Countdown-A Needle or a Bullet

Countdown-A Needle or a Bullet, Season 01-Episode 06. Recap & Review.

The Mission and All It’s Parts

The episode opens with Meachum and Oliveras getting some target practice.

Shepherd reports to the team that she and Bell have been drilling down on the name Gallagher, that Meachum found in the basement of Mikhail’s dance hall. They managed to uncover a previously sealed file that links Timur Novikov, and an old high school friend named Shawn Gallagher. The two of them were arrested for carjacking. Since that time, Gallagher has been arrested and served time for drug trafficking and is out on parole.

Shepherd and Bell let Blythe know that the root kit they managed to install has been discovered and their connection has been severed. Bell was curious why their infiltration and the beating down of 3 guards at the consulate went unreported. Blythe believes Astapov is keeping things quiet to not attract negative attention from his superiors.

Meachum and Oliveras meet up with Gallagher’s parole officer, Sam Johnson. He describes Shawn Gallagher as “a real fried egg” meaning he is a doomsdayer. He gives them Gallagher’s last known address. When Meachum and Oliveras visit Gallaher’s home, it is what Meachum describes as a “booby-trapped little house of horrors.” There were several traps laid throughout the house using hidden trip wires and springboards full of nails. They determined he had not been there for quite some time.

Shepherd also found that there was a recurring name on prison visitor logs for Shawn Gallagher. A man named Wade Tripett. Blythe sent Bell and Finau to investigate him at his place of work. Once they find Tripett, they question him about his visits with Gallagher. Tripett tells them that he was Gallagher’s AA sponsor. When Gallagher ran into a rough patch, he called Tripett, but he himself had fallen off the wagon and missed Gallagher’s call. He felt so guilty that he tried to help Gallagher. He paid him regular visits, helped him get a place when he got out of prison and tried to help him find a job. Tripett told them Gallagher joined some doomsdayer cult and it has been months since he saw him. The last he heard, Gallaher was living in a trailer park in Needles.

The only way to approach Gallagher within Needles, is to go through the rest of the trailer park. Blythe suggests they get there first thing in the morning. Enroute, they stop for gas and Oliveras and Meachum share some personal history. They move on to Gallagher’s place and when they get there, Meachum is the first in the mobile home but instead of finding Gallagher, he’s in the truck that bolts with Meachum trapped inside.

Bell, Finau and Oliveras do all they can to stop Gallagher, but Meachum manages to jump from the mobile home to the bed of his truck and then in through the passenger door, subduing Gallagher. It was very dangerous and both Gallagher and Oliveras accuse Meachum of being out of his mind.

When it comes time to interrogate Gallagher, Meachum and Oliveras know that he is an extremist and a doomsdayer. They pretend to appeal to his anti-establishment beliefs and say they are on his side, asking how they can help him and Volchek with their terrorist mission. It becomes evident very quickly that Gallagher is a dead end. He has no idea what they are talking about. Blythe takes a run at him too and comes up with the same conclusion.

Back in the bull pen, the task force are dealing with the frustration of coming up against another dead end. Meachum’s temper flares when Bell questions his recollection of what he saw in the dance hall basement. Blythe quickly defuses the issue and gets the team refocused on peeling back more layers to find the right Gallagher.

The Villain

Near the beginning of the episode, we see Volchek making a considerable purchase, spending roughly 500K. When he returns to his car he is greeted in the parking lot by the Belarusian Consul General, Iosif Astapov. Astapov informs Volchek that the government of his home country Belarus, is eager to look into his “legal troubles.”  He tells him that the Americans are closing in on him. They showed up asking a lot of questions and hacked the consulate’s computer server fishing for information. Volchek was then warned to stop whatever plans he had in the US and to return to Minsk.

When Andrej arrives and sees Astapov he pulls his weapon, but Volchek tells him to stand down. Volchek tells Astapov that he will consider his offer, and Astapov told him not to take long. He found him once and could do it again.

After Volchek gets back from his meeting and the run-in with Astapov, he is furious. He isn’t just angry that Astapov found him, which he struggles to understand how, but he is more furious that this man would attempt to intimidate him to do his bidding and return to Minsk. He vows he will not be intimidated, and he will not allow anyone to spoil his plans to “bring this country [America] to its knees!” He calls the leaders of his team together and instructs them to find out every detail of Astapov’s schedule down to the last minute of every day.

