In the opening moments of Episode 2 of The Copenhagen Test season 1, we're transported back to the Belarusian mission with a flashback. This time, we see how Michelle prepared for her role. Another flashback reveals the situation one month before Hale knew he was compromised. Frances showed Moira the evidence, and Moira, in turn, briefed St. George. They decided to keep the hack open and use it to their advantage.
St. George then asked Moira to hire the person who had warned them about such a scenario, which is how Parker entered the picture. Before this, most of her ideas as a predictive analyst were considered too unconventional. It turns out that Parker has quite an imaginative mind, which is part of the reason she dropped out of Yale to try her hand at playwriting. She didn't make it there either. In the end, she joined Intelligence, and the rest, as they say, is history.
After recruiting Parker into the Claymore mission, Moira and Marlowe told her about Hale and asked her to study him and predict his next moves. For the next month, Parker watched Hale 24/7 and read up on his files. With time, Moira decided it was time to infiltrate Hale's life and brought Michelle in. They warned her that taking the job would end her intelligence career, but she was okay with it. Parker then gave Michele a new character she had to play in front of Hale. They wanted her to stroke Hale's ego by challenging him.
It wasn't until later that they realized Michelle and Hale worked on a different project together. However, they decided to watch and see what happens. Throughout the episode, we see the events from the previous one, this time from the Orphanage's perspective.
Presently, Hale takes a train and stops at a section where there is no network. There, he breaks down his anxiety medication and takes pictures. Later, he reports to Moira in a secure briefing session. He asks Moira to run a test on the meds and comes clean about his panic attack.
However, he fibs about the frequency of his panic attacks. He also confesses that he obtained the medication from his ex, Rachel. Moira promises to discreetly investigate Rachel and secure him new pills. As advised by Moira, Hale continues to play the part of the normal individual. In the meantime, Moira urges Parker to start considering the enemy's perspective to anticipate their next moves. She predicts that the enemy will send someone to verify Hale's signal and ensure it hasn't been tampered with.
Moira directs her to create a suitable opportunity for the enemy to make their next move, worried that Hale might be hiding something because he lied about his panic attacks. Parker devises a plan and uses Ellie to encourage Hale to reach out to Michelle for a date. However, when Hale texts Michele, Parker responds to the messages. After studying Hale repeatedly, Parker finally starts to figure him out. She also finds the perfect location and scenario to set up the enemy.
The next day, Moira updates Hale on Parker's new plan during a secure briefing. In this plan, Hale and Michelle will embark on their first date at a library. Remy will stand by and wait for the enemy to make their move, then follow them.
In the interim, if things take an unexpected turn, Michele is entrusted with the task of safeguarding Hale and concealing him in the basement, where the signals are blocked. Parker, anticipating Hale's tendency to deviate from the plan, provides Michele with a backup set of instructions.
The plan commences smoothly, with Hale and Michele portraying an awkward couple on their maiden date. They make their way to the library, unaware that they are being trailed by three enemy operatives. Michele and Hale employ Morse code to communicate discreetly, avoiding alerting the operatives. The operatives, however, jam their signals, making it challenging for Moira and his team to monitor the situation.
As the operatives gather their data and prepare to leave, one of them inadvertently collides with Remy, causing a static interference between their devices. Remy swiftly subdues the operative without alarming the others, while Michele directs Hale to the basement. A skirmish ensues, with one of the operatives pursuing Hale.
The conflict escalates as pairs engage in combat. Michele and Hale confront two operatives while Remy tackles the remaining one upstairs. Once they have overcome their adversaries, Hale experiences a panic attack.
Michele promptly assists him and reveals her true identity: Natalie. She commends him for his actions during the Belarusian mission and assures him that he is excelling in fieldwork operations. She also notes how easily he falls for her.
Before leaving the site, Michele texts the team to retrieve the other two operatives from the basement. Meanwhile, Remy feigns that his opponent suffered a heart attack, prompting them to call for 'paramedics'.
At the Orphanage, the team is relieved that the mission was successful. They apprehend the enemy operative and discover that they are corrupt CIA officers who have been secretly working for the highest bidder. Marlowe interrogates the female operative, Clarissa, and orders her to deceive her client about Hale's secure signal. Clarissa later reveals that her client is a man with a walking cane whom she has never seen face-to-face and who threatened to expose her side business.
Moira updates ST George on the mission's outcome. They realize that the enemy is using compromised operatives to carry out his orders.
After the mission, Hale destroys his picture with Rachel. Parker attempts to identify what she is missing in her relationship with Hale. It becomes apparent that she had Michele lie to Hale about her real name to establish rapport with him. Parker orchestrated everything Michele said in that basement.
The scene shifts to Cobb's meeting with his uncle, Schiff, at Victor's restaurant. Schiff walks with a cane and is likely the mastermind behind the Orphanage breach. Cobb expresses his concern about a compromised agent, prompting Schiff to ask him to investigate them. Victor arrives to check on them, revealing that they served together during the war.
