Counterpart season 2, episode 8 recap: In from the Cold

Counterpart’s season two endgame springs into action in this week’s episode, “In from the Cold.” The past is revisited. Indigo’s phase two becomes clear. And long held secrets are let go. Let’s recap.

“In from the Cold” was written by Erin Levy (Madmen) and directed by Hanelle M. Culpepper (Star Trek: Discovery). Culpepper directed last week’s “No Strings Attached.” If there is a season three of Counterpart, I hope Culpepper returns. She really built on themes from last week.

Many characters declared their independence from the hot mess of interdimensional diplomacy. This week, many of those same characters felt a healthy dose of the fear that comes with new found freedom.

Houses

This week’s teaser features a sad and gloomy Baldwin (Sara Serraiocco). She’s in the old apartment of her Dimension One Other, Nadia Fierro. She sadly walks through the childhood memories and press clippings of Fierro’s tours. Like both did since they were children, Baldwin slips her boots off. Barefoot, she lifts a violin out of its case to play it.

While this is happening, Elyse Weinberg’s version of Houses is playing. Counterpart loves to use meaningful music in each episode, often in these teaser’s. Elyse Weinberg is actually similar to Nadia Fierro. Her 1968 debut album (which was either self-titled or had a very unfortunate title) got a lot of positive press. Cher even used one of the songs in her first movie. But when that song was credited to Sonny Bono, and a string of other bad luck fell upon Weinberg, she dropped out of the music scene. She changed her name to Cari Bishop and wasn’t really heard from for decades.

Counterpart-Something Borrowed-Courtesy of STARZ

A fork in the road forged by good fortune sounds familiar. Both versions of Nadia killed their father. But where Nadia Alpha found a creative outlet for her talents and emotions, Nadia Prime’s future is stunted by the München Flu. She has other talents that fracture her existence enough to change her name to Baldwin.

Read. Counterpart season 2, episode 7 recap: No Strings Attached. light

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A lot of the lyrics of Houses are super relevant to Counterpart. It’s one person talking to another. There are direct lines about the two being born in different times, not being able to make it in each other’s houses, and a future starting for the singer. I have to get to the actual recap of the episode at some point, but I’ll probably discuss this in more detail in another post.

After her soul-crushing visit down memory lane, Baldwin goes to visit Nadia’s grave. She’s confronted by Spencer (Ken Duken). Indigo had the place staked out for her. They need Emily Alpha (Olivia Williams) to be eliminated immediately. She’s becoming the same issue that precipitated her attempted murder six weeks prior to the series starting. There’s a bonus. If Baldwin kills Emily Alpha that night, Indigo will never bother her again. After what she did to Howard Prime’s (J.K. Simmons) team in “Point of Departure,” is she willing to risk hurting him even more.

Ghosts of Apocalypse Past

Last week, Quayle Alpha (Henry Lloyd) and Clare Prime (Nazanin Boniadi) were on the run with baby Girl Spencer. Quayle Alpha had just quit the Office of Interchange, which eliminated both his and Clare Prime’s usefulness to Indigo. Plus, Howard Prime was coming to visit to go over the next steps after the fiasco of “Shadow Puppets.”

Counterpart-Shadow Puppets-Courtesy of STARZ

They end up at the Dimension One location of Indigo’s headquarters. It’s basically Indigo Alpha. While the school that trained Clare Prime to be Shadow, Indigo Prime, is in Dimension Two, the same building is used on the Alpha side as a place for transitioning sleepers to stop on their way to integrating into Dimension One. Since everyone is now in place, it’s empty. The Quayles should be safe.

But Clare Prime is haunted by her childhood. I mean, the teenaged version of Clare Prime is found in the corner of a cupboard cold and afraid. Clare Prime recalls a lot of her indoctrination via Mira Prime (Christiane Paul). That includes losing Boy Spencer and mourning her parents. It also includes her learning the truth about how Pope (Stephen Rhea) had her parents killed in order to recruit her because of who their Alphas were.

This all flashes past Clare Prime in a dream. While she’s down, Quayle Alpha is doting on baby Girl Spencer, who has a little bit of diaper rash. When Quayle Alpha is looking for cream in the diaper bag, he notices the lining is a bit torn. He picks at it and discovers the thumb drive that has Pope’s taped confession to having had Clare Prime’s parents murdered. He listens.