After the necessary investigation, Andrej reports back to Volchek that Astapov has a regular schedule he follows each day and gives him all the details. His regular routine consists of a morning walk, a stop at a bakery on his way to work, his place at the consulate and finally at the end of the day he frequents a particular restaurant where he has a regular table.

Volchek calls in his men one at a time, starting with Danill and lets them know that he intends on sending Astapov a message; if you threaten me, you will know what a true threat looks like. Volchek tells Danill he wants to pick up Astapov in the parking lot of the bakery. In turn he speaks with Andrej, Danill, Radoslav and Vadim.

Volchek is using the info his men gave him and is following Astapov through out his day. As he waits outside the Bakery Andrej calls him and tells him Astapov is already on his way to the consulate, demonstrating to Volchek that Astapov has deviated from his regular schedule.

Volchek calls his men together again. He wants to know how Astapov knew where to find him. The only way that could have happened is if someone on his team betrayed him. He goes on to explain in detail how he has deduced who the traitor is. The best way to expose a target is to learn their schedule. The things they do by route and therefore don’t think about. When that suddenly changes, it’s very telling. He involved Andrej, Danill, Radoslav and Vadim, giving them different stories about where he would hit Astapov. It was Danill he told about the bakery, and it was the bakery that Astapov deviated. They seize Danill, check his phone for clues and determine he has been working against them. Two men hold him while Volchek shoots him in the head. He tells his men to hide the body where it won’t be found.

The doors to the huge hanger opens and three 18-wheeler trucks pull inside. They are stamped from the company Volchek purchased them from; Gallagher freight.

Character Development

◄ Nathan Blythe ►

Episode 6

• Blythe learns that the Belarusians have discovered and severed their connection with the server, offering Bell and Shepherd some wisdom on why Astapov would keep this quiet.
• The team is facing another challenge trying to find the connection between Gallagher and Volchek. Blythe does his best to keep the team motivated and positive.
• When Gallagher ends up being a dead-end, tempers flare and Blythe quickly gets the team back on track but not before sending Bell a cautionary message about criticizing the work of others on his team.

Episode 5

• In the last episode Blythe warned Valwell that if he continues to disrupt his mission, Valwell will see a side of him he won’t like. It looks like Tim Carmichael is the card Blythe was forced to play.
• We don’t know the origins of Blythe’s relationship with Tim Carmichael except to say they have a longstanding friendship. When they meet, Tim asks if Blythe will be joining him and his wife Elizabeth on their trip to Lanai in the fall. If they are vacationing together, this is a friendship of some significance. It would seem that Tim Carmichael is a man of some wealth and influence, but the only thing we find out about his role is that he is the “party fundraising chairman.”

Episode 4

• As the task force leader, it was Blythe who delivered the news to the team that Drew died in surgery.
• Drew’s death was a blow to the whole team, but it was particularly difficult for Nathan. He and Drew were friends. Drew had been sharing with Blythe the difficulty of losing his son Noah, how he and his wife Cora were coping. They also spoke of Drew’s time as assistant coach of Noah’s little league team.
• Blythe was also aware that Drew held him in high regard, having defended him against D.A. Valwell in their most recent altercation.
• Blythe never seems to miss an opportunity to teach Shepherd the good and the not-so-good duties required of them. He takes her along to visit Cora, so they can deliver the death message. He also lets her conduct her very first interrogation of a suspect.
• Drew’s death strengthens the teams resolve to really go after Volchek and ramp up their efforts as much as possible which is evident in Blythe’s talks as he does his best to keep the team motivated in the face of such loss.

Episode 3

• Nathan and Damon have worked together in the past, but it’s obvious their relationship is deepening. After the death of Damon’s son Noah, the two men make time to check in with one another. Nathan asks how the little league team is doing and offers to grab a beer when the mission is over to talk… or not. Whatever Damon needs Nathan is there for him.
• Forced once again to deal with Valwell, Blythe is clearly a man who stands his ground especially where his team and his mission is concerned. He refuses to buckle under Valwell’s accusations.
• Blythe clearly has the respect of his team, as demonstrated by Drew when he defends Nathan Blythe’s leadership and tactical expertise.

Episode 2

• In his task force leadership role, he seems to attract attention from local law enforcement and political wannabes. He effortlessly dispels their interference.
• Blythe hails from Greenwich, attended Ivy League (Princeton), wanted to be a lawyer, aspired to clerk for SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States), but pivoted after 9/11 and enrolled in the army after the twin towers came down. Army Intelligence.
• Nathan obviously grew up wealthy and Drew teases him about it.
• He is clearly a leader who is all about getting the job done and has no time for political aspirations, which is obvious in his dealings with D.A. Grayson Valwell.

