WARNING: SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 6 OF COUNTDOWN!
Episode 6 of Countdown (A Needle Or A Bullet) is a realistic look at just how convoluted the pursuit of someone like Volchek really is, which I appreciated. Showrunner and writer Derek Haas has said that he values that realism – enough that he’s been candid about none of the characters being “safe”. It’s realistic, given the task force’s situation, that any of them could be killed at any time, and I like that the show has put that on the table (as much as I might hate seeing any more of them die!) It ups the stakes and increases the suspense, and that’s a major part of what makes ‘Countdown’ compelling.
This episode also deepens the relationship between Meachum and Oliveras in some unexpected ways, which leaves me very curious to see how things unfold going forward.
I also like that the tension doesn’t just come from the will-they-or-won’t-they-survive question. The ‘countdown’ clock in Mark Meachum’s head is also ticking more and more loudly, which gives an underlying urgency to the episode. I find that character-focused personal countdown more compelling than the ‘save LA’ one. It’s usually the characters and their individual dilemmas that draw me into a series, much more than the “big story”. So I appreciate that ‘Countdown’ is taking us a little deeper into the task force members’ personal challenges. There are a lot of them, so I still don’t know much about some of them, but I’ve gotten enough tidbits that I’m curious to know more.
We know Meachum the best at this point; Ackles was my entry point for the show, so that works for me so far. (Side note: We also got an Entertainment Weekly cover story featuring Jensen Ackles and Jessica Camacho this week, so it was a good week for Countdown fans!)
Side note: Dean Winchester homage? That would be just like Ackles.
We do get a tiny bit of backstory for Finau and Bell in this episode too. In Finau’s past, he found a kid with his head stomped in, from a gang initiation, and vowed to “bust up shit like that”. What they’re doing, he says, feels important. He’s so Mothers Milk coded!
Bell confides that there’s never been a black Deputy Director of the FBI – he’s going to be the first. That ambition is part of what’s driving him to throw his all into the mission.
The episode’s beginning and ending are both perfect – it starts with a bang. Literally.
We get Mark Meachum at the target range, protective shades making him look even more badass than usual, taking turns target shooting with Oliveras.
She challenges him and he coolly raises his pistol and hits all five targets one right after the other.
Meachum: Marksman, highest ranking. But I would never say that…
It’s interesting to see the evolution of their partnership in how she responds to his not-bragging-but-bragging. She doesn’t get annoyed; this time there’s grudging admiration and maybe even a bit of fondness. I mean, there’s no question that Meachum is endearing, is there?
(Or that he’s an expert marksman. Good thing his medical condition isn’t impacting his precision, even if that’s a little hard to believe. Procedural memory (aka muscle memory) is pretty resilient, though, so I’ll go with it)
Jensen Ackles Gets His Tom Cruise On