Countdown double-bill
Feb. 13th, 2026 08:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallowness1.12 - This Is His Signature
The Governor’s press secretary (kinda? She seemed to also be a volunteer from a PR firm, so maybe she was the would-be press secretary for his campaign) got shot in a filling station by the Black Hat Sniper who the taskforce are calling Todd. They were soon called in, most of them going to the crime scene, Blythe and Fitz going to talk to the victim’s colleagues, family and the Governor, who Blythe advised to scale back the fundraiser that was going to launch his campaign. (So much ‘It doesn’t work like that!’ on the political side.)
Blythe was suggesting Meacham had the makings of a leader (even though Finau had got the promotion, which Meacham was ignoring, because the status of the lead actor outweighs the onscreen hierarchy.) He was also praising Shepherd when she reported on the method they were going to use to see what had influenced Sniper!Todd, even though it hadn’t got any results yet. If this is meant to make me impressed at Blythe’s leadership skillz, it’s failing.
Oliveras noticed a man taking something out of the dead woman’s car on the camera footage that Shepherd could only tidy up so far. They were waiting on the inventory of what had been found in the car from the local cops, one of whom called Bell to ask him to come over to his house because he wanted to tell him something.
Mild tension as Oliveras put forward an argument that Sniper!Todd was working with someone in law enforcement, because he knew their methods. Was this trooper Bell was visiting the guy? Bell chose not to answer a call from Meacham, trying to give him a heads up.
Turned out it was all right, though, the trooper had spotted (from one viewing) that the man had, in fact, been putting something in the car, not taking something away. Meacham invited Olivieras for a beer to work at her theory a little more, she said she was tired, he over-reacted and said it had been a stupid idea.
There was further mild tension, because Shepherd was going over to Molly’s house after her sister had asked her to that morning. Molly had looked rough, and had claimed she’d been in Cabo, but was aware she needed a reset. Shepherd turned up, but the lights weren’t on in room after room…but Molly turned out to be in her bedroom, listening to music (of the type they play on this show as opposed to music that a party girl might listen to) through her headphones. So, that was a fakeout and they presumably had some sister bonding time.
The next day, Finau bribed his friend at the pound with donuts (I think we saw him on the previous case) and they found a slip of paper with a sign on the back that Shepherd deduced was Todd’s signature. The other side was from a poster to a gig that their fancy technology led them to. Olivieras and Bell were pretending to be drug dealers, there in the place of the regulars, although they stood out (as did Finau) in a mainly white biker club.
Finau and Meacham were pretending to be customers, keeping an eye out. Olivieras and Bell had to swear a lot, but their contact wasn’t buying it, and said that some guy had paid him to hand over an envelope if any cops came a-calling. Meacham got a flashback to Volchek’s tactics and wondered if they’d been intentionally brought there, but there were no cameras, so was Sniper!Todd in the bar?
Why yes, yes he was, wearing a black baseball cap and taking pictures of Olivieras and Bell, at least. Meacham took chase, Sniper!Todd started shooting, leading to chaos and Meacham losing him. Olivieras had to reveal that she was indeed a cop (and an angry one) to get the envelope and Sniper!Todd’s message. Beyond knowing that their man was white and not distinctive looking, they didn’t have much.
(We’re ahead of the taskforce in that we know he’s influenced by some radio/podcast host.) Quite possibly he was in law enforcement too.
Blythe had got shouted at by someone higher up who wasn’t impressed he’d advised the Governor to call off the fundraiser (which would change POTUS’s plans) because there was an active threat against him.
One episode left, so I decided I might as well watch it/get it over with the same night.
1.13 - Your People Are In Danger
Opened with Sniper!Todd going into a lock-up that he’d turned into a chemistry lab, suggesting that he wasn’t just going to be a gunman. Blythe and Fitz went to the fancy house where the fundraiser was going to be held, so that the Governor could start ‘the countdown’ by telling Blythe he’d really like it if they could catch the guy before then.