Episode 1

• We know he is a 22-year vet with the FBI and has worked on 5 task force missions, being the lead on 2 of them, and one of them included Mark Meachum.
• He worked as a co-case Agent on the Amerithrax Operation (this was a real case in 2001 involving anthrax spores being mailed to victims, killing 5 and infecting 17 making it the deadliest bio-terrorism attack in US history).
• We learn he worked undercover with the Aryan Brotherhood for a year, earning Blythe’s respect despite the danger.
• We discover he was tipped off by an informant claiming a “foreign player” was trying to buy off DHS (Department of Homeland Security) officers but was denied from initiating a mission until he went to the Director of the FBI personally, which is why their mission is under cover.

◄ Mark Meachum ►

Episode 6

• There is some good-natured teasing as Meachum and Oliveras get in some target practice. Their relationship is taking on new layers of warmth and trust.
• We learned in episode 5 that Meachum served in the military. Here we find out a little more detail; he was part of the Airborne Rangers (aka 75th Ranger Regiment) which is a highly trained and specialized unit within the U.S. Army, known for its expertise in airborne and air assault operations, direct action raids, and seizing key terrain. They are an elite, airborne light infantry combat formation.
• Meachum was decorated with the highest ranking in marksmanship; Distinguished Expert.
• Mark reassured Oliveras that he is not a drug user while confiding in her about his migraines. He held back the entire truth, not telling her what the source of that pain was.
• When Gallagher turns out to be a dead-end, frustration boils over and Meachum’s temper flares.
• Oliveras gives Meachum some medication (pain killers) to help Meachum deal with the migraines. It’s obvious that she wants to help him, but it is also very revealing when she lets him know that she needs him.

Episode 5

• Meachum has increasing concerns about Oliveras.
• Oliveras utilizing drugs as a tool to get information from suspects does not pose a moral issue for him.
• He is not above stretching ethical boundaries when the job requires it, but he wants to know if she is using. I think partly out of concern for her safety, but also, he wants to know how her state of mind will impact their working relationship. Her being high poses risks to those she is working with as well as threatening her career.
• Mark Meachum shares a number of facts about himself; he’s not from LA; he is from Victorville; he dropped out of high school at the age of 17 and joined the military.
• For the first time we see Meachum’s illness take a significant toll on him physically as his vision becomes impaired, he loses balance and ultimately passes out in the stairwell. This could have been so much worse.
• Meachum is beginning to display the tell-tale signs of what persistent severe pain can do to a person’s state of mind; we can see his desperation, frustration and anger.
• The bathroom scene in this episode is heartbreaking to watch. He is desperate for help but has to walk a fine line between managing his pain and not diminishing his cognitive abilities.
• His angry outburst at his doctor shows us how desperate his situation is becoming. It also demonstrates that his doctor is not much help to him.
• Once the shaky episode passes, it’s nice to know he hasn’t lost his sense of humor. He and Bell get into the “my badge is bigger than your badge” exchange. Funny stuff.
• Once the team established a connection with Pascals catering, each member of the team assumes a role. Meachum takes on the role of husband to Olivera’s role. They become Tim and Tina Murphy.
• Finally, no matter how Meachum is feeling, we see those times when his military and law enforcement training take over. This was especially evident during the consulate event when he needed to subdue 2 security guards.

Episode 4

• Damon Drew’s death was of great significance to Meachum for a number of reasons. The first being his presence in the ambulance, witnessing the magnitude of injury to his friend. It was bound to be traumatic. Drew’s death would also rattle him in ways the others wouldn’t experience, because Meachum is looking down the barrel of his own mortality. And lastly, Meachum feels he bears responsibility because he took risks he shouldn’t have taken, and it ended up in a shootout that took Drew’s life.
• The conversation about Drew, shared between Meachum and Oliveras, is a heartwarming one and adds to their deepening relationship.
• Meachum’s temper boils over into physical intimidation as Mikhail feigns ignorance of Volchek’s terrorist plot and blames everything, including Drew’s death, on his nephew Timur.
• Meachum finds out that Oliveras still has heroin from the brick she took from Javi. She told him she was going to flush it and apparently did not. Meachum’s overarching fear is that she is using again.
• The whole team watched with pride as Evan Shepherd conducted her very first and very successful, interrogation of a suspect.

