Countdown Season 1, Episode 4 Review: I'm Happy The Recklessness Of Jensen Ackles' Mark Meachum Is Being Addressed

Warning! This review contains SPOILERS for Countdown season 1, episode 4.Countdownreturns with a new episode that follows up on last week’s major shocker. After the action-packedthree-episode premiere of Prime Video’s new series, the show’s new hour does not quite get up to the heights of the first few episodes. Episode 1 was slower as it had to set up the world and its characters, but episodes 2 and 3 really got into the action and character connections. While there are a couple of chase sequences in episode 4,Countdown’s new entry is not really high on the action.

I think there are two sides to that decision. First, asCountdownseason 1 consists of 13 episodes, those expecting major set pieces from every single one of them will be disappointed. I don’t believe the show’s budget would allow for something like that, nor should action be the only important thing in the series. With each episode, I’m starting to like this group of misfits more.

While episode 4 is not the show’s most thrilling, it is heavier on the side of character moments, and it does progress the villain’s storyline by showing Volchek’s resourcefulness.Countdown’s latest episode follows the team trying to move on after a tragic event and setting up an intricate trap to apprehend Volchek.

The Task Force Loses One Of Their Own

Countdown Uses The Death To Unite The Characters

Countdownepisode 3’s endingsaw Damon Drew get shot. In myCountdownepisodes 1-3 review, I mentioned how I was hoping that Drew would not become the show’s second major death. I was shocked by how Milo Ventimiglia was brought in just to have his character killed at the start of the pilot episode, so I hoped Drew would have more to do on the show. That said, episode 4 very quickly took away any mystery about the character’s fate, as we got to see how badly he was bleeding before Drew ultimately died in surgery.

Death can always be used to either bring people together or break them apart.

With those two major deaths so early in the season, I think the message is clear: anyone can die at any time inCountdown. While we did not get much time with Drew, the way he stood up to defend the task force and Blythe from Valwell made him very easy to like. As Blythe’s second-in-command, he will be missed, and the impact of Drew’s death can only help unite the characters, which we have already seen start to happen in episode 4. Death can always be used to either bring people together or break them apart.

I’m glad the show went for the former. WhileCountdownepisode 4 does not tap into it a lot, we get to see how Jensen Ackles' Meachum wrestles with the guilt of his plan leading to Drew’s death. It is nice to see him address his recklessness and how it affects others. Meachum might have a ticking bomb in his head in the form of a tumor, making him act careless, but his actions can endanger others, so some growth out of the dark situation is interesting. And Drew’s wife giving a speech for the team to carry on was touching.

The Plan to Capture Volchek Does Not Work Out

The Action Series' Main Villain Is Still A Threat

Countdownepisode 4 sees the task force’s first attempt to capture Volchek. While their plan seemed sound, using the system the villain had crafted with Mikhail — who they had already apprehended and broken over an illegitimate daughter’s future — to trap him, I knew it was never going to work. It would’ve been too easy for the main villain to already be captured by the good guys in episode 4. As expected, Volchek was too smart to fall into their trap. Flashbacks revealed he had clocked the agents watching as Mikhail attempted to set up a meeting with him.

As for the team, I enjoyed how episode 4 saw a member who did not get much to do in the first three episodes step up.

This shows that Volchek is always a few steps ahead, which means that it will probably take a few more tries before the team can actually catch him, and I can’t wait to see how that will play out. Volchek is an interesting villain. The character is ruthless, smart, and resourceful. As such, he should provide quite a few intense situations as his plans escalate throughout the season. As for the team, I enjoyed how episode 4 saw a member who did not get much to do in the first three episodes step up.

That was Violett Beane’s Evan Shepherd, who asked to interrogate Mikhail because she looked like his daughter and was able to get him to comply. While there was not much in terms of learning more about her, it was nice to see the larger ensemble start to shine. I’m also interested in how Blythe seems to be open to talking to Valwell about the task force’s operations after Bell explained how his father was only able to get an important conviction because Valwell put his career on the line. That partnership, if it happens, could help the team immensely.