Viewers who followed Countdown’s initial dirty-bomb plot master-minded by Volchek, the evil Belarusian know the episode that wrapped up all the loose ends concluded with the start of a new case. Secret Service Agent Ryan Fitzgerald was stuck processing low level threat reports from the “muzzle pile,” basically the Secret Service’s equivalent of the slush pile, because he is relentlessly annoying. However, one call to the tip-line was suspicious enough to follow-up. Agent Fitzgerald found a dead body and a cryptic manifesto that apparently mentions the governor a lot and the President a little.
That is obviously more than enough to put Blythe’s task force back in business. The combination of manifestos and threats against elected officials can move even the most incalcitrant bureaucracies. When rugged Det. Mark Meachum and the team search the crime scene and find a subterranean firing range below the rented summer cabin, with the governor’s photo as the target, it gets everyone’s attention, especially the governor’s.
Weirdly, Gov. George Shelby looks and acts like a prickly cross between Gavin Newsom and Greg Abbott. Ther is something about Shelby to rub every viewer the wrong way. Yet, in a way, it is refreshing to see a major streaming series present a recurring character using a wheelchair, who is tough and ambitious, rather than simply serving as a cheap source of inspiration.
Nevertheless, the pacing of season 1-B lags behind that of 1-A. It also lacks similarly apocalyptic stakes—no disrespect to Shelby. Plus, the task force does not seem to really be up to speed yet. Throughout 1A, the always managed to keep just one step behind Volchek. However, their unknown manifesto writer completely runs circles around the team throughout the final three episodes, without reaching anything close to a conclusion.
Still, the chemistry continues to click amongst the cast. Jensen Ackles shows even greater star-power as hard-charging Meachum. The good news is Meachum fully recovered in episode ten and his death wish was cured along with his tumor. He is even starting to make career plans—gasp—despite getting dumped by DEA agent Amber Oliveras after his recovery. To add an insulting irony, she subsequently took up with his surgeon, her friend from the “old neighborhood,” Dr. Julio Beltran.
Frankly, it doesn’t really make much sense to have a DEA agent on this task force, whereas the previous case involved drug cartels smuggling radioactive material across the border, on behalf of the terrorist. Yet, her will-they-or-won’t-they chemistry with Meacham will not be denied.
Clearly, Haas fully understands why procedural series like Countdown continue to work. When decently executed, it is always entertaining to watch a handful of strong characters wrestle with the system to bring bad guys to justice. In the case of Countdown’s second story-arc of its first season, the execution remains better than average. Still recommended for fans of 24 and other terrorist-busting series, season 1-B of Countdown fully commences tomorrow (8/20) on Prime Video.
