Episode 2 of Countdown oscillated between Minsk in 2008 and present-day Los Angeles. In the flashback portion of the narrative, we met Borys, an official in the Belarusian Ministry of Defense. His brother, Anton, was in dire straits, being harassed by an American, Dennis, because he owed him money. Anton convinced Borys to help him, and it was then that they discovered it was all a ploy for Borys to steal emails between Belarus and Russia.
Borys complied to save Anton's life, but when Anton committed suicide, unable to bear the pain of subjecting his brother to such hell, Borys killed Dennis. In the present day, Nathan's team allied with Javi, a cartel lieutenant, and smuggled drugs for him in the hopes that it would favor them and give them the names of those responsible for the shipment of radioactive material to Los Angeles. However, Javi was killed for unknowingly conspiring with federal agents, and before he breathed his last, he uttered the name Volchek—that is, Borys Volchek.
Creator: Derek Haas
Stars: Jensen Ackles, Jessica Camacho, Eric Dane
Episode 3 of Countdown begins with a recap of the events of the previous two episodes to show all the chaos Mark has experienced in a span of 24 to 48 hours. He calls Amber to check on him, as she was with him when the car bomb exploded and killed Javi. But Amber doesn't answer the call because she's struggling with her addiction and fighting the urge to open the package of heroin she had "confiscated" from Javi under the guise of "keeping drugs off the streets." We also learn that it's Luke's birthday. Incidentally, in the last episode, when Luke cut his hand while loading pig feed into the truck, I thought it was going to cause something serious, like a fatal infection or something. But in this episode, you can see that he's completely healed; No scar, no nothing.
Anyway, the three meet with Damon, Evan, Nathan, and Keyonte at the office to investigate the attack on Javi. They've managed to determine Volchek's nationality is Belarus, which is correct. Therefore, Mark thinks he should contact Timur Novikov (not to be confused with the late Russian artist), an inmate he befriended during his time at Palmdale Correctional Facility. Amber believes he's dangerous because he was taken out of that prison under dubious circumstances; putting him back there could raise suspicion, which could lead to him being stabbed to death.
Mark understands Amber's concern but maintains his position that returning to Palmdale is the only way out. Nathan and Damon chat briefly about how Damon and his wife are dealing with their son's death before focusing on how they're going to execute Mark's plan. They face a setback almost immediately, as Warden Gil Thompson is unwilling to cooperate because the last time Mark was there, he turned it into a living hell by inciting several riots. But once Nathan sucks up to Gil and tells him that the meeting between Timur and Mark can take place without the latter ever setting foot in the penitentiary, Gil relaxes. Incidentally, amid all this planning, Evan and Keyonte are seen multitasking, trying to sift through mountains of data to see what they can learn about Volchek, while also trying to figure out how to throw a surprise birthday party for Luke.
At Nathan's request, Gil arranges for Timur to be transported to another location. The van used to complete the task is driven by Amber and Luke, and yes, it also contains Mark, pretending to be transported to a new facility along with Timur. Once Amber and Luke are certain that Mark has gained Timur's trust, Luke causes the van to malfunction, causing it to crash, giving the escapees a chance to escape. After locking Amber and Luke in the van, Mark and Timur head to a construction site in Van Nuys, where they cover up their prison uniforms with jumpsuits.
They then go to Timur's uncle's house, where he can provide safe haven while the police search for them. Meanwhile, Luke and Amber break out of their confinements and return to the precinct, where Evan and Keyonte continue to plan how to deliver Luke's birthday surprise while analyzing all the available information on Volchek. Amber fills them in on Mark's situation, while Luke makes birthday plans with his wife, though he's unsure exactly how the day will turn out.
Grayson reappears at the HSI office to harass Nathan, this time about the Palmdale fiasco. Nathan stands his ground and refuses to bow to Grayson, and Damon joins him, also giving the "Gubernatorial Candidate" a dressing down and then proceeding to kick him out of the building. The episode then focuses on Mark and Timur, who are trying to get a cell phone to contact the latter's uncle. They track down a poor man at a coffee shop, and minutes later, a certain Dmitry Kotov picks them up and takes them to Burbank, where his uncle, Mikhail, is waiting for them at his mansion.
However, Mikhail isn't happy to see Timur and Mark, because he believes his nephew has led the police to him. While they argue, Mark excuses himself so he can call in the cavalry after confirming if anything suspicious is going on there. And, well, he gets more than he bargained for. At the end of Countdown episode 3, Mark reveals that despite telling Timur to throw away the phone they used to call Dmitry to avoid being traced, he has kept it in his pocket to contact Amber. He asks Timur to tell Evan to locate the phone she's calling from, but doesn't call for backup.
This understandably confuses Amber, Nathan, and Damon because if they wait for Mark's signal and things go wrong, they won't be able to save him. If they arrive too early, they might gain information on Volchek, but they won't be able to catch anyone red-handed. While they ponder this decision, Mark heads to the basement and comes across a room filled with electronics, blueprints, maps, and various documents indicating that a major operation is being planned there. Mark tries to get out undetected but comes face-to-face with Volchek. Volchek orders Mikhail to kill Mark because he's seen too much. Mikhail apparently has no choice but to follow Volchek's order, so he takes Mark to the back of the building to take him out. Timur protests this turn of events, but it falls on deaf ears.
Meanwhile, Volchek busies himself destroying all material in the basement that could be linked to him and then escapes. This causes an explosion large enough to distract Mikhail. Mark uses this opportunity to overpower the man and flee. Conveniently, Damon and the rest of the team arrive at Mikhail's lair and begin shooting at him to get Mark to safety. Timur is killed in the shootout, while Mikhail manages to escape in a car parked in the parking lot. However, he manages to inflict some damage on the team by taking out Damon.
For a moment, it appears Luke has been shot, but I guess the luck of his birthday saves him. Damon, however, isn't so lucky and takes a bullet right to the chest. Although Damon's character hasn't been fully developed, this feels like a truly tragic moment, as the man and his wife have been dealing with the death of their son. If he dies, it will be too much for his wife to bear. That said, it will make the show's plot a bit more realistic. A nuclear threat has become all too common in this genre. Therefore, the task force's motivation to neutralize it felt a bit weak. With Damon's death, the mission will become personal. Mark will undoubtedly go after Mikhail, and now that he's also seen Volchek's face, he'll stop at nothing until he's captured and arrested for his crimes against humanity.
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