Warning: Includes SPOILERS for Countdown episodes 1-3!
Countdownepisode 3’s ending is the most action-packed so far, withDetective Meachum discovering game-changing blueprints and a notable character death.Countdown’scastis led bySupernaturalstar Jensen Ackles, who brings his immaculate charisma to the table as reckless homicide Detective Mark Meachum. After thedeath of Homeland Security agent Robert Darden, Meachum is brought on board to a task force led by Nathan Blythe (Eric Dane) that includes Amber Oliveras (Jessica Camacho), Evan Shepherd (Violett Beane), Lucas Finau (Uli Latukefu), and Keyonte Bell (Elliot Knight).
Countdownepisode 3 sees Detective Meachum pursuing a potential lead on Volchek, which takes him to a Belarusian restaurant that’s being used as a front for a foreign plot. Meachum discovers mysterious blueprints in the backroom and is then taken outside for execution. He manages to escape, and backup arrives to rescue him, but a shootout ensues. Dmitry, Meachum’s contact from his time undercover, is killed in the violence, as well as Damon Drew (Jonathan Togo), one of the task force members. The restaurant is set on fire to cover up evidence, which continues to hint at a much more dangerous scheme being unraveled.
What Meachum Saw In The Blueprints & Plans In Countdown Episode 3’s Ending
Meachum Saw Volchek’s Blueprints For A Chemical Weapon
ThroughoutCountdownepisode 3, Meachum uses one of his connections from his time undercover in prison. Pretending to be a prisoner in transport,Meachum tricks the impressionable young man, Dmitry, into thinking they’ve escaped from an armed vehicle, roughing up his own Task Force to sell the scene. The pair then goes on the run, eventually leading them back to Dmitry’s uncle, who owns a Belarusian restaurant and who is immediately furious at his nephew for bringing a newcomer there.
After stating that he’s going to use the restroom, Meachum goes digging in the back of the restaurant to see what he can find. He enters an unlabeled room near the manager’s office, wherehe finds a plethora of documents, suspicious wires, maps, and the blueprints for what appears to be a nuclear weapon. After exiting the room, Dmitry’s uncle holds Meachum at gunpoint, bringing him outside for execution. Luckily, Meachum escapes with the help of backup, but Volchek enters the room and destroys the evidence before setting the building ablaze.
Meachum’s Undercover Plan To Gather Info On Volchek Explained
Meachum Used A Belarusian Connection
InCountdownepisode 2, Meachum and Amber followed Robert Darden’s death to the Cartel, who smuggled the nuclear materials into America on behalf of a foreign party. After earning the trust of the Cartel by completing a drug run, Meachum and Amber barely miss the opportunity to question one of its members after he’s killed in an explosion.Javi reveals that the man on the docks was named Volchek, which Meachum uses as a lead to track down information in episode 3. This plan involves him playing a prisoner, while the rest of the task force “act” as cops.
Why Anton Took His Own Life In Countdown Episode 2
Anton Found Himself In Trouble With The Wrong People
In episode 2, audiences get some exposition on Volchek’s past, during events from 2008 that show a piece of his motivation.Volchek is a Belarusian man and combat veteran who worked in the Defense Ministrywhen his brother, Anton, became involved with a figure they referred to as “the American.” Anton had promised the American data on Belarusian agricultural information in exchange for money, but provided the American with false records. The American quickly discovered his deceit, forcing Anton to bring his brother into it.
The American demanded that Volchek provide him with emails sent between his boss, Mr. Kostenko, and the Moscow Kremlin, lest he kill Anton. Volchek retrieved the data as was expected of him and was prepared to give it to the American. However, he returned home to find Anton drinking, andhe later took his own life in the bathtub, considering himself to be a failure to their family, who was nothing more than a “chain around their necks.” Volchek killed the American with an explosive in response, mirroring the present-day scene, when he set off explosives to kill Javier.
Why The Task Force Went Undercover With The Cartel
Volchek Used The Cartel To Import Nuclear Materials
In Countdown episode 1,Amber uses her DEA knowledge to connect the Darden murder to a Cartel groupshe’s familiar with. She and Meachum, who has experience going undercover, infiltrate their ranks in an effort to find more information regarding the foreign player they’ve dealt with. They execute a drug run to earn trust, but before they can gather the intel they need, explosions are set off, claiming the life of Javier, their intended source. In his dying breath, he utters the name Volchek, referring to the show’s main antagonist.
Mark Meachum’s History Of Going Undercover Explained
Mark Meachum Has Been Undercover With Neo-Nazis & In Prison
At the beginning of the series, we meet Mark Meachum getting into a prison fight, doing undercover work that he seems to be enjoying a little bit too much. It turns out he’s passionate about his work, as he’s spent nine months undercover. Later in the episode, it’s revealed thathe also spent a year undercover with Aryan neo-nazis, which explains his tattoo. It’s revealed later in his report that he has a history of being dangerous, selfish, and reckless on missions.
What Happened To HSI Agent Robert Darden & Why The Task Force Was Created
Robert Darden Was Sold Out To The Cartel
Countdown’s season 1 premiere begins with Department of Homeland Security agent Robert Darden investigating some shipments at the Los Angeles port. After meeting with a member of the Cartel, Darden is chased down and ultimately shot dead in the street. This is the show’s inciting incident, and there’s some ambiguity at first as to what he was doing, and whether he was working with the Cartel or for the law.
The task force was assembled becauseNathan Blythe caught wind of multiple DHS agents being paid off by a foreign party, requesting that they look the other way on Cartel shipments coming into the port. Nathan Blythe believed Darden’s death might be connected to those payoffs, confirming his conspiracy that an attempt to bring lost materials into the country had been covered up.
The task force was created with officers who would be willing to bend the rules and, as Meachum put it, wouldn’t be missed in their respective departments. After investigating the matter, it’s revealed thatanother agent, Spellman, had given Robert Darden up to the Cartel, which explains the photo they had at the start of episode 1. More importantly, this connection leads the task force to the port and ultimately allows them to connect the Cartel with Volchek. This leads Meachum to the Belarusian restaurant inCountdownepisode 3.