Episode 3

• Mark is having painful flashbacks to recent events, which seems to be a deepening symptom of his condition. He is still in acute pain and is medicating himself regularly to manage it.
• Mark takes another opportunity to tease Oliveras when she questions him about going back into Palmdale. He seems to take endless joy in playfully taunting her whenever he can.
• We learn during Blythe’s video call with warden Gill Thompson that Meachum was lucky to get out of Palmdale alive. He was in there for 9 months, which coincides with the timing of his terminal diagnosis. It’s possible that his wildly reckless behavior is the result of him being resigned to stop at nothing to get his job done while he still can.
• Mark takes improv a little too far, as Finau will definitely get him back for taking a shot at him during the prison transfer and escape.
• Having stumbled into something unexpected in this episode, Meachum is forced on his knees and is about to be executed. As with all things, Meachum faces the inevitable with stoic courage.

Episode 2

• When Oliveras suggests she reconnect with Javi Lopez she tells Blythe she would prefer to work alone, to which Blythe refuses. Meachum seems to enjoy her discomfort and simply smirks when she doesn’t get her way.
• Meachum is intent on winding Oliveras up and getting a rise out of her, as he starts messing with her on the drive over to Javi Lopez’s compound. She is so angry you can almost see smoke coming out of her ears. The whole exchange further fuels the tension between them, which he seems to be enjoying.
• He is still in pain but so far no one knows about his illness.
• When the smuggle operation is complete, Meachum shares a story about his rookie year as the arresting officer on an assault charge. It demonstrates who he is as a cop and a man. It also demonstrates the commitment he has to his principals and those he’s sworn to protect. See Favorite Scene for more details.
• He takes this a step further by expressing his willingness to protect Oliveras in whatever steps she wants to take regarding the truckload of drugs. So much so, he reveals he is willing to put his career on the line, regardless of the consequences.
• Rather than helping her, his exchange with Oliveras leaves him on shaky ground. A grand plan to thwart a huge infusion of heroin onto the streets of LA, is now replaced by her taking a single kilo.
• As opposed to helping thousands of kids on the streets of LA, has he just aided and abetted a heroin addict?
• Now he’s left wondering if he can trust her.

Episode 1

• Mark Meachum is a Detective with LAPD, Robbery/Homicide.
• When Blythe introduces the team, he looks square at Meachum when he says, “No lone-wolf.”
• We learn very quickly that Mark Meachum is everything authority figures don’t like. He’s a maverick. He’s unorthodox, cavalier, risk-taking to the point of reckless. He uses humor as a shield and he’s a smart-ass. He’s not the kind of guy who asks for permission or stays between the lines.
• But he’s also everything a leader admires; he’s brave, courageous, intelligent, astute, has good investigative instincts and will go places others won’t, literally and figuratively. He’s an asset most would love to have, if they can find a way to control him.
• Meachum immediately recognizes that Blythe hasn’t shared all the mission facts and has been working on it for some time before the team was brought in. During this conversation the audience learns what Meachum endured in his previous mission with Blythe.
• Meachum worked undercover for a year, cut off from everyone, to live with a very dangerous group of Nazis known as the Aryan Brotherhood. He got Blythe what he needed to save a woman’s life and get information necessary to make arrests.
• Blythe is so impressed with Meachum that he tells him he’d put up with anything if Meachum could do work like that again. It sounds like it came at some cost to Meachum.
• Just before the episode hits its dramatic climax, the audience is made aware that Meachum has a brain tumor. His doctor has informed him that the condition is terminal. He was diagnosed nine months prior with glioblastoma multiforme, and neither radiation nor surgery are viable options for him. His doctor recommends that he load up on relief medication and live out his remaining time in as much comfort as possible.
• Meachum tells the doctor that finding some beach and checking out is not an option for him. He wants the medication to manage the pain in his head, so he can keep working.
• No one knows that Meachum is terminally ill, or the threat that his condition poses for the team. He is quite literally a ticking time bomb. Knowing his fate, his recklessness becomes the wild card he plays knowing he’s expendable.

◄ Amber Oliveras ►

Episode 6

• There is some good-natured teasing as Meachum and Oliveras get in some target practice. Their relationship is taking on new layers of warmth and trust.
• We learned in episode 5 that Meachum served in the 75th Ranger Regiment, and decorated as Distinguished Expert, so Oliveras told him in a firefight, he needs to stand next to her.
• Mark tells Amber he thinks they are pretty much partners by this point in the mission and should lay their cards on the table, to which she admitted to her drug addiction.
• Oliveras gives Meachum some medication (assuming pain killers) to help Meachum deal with the migraine headaches. She admits to him that she needs him.

