Abhiroop Das
Created by Thomas Brandon, Peacock’s ‘The Copenhagen Test‘ traces the life of an intelligence analyst named Alexander Hale, as he comes to the chilling realization that his senses are hacked. Subjected to an unknown bio-experiment, he now serves as the eyes and ears of a terrorist entity that seeks to pierce the heart of The Orphanage, a clandestine agency that oversees all intelligence networks in the homeland. In season 1 of this spy thriller show, Alexander makes a deal with The Orphanage to keep the surveillance open, supplying fake intel to the hackers till they are ultimately caught. However, the game of trust quickly gets out of the agency’s hands, forcing Alexander to make one life-threatening decision after another.
While the terrorist, Frederick Schiff, is ultimately caught, it soon becomes apparent that he is not the original hacker and that Victor Simonek, Alexander’s mentor, is at the core of this operation. As such, season 1 ends on a cliffhanger, forcing Alexander into making the most difficult choice of his life. While Peacock has not greenlit a second season as of writing, in the best-case scenario, fans can expect a sequel to hit the screens sometime around late 2027.
The Copenhagen Test Season 2 Will Likely Explain Victor’s Grand Plans
While the inaugural season ends by revealing Victor to be the mastermind behind the hack, it does not explain why he is doing all of this in the first place. Additionally, we are introduced to five more assets, namely B. Rao, N. Doherty, M. Cyr, J. Schweiters, and T. Ferriera, who are all being surveilled through their eyes and ears. Given that Cyr is the only one out of these who knows that he has been hacked, it is possible that the season will also follow his perspective. This is important because Cyr also happens to be tailing Michelle, intentionally or not. Her pursuit of a new life is now actively in jeopardy, and we might see her and Alexander’s trajectories intersect once again.
The biggest question going into the potential second season is whether Alexander will join Victor’s side or stay with The Orphanage. A key factor in this decision will be learning Victor’s real motivations, and specifically how they tie into Rachel’s plan of action. At the end of season 1, Rachel’s past is confirmed to be an active part of the hacking plan, and her seeming drive for vengeance is bound to raise some questions. To that end, a sequel might shine a light on her past and that of other members of Victor’s team. The through line between all of these characters might help explain their goals, which so far appear to be a total attack on global intelligence networks. There is also the mystery of how Alexander fits into the larger scheme of things, as his ultimate decision can make or break the operation.
The Copenhagen Test Season 2 Might Welcome Several New Characters Into the Mix
Given how much the ending of season 1 expands the story’s horizons, fans can expect a number of fresh talents joining the cast for a potential sequel. Still, the focus is unlikely to shift from the strongly developed core cast, with actor Simu Liu most likely to return as the protagonist, Alexander Hale. Sinclair Daniel and Brian d’Arcy James also have a strong chance of reprising their roles as Parker and Peter Moira, respectively. While the character of Michelle is set to leave the spy world behind, the final scene of season 1 strongly indicates that her role isn’t over yet, which means that actor Melissa Barrera’s return to the show is highly likely. It remains to be seen whether or not actor Kathleen Chalfant will reprise the role of St. George, as the spymaster hints at retirement numerous times in the finale.
With the reveal of Victor Simonek as the main antagonist of the story, actor Saul Rubinek’s role in a potential continuation of the story is bound to be pretty major, and the same holds true for actor Hanna Cruz, who portrays Rachel Kasperian, Victor’s co-conspirator in the hack. In addition, the five hacked assets have a strong chance of becoming major players in the second season. Among these, M. Cyr has the highest potential of rising up the narrative ranks, as he’s the only person besides Alexander who is aware of their sensory hack.
The Copenhagen Test Season 2 Will Likely Dive Deeper Into Alexander’s Identity Crisis
Throughout the various twists and turns of the show, Alexander’s struggles with his identity have served as a thematic backbone of sorts, and that is more noticeable than ever in the season 1 finale. With even the most trusted person in his life, Victor, now compromised, Alexander has no one else to look up to, and that makes for an emotionally resonant beat in his character arc. To that end, season 2 has the opportunity to explore his dynamic with Victor in greater detail, potentially baking more flashbacks into the story, just like the previous season’s utilized the carousel as a narrative device. Conversely, Alexander might be at the cusp of betraying The Orphanage, and there is plenty of room to explore what that means for both him and the agency.
Adding more tension to a potential sequel is the possibility that Moira and his team are already aware of Victor’s involvement in the hack, as indicated by St. George and Parker’s respective deductions. In such a scenario, they may already be concocting a plan without telling Alexander, which in turn sets up another three-way clash for season 2. For Parker, this means navigating through rough terrain, especially since she has been promoted to the position of assistant director within the agency. Given that she has just started to appreciate her job and the lives it saves, going toe-to-toe against Alexander of all people is a heartbreaking possibility, one that might soon become a reality. The same also holds true for Cobb, who is now being primed as an agent for The Orphanage, making it likely that Alexander will have to fight his allies sooner rather than later.
Read More: The Copenhagen Test: Is The Orphanage Based on a Real Intelligence Agency?
