Word Weave Web

The second episode of Countdown, now streaming on Prime Video, ended with Meachum and Oliveras retrieving the name ‘Volchek’ from Javi Lopez.

Javi dies in a blast, which Volchek probably commissioned after realizing that the cops were on to him.

The arrest of Spellman and the bust at the port were possible indications of the same.

Countdown Episode 3 Recap

Meachum struggles to cope with all that has happened in his life in the past few months.

It includes his time in the correction center and the blast he just witnessed during his meeting with Lopez.

Given his health condition, it causes discomfort and anxiety. He calls Oliveras to check on her, but she doesn’t answer.

She is busy deciding whether to flush the one kilo of cocaine down the toilet or not. With a history of drug abuse, as mentioned in the first episode, the decision is extremely tough for her.

We are not shown whether she flushes the packet or consumes some of it.

The scene shifts to Finau’s home, where his two daughters wish him a happy birthday. He spends a heartfelt moment with them and his wife before heading to work.

At the office, the task force discusses the case with Shepherd, informing everyone that Volchek is a Belarusian name.

Additionally, Belarus is a Russian satellite state.

Meachum offers an idea. He says that at Palmdale, he shared a cell block with an inmate named Timur Novikov, who was from Minsk.

Novikov owes him one since Meachum saved his life back in the day. He feels that Novikov is well-connected with the Belarusian underground in LA.

If their case has anything to do with some guy from Belarus, Novikov would know about it. Meachum suggests that to know what he knows, they should put him back in jail.

The intro montage plays out.

Oliveras personally communicates her concern for Meachum and says that no inmate trusts a transfer.

She doesn’t want anyone in the task force to get themselves killed.

Blythe and Drew share a gentle conversation with the former inquiring how he is coping with the loss of his son.

He also asks how the Basketball coaching is going, among other things.

Drew remains calm and shares how arduous his journey has been. He credits his wife for holding things together.

Shepherd and Bell work together on some files, and she tells him about Finau’s birthday. She feels they should surprise him with a cake.

Blythe talks to Warden Gill Thompson via video call and requests that he insert Meachum back in.

However, the warden answers with a straightforward NO, without mincing any words. He calls Meachum’s stay at Palmdale his career’s worst nine months.

Blythe tries to evoke patriotism and asks him to do it for his country, but Thompson remains adamant.

He then offers an alternate idea, which doesn’t include Meachum entering Palmdale. Instead, he would meet Novikov in a transfer van.

The plan is agreed upon and kicked off outside Palmdale. Novikov enters the transfer vehicle and finds Meachum sitting inside, handcuffed.

Oliveras and Finau helm the vehicle, with the latter driving and the former seated in the passenger seat as a security officer.

Novikov greets Meachum as a friend, and they talk about their time together, reminiscing about some random memories.

Meachum acts normally and gains his trust as he did earlier. As planned, Finau deliberately crashes the car into a sidewalk, claiming the tire had blown out.

Meachum then loosens his handcuffs and asks Novikov to call in the officers. He does so. Oliveras enters through the back door. Meachum pushes her and takes her rifle.

Finau then tries to stop him, but is pushed to the ground with force. With the gun aimed at him, Meachum directs Oliveras to unlock Novikov.

He fires a round inches away from Finau’s head to make it look real. Finau is surprised by his actions. Oliveras unlocks Novikov, and the duo escapes after locking Oliveras and Finau inside the van.

They dump all the guns they had stolen from the van nearby.

Later, the duo manages to enter a factory premise in Van Nuys and change their outfits to look normal on the streets.

Novikov says that his uncle is well-connected and can help them get out of the country. He needs a phone to contact him.

They then go on the lookout for a phone in a restaurant. Their combined efforts help in stealing from one of the customers at the dining place.

After Novikov calls his uncle, Meachum pretends to discard the phone in the bin, but he hideously keeps it with himself.

On the other hand, Valwell pays another visit to Blythe. This time, he comes upstairs instead of waiting in the lobby downstairs.

Visibly pissed, the attorney lashes out at Blythe for letting a criminal loose on the streets with Meachum.

He accuses Blythe of endangering the lives of the LA people. Drew interrupts him and backs Blythe with all his heart. He says he has worked with him on three task forces.

Drew calls him the best tactician he has ever seen. Moreover, he praises him, saying he is the only person standing between the citizens of the city and a perilous, imminent threat