Alexander Hale finally sees the truth about The Orphanage’s methods in the The Copenhagen Test Season 1 Episode 4. Titled Obsidian, the episode reveals the agency’s deep manipulation of its own agent, leading to a shocking personal discovery. The episode, which became available for streaming on December 27, 2025, shows the mission turning into a deadly charade and exposes the people Hale thought he could trust.
The central operation involves using a compromised CIA agent, Saul, as bait for a target known as the Lone Wolf. The Orphanage plants a fake hard drive, making Saul believe he has evidence of a mole within their ranks. Their plan is to let the Lone Wolf find and eliminate Saul, creating a dead end that forces their enemy to become desperate. Hale’s role is to get close to Saul and sell the lie.
The Mosaic Operation Is a Trap from the Start
The episode shows that Parker, the strategic mind at The Orphanage, designed the entire “Mosaic” operation. The goal was never to protect Saul but to use him as a disposable pawn. Hale successfully befriends Saul during high-stakes poker games and gains his confidence. Saul eventually confronts Hale, guessing his connection to The Orphanage, and tries to cut a deal to sell the fake drive back to the agency.
The mission takes a sudden turn when a separate hit squad, unrelated to the Lone Wolf, arrives to kill Saul. Hale breaks protocol to save him, forcing the team to improvise an extraction. In a safehouse, Saul warns Hale not to trust his own agency. When Saul tries to flee, a fight breaks out, and Hale is forced to kill him. This outcome was always part of The Orphanage’s plan.
Moira admits to Hale, “We leaked it to a group who promised they’d take their time. They lied. Everything would have worked out fine if you hadn’t tried to save his life.”
Hale later learns that his bosses, Moira and Marlowe, always intended for Saul to die. His death was meant to be the final piece of the trap for the Lone Wolf. Hale realizes he was used to close the loop on a predetermined execution.
Cobb Finds Proof of an Internal Mole
A parallel story follows Cobb, another Orphanage operative, who is investigating the ambush that killed an agent named Klovach in a previous episode. While reviewing video evidence, Cobb makes a critical discovery. He sees a schematic of the ambush site carried by one of the attackers. The marking on it is in his own handwriting, proving the information came from inside The Orphanage.
When Cobb tries to retrieve the physical evidence to confirm his finding, he is told the file was damaged and removed from the record. No one logged who authorized its removal. This cover-up convinces Cobb there is a active mole sabotaging operations from within. He takes his concerns outside the agency, meeting with a former senator to request a meeting with the CIA Director.
A Hidden Medical Crisis Threatens Hale’s Life
While Hale focuses on the mission, senior Orphanage officials discuss a more immediate danger. The medical team, led by Frances, detects dangerous changes in Hale’s brain signals. The nanotechnology that was used to hack his mind is progressing toward a fatal “symbiosis.” Frances reports that every other test subject who showed these signs has died.
The officials know Hale’s condition could become fatal in a matter of weeks or even days, but they choose not to inform him. This medical secret adds a ticking clock to Hale’s efforts to prove his loyalty and find the truth. His worsening physical symptoms, including intense seizures, begin to affect him in the field.
Michelle’s Past and True Role Are Exposed
Hale’s relationship with Michelle faces two major tests. First, her past catches up to her when a former mark named Oliver recognizes her at the bar where she works. He reveals he knows her from a previous operation where she exposed his secrets and disappeared. Seeing him as a direct threat to her cover, Michelle tracks him to his apartment and kills him.
The second, more personal test comes at the end of the episode. Hale visits Michelle’s apartment and, while waiting, notices a book on her shelf. When he opens it, he finds it contains detailed scripts of intimate conversations. Every line she has said to him, including personal moments he believed were genuine, was written in advance by The Orphanage.
This discovery breaks the last bit of trust Hale had. He realizes Michelle was never a real romantic interest but another tool used by the agency to shape his behavior and emotions. He leaves without confronting her, but the damage is done.
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The Theme of Paranoia and Institutional Betrayal
Obsidian solidifies the series’ core theme of institutional paranoia. Hale is not just fighting an external hacker or enemy spies; he is battling the organization he pledged to serve. The episode reveals that loyalty tests, psychological manipulation, and sacrificing assets are standard procedures for The Orphanage.
Even Cobb, who is trying to expose the mole, is a product of this system. A flashback reveals he was wrongly fired from a senator’s office five years earlier after being framed for a leak. Marlowe recruited him on the spot, not by clearing his name publicly, but by offering him a place in her shadowy world. His current investigation shows he is repeating history, again trying to expose a leak from within a corrupt system.
Hale seeks advice from his friend Victor, who runs a restaurant. Victor tells him to “embrace the ambiguity,” acknowledging the morally gray world they operate in. This advice underscores the show’s central question: in a world where every relationship is a potential manipulation, who can you trust?
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