Warning! This review contains SPOILERS for Countdown season 1, episode 10.Countdownreturns with one of its most surprising episodes yet. Everything that has happened so far in the show has led to this. As I spotlighted in myCountdownepisode 9 review,Volchek’s story reached its boiling point last week. The task force had to run against time to stop him before he turned Los Angeles into a new Chernobyl.
Given how the stakes couldn’t be higher, I was left trying to understand what the show’s goal was. After all, it seemed like Volchek’s storyline was headed for its natural conclusion in episode 10 afterCountdownepisode 9’s ending. So, what would be left for the show to explore in season 1’s three remaining episodes?
Well, that question was answered in the action series' latest entry.Countdownepisode 10 is one of the show’s best so far, more so due to its character work than the action scenes themselves. It ends the show’s first mission and sets up another.
Countdown Wraps Up Volchek’s Storyline With A Major Twist
Countdownepisode 10 doesn’t take long to resolve the Volcheck plot. There was both excitement and disappointment with that approach. On the one hand, the show has proven itself to keep adhering to a set formula.Countdownwill often end an episode on a major cliffhanger, resolving it early in the next.
That has happened multiple times, with cases like Drew and Blythe’s fates among the early reveals, but here we learn how the task force manages to disarm Volchek’s bombs. The solution ends up being an easy one, with Shepherd and Bell stopping the explosions by taking off the tablets that would detonate the bombs.
While I had no idea how they would do it, the fact that Shepherd and Bell disarmed the bombs was one any viewer could see coming, or else the whole team would die. As for Volchek, I enjoyed how the show threw us a curveball related to his fate. So far, the villain has had a failsafe for every plan.
Volchek was too dangerous to be left alive.
I was on the edge of my seat when he went to the roof to try to explode the trucks with the bombs. Based on all we’ve seen from the villain, it made sense he would never give up — and so Jensen Ackles' Meachum killed him. Volchek was too dangerous to be left alive.
However, a part of me is disappointed by Volchek’s death. While the villain’s demise was satisfying, the fact that it happened long before the season’s end made little sense. Volchek’s unpredictability played a huge role in the show’s excitement, so killing him leaves a void.
The Action Series Takes A Breath & Focuses On Its Characters
One of my few issues withCountdownis how it doesn’t explore most of its characters' lives beyond the task force. One of the benefits of ending Volchek’s storyline early is that it leaves plenty of room to tackle that, and I loved what we saw.
As has been the case, Meachum continues to get a bigger focus.Starting a relationship with Oliveras seems inevitable, as both pretty much make a promise for it to happen down the line if he can get a grip on his disease. Seeing the whole team show up at the hospital to support him on his first day of treatment was heartwarming.
With Volchek dead, there needed to be a new mission to reassemble the task force.
I also enjoyed how we saw a tender side of Blythe with his wife and son, and Eric Dane played it well, switching from work mode to a family man with ease. The spark between Shepherd and Bell grew as they had dinner, and I can’t wait to see where it goes. Then came a major surprise.
With Volchek dead, there needed to be a new mission to reassemble the task force. That comes after a 10-month time jump. Newcomer Ryan Fitzgerald (Joe Dinicol) is likable from the get-go, and his energetic persona will make him a great addition to the team, especially bouncing off more stoic characters like Meachum and Blythe.
The mystery surrounding POTUS and more seems to be a good second case for the task force to handle. However, it would have been the perfect storyline for season 2, so I wonder if it will be wrapped up in season 1’s final three episodes or continue after. Oliveras also has to return!
Countdown Season 1, Episode 10
Cast
Countdown, released in 2025, follows LAPD detective Mark Meachum as he joins a secret task force composed of undercover agents from various law enforcement branches. Following the murder of a Department of Homeland Security officer, they uncover a deep conspiracy, igniting a time-sensitive mission to protect millions.