Episode 5

• Oliveras defends her position on using drugs as a tool to get information they need to save lives.
• What the audience (and Mark) does not know at this point, is whether or not she is using the drugs for herself.
• She gets defensive when Meachum questions her. Is she hiding details of her past because she is ashamed or is she in denial? Keeping the drugs handy offers her the ability to use again if she wants to.
• She offers Meachum a glimpse of how her undercover work as a DEA Agent compromised her in the past.
• Oliveras and Meachum are really beginning to move in synch, and she senses something is wrong with him but hasn’t guessed what it is. This is obvious when she goes looking for him in the stairwell.
• Once the team established a connection with Pascals catering, each member of the team assumes a role. Oliveras takes on the role of wife to Meachum’s role. They become Tim and Tina Murphy.
• She comes through at the consulate event, watching Shepherd’s back as she installs the root kit and takes out the Security Supervisor when he finds Meachum subduing one of his guards.

Episode 4

• The whole team experienced the loss of their fellow agent, Damon Drew.
• Nine months into her career as a DEA Agent, Oliveras lost her training agent in a raid. She demonstrates the singular torture of questioning every move, every decision, every action leading up to the moment her teammate was killed.
• Oliveras shares her experience with Meachum, offering perspective and comfort. It’s a kindness they seem to extend to one another as needed.
• Oliveras isn’t above planting heroin on a suspect to get the information needed to solve a case and this is demonstrated with Dmitry Kotov. Ethics aside, it worked, and it also opened up a point of contention between her and Meachum regarding the brick of heroin she was supposed to destroy.
• The whole team watched with pride as Evan Shepherd conducted her very first and very successful, interrogation of a suspect.

Episode 3

• Oliveras is having significant struggles. Her past is haunting her. Having access to a kilo of heroin has really tempted her to use again and each time she gets close to disposing of it, she gets shaky. Her time as a drug user rears its ugly head and and is torturing her. It’s clear she hasn’t found a way to subdue that monster inside of her.
• While Meachum is revealing moments of concern for Oliveras, she is doing the same with him. She questions the safety of him returning to Palmdale as a prisoner, and he wastes no time teasing her about it. Oliveras claims that Meachum makes it very hard for her to like him. It’s easy to believe she already does.
• Oliveras admits during this episode that she hates doing deskwork and prefers to be out in the field.
• It turns out that her instincts were correct when she spoke with Meachum while he was on the run with Timur. She sensed he needed backup, and the task force responded.

Episode 2

• Two years prior, Oliveras was involved in a mission where her undercover identity was that of a smuggler who worked both sides of the border. She worked with a cartel lieutenant named Javi Lopez, who likely would know who they passed the fissile material off to.
• She got in touch with a runner of his to reestablish contact and offered to set up a meeting. Blythe told her to take Meachum as her muscle.
• She wanted to do it solo, but Blythe refused. It’s obvious that she is still annoyed with Meachum and is trying to avoid working with him.
• Her level of knowledge about the cartel and their smuggling tactics are impressive and obviously come from her own extensive undercover work.
• She and Meachum have that heart-to-heart in the truck about the drugs and he shares some of his past regarding his rookie year on the force. You can see her opinion beginning to soften.
• The fact that Meachum would put himself on the line to play out the drug delivery any way she wanted to, really has an impact on her.
• Instead, she takes a single kilo. Are we seeing the actions of a cop trying to lighten the influx of drugs one kilo at a time, or are we seeing the undeniable temptation of an addict not being able to pass up on an opportunity to take some for herself?
• What is this going to do to her relationship with Meachum, who was willing to lay it all on the line for her?

