SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 9 OF COUNTDOWN!!
This episode is one of my favorites so far. I’m always more drawn in by emotional drama than suspense/adventure, and this episode had plenty of it – plenty of both in fact!
How many times have I said that the beginning and ending of a Countdown episode is always so well done – and usually so impactful. This episode is no different. In fact, the first frames are hard to watch, Blythe trying to crawl back to his car with the knife still stuck in him, blood everywhere. For those of you Supernatural fans, it’s a Red Meat scenario when you’re really not sure the hero can survive, and you’re in awe of his determination.
It makes your stomach turn with how visceral it is. He somehow gets there, pops on the siren, gasping in pain, and calls in a breathless “10-33, corner of…” as he passes out.
Tick tick tick tick
Meachum’s Getting Worse
Meachum isn’t doing much better than Blythe at this point.
We see him once again in his bathroom, staring in the mirror, holding his head. Grimacing, he struggles to open the pill bottle for some relief and they spill all over the floor. He desperately scoops them up and takes some but the pain continues.
Sobbing, he splashes water on his face to try to keep going, then bangs his head against the wall in desperation. (If you’ve ever had a terrible migraine, you can understand that impulse as just trying to make it go away or temporarily replace it with some other pain even).
Once again, Ackles really makes us feel his pain and empathize with his incredible frustration. There is nobody better at conveying the intensity of his character’s pain – there’s a reason there were entire online communities devoted to “Hurt Dean Winchester” after all.
Meachum as the phone rings in the middle of his anguish: What??
He sits down, gasping for breath, struggling to compose himself as the phone keeps ringing, finally managing a somewhat normal sounding “Meachum” as he answers.
If you weren’t clutching your own head at this point, you’re a stronger person than I am!