Counterpart Recap: Birds of a Feather

Season: 1 / Episode: 2 / Starz

Maaaan, listen. I’m gonna tell you like a young, double agent, dimension-hopping spy told me. These supposedly dead wives ain’t loyal. Man, Emily Prime aka EPMD getting HIB the blues. Some dudes walk in trying to act like this ain’t the get down and HIB seen this shit coming a mile away. That’s the rendition order that EPMD got for him.

Not Quite Paid in Full

HIB got no more intel for her, so she’s like, yeah, be a good lad and walk to your interrogation/probable death now. HIB like…aiight. AIIGHT. If that’s how we gonna play it. Dude swipes the napkin off the table, exits the building and starts stuffing pieces in his ears before he surrenders to these rendition bastards and gets in the car. They got dude in the backseat and he sees one of them got the heat in the holster. Camera zoom out one time so we can see that muzzle blast 1-2-3 times in the car. HIB the only one standing out that muthafucka, yo. He gets out, tosses the napkin and leaves them cats piled in the car on top of each other like they just won the championship.

HIB back at home and get some intel. They know Baldwin’s real name from the other side, but not a lot of other intel to be gained. Also, HIB gotta go see the connect about some shit before he cross over again.

Going to See a Man About an Attempted Murder

HIB goes and sees the godfather and tells him that some Hungarians came to do the work on him. Godfather be like, go to work. If they put you in for murder, then yeah, you fucked up. If they don’t, then you literally dodged bullets cuz them Hungarians was gonna leave you in a swamp somewhere.

HIB checks in for work and…its all good. Dirty bastards trying to hem up our boy, man.
EPMD talking to her boss and personnel all up in there, hearing her statements and shit. Everybody know about these dead Hungarians, fam. EPMD says that she got a rendition call, but her boss is like…yeah, wasn’t no rendition, fam. They tellin’ her she gotta drop piss to make sure she on the up and up. She like, yeah, later for that shit, before she bounces out.

HIB done crossed back over. He negotiating…ok, demanding the terms and shit. He wants Howard working with them, even though he just got bumped up to analyst. When St. Pete try to push back, HIB is like, “Listen, every once in a while, I’m going to ask for stuff.” That was it yo, that was the statement. And HIB gonna get what he wants.

Soundtrack: Kanye’s ‘Spaceship’

Howard at his new job and yo, he terrible at this shit already. If he weren’t important to HIB, he could legit get fired on his first day, fam. St. Pete pulls out Howard and tells him he got a new assignment cuz HIB wants it that way. St. Pete tell Howard he ain’t allowed to tell HIB shit and Howard is like that’s the easiest shit I’ll do all day cuz I don’t know shit.

Baldwin on the move and she out in some abandoned home in the woods. And bleeding from the muthafuckin’ mouth, yo. That wasn’t some richochet or some shit. HIB straight up shot her in the face man. She got a damn windtunnel in her cheek. She in the spot, trying to nurse her self back and that. shit. look. painful.

Howard goes to the concert hall to see HIB. They are there to see a violinist named Nadia Ferrerro. Turns out, on this Earth, she just a musical genius. But on Earth Prime, she’s Baldwin. So, they there doing recon on Nadia to see what tendencies they can pick up to catch Baldwin.
Howard still shook that him and HIB are so different and HIB is like, fam, trust me, some doors you don’t want to open.

Natural Born Killa (with the strings)

Nadia at home rehearsing and whoever calling her is pissed that she’s late. She shows up to rehearsal and the second thing she does, after taking out her violin, is stepping out of those shoes, just like Baldwin before she was about to do the hit in the hospital. Yeah…this shit serious. Also, Nadia is dope af. You can tell from the coordination and whatnot that she would make an excellent…ya know…assassin.

Meanwhile, the road less traveled Nadia, Baldwin still stitching herself up in the abandoned home…which I’m guessing is the home that Nadia grew up in. Someone comes to the crib and it seems like she’s Baldwin’s handler. They know that HIB came over looking for her and that he knows her name. Her handler like, yeah, she needs to take Nadia out to take away their advantage. Baldwin tries to claim she doesn’t share anything with Nadia, but them flashbacks hit her about pops being drunk off his ass and mad abusive with the training. Made her practice barefoot and shit. Knocking that rhythm on the table. Yeah…this was not a happy childhood. And frankly, I’m surprised she didn’t turn out to be an assassin in both dimensions.