Episode 1

• Special Agent Amber Oliveras, DEA.
• Blythe shares with the team that she has 14 years on the job and has been involved in multiple operations, some of them undercover.
• She speaks up with knowledge and authority when talking about the cartel, which tells the audience that she has seen some pretty harrowing stuff.
• Oliveras’ opening scene clearly demonstrates she is one tough agent.
• We learn very quickly that Oliveras is fearless facing down bad guys and has no problem defying her bosses orders. She is also unorthodox, cavalier and risk-taking to a much lesser degree than Meachum, but I wonder if this contributes to their clash of personalities. They have more in common with one another then either of them would be willing to admit.
• Oliveras demonstrates immediately that she is bold, gutsy, intelligent and perceptive.
• However, in her conversation with Bell we learn that her undercover operations were hard to come back from, not because they were dark, but because she didn’t want to.
• This is almost immediately supported when another officer in the FBI meets privately with Blythe to offer substantive information that Oliveras has been identified by a credible informant as a drug addict.
• Later that night Oliveras sits in a bar and takes up Finau’s suggestion that she look up Meachum’s last undercover assignment, which was Palmdale prison. In doing so, she also comes across details of Operation Smoke, which is the task force that Meachum worked with Blythe.
• She reads Meachum’s personnel file and it describes Meachum as arrogant, selfish and unprofessional, exhibiting a lack of restraint and discipline, accusing him of “cowboy” behavior that endangers the lives of his fellow officers. At the time Oliveras reads this it validates her low opinion of Meachum. It isn’t until episode 2 that she learns a significant revelation about what is written in his file, and it calls into question, it’s validity.
• While at the same bar, we see a woman nod for Oliveras to follow her to the restroom. The audience is naturally left to imagine that this clandestine meeting is drug related.

◄ Evan Shepherd ►

Episode 6

• When Gallagher turns out to be a dead-end, the whole team is feeling the frustration. Bell and Shepherd are working very hard to uncover it’s meaning and context to lead them to Volchek.
• Evan must be feeling very torn between loyalty to Bell as their friendship is deepening, and the way Bell has now singled himself out by criticizing Meachum’s intel regarding Gallagher.
• When Blythe asks about expanding their search for Volchek targets outside of LA, Evan is quick to point out that moving fissile material would be too dangerous.

Episode 5

• Shepherd tells Blythe the best way to infiltrate the consulate from the inside as Finau suggests, is to install a Root kit on one of their servers, but that means getting close enough to manually install it.
• Besides Shepherd doing her first interrogation in the last episode, this time she is joining the team in the field.
• Once they have established a connection with Pascals catering, each member of the team assumes a role. Shepherd takes on the role of kitchen help/server inside the consulate.
• She comes through and is able to install the root kit that will gain access to the consulate’s systems as soon as an employee logs into the system.

Episode 4

• The whole team experienced the loss of their fellow agent, Damon Drew.
• Blythe takes her along to visit Cora, so they can deliver the death message. Its an experience she later shares with Bell, expressing how much she wants, as the rest of the team does, to put Volchek in the ground.
• Blythe lets her conduct her very first interrogation of a suspect. She was very successful, got the information they needed to move forward, and the whole team was proud of how well she did.
• Something that Shepherd witnessed that the rest of the team did not, is when some administrators arrived to clean out Damon Drew’s desk and remove his personal affects. As they walk by, the baseball cap of Drew’s son, Noah, falls to the floor. Shepherd picks it up and puts it on her desk, while she conveys a quiet moment of grief.

Episode 3

• Shepherd discovered it is Luke Finau’s birthday and she shares that with Bell so they can plan something for him. It’s kind that she wants to bring some fun to the group when every other aspect of their job is grim. She swears Bell to secrecy so they can make it a surprise.
• Shepherd got some of her investigative skills early. She shares with Bell that while working on her school newspaper she discovered the principal stole the charity money donated to the school and used it to buy himself a new hot tub. She broke the story, and the principal went to jail.
• Evan Shepherd went to Stanford University.
• She delivers the cake to the lunchroom and is just so cute about it, except the bakery spelled Finau as Final, but Bell fixed it with a piece of licorice.

Episode 2

• Shepherd was able, along with Drew and Blythe, to participate in the smuggling operation using surveillance technology.
• She was able to view the border smuggling operation from cameras at the border, and satellite surveillance images.
• When it came time to “blow it up” they did their part in making sure Meachum could generate enough of a diversion to get the truck across the border.

Episode 1

• Special Agent Shepherd, FBI, has expertise in cyber investigation, internet fraud and computer intrusion.
• If I had to pick a reason why Shepherd would not be missed by her department (and hence was chosen for this task force) is because she is so inexperienced.
• Shepherd demonstrates her greenhorn status by raising her hand to ask a question during the mission meeting, talking to Blythe and thanking him for picking her, interrupting Blythe from studying Darden’s financial data on their way to interview Darden’s wife, and being corrected by Blythe on the leadership details of the Amerithrax operation she studied at Quantico.
• Shepherd definitely redeems herself when she discovers the panel truck in the vicinity of Darden’s murder and syncs up all the video to reveal an image of the shooters face.
• I think Blythe sees Shepherd as the beating heart of the team as he seems to involve her in the very human aspects of police investigation, like dealing with the family of fallen officer Bob Darden.