The product of the labwork was to set fire to a vehicle in a car park. Sniper!Todd left his ‘signature’ on it and Blythe and Meacham wondered if this was a repeat of the bar thing, where he wanted eyes on the whole team. Meacham was made to feel awkward, because of all the police officers in LA, his most recent booty call was there, and he had to tell her where to stop people from parking in front of Olivieras, who accurately read the dynamic.
They had a bunch of relationship stuff going on, with Meacham getting into Olivieras’s head because she was finding doctor boyfriend Julio just a bit tame. Meacham’s (biased) theory was that people outside their line of work just didn’t get them (there is no evidence that Mrs Blythe and Mrs Finau are in their line of work, and Meacham should know about the second lady. Oh, does it just not work with civilian guys? Or was Meacham just full of it?) There was another (completely inappropriate in the open-plan office) moment where he pointed out that there was ‘magic’ between them and they got kissing close. And really, there are times also when she’s as immature as him.
Speaking of inappropriate, Molly had stood her sister up for some scuzzball, so Shepherd noted his licence plate and asked her colleagues to look him up. He’d done some very illegal things, but was not in prison, and she asked Olivieras to reach out to the DEA to find out why.
Shepherd had deservedly got praise (unlike the pre-emptive praise she got in the previous episode) for her software finding out that the manifesto lifted lines from a radio show that only transmitted in some parts of LA. Meacham and Olivieras went to the station to find the DJ didn’t believe any of what he spouted, but went along with it for ratings. They got some info on the more out-there fans of his bile.
Blythe updated his boss and conceded that he was worried about his team being targets too. (Which he’d then forget about the next day.)
The most disturbing moment of the episode came after Olivieras had an overcompensating moment in the morning with her boyfriend, after she’d revealed some of her concerns about their relationship. She skipped the healthy breakfast he was suggesting and went to her car, which started smoking. She couldn’t get out, but was soon overpowered, and Sniper!Todd, wearing a gasmask popped up by the window.
Meacham would be the only one who worried that Olivieras hadn’t turned up to work. The others were busy as the case seemed to break, with all manner of clues pointing to a certain FBI officer. This deluge pointed them to a suburban house – cut to Olivieras, tied up, gagged and blindfolded in a closet. Turned out that the house the taskforce had descended on was Sniper!Todd’s wife and doggy mother’s, but her man was not doggy-killing sniper!Todd, but his cuckold. Meacham mumbled something about it feeling wrong, because he’s the lead and has magical instincts.
Meanwhile, in another house, Sniper!Todd chloroformed Olivieras unconscious again, and drove away with her, to receive a call from his boss – he has still been working as an FBI officer while running around the city, messing with the taskforce! – about the crazy stuff that had happened with his colleague and about how he should come back to the office to answer questions. He said he’d do so ASAP.
Meanwhile, Shepherd had got a phone call that seemed to be about Molly and had her haring out of the office – I was mildly worried that Sniper!Todd was targeting all the women of the taskforce. But it turned out that Molly was in hospital in a coma, possibly because of drugs or her no good boyfriend.
Olivieras was becoming conscious as the car stopped, she was dragged out, gradually untied, ungagged and unmasked. She didn’t know this, but she was in the same spot as the dog was killed. Sniper!Todd ordered her to run, she did, but the last shot (sorry) was of his finger on the trigger.
So, it ends on a cliffhanger. As I’ve made clear, I’ve thought this whole second case was stupid and unnecessary and weaker than the first. Also, I rewatched ‘Heat’ before this double bill and the way that LA was shot in this show was so lacking in comparison, it seemed that the main colour was a dingy brown.
And then I learned that it had been cancelled, leaving Amber forever running. For me, it’s something of a relief, because although I’d have liked to have seen Olivieras get out of that (probably she’d have been the one injured to flip her dynamic with Meacham), I wasn’t enthused about watching another season. The whole thing where they finished the first case early, skipped ahead, and brought the team back together for an even more badly written case threw me well off. And for all that the title was ‘Countdown’, it only rarely felt important, we’re not talking 24 here. Surely Ackles can sprinkle his charms on better material.
ETA: Such sad news that James Van Der Beek died of cancer, I didn't know he had so many children. Bittersweet to see all the Dawson's Creek stuff in these circumstances.
