Drama
Stranger Things
The newest season of Netflix’s Stranger Things continues to blend ’80s nostalgia with ever-darker spiritual content and horrific violence.
Within the United States, most people know about public-facing intelligence agencies like the CIA or the FBI.
Very few know about The Orphanage, a secretive group created to handle the internal affairs for all of the U.S.’s clandestine agencies. In other words, the CIA watches and handles information as it relates to national security; The Orphanage watches and handles the CIA.
But that makes The Orphanage a weak point in American security, too, since anyone who can hack The Orphanage gains access to all of the U.S.’s intelligence operations as well. Because of this, The Orphanage won’t hesitate to eliminate anyone who they believe may compromise their security.
Someone like Alexander Hale, for instance. He’s one of The Orphanage’s intelligence analysts. He’s also one of only a few who worked with three North Korean assets before they were all murdered.
Alexander is worried that The Orphanage thinks he is the mole. And, well, he is—only unintentionally.
Alexander discovers a file for a failed bio-hacking experiment, labeled Cassandra RU-258. Its intention? To inject a subject with nanites that turn the brain into a functional transmitter, allowing others the ability to see and hear what the subject sees and hears.
Alexander connects the dots. Suddenly, his intense migraines make sense. He closes the file, and he …
Well, he doesn’t do anything drastic.
After all, he doesn’t know who might be watching through him.
The Copenhagen Test is a spy thriller with an interesting twist: How does one trick and catch someone who can see and hear everything you see?
Well, it’s safe to say that Simu Liu’s Alexander will need to crack a few heads to figure out that answer for us.
Indeed, Alexander and company kill a number of baddies before the show’s end—sometimes quick with a bullet and sometimes after a violent, intimate struggle. And while the show isn’t too salacious in the amount of blood it chooses to show, its presence will nevertheless be a factor for many families.
As for other factors, parents will need to navigate the occasional heavy crudity (including the f-word, the likely culprit for this show’s TV-MA rating). And one scene implies a sensual encounter is about to occur (though this occurs offscreen after the man removes his shirt). Like the violent moments, neither of these content issues are too over-the-top, but they will be worth keeping in mind.
Alexander must be careful to hide the fact that he knows someone is watching everything he does through his own eyes, lest he reveal anything critical. Well, those who tune into Peacock’s The Copenhagen Test arealso watching Alexander, and they should be sure they don’t see or hear anything critical, either.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Alexander’s loyalty is tested when he discovers that The Orphanage might be investigating him.
A woman wears a dress that displays ample cleavage.
Roughly a dozen soldiers from a hostile militia are shot and killed, all in quick succession. Alexander suffers a bullet wound. Operatives watch a video of a man getting strangled.
People drink liquor, wine and beer. Someone gives Alexander some anti-anxiety medication.
We hear the f-word once and the s-word three times. God’s name is used in vain once.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
The newest season of Netflix’s Stranger Things continues to blend ’80s nostalgia with ever-darker spiritual content and horrific violence.
After a seven-year hiatus, the wacky town of Elmore is back, as Gumball and his family embark on even more weird adventures.
The Amazing Digital Circus places its digitized humans under the terrorism of a maniacal AI ringmaster and his chaotic adventures.
The self-centered hedonistic approach of every character in Emily in Paris only seems to increase, and the praises for it are doubled.