Season One, Part 2
The task force’s new “Countdown” mission is, in some ways, more disturbing to me than its first. There’s something less horrifying about the stereotypical ‘bad guy’ plot to blow up a city or take over the weather or something on a grand scale – maybe because that’s what we’re used to from the Marvel type villain. Or maybe because it’s less personal, so it’s somehow less impactful.
Volchek was one of those ‘bad guys’ - though I was also fascinated by Volchek as a villain. We saw enough of his backstory to understand some of how he became so bent on revenge, and he was smart and devious and the actor had lots of charisma despite the character he was playing.
The villain of this mission is, frankly, just horrifying. Not in a fascinating way, but in a turn my stomach kind of way. I don’t mind my media dark, so I’m intrigued. What are we going to find out about this guy??
This is the first full episode in what feels like Part 2 of the first season of the show. It’s disconcerting that it’s so different, but I admit it also ups the fascination factor too.
Even the pace of this episode is much slower, especially in the beginning. We follow the new bad guy in acute detail as he listens to radio propaganda, puts on camo gear, loads his rifle and goes hunting. The music is even slow, and while I was fairly sure this was going to be a bad guy, it was almost deceptively peaceful. Until the gut punch at the end of his hunt.
We see that a few years earlier, the guy is out of work, presumably for PTSD reasons, and reacts badly when a friend/colleague suggests that he should get back to work or he’ll be called a malingerer. His girlfriend is also pushing that, and you can see the pressure building up – he’s like a powder keg, waiting for a match. I find this guy scarier than Volchek because it’s “everyday” rage and violence, and we’re all surrounded by people like that in real life. As soon as we meet his girlfriend and her adorable beloved little beagle, my stomach was queasy. When she betrays him and he takes the dog with him when he leaves, I was full on nauseous.
The task force needs a name for their killer; Meachum suggests Todd. I’m not sure why that’s funny, but I laughed and so did the rest of the team. Nevertheless, Todd it is.
I don’t like Todd.
Guess Who’s Back?
They know that the Governor of California and the POTUS are the targets, thus the need for the task force - which Oliveras returns to join also. That’s not a big surprise, though we couldn’t be absolutely certain they’d bring her back. Considering that the sparks between her and Meachum are definitely part of the show’s appeal, though, it would have been an odd decision not to have Jessica Camacho return.
Things are strained between Meachum and her after their almost-hook-up ten months before, especially because Oliveras has been dating the doctor who cured Meachum, Julio. Meachum is clearly threatened by that, posturing by insinuating he’s been doing a lot of sleeping around himself, “doing all the living I can with whoever, more than one whoevers…”
Oliveras: Gross.
Meachum: it’s not gross, it’s human nature.
(Sam and Dean Winchester may have had this same conversation after Dean’s tryst with twins, just saying…)
They start to argue, and he accuses her of taking whatever “this” could have been and tossing it out the fucking window. But no, he’s not upset, he insists.
Uh huh.
After work, they all go out for drinks except Oliveras, who says she’s busy. Meachum lashes out at that, in an annoyingly passive aggressive way, asking Fitz “Single? Feels good, doesn’t it, not to be tied down?” loudly enough for her to hear.
It’s like now that he’s all better, he’s back to being an asshole!
(It’s okay, like I said, I like my media dark and my characters complex)
Fitz talks too much (endearingly in my opinion), Evan worries about Molly (who Bell has said is hanging out with some bad dude drug dealers) and Meachum scans the bar for girls to pick up. He offers to get the next round and instead takes off with one of them, leaving his friends to fend for themselves.
Seriously kinda an asshole.
That does let us have a shirtless Meachum waking up the morning after as the woman he slept with gets dressed to leave.
Woman: That was fun as hell. I left my Instagram on your mirror. DM me.
He says okay, and she smiles.
Woman: You don’t know how to do that.
He says no but reassures himself as she leaves with a “still got it.”
Progress
It’s understandable that after his brush with death, Meachum wants to prove he’s really alive, and it’s obvious he’s jealous that Oliveras is dating the doctor, but come on Meachum, you don’t have to be an asshole to do it!
He seems to realize that the next day, as he and Oliveras are once again in the car.
Meachum: I mighta said some things… it was uncalled for so I just wanna apologize for my behavior.
Oliveras: I don’t know how to feel. This is like the day Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean – an apology from Mark Meachum, I never thought I’d see such growth, such development…
Meachum: You done? I’m trying to be serious. I’m happy for you and the doctor. He actually seems like a good guy. Let’s be honest, you and me? That woulda been… we woulda wrecked everything we’ve got here.
She takes his apology then (even though we the audience don’t really buy it), thanks him for “apologizing and for being gracious in your own fucking weird way.”
They get back to work, awkward conversation over.
The team also makes slow progress trying to figure out the owner of the cabin where the dead woman was found, first meeting with reluctant but eventually cooperative Singaporean diplomats and then with a guy named TK who rented Cabin number 6. He’s an ex con and into a pseudo religion cult thing, so he’s a good candidate to be suspicious of. That gives us our chase scene of the episode, with TK on a motorcycle and Meachum swerving in and out of traffic and up on sidewalks chasing him, good music playing.
It also gives us lots of Jensen Ackles intensity as Meachum is determined to catch the guy.
Unfortunately, they don’t. When they lose him, Blythe assigns Bell and Shepherd to go pay his ex-wife a visit.
Meachum protests someone other than him getting the assignment.
Blythe: Share the wealth, Meachum.
When they bring the guy in, Meachum and Oliveras amusingly pretend to be part of TK’s cult to get him to talk, but it turns out some guy paid him to rent the cabin and he just didn’t ask questions.
I do like that there are sometimes red herrings thrown into the mix in this show, and that the task force doesn’t magically get every answer right. Even smart people make mistakes sometimes, especially when things are as complicated as these stories are.
When they get the contact information for that person and send a message, they get a surprising one back: Is this the Feds?
The next moment, the translation for the manifesto comes through.
Where Do We Go From Here…
Gotta say, I’m little confused about exactly what’s going on here….but intrigued. Also, still a little bit nauseous.
I’m still not sure how I feel about the sweeping changes to the story line of Season 1, from the change in ‘big bad’ to the resolution of Mark’s brain tumor angst.
This case (and Todd) haven’t quite grabbed my interest like Volchek did yet, but I do have a lot of feelings about Todd already, and that’s probably a good sign. Meachum and Oliveras are interesting in their push-pull relationship with sparks they’re both denying and Mark Meachum is fascinating even when he’s being an asshole, in part because he’s so ambivalent about it.
I wonder what the next episode of “Countdown'“ will bring….also a good sign.
Watch the new episode next Wednesday on Prime Video!
Lynn Zubernis, PhD is an expert on all things “Supernatural,” and has published numerous bestselling books on the subject. You can check them out here.