The Governor’s press secretary (kinda? She seemed to also be a volunteer from a PR firm, so maybe she was the would-be press secretary for his campaign) got shot in a filling station by the Black Hat Sniper who the taskforce are calling Todd. They were soon called in, most of them going to the crime scene, Blythe and Fitz going to talk to the victim’s colleagues, family and the Governor, who Blythe advised to scale back the fundraiser that was going to launch his campaign. (So much ‘It doesn’t work like that!’ on the political side.)
Blythe was suggesting Meacham had the makings of a leader (even though Finau had got the promotion, which Meacham was ignoring, because the status of the lead actor outweighs the onscreen hierarchy.) He was also praising Shepherd when she reported on the method they were going to use to see what had influenced Sniper!Todd, even though it hadn’t got any results yet. If this is meant to make me impressed at Blythe’s leadership skillz, it’s failing.
Oliveras noticed a man taking something out of the dead woman’s car on the camera footage that Shepherd could only tidy up so far. They were waiting on the inventory of what had been found in the car from the local cops, one of whom called Bell to ask him to come over to his house because he wanted to tell him something.
Mild tension as Oliveras put forward an argument that Sniper!Todd was working with someone in law enforcement, because he knew their methods. Was this trooper Bell was visiting the guy? Bell chose not to answer a call from Meacham, trying to give him a heads up.
Turned out it was all right, though, the trooper had spotted (from one viewing) that the man had, in fact, been putting something in the car, not taking something away. Meacham invited Olivieras for a beer to work at her theory a little more, she said she was tired, he over-reacted and said it had been a stupid idea.
There was further mild tension, because Shepherd was going over to Molly’s house after her sister had asked her to that morning. Molly had looked rough, and had claimed she’d been in Cabo, but was aware she needed a reset. Shepherd turned up, but the lights weren’t on in room after room…but Molly turned out to be in her bedroom, listening to music (of the type they play on this show as opposed to music that a party girl might listen to) through her headphones. So, that was a fakeout and they presumably had some sister bonding time.
The next day, Finau bribed his friend at the pound with donuts (I think we saw him on the previous case) and they found a slip of paper with a sign on the back that Shepherd deduced was Todd’s signature. The other side was from a poster to a gig that their fancy technology led them to. Olivieras and Bell were pretending to be drug dealers, there in the place of the regulars, although they stood out (as did Finau) in a mainly white biker club.
Finau and Meacham were pretending to be customers, keeping an eye out. Olivieras and Bell had to swear a lot, but their contact wasn’t buying it, and said that some guy had paid him to hand over an envelope if any cops came a-calling. Meacham got a flashback to Volchek’s tactics and wondered if they’d been intentionally brought there, but there were no cameras, so was Sniper!Todd in the bar?
Why yes, yes he was, wearing a black baseball cap and taking pictures of Olivieras and Bell, at least. Meacham took chase, Sniper!Todd started shooting, leading to chaos and Meacham losing him. Olivieras had to reveal that she was indeed a cop (and an angry one) to get the envelope and Sniper!Todd’s message. Beyond knowing that their man was white and not distinctive looking, they didn’t have much.
(We’re ahead of the taskforce in that we know he’s influenced by some radio/podcast host.) Quite possibly he was in law enforcement too.
Blythe had got shouted at by someone higher up who wasn’t impressed he’d advised the Governor to call off the fundraiser (which would change POTUS’s plans) because there was an active threat against him.
One episode left, so I decided I might as well watch it/get it over with the same night.
1.13 - Your People Are In Danger
Opened with Sniper!Todd going into a lock-up that he’d turned into a chemistry lab, suggesting that he wasn’t just going to be a gunman. Blythe and Fitz went to the fancy house where the fundraiser was going to be held, so that the Governor could start ‘the countdown’ by telling Blythe he’d really like it if they could catch the guy before then.
