Countdown (2025) – Season 1 Episode 4 'Bite ‘Em Down' Recap & Review
Episode 4 of Countdown begins with the task force combing the burnt-down dance hall while Mark rides the ambulance with Officer Damon Drew. He looks worried as Drew's breathing gets shallow. Unfortunately, Drew dies during surgery.
While the LAPD goes after Mikhail, Blythe reminds the task force not to waste his sacrifice and to continue with the mission. Mark fills them in that he saw some blueprints, the map of the LA port and the name, Gallagher.
With the death of Drew, DA Valwell gets a chance to report the task force which leads to the LAPD asking for Mark and Finau back. Furious, Blythe confronts Valwell and warns him to back off and drop the complaint.
Mikhail and Borys meet but we learn that the former is not interested in the terrorist attacks and cares about his family and money. He backs down when Borys threatens him, reminding him of the importance of their mission.
Back at the base, Bell checks in on Shepherd who had to tell Cora, Drew's widow, the news of her husband's death. Mark regrets his reckless undercover plan but Oliveras comforts him with some tough love.
Shepherd is able to trace Mikhail's identity and they go after him. They find his wife, Tatsiana, who is trying to run. They bring her in and she plays the crying, naive wife but they don't buy it. They threaten to charge her as an accomplice and she breaks. She sets up a meeting with Mikhail in Chinatown.
He shows up but on seeing her expression, he knows something is wrong. He spots Bell and then recognises Mark. A chase ensues before they catch him.
Meanwhile, Blythe asks Bell about Valwell. Turns out Valwell is one of the good guys. Early in his career, he helped get a conviction on a really risky case that no one wanted to touch and bring justice to the victims. Drew's desk is cleared and Shepherd looks sad as she takes his Little League cap.
Onto the interrogation, Mikhail doesn't give them anything and doesn't even blink at the threats to his wife. To find dirt, the task force looks into the driver, Dmitry who drove Timur and Mark to Mikhail's dance hall. Fortunately, Shepherd and Bell are able to track him.
They show up at his workplace and another chase ensues but Mark easily catches him. Oliveras plants some heroin on him and makes up false charges. Mark is surprised but goes with her plan. They finally find leverage – Mikhail's illegitimate daughter, Anya. As they head back to base, Mark asks about the heroin but Oliveras shuts him down.
Shepherd wants to take the lead as she looks like Anya and the team agrees. Blythe plays the bad cop while Shepherd plays the good cop who cares about Anya's future. Mikhail breaks and tells them about Volchek but he doesn't know much except that he has patriotic motives.
He sets up a meeting with Borys at a private airport but the task force ends up arresting a decoy. The real Borys is sitting in the cinema. A flashback shows him spotting the task force while Mikhail sets up their meeting. At present, he looks disgusted as the other cinemagoers laugh during the movie.
At the end of Countdown Episode 4, Blythe promises that they will break the case. Cora arrives and begs the task force not to let Drew's sacrifice go to waste. They hold a mini-funeral for him in the office.
The Episode Review
So, we know two things with Countdown Episode 4. Without a doubt, Jensen Ackles is the best part of this Amazon Original. His dry humour, his sarcastic remarks and jokes are the highlights of the episodes. And when that is dialled down, like in this sombre chapter, it is sorely missed. But even without the snark, he keeps the show running as he is a good actor and it doesn't hurt that he is pretty to look at.
Second, Countdown is, after all, an ensemble story but a poorly written one. We hadn't been sure, since the first 3 episodes had majorly focused on Mark and Oliveras, with a little bit of Blythe. But in Episode 4, all the task force members get enough screen time. Yet we barely learn anything about them. It is why Drew's death and the team's reaction to it don't have any impact. We do see the little filler moments such as Finau smiling at Mark's joke during the wife's interrogation and Bell checking on Shepherd.
But the focus is constantly on the action, simply furthering the plot without fleshing out the rest of the task force. It doesn't help that the story is actually not that great either. Despite being the best of the best, both Mikhail and Borys spot the task force during the set-ups. Blythe makes an ambiguous threat and Valwell easily drops the report. There are many shows where the plot isn't great but it works because of the likeable characters. A shame that Countdown doesn't invest in character development.
Instead, Borys and Valwell contribute more to the plot than Shepherd, Finau and Bell. The structure is all over the place and it seems that next week, Mark and Oliveras will regain the spotlight as they infiltrate a party. It is too early to tell but this show may not be for fans of Violett Beane, Elliot Knight and Uli Latukefu.
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