Countdown season 1, episode 4 recap: Did Drew survive?

Countdown season 1, episode 4 quickly revealed Drew's fate, while also putting the focus on the dance hall.
Mark Meachum (Jensen Ackles) in COUNTDOWN Photo: ELIZABETH MORRIS © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC
Mark Meachum (Jensen Ackles) in COUNTDOWN Photo: ELIZABETH MORRIS © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

The end of Countdown episode 3 left us with a life on the line. Would doctors be able to save Damon Drew? We got answers early on in Countdown season 1, episode 4, leading to bigger threats for Blythe’s task force.

Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for Countdown season 1, episode 4.

Countdown season 1, episode 4 picked up right where episode 3 left us. Drew was bleeding out, with the paramedics getting there to get him to the hospital. Meachum went with Drew, but not before telling everyone else that he saw something in the basement of the dance hall. They had to get in before the police arrived.

Sadly, Drew didn’t make it, which we did think was going to be the likely turn of events since Jonathan Togo wasn’t one of the main characters of the series. The most heartbreaking part of all this for Blythe and Shepherd was having to tell his wife, who now lost both her son and husband in the same year. Due to the nature of the task force, Blythe asked her to consider keeping the funeral small and private for now, which in the end, she agreed to, knowing that it’s what her husband would have wanted.

Countdown
Amber Oliveras (Jessica Camacho) and Mark Meachum (Jensen Ackles) in COUNTDOWN Photo: ELIZABETH MORRIS © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

Meachum blames himself for the incident in Countdown season 1, episode 4

Of course, Meachum put the blame on himself. Drew was killed due to his plan to go undercover, and Meachum admits to Oliveras that he was reckless with that plan. He was close to admitting why he was reckless, but in the end, he continues to allow people to think that he is just selfish, and in a way, it’s true; he’s reckless because of his tumor, and that’s making him selfish.

Nobody else blames him, though. Oliveras points out that she lost her training officer in a sting, and she thinks about whether she could have done something differently to prevent that happening. It’s something that they all have to live with, and it’s surprising that Meachum hasn’t had to live with this yet.

Countdown
Mark Meachum (Jensen Ackles) and Nathan Blythe (Eric Dane) in COUNTDOWN Photo: ELIZABETH MORRIS © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

There’s a threat to the task force in Countdown

With the death of Drew, Blythe learns that there is a threat to Meachum being on the task force. The LAPD is looking at recalling all its officers to in-house needs, and Blythe knows that this is coming from the District Attorney.

After a visit with the DA, he then talks to Bell. It turns out that Bell’s dad worked with the DA back in the past when the DA was an up and coming lawyer. Bell’s dad was on a task force that didn’t get enough evidence to go federal. It did get the evidence needed for a local case, which is why he turned to the DA, leading to a conviction.

Is this something Blythe can use later? Is it a sign that the DA is someone to trust? It’s hard to tell at this point, and we’re not even anywhere near the halfway mark yet, as this series as 13 episodes and not the usual eight for a Prime Video series.

Countdown
Luke Finau (Uli Latukefu), Mark Meachum (Jensen Ackles), Keyonte Bell (Elliot Knight), and Amber Oliveras (Jessica Camacho) in COUNTDOWN Photo: ELIZABETH MORRIS © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

The task force needs to get Novochov’s uncle

The focus of the episode is to find Novochov’s uncle from the dance hall. Meachum didn’t see a lot of detail in the basement, but he did see a name: Gallagher. However, that name is pushed to one side for now, as the team manages to get Novochov’s uncle. He’s on the run, of course, but they manage to pull in his wife and force her to help them catch him.

He falls for the trap, but he’s not willing to talk at first. It’s only when they learn that he had a daughter with a mistress that things take a turn in the task force’s favor. They’re able to threaten the exposure of who this girl’s dad is, so that her name is always connected to the name of a terrorist. Of course, he doesn’t want that life for her and he doesn’t want her to resent him, so he decides to cooperate and leave a message for Volchek to meet with him.

Volchek is a step ahead, realizing that Meachum was likely a cop. He sends a pilot to meet with the uncle, and then he goes to a movie theater, just watching people as they enjoy their lives. He knows this won’t be their life for long.

And so, we end Countdown season 1, episode 4 with the task force feeling like they’re back at square one. Is there any way to get a step ahead of Volchek, and will they find out who this Gallagher person is?

Countdown airs on Wednesdays on Prime Video.

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