The Copenhagen Test takes us into the world of espionage and makes us privy to certain interesting characters. These characters directly or indirectly had an impact on our protagonist, Alexander Hale’s life, while he was on his quest to find out who had hacked his brain. So let’s find out more about these characters and understand their motivations and sensibilities.
Spoiler Alert
Simu Liu as Alexander Hale
If I had to describe Alexander Hale in one word, then I would say he was a true patriot. That man knew the price he would have to pay to serve his country, but he took that challenge and succeeded with flying colors. Alexander Hale knew that because he was of Chinese descent, things wouldn’t be as easy for him as they would for his American colleagues. He knew that he would have to prove himself at every step. Alexander was surprised when he got to know that he was the main suspect in the Orphanage’s internal inquiry. There came a point when he almost took the decision to go into hiding. In retrospect he would have been relieved that he didn’t make that choice. Though Alexander overcame all the obstacles that came his way and succeeded in his mission, he still needs to resolve certain issues and make certain important calls. He had gotten to know that the man he trusted the most, his uncle, Victor, was the one who had hacked his brain, and in fact he had done the same thing to four other agents too. Alexander will have to find a way to stop him, as otherwise members of the Orphanage would definitely eliminate him. I think Alexander and his colleague, Agent Michelle, will cross paths once again. Alexander had undoubtedly fallen in love with her, and I believe that he would do anything to keep her safe.
Sinclair Daniel as Samantha Parker
Samantha Parker was one of the brightest minds in the Orphanage, and I believe that St. George, the head of the organization, had done a fabulous job hiring her as an analyst. Samantha was charged with tracking Alexander’s movements and figuring out what was going on inside his mind. Samantha understood Alexander’s sensibilities, and she had her own way of figuring out what he could do next. Had it not been for Samantha, I believe that the Orphanage would have definitely killed Alexander under the presumption that he had gone rogue. The difference between Samatha and the other members of the organization was that she not only wanted to succeed in her mission, but she also wanted to make sure there were no casualties along the way. She wanted to be certain that she had tried her level best to save a person before giving up on them. Samantha was promoted to the position of assistant director of operations, and I believe she will play a critical role in season 2 (if there is one).
Adam Godley as Frederick Schiff
It is said that the feeling of revenge can really drive a person to extremes. Frederick Schiff, who worked as a consultant for the Intelligence Department, had waited for years to find out who St. George was. He was working for the US government in East Berlin, and he believed that once his work was done, St. George would come for his rescue and take him to the US. But Schiff was abandoned and left to die in Berlin. That was the day when he decided that, no matter what happened, he would take revenge on St. George. Though Schiff was not able to do so, he did meet St. George at the end of season 1, and asked her why she betrayed him. I wouldn’t be surprised if Schiff starts working for the Orphanage in the second season, because the man did have some influential contacts that could be of use for the agency.
Kathleen Chalfant as St. George
St. George, I believe, was one of the founding members of the Orphanage. She has the knack for scouting the best people for the job, and probably that’s how she has ensured that no Orphanage agent has been compromised in the history of the organization. St. George was an experienced intelligence officer, and she was always a step ahead of the rest. I believe St. George saw herself in Samantha, and she knew that, though the latter was young, she had the potential to become one of the top agents of the country. St. George had gotten to know about Victor’s involvement in the brain hacking operation, and it will be interesting to find out what she does next.
Brain d’Arcy James as Peter Moira
Peter Moira was one of the senior members of the Orphanage. He reported directly to St. George, and he had a huge amount of respect for her. Though we didn’t come to know how Moira joined the organization, he did hint at the fact that he owed his life to St. George. Peter knew that though Schiff had been caught, there were still people out there who could be proved to be a threat to the country.
Mark O’Brien as Edmond Cobb
Cobb was Alexander’s colleague and Schiff’s nephew. Though he was a loyal and honest agent, his problem was that he let his animosity towards Alexander get the better of him. He suspected Alexander to be the spy who was leaking information to the North Koreans, and he was shocked when the latter got a promotion. Edmond trusted the wrong people, and he spent all his energy looking for evidence that could prove his belief to be true. Cobb, till the very end, had no clue that his uncle was the one who was leaking information to various foreign intelligence agencies. Cobb was made a covert agent in the end and given the task of keeping an eye on the CIA agents and their activities.
Saul Rubinek as Victor
Victor worked quite closely with St. George back in the day, and I don’t know what happened to him to make him so distrustful of the Orphanage. He always told Alexander that once a person stepped into the world of intelligence gathering and espionage, there was no escape from it. That’s probably why Victor wanted to have some leverage over the Orphanage, and he decided to hack the brains of 5 agents. What was he trying to achieve by doing so, and what was his end goal? Nobody knew. But he did tell Alexander everything at the end of season 1. Maybe he wanted Alexander to work for him, because otherwise there was no point in revealing all his cards. Victor will have a faceoff with St. George in season 2, as she also knows the truth about him now, and that’s when we will come to know what he had in his mind.
Melissa Barrera as Michelle
Michelle was a covert agent who was given the task of staying close to Alexander and finding out what he was up to. Though whatever Michelle did was a part of her job, she did develop feelings for Alexander in the end. Michelle had a troubled past, but Samantha made sure that her criminal records were deleted from the database, and it was because of that that she got an opportunity to start afresh. Michelle met Alexander at the end of season 1, and she told him to find her once he was done with the world of espionage. But I think they both will meet sooner than they had thought. Michelle was being tracked by one of the agents whose brains had been hacked by Victor. She was in trouble, and I don’t think she knew about it. If Alexander found out that there was a threat to her life, he would definitely come to her rescue. I wouldn’t be surprised if Michelle and Alexander joined forces in season 2 and went on a mission together.
Hannah Cruz as Rachel Kasperian
Rachel was Alexander’s ex-fiancée, and she was the one who gave him anti-anxiety pills, which had certain substances that hacked his brain. At the end of season 2, we got to know that Rachel was working for Victor, and whatever she did with Alexander was all part of her plan. There was a part of Rachel that did fall for Alexander, but her priorities were clear, and she was way too headstrong to let her heart govern her actions. Rachel’s behavior was evidence of the fact that Victor was up to something really big. Rachel didn’t let her emotions get the better of her, even when she knew that Alexander might die due to the brain hacking. It would be interesting to see what role Rachel plays in season 2 and how Victor uses her to his advantage.
Helen and Preston
Helena and Preston were Alexander’s parents, and all their lives they had worked extremely hard to prove their loyalty towards the United States of America. Back in the day, Helen and Preston had helped Victor in his mission in China. By doing so they had probably become a threat to the Chinese government, and so Victor had made arrangements and brought them to the States. Life was good after they moved to the US, but they knew that their son could also become a victim of biased attitudes in the future. They had made Victor promise them that, no matter what happened, he needed to take care of their son. They were present in the cafe when Schiff’s men came to attack them, and they couldn’t have been more proud of their son after they witnessed his heroics.
