The Copenhagen Test's finale introduced a game-changing twist involving Victor Simonek (Saul Rubinek) that completely derailed his dynamic with his adoptive nephew, Alexander Hale (Simu Liu), leading to a heartbreaking revelation. The Peacock original series highlighted Victor as Alexander's trusted uncle, who relies on him in life-and-death situations. This is understandable, considering that Victor has been consistently present in Alexander's life since birth.
The Copenhagen Test highlighted a major problem for Alexander after an unknown entity hacked his mind. As a result, Alexander only listed some key figures from his life whom he could trust, including his Chinese immigrant parents, Victor himself, and some notable allies from The Orphanage. Unfortunately, the spy thriller revealed that Victor is not who he seems to be.
What Is The Twist Involving Victor in The Copenhagen Test?
Throughout The Copenhagen Test's eight-episode season, Victor has been the stabilizing force for Alexander, guiding him through his complex ordeal involving the hack of his mind, eyes, and ears because he couldn't even trust his own senses. Aside from providing advice and directly confronting chief villains like Fredrick Schiff, Victor ultimately proved his loyalty to Alexander in the finale when he put his life on the line by protecting his parents from Schiff's men and eliminating everyone who attacked his restaurant.
However, the final moments of the Season 1 finale dropped a major bombshell about Victor's true allegiance, as it confirmed that he is the man behind the hack and has deep ties to the Copenhagen Test itself. Victor actually orchestrated everything from the start, manipulating events to ensure the hack's success.
He was the one who ensured that the experimental Cassandra RU258 nanites (the biohacking tech) were ingested by Alexander, with him even tapping the services of Rachel Kasperian (Alex's ex-girlfriend) to monitor his well-being and deliver the actual nanites. If anything, all of it was for show and a lie, which placed Alexander in a wildly vulnerable predicament. What makes this heartbreaking is the fact that the betrayal stemmed from the man Alexander trusted the most, not just in the series, but in his entire life.
Victor essentially ruined Alexander's life because the nanites allowed him to tap into what he can see, hear, think, and even feel, completely depriving him of the privacy that a normal individual has.
It serves as a gut-wrenching reminder that those closest to you are the most dangerous ones because a betrayal from them would derail your life and tear it apart from the inside (a betrayal akin to what happened between Ben Edwards and James Reece in The Terminal List).
The Copenhagen Test's Ending Made Victor a Ruthless Villain
This betrayal hits deeper in the final moments of Season 1, after Victor presented him with a difficult choice: choose to join him and betray The Orphanage (his organization) or refuse the collaboration, but put Michelle’s (Melissa Barrera) life in danger.
During their final confrontation in Episode 8, Victor told Alexander that the hack was needed, confessing that he had to do it to "prove" if he was worthy. While Alexander's neural feed is offline (for now), Victor has revealed that there are other hacked assets, such as his worldwide network, one of which is secretly monitoring Michelle and appears ready to deliver the fatal blow once Victor gives the signal.
For the uninitiated, Michelle became an essential part of Alexander's life in The Copenhagen Test, despite initially being enemies who almost killed each other during his clever Hail Mary tactic to prove his loyalty to The Orphanage. At the end of Season 1, Michelle decided to "retire" and embrace her freedom from a life of espionage, but it turns out that it was all a ruse, as Victor is still monitoring her from afar to serve as leverage against Alexander.
Victor's long-term plan appears to be known as the Cassandra Project, and his assets are designed to transmit state secrets and preserve them as leverage to control unwitting governments when the time is right. This presents a new dilemma for Alexander, as he would be forced to become a mole in The Orphanage (the organization he almost betrayed in Season 1) or risk Michelle's life if he doesn't comply.
The Copenhagen Test's ending transformed Victor into a far more formidable villain, raising the stakes for Alexander in a potential Season 2, as he is now embroiled in a broader conspiracy where his actions are limited due to his mentor's shocking betrayal.