Nadia getting a drink and she calling for the bartender the same way her pops used to keep rhythm. Two fingers, double tap on the bench. Welp. HIB knows she’s next door and asks if they have a mickie for Nadia. He gonna try and get some intel the Red Sparrow way.

Aaaaaan EPMD is doing ok cuz she getting sexed up by Ian. EPMD talking about these cats didn’t even look at her phone when they were accusing her of shit. Ian like, yeah, it probably ain’t about you, its about HIB’s punk ass.

(Smooth) Operator

HIB come into the bar, putting on the act like he’s trying to call his daughter with flowers in his hand. Nadia helps him ask for a phone cuz he “don’t speak German.” After his fake fight with his fake ass daughter Jenny, he saddles up next to Nadia. He start talking about being a bad dad (which he knows Nadia had) and they toast to punk ass fathers and the mistakes they make.

Meanwhile, Housekeeping takes Howard to Nadia’s apartment and they start searching that shit for clues. HIB still talking that shit to Nadia (while drugging her). She talks about how terrible her father was, how she still owns the house he tormented her in and how hopefully it will burn down one day. Well…guess we know where Baldwin was now.

Speaking of which, Baldwin is waiting outside of Nadia’s crib and sees Housekeeping leave. She all up in Nadia’s spot, checking out all her shit, seeing the women in the photos, going shoeless so you know its real.

Need to Speak to the Manager

Of course, Housekeeping shows up to an empty ass house in the sticks…way the fuck away from where Baldwin or anything else important is. Baldwin hits up the concert hall and scopes the scene. She sees Nadia talking to HIB, two men outside in the car and a lot of muthafuckin opportunity. Maaaaan, why you back Baldwin into a corner, yo, cuz shit is about to get ugly.

HIB trying to get real human with Nadia, but Baldwin. Fam, Baldwin out here on that MURDA. She jump in the back of the car, slit these dudes throats like she was opening letters and shit. She got the nine with the extended clip and she ready to do work. Also, she flashing back to when she s’posed to be in the subway playing for dollars for her pops. Your boy dropped his bottle and fell onto the tracks. He keep asking Nadia to go get someone and Nadia was like…nah. I’m good. Nadia’s first kill. That’s for Baldwin and Nadia, yo. Also Nadia legit watched her father die, didn’t do shit to help him…and then went back to playing the violin, yo. Like…that’s as cold as being an assassin.

Murder. Muzik

Baldwin engineered this shit perfectly and pops the two guards escorting Nadia out the bar. She has her chance to give her that midnight, that Jet Li ‘there can only be one’ shit, but doesn’t and kidnaps her instead. Now it’s a woman hunt. Two women, specifically. They back in the concert hall. Ayebody here yo. HIB, Housekeeping, the police and Nadia squared.

Howard listening to the radio and realizes they gonna kill Baldwin when they get the chance. So, you know, hero shit.

Baldwin talking to Nadia and takes the mask off. Nadia think she fuckin’ crazy, yo. Its like looking at a shorterhaired, scarfaced version of yourself. Nadia acting like she don’t understand and Baldwin is like…yeah, we both lightweight manslaughtered our pops, so don’t act like you don’t know. Also, she sees that shit ain’t all sweet for Nadia, cuz she been cutting herself for years.
When the cops come in, Housekeeping got orders to make sure Baldwin don’t get caught. As in, shoot her ass. Dude takes the shot when he sees her…but it ain’t really her, its Nadia. Yeah…Housekeeping is terrible at their fucking job man. Baldwin sees Nadia shot and is fucking shook. She don’t even try to escape. She just drop the gun, looking at what might have been. And what definitely is now dead.

The Guy That Does His Job…You Must Be The Other Guy

Howard at the crib all kinds of fucked up. Dude is pissed all this went down the way it is, cuz Nadia was innocent. He punches Ulrich with the awkward left hand jab. He tries to take HIB somewhere for the night and HIB is like fuck off. Y’all could not have fucked this up worse, cuz on top of everything, they got Baldwin in custody.

Howard is like, but on the real, why the fuck are we even here, man. Why you care so much about me climbing the ladder. Cuz it seems like HIB on that bullshit, Howard leaves to go see Emily.

EPMD goes to see the godfather, cuz she wanna know who setting her up with that bullshit rendition order. Godfather tell her to walk away from this shit but EPMD like, nah man, something ain’t right. And if you gonna help a sista out, you just in the way, yo. You know how folks be like, take care? EPMD was like, so when that cancer coming to collect on you, fam. Shit is rough out here on Earth Prime, yo.

Watching Counterpart? Find BNP’s other reviews of the series here.

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