◄ Luke Finau ►

Episode 6

• Finau, ever the stoic quiet one, is becoming the barometer of the group.
• He is concerned about Meachum, but he says nothing.
• When he and Bell are riding to Needles, Finau talks about seeing a young kid getting completely stomped by his own gang as part of an initiation, to the point he was no longer recognizable. Seeing that was something that really motivated him to join the Gang Division to try and stop things like that from happening. It says a lot about him that he wants to help young people.

Episode 5

• When Shepherd hits an impasse in being able to infiltrate the consulate’s systems, Finau has checked in with his wife regarding who is managing the catered event, and suggests they go at this from the inside.
• Once they have established a connection with Pascals catering, each member of the team assumes a role. Finau takes on the role of Chauffeur to Meachum and Oliveras and then joins Bell in the mobile tech unit.
• Once Bell creates the security card Oliveras needs, Finau makes sure she gets it.

Episode 4

• The whole team experienced the loss of their fellow agent, Damon Drew.
• The whole team watched with pride as Evan Shepherd conducted her very first and very successful, interrogation of a suspect.
• This episode did not include much in the way of character development for Luke Finau, but it did demonstrate his use of brute strength at the Durko residence raid, where he lifted the property gate off its hinges and easily kicks in the door.

Episode 3

• This episode shows that Finau is a happy family man. He tells his wife he’d love to whisk her away to Hawaii if the task force operation was not so crazy. He seems like a loving husband and dad to his two girls.
• Luke’s wife Amina calls to chat about their dinner reservation. He hedges like he’s going to bail but tells her he will be there. Sounds like the “family-first” thing is really important to him.
• During the prisoner transfer operation, Meachum is working undercover as Jack Walker to help Timur Novikov escape. During the escape, Meachum takes a shot at Finau as he lays on the ground. Finau vows to punch Meachum in the neck when he catches up with him.
• The task force are becoming good friends, which is certainly evident in the birthday planning Shepherd is doing for Finau. She thinks it is all secret, but we find out on the prisoner transfer operation that he knew all along.

Episode 2

• In this episode we see Finau take on a critical role, being the driver of the rig that is smuggling the drugs across the border from Mexico to LA.
• One thing I noticed about Finau is that of all the task force members, with perhaps the exception of Oliveras, he seems to be keeping a quiet watch on Meachum and notices his telltale signs of pain.
• He comes off as a stoic friend, not wanting to interfere, but always noticing when something is amiss.
• A small piece of show trivia is that Uli Latukefu proudly rocks his Tongan heritage, and so Derek Haas, assured Uli that his character name in the show could be chosen to honor him in this way.
• Uli Latukefu ‘oku mau ‘ofa lahi atu ❤️

Episode 1

• Detective Luke Finau is from the LAPD and is an 18-year vet with the Gangs and Narcotics division focused on the nexus of guns, gangs, narcotics and crime. When Meachum asks him “Didn’t you get suspended?” the answer was “Which time?” so it sounds like he may have some “suspension” violations? Perhaps he’s been too rough with suspects in the past, however we see no evidence of that.
• Finau moves amongst his teammates as a quiet, keep to himself man who remains focused on the job.
• While Finau doesn’t engage with Meachum about his struggles with Oliveras, he does demonstrate his respect for him by telling Oliveras to read about Mark’s last undercover assignment.

◄ Keyonte Bell ►

Episode 6

• While driving to Needles, Bell admits to Finau that he plans on being the first black Director of the FBI. Ambition is good. Blind ambition can be dangerous. We don’t know what this is yet.
• When Gallagher turns out to be a dead-end, the whole team is feeling the frustration. Bell and Shepherd are working very hard to uncover it’s meaning and context to lead them to Volchek. When Bell questions the authenticity of the intel, Meachum, loses his temper.
• Blythe tells Bell that he needs to come up with his own leads before he criticizes others. This puts Bell outside the team emotionally no matter how briefly. It is now a sore spot between him, Meachum and Blythe.

