing short of spectacular to watch. While Simmons’ Howard Alpha is meek, mild, and lacks ambition, his Prime is bold, has confidence in spades, has a takes no prisoner’s attitude and could care less about formalities or breaking the rules. As you keep watching the series, you begin to notice subtle changes in BOTH Alpha and Prime in even more of an impressive blend of acting and character development.
Underneath the politics, secrecy, mystery, deceit, and espionage that unravels over ten hour long episodes is a show that subliminally asks its audience to question “what if life were different?” by examining both characters in the Alpha and Prime worlds. Love, loss, and yearning all go into building the fiber of who these characters truly are. For Howard Alpha and also Peter Qualye, we see lives they thought they had in direct opposition to a life each never got to have both through themselves, and reflected in others.
When you can create a world that simply doesn’t exist, yet lead a viewer to believe in it, that’s a sign of a well-crafted show. For me, the Counterpart pilot and subsequent episodes manage to do just that. Yes, there are times where Counterpart isn’t action packed but it’s during those moments where we build to a new reveal – a deeper mystery uncovered. Stick with it. Apart from Simmons, Williams, and Flloyd, we get two kick-ass females in Sara Serraiocco’s Baldwin (she learned English for this role!) and Nazanin Boniadi as Peter Qualye’s wife, Clare who plays a more significant role as the series progresses.
While the show is available on STARZ and also via the STARZ app, If you don’t get the network, Counterpart is available on Amazon Prime to members. Season 2 is slated to premiere in January but if you’re fortunate enough to be attending Austin Film Festival later this October, you’ll get a sneak peak of the Season 2 premiere from Marks himself.
MARISSA MONTICOLO 