SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 7 OF COUNTDOWN!
This show really knows how to start things off in a memorable way – this time it’s Mark Meachum doing pull ups on a beam in a barn, sleeveless tee and sweatpants and bare feet, juxtaposed with his adversary Volcheck working out by pummeling a heavy bag in a warehouse. Both men are sweating, grunting with exertion. The soundtrack is perfect, the lyrics ‘it’s a tick tick ticking time bomb’ foreshadowing their inevitable confrontation while also reminding us of the other time bomb – the one in Mark Meachum’s brain.
We’re clearly seeing them pitted against each other, more personally than we have before, with this intro. We also might be just sitting there kinda open mouthed watching Jensen Ackles do pull ups, not gonna lie.
Before we can recover from that, the scene transitions so quickly it’s disorienting from appreciating Meachum’s strength to watching him clutch his head after, vision blurring as he falls to the floor and curls up in agony.
The bars of the Countdown logo cage him in again, the tick tick tick of the clock counting down, as his phone rings, knowing he’s helpless to answer it.
There’s something about a big strong capable guy curled up in an almost fetal position on the floor that really leaves an impact. Ooof. Poor Mark.
Side note on this episode: As fandom works on a ship name for Oliveras and Meachum (I think Mamber is in the lead?), I’m loving that Finau calls Mark “Meach”.
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