Counterpart-Peter Quayle-Courtesy of STARZ

Quayle Alpha gently confronts Clare Prime. She admits that the revelation has her losing her iron grasp on things. She doesn’t understand how she could still love her. Quayle Alpha, experience on his side, knowingly looks at Clare Prime and says, it’s natural. “You love her and hate her at the same time.”

As the truest couple they’ve ever been, the Quayle’s search the rest of Indigo Alpha looking for clues. They discover one of those crates that Clare Prime helped Spencer’s sleeper cell carry last week. They open it and discover that it is a version of the München Flu Prime that has been engineered for years to mimic the exact biological havoc the München Flu Alpha did. So. This is what balancing the two sides of power means to Indigo.

The two admit that they’re screwed. What is their next move? There’s a knock on Naya Temple’s (Betty Gabriel) door. She answers in her jammies with her jammie in hand. She wants to turn the Quayles away until Quayle Alpha introduces Clare Prime as Shadow.

Perfect Strangers

Howard Prime does make it to the Quayle’s home. He finds nothing there and returns home, having completely duped the security detail. Emily Alpha wants to talk to Howard Prime. As they sit down, Emily Alpha admits that she remembers things being placed differently in the house. This is because Emily Alpha is remembering her time living in place of Emily Prime during one of her rehab stints.

She goes to a portrait and tears-off the backing. In it, she finds a drawing signed by Anna, the daughter that the Silk Alpha’s never had. Howard Prime reacts, but it’s not out of loss. He’s upset that this version of Emily visited his daughter.

Counterpart-Emily-Courtesy of STARZ

Emily Alpha goes on to mention that the Howard Prime she met in Dimension Two was a violent man with no kindness in his face. Since Emily Alpha is actually talking to Howard Prime, he just guffaws and smiles. But, you know what? There’s no kindness there. Howard Alpha always has this humble peace over him. That’s all due to J.K. Simmons acting ability. But does Emily Alpha pick up on this?

Like a happy couple working the New York Times crossword puzzle, the two happily bond over code breaking. A cipher was stashed in a favorite book of Emily’s. The actual code was creepily left in Emily Alpha’s handwriting and phonics rehab worksheets. They discover the code is for an address. Emily Alpha is so happy that she tells Howard Prime that he should sleep in their room tonight. Aww emojis!

But, Howard Prime’s version of Walter White’s burner phone wakes him up. Baldwin has left word for him that Indigo is coming for Emily Alpha. while she refused the job, it appears Baldwin took up the role of guardian angel. When the two assassins enter the house, Howard Prime kills them both. Emily Alpha bursts out of her bedroom with a gun and asks where her real husband is. Howard Prime admits that Howard Alpha is in Dimension Two. Emily Alpha kicks Howard Prime out.

Yanek was Right

Howard Alpha has a bullet in his gut. Emily Prime brings him to the resort seen in “Point of Departure.” She calls in their daughter, Anna Prime (Sarah Bolger), to save Howard Alpha. Let’s make a clear note, here: the München Flu Prime may have set back advancements in Dimension Two that involved smartphones. But their medical equipment, especially the portable stuff, is impressive. It makes sense. Necessity required something special.

Counterpart-Shadow Puppets-Courtesy of STARZ

After Anna Prime saves Howard Alpha, who is totally confused about being called dad, she asks Emily Prime what’s going on here. Emily admits that they are both spies. This actually relieves Anna Prime. And that relieves Emily Prime. Anna Prime recounts this time the two spent at this resort one time. Emily Prime doesn’t recall it. that hurts Anna Prime a little. She had even drawn a picture of it. Yup. That’s the picture that Emily Alpha had hidden.

Emily Alpha recognizes this and discusses things with Howard Alpha. He thinks they should turn themselves in because he’s finally ready to spy on or confront Emily Alpha. I think it’s kind of sweet the way things have turned. It’s proof that opposites attract. Howard Alpha and Emily Prime are far more compatible and would make a good couple. Howard Prime and Emily Alpha would not make a good couple, but they are both sharp operatives who really don’t like people. They deserve each other.

Next. Counterpart: Season two ratings are down. Is it time to worry?. dark

As Emily Prime ponders this walking the outside grounds of the resort in early glimpses of daylight, she calls Ian (Nicholas Pinnock). She tells him that the two are ready to make a deal with Management. “In from the Cold” is generally a reference to spies coming in from a cold war. That happened to a lot of heroes and foes this week. What kind of powder keg is this leading to in the final two episodes of the season?

Having you been keeping up with this season of Counterpart? Did you like “In from the Cold?” Let’s discuss in the comments!

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