The product of the labwork was to set fire to a vehicle in a car park. Sniper!Todd left his ‘signature’ on it and Blythe and Meacham wondered if this was a repeat of the bar thing, where he wanted eyes on the whole team. Meacham was made to feel awkward, because of all the police officers in LA, his most recent booty call was there, and he had to tell her where to stop people from parking in front of Olivieras, who accurately read the dynamic.
They had a bunch of relationship stuff going on, with Meacham getting into Olivieras’s head because she was finding doctor boyfriend Julio just a bit tame. Meacham’s (biased) theory was that people outside their line of work just didn’t get them (there is no evidence that Mrs Blythe and Mrs Finau are in their line of work, and Meacham should know about the second lady. Oh, does it just not work with civilian guys? Or was Meacham just full of it?) There was another (completely inappropriate in the open-plan office) moment where he pointed out that there was ‘magic’ between them and they got kissing close. And really, there are times also when she’s as immature as him.
Speaking of inappropriate, Molly had stood her sister up for some scuzzball, so Shepherd noted his licence plate and asked her colleagues to look him up. He’d done some very illegal things, but was not in prison, and she asked Olivieras to reach out to the DEA to find out why.
Shepherd had deservedly got praise (unlike the pre-emptive praise she got in the previous episode) for her software finding out that the manifesto lifted lines from a radio show that only transmitted in some parts of LA. Meacham and Olivieras went to the station to find the DJ didn’t believe any of what he spouted, but went along with it for ratings. They got some info on the more out-there fans of his bile.
Blythe updated his boss and conceded that he was worried about his team being targets too. (Which he’d then forget about the next day.)
The most disturbing moment of the episode came after Olivieras had an overcompensating moment in the morning with her boyfriend, after she’d revealed some of her concerns about their relationship. She skipped the healthy breakfast he was suggesting and went to her car, which started smoking. She couldn’t get out, but was soon overpowered, and Sniper!Todd, wearing a gasmask popped up by the window.
Meacham would be the only one who worried that Olivieras hadn’t turned up to work. The others were busy as the case seemed to break, with all manner of clues pointing to a certain FBI officer. This deluge pointed them to a suburban house – cut to Olivieras, tied up, gagged and blindfolded in a closet. Turned out that the house the taskforce had descended on was Sniper!Todd’s wife and doggy mother’s, but her man was not doggy-killing sniper!Todd, but his cuckold. Meacham mumbled something about it feeling wrong, because he’s the lead and has magical instincts.
Meanwhile, in another house, Sniper!Todd chloroformed Olivieras unconscious again, and drove away with her, to receive a call from his boss – he has still been working as an FBI officer while running around the city, messing with the taskforce! – about the crazy stuff that had happened with his colleague and about how he should come back to the office to answer questions. He said he’d do so ASAP.
Meanwhile, Shepherd had got a phone call that seemed to be about Molly and had her haring out of the office – I was mildly worried that Sniper!Todd was targeting all the women of the taskforce. But it turned out that Molly was in hospital in a coma, possibly because of drugs or her no good boyfriend.
Olivieras was becoming conscious as the car stopped, she was dragged out, gradually untied, ungagged and unmasked. She didn’t know this, but she was in the same spot as the dog was killed. Sniper!Todd ordered her to run, she did, but the last shot (sorry) was of his finger on the trigger.
So, it ends on a cliffhanger. As I’ve made clear, I’ve thought this whole second case was stupid and unnecessary and weaker than the first. Also, I rewatched ‘Heat’ before this double bill and the way that LA was shot in this show was so lacking in comparison, it seemed that the main colour was a dingy brown.
And then I learned that it had been cancelled, leaving Amber forever running. For me, it’s something of a relief, because although I’d have liked to have seen Olivieras get out of that (probably she’d have been the one injured to flip her dynamic with Meacham), I wasn’t enthused about watching another season. The whole thing where they finished the first case early, skipped ahead, and brought the team back together for an even more badly written case threw me well off. And for all that the title was ‘Countdown’, it only rarely felt important, we’re not talking 24 here. Surely Ackles can sprinkle his charms on better material.
ETA: Such sad news that James Van Der Beek died of cancer, I didn't know he had so many children. Bittersweet to see all the Dawson's Creek stuff in these circumstances.