Episode 5

• Bell makes Blythe aware of a potential issue. He shares that Valwell is seeking an audience with the Assistant Director in Charge (ADIC) and the phrase “Head on a platter” was invoked. Bell was quick to add that he thinks Blythe is doing a great job as task force leader.
• Bell seems to be taking on a purely technical role, working closely with Shepherd.
• Once they have established a connection with Pascals catering, each member of the team assumes a role to infiltrate the consulate’s systems. Bell is managing the mobile tech unit, disguised as a catering van.
• Bell ensures the Murphy’s (Meachum and Oliveras) are on the guest list (albeit a little late), Oliveras has the security pass card needed to get into Astapov’s outer office, and monitor’s the teams progress.

Episode 4

• The whole team experienced the loss of their fellow agent, Damon Drew.
• Blythe knows that Bell’s father worked with Valwell and wants to know what his father thought of him. Bell openly shared that his father was working a difficult case and it was a young prosecutor (Valwell) who took a chance and put his career on the line to help him.
• The whole team watched with pride as Evan Shepherd conducted her very first and very successful, interrogation of a suspect. Bell seemed to beam a little more than the others, which is in keeping with their growing friendship.

Episode 3

• Bell is working very closely with Shepherd to find out anything they can on Volchek. Through their investigations, it looks like their friendship is deepening, which is really sweet.
• She delivers the cake to the lunchroom and is just so sweet about it, except they spelled Finau as Final. Bell fixes it with a piece of licorice.
• Bell seems to be paired with Shepherd the majority of the time but often gets pulled into field work with the rest of the task force. He is at the shootout where Drew gets critically injured.

Episode 2

• Entering the building, Bell crosses paths with D. A. Grayson Valwell in the lobby and introduces himself. It seems there is an old family connection, as Valwell and Bell’s father worked together.
• Valwell asks Bell if he is a part of Blythe’s task force but withdraws the question. He could tell immediately that Bell was involved based on his reaction, and Valwell thanks him for his service and “keeping them safe.” You can tell Bell feels proud.
• This feels a little like Bell has inadvertently confirmed to an outside member of law enforcement his identity on the task force.
• Will this prove to be another point of entry for Valwell if he continues to pursue the taskforce?

Episode 1

• Bell is an Agent with the FBI specializing in terrorist threats, homegrown and international.
• He’s a character who seems ambitious but would prefer his path to glory be on his own merit, based on his admission to Oliveras that he was insulted when a coworker accused him of being a “legacy-hire” because his grandfather worked a very famous case back in the day (which was a real case; the Anglin brothers escape from Alcatraz in 1962). It seems his father also had a good reputation, which puts Bell as a 3rd gen agent with the FBI.
• He comes off as elitist when he questions Blythe’s decision to have him hack Spellman’s phones instead of having Shepherd do it.
• As an expert in terrorism, it was Bell who recognized the dangerous elements at the Pier 31 shoot out that has subsequently become the focus for the mission.

Best Performance

This episode had some heavy themes given that Volchek demonstrated his obsession with harming America, his hatred of his birth country, his ruthlessness in getting what he wants and the dangerous levels he is willing to go to take revenge on Iosif Astapov who dared to threaten him and his mission.

When he finds a traitor in his camp, namely Danill, he wastes no time in executing him.

I thought the storyline here was excellent, especially how Volchek used his cunning to expose Danill, an agent of Astapov and the Belarusian government.

Favorite Scene

My favorite choice in this episode is a combination of two scenes. The first one is where Meachum and Oliveras are at target practice. It is another great example of some character building between our two leads. Not only does she witness Meachum’s ability, but she also learns a little more about his military career. Oliveras knew he was an Airborne Ranger, but she also finds out he was decorated with the highest ranking in marksmanship; Distinguished Expert.

The second video highlights the conversation that Meachum and Oliveras have while enroute to pick up Shawn Gallagher. She notices once again that something is up with Meachum, but this time the two of them talk it out and as Meachum puts it, they lay all their cards on the table. She confides in him about her history with drugs while working undercover, and he tells her about his migraines. Meachum holds back in telling Oliveras the source of the pain he feels.

Every episode we see the layers of trust that are forming as these two begin to confide in one another.

Pictures

What Didn’t Land for Me

I get that Bell and Shepherd were mining through data with the hyper-focus of “Gallagher” being a person of interest as opposed to anything else. But I would have thought agents with their analytical abilities, would have cast a wider net on possibilities much sooner.

Reminder

Next Countdown episode “Nothing Else Helps” It airs on Prime Video Wednesday July 23/25.

• Please note, all media used in this article are courtesy of Amazon Content Services, Prime Video and/or IMDb unless otherwise stated on photos or video credit slides.