On the lookout for a TV collection to binge on Prime Video laden with intricate character work, detailed world-building and exquisite visuals? Possibly do not go for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy.
As an alternative, Counterpart. Each 10-episode seasons of the excellent sci-fi thriller are streaming on Prime Video now.
Anybody who’s already seen Counterpart understands how immaculate the present is. Counterpart appears to be like like a Chilly Battle espionage thriller primarily based on a John le Carré novel. However no, this Rolex-level creation of precision comes from the thoughts of TV and movie author Justin Marks.
Counterpart is a sci-fi espionage thriller that melds these genres with excellent steadiness. Set in a world obsessive about formalities and procedures, Counterpart builds that Christopher Nolan-esque sense of gripping realism. It is set in a dystopian Berlin the place a wall divides two very completely different worlds. This divide manifests in every one of many conflicted spies, guaranteeing each side of Counterpart is linked to its central thought and theme.
Counterpart incorporates a stacked ensemble, together with Olivia Williams.
Starz
Counterpart’s fascinating world is seen by means of the eyes of Howard Silk — performed by J.Ok. Simmons in good J.Ok. Simmons mode. Silk is a form, light, unhappy, lonely cog working in a secretive bureaucratic group guarding the wall. He should abide by strict guidelines every day: check in, open a briefcase, say just a few mysterious strains of code, then stroll straight out, no questions requested.
If TV has taught us something, it is that one thing is about to blow candy Silk’s world to smithereens. When it does, the influence is eye-watering. that by committing to this present, you are embarking on a protracted, serpentine journey.
The opening titles are full of gorgeous imagery.
Starz/YouTube/CNET Screenshot
In case it wasn’t apparent, that journey is totally value it. The present’s finale ties up each main unfastened finish, whereas additionally planting seeds for a possible continuation. Counterpart may have gone on for greater than two seasons, however the present’s authentic community Starz shamefully let it slip by means of its fingers. The eyebrow-raising causes do not must be repeated. In the long run, the 20 episodes you do get are so full you are capable of let the collection go. Plus, while you come to a present late, the prospect of two seasons is far much less intimidating than, say, eight.
We have to maintain speaking in regards to the type and look of Counterpart. Should you just like the green-code-on-old-chunky-computers aesthetic, Counterpart is the king of retrofuturism. It is Severance earlier than Severance and has among the finest opening titles to warrant no skipping. Truly shot in Berlin, Counterpart is embossed with crisp, clear strains; it appears to be like simply pretty much as good as something on Apple TV Plus.
Regardless of how far we plunge into its labyrinthine sci-fi depths, Counterpart all the time stays in contact with its most important characters’ identities. It is not arduous to spend money on and look after harmless Howard, then watch with mounting dread as he wrestles with darkish impulses. Anybody may swap sides on this compelling spy world, made extra charming when characters’ perceptions are warped by their very own insecurities.
Counterpart is not only a present to cross the time earlier than extra episodes of The Rings of Energy drop. It is a gorgeous piece of full tv, and you need to really feel nice about inserting your most intellectual, choosy TV viewing time into its protected arms.
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Ever heard of the Bona-fides Bond? Ever heard of a real spy called Bill Fairclough (MI6 codename JJ) aka Edward Burlington. To date there aren’t any films made about him but there is one hell of an espionage thriller novel released so far about his real life exploits.
Beyond Enkription (intentionally misspelt) is a must read for espionage cognoscenti and the first stand-alone spy thriller in The Burlington Files autobiographical series by Bill Fairclough (MI6 codename JJ, aka Edward Burlington). It’s a raw and noir matter of fact pacy novel. Len Deighton and Mick Herron could be forgiven for thinking they co-wrote it. Coincidentally, a few critics have nicknamed its protagonist “a posh Harry Palmer.”
This elusive and enigmatic novel is a true story about a maverick accountant (Edward Burlington in Porter Williams International aka Bill Fairclough in Coopers & Lybrand now PwC in real life). In 1974 in London he began infiltrating organised crime gangs, unwittingly working for MI6. After some frenetic attempts on his life he was relocated to the Caribbean where, “eyes wide open” he was recruited by the CIA and headed for shark infested waters off Haiti.
If you’re an espionage cognoscente you’ll love this monumental book. In real life Bill was recruited by MI6’s unorthodox Colonel Alan Brooke Pemberton CVO MBE and thereafter they worked together on and off into the 1990s. Pemberton’s People included Roy Astley Richards (Winston Churchill’s bodyguard), one eccentric British Brigadier (Peter ‘Scrubber’ Stewart-Richardson) who tried to join the Afghan Mujahideen, Peter Goss an SAS Colonel and JIC member involved in the Clockwork Orange Plot concerning Prime Minister Harold Wilson and even the infamous rogue Major Freddy Mace, who highlighted his cat burgling and silent killing skills in his CV.
This epic is so real it made us wonder why bother reading espionage fiction when facts are so much more exhilarating. Atmospherically it’s reminiscent of Ted Lewis’ Get Carter of Michael Caine fame. If anyone ever makes a film based on Beyond Enkription they’ll only have themselves to blame if it doesn’t go down in history as a classic thriller … it’s the stuff memorable films are made of.
Whether you’re a le Carré connoisseur, a Deighton disciple, a Fleming fanatic, a Herron hireling or a Macintyre marauder, odds on once you are immersed in it you’ll read this titanic production twice. For more detailed reviews visit the Reviews page on TheBurlingtonFiles website or see other independent reviews on your local Amazon website and check out Bill Fairclough’s background on the web.