Are You Even Seeing What Nazanin Boniadi Is Doing On ‘Counterpart’?

Counterpart premiered its second season on Starz last night, remaining one of the smartest and most compelling shows currently available. And while star J.K. Simmons is incredible in every episode, I have just one quick question for everyone watching —or not, which you should remedy immediately — because are you even seeing what Nazanin Boniadi is doing here?

In the role of Clare, Boniadi has got the putty of one of those “dream jobs” for female actors and she’s molding it into something pretty fascinating. Spoilers ahead! In Season 1, we learn that she is actually Clare Prime, a spy who has crossed over and killed her Alpha version in order to spy on her husband Peter Quayle (Harry Lloyd). Most actors in this show get to play two versions of their character, but Boniadi was given the opportunity to not just briefly play two Clares, but to then play Clare Prime pretending to be Clare Alpha. There are layers here, people!

The last few episodes of Season 1 were quite the ride for Clare. Up until then she’d been a cunning, badass spy boss, and the mole the entire Alpha world has been up in arms about trying to nail down. But in this role, Boniadi got to pivot between sweet and secretive, going about her dangerous business, outfitted in all black, conducting covert missions, and then coming home to play the picture perfect wife and mom: aka the best of both worlds, a woman having it all. However, once her true identity was discovered, Boniadi as Claire was handcuffed and afforded the opportunity to give a tremendous performance, including screaming, crying, and being as vulnerable as it gets (yet still determined!), all from the floor of their home: aka, for an actress, the best of both worlds, a woman getting to do it all on screen.

Season 2 is already off to a strong start for the actress (and IRL activist) who gets to employ a calculated stoicism as she continues to hide, or blend in, really, as an informant for the other side while she also…figures things out at home now that her identity has been revealed. Let’s just say, things are a bit tense right now.

But Boniadi’s acting capabilities have been put on display in a way that should have heads turning and people talking in a big way. It’s an incredible performance, one certainly not to miss, and one that (luckily) more and more women are starting to be offered. The role of Clare is a chance for Boniadi to show the world how it’s done and she’s entirely delivering. Along with Sara Serraiocco, Olivia Williams, and this season’s excellent addition of Betty Gabriel, Counterpart is creating some of the most interesting and intriguing roles for women, the kind it would be a damn shame to miss. So don’t.

Where to stream Counterpart