The Copenhagen Test Recap ‘Glass House’: Seven Words

The Copenhagen Test Season 1 Episode 2

The second episode provided much context on what happened in the first, and turned up the storytelling a few notches. Melissa Barrera was phenomenal as Michelle, the experienced agent tasked as the implant into Alexander’s life – to save his life, or kill him if necessary. When the show showed how Michelle had practiced practically the exact words she used on Alexander, an exercise in subtle seduction – romantically for whoever was watching, to gain his trust for the unwitting mole turned asset – we were suddenly transported into a far more fascinating show. And, when the episode ended with predictive analyst Samantha Parker (Sinclair Daniel) switching up from profiling Alexander to profiling Michelle, that added another layer of cool complexity into the show. Okay, The Copenhagen Test, I’m in.

A month ago, The Orphanage found a screenshot of a computer screen that the Chinese intelligence passed on to the North Korean police. It was how they learned that Alexander Hale’s eyes and ears were hacked using the Cassandra U-358 technology.

The Orphanage was warned this could happen, by Samantha, whose concerns were largely dismissed until St. George sent Moira to find the person to whom they did not listen and give them a job. Samantha was brought into Operation Claymore, which to everyone inside The Orphanage except for a select few, was a boring training exercise. What Moira wanted was to build a world around Alexander so that they controlled what he and whoever was watching him saw. He wanted to leave the hack open to catch who did the hack in the first pace.

Samatha’s job was to think ahead of the still unknown enemy. They needed a story to move Alexander upstairs. Samantha needed to predict how Alexander would react. They also needed to find someone who could be by his side outside of the secure confines of the briefing room.

It was a complicated assignment that would require sacrifice on the agent’s part. After all, being around Alexander meant that their face would be seen by the enemy. They would effectively be burned. Given that Michelle was not only good at her job, she seemed to enjoy it, why would she accept an assignment that would end her spy career? We’re only on episode two (I haven’t seen the rest of the series, I am writing these recaps as I see each episode) so we don’t have answers yet. But it is an intriguing question, and something we could return to in later episode recaps. 

The team had already introduced bartender Michelle into Alexander’s life when they found out there was cross-contamination – the CIA had previously used her in Alexander’s Copenhagen test. What were the odds of two different agencies choosing the same woman on different operations involving the same man? Samantha had a simple answer – she was his type. 

Alexander trusted The Orphanage and Moira enough to tell them about the anti-anxiety pills he has been taking. He pretended to take one, then headed to the train station we saw in the first episode which had signal interference. There, he crushed the pill and used a microscopic lens in his phone; the pills had some metallic nanite residue. He had been taking the pills for eight months but the headaches only started four months ago, a possible timeline on when the biohack within him started broadcasting. Alexander even admitted that he got the pills from his ex-fiance, Dr. Rachel Kasparian. But, Alexander lied about the frequency of the panic attacks.

Moira told Samantha that Alexander needed to trust them implicitly. He also wanted Samantha to create a story that would use Alexander as bait. Whoever hacked him would send someone to check the feed. They would observe from a distance but be close enough to save his life. 

What Samantha came up with was Alexander and Michelle’s first date in a bookshop, that just happened to have a basement for rare books that had no service. Whilst Moira briefed Alexander, Samantha briefed Michelle. There was a fallback plan in case Alexander’s life was in danger, an exit to the back where a van would pick him up. But, Samantha told Michelle, Alexander would not take it. He would follow his conscience rather than follow an order, just as he did in Belarus.

Their first date was predictably painfully awkward, with a curious operational lapse on Samantha’s part. To arrange the date, Samantha got Ellie to persuade Alexander to text ‘Michelle’, but it was actually Samantha on the other end. They shared a private joke that Alexander alluded to on the date, which Michelle had no idea about. I’m sticking a pin on this, because Samantha did not look like the kind of character who would miss briefing an asset about an important conversation. 

Remy, the agent Moira sent to almost assassinate Alexander in the first episode, was now tasked with keeping an eye on him inside the bookshop. Michelle suggested a getting to know you exercise, where they would each pick a book they either loved or hated. As they browsed for the book, three operatives walked in – two men, one woman. One of the men walked over to Alexander and used a scanning device to check if the signal coming from him was modified or tampered with in any way.

Michelle and Alexander both picked The Alchemist. Michelle took his hand and tapped Don’t move in Morse code. Remy was warned by Moira to back away. The scan was completed, they were supposed to be in the clear, when an announcement came that the bookshop was closing in 15 minutes, followed by feedback that hit both the earpieces of Remy and the unnamed scanner just as they passed each other. They fought, and Remy struggled to inject the man with something. Michelle saw the fight through a mirror and tapped Run on Alexander’s shoulder.

As Samantha predicted, Alexander did not run. Instead, he made his way to the signal-free basement, where the other man followed him. Michelle intercepted the female operative, but they, too, ended up in the basement.

The fight was a well-choreographed scene which ended with both Alexander and Michelle prevailing over their opponents. Michelle comforted Alexander not just about the fight, but about Belarus as well. She told him that was an assignment she has done many times before; every single one decided to leave the kid except him. She extended a veil of intimacy between them when she told him her real name was Natalie, but that she was not supposed to tell him that, so she needed to keep that to himself. Later, we would see Michelle and Samantha planning this scene, including some of the exact lines Michelle told Alexander. 

As Moira had instructed, Samantha came up with seven words about Alexander’s motivation – To earn a place where he belongs. Following the incident at the bookshop, she amended this, now seeming to study Michelle’s motivation – To build a place where she belongs.  

The man Remy fought was taken away on a stretcher; the cover was that he had a heart attack. The other two were taken into custody by The Orphanage. Apparently, all three of them were already on The Orphanage’s radar. Whoever was behind the hack used it to identify compromised agents and flip them.

The female operative, Clarissa, talked. She was approached by a man with a cane, with a flawless American accent. She never saw his face. The interrogator told her to send the results of the scan to her faceless employer and tell them there was no change in the data stream. She was given a script, the exact words she would say to close down her association with them.

Meanwhile, at a private room in Jack’s restaurant, two men were dining – Cobb, the one who got the promotion Alexander initially wanted, and an MI-6 agent named Henry, who also happened to be his uncle. When Jack entered the room, Henry moved a cane off a seat. 

Rating: A-

Strays

🕵️Michelle’s handler at the Belarus operation was so douche-y and unnecessarily violent, I hope we see him again so she could slap him. 

🕵️St. George, whose first name was possibly Patricia (the name she gave Samantha) was an almost mythical figure, that both Alexander (in the first episode) and Samantha were surprised she actually existed

🕵️Moira was the Director of Operations, he shared second in command powers with the Director of Intelligence.

🕵️Alexander’s notable answer to the question on why he wanted to be a spy: ‘Because only the people we really trust get to be spies.’

🕵️When Moira and Alexander were discussing the terms of Alexander’s involvement, there was a device under the table that prevented the others, including Samantha, from hearing the discussion.

🕵️For her safety, Moira advised Alexander from contacting his ex-fiance.

🕵️Victor via those disappearing messages checked in on Alexander about work, and he said never better.

Episode Title: Glass House

Episode Writer: Thomas Brandon

Episode Director: Jet Wilkinson

Original Release Date: December 27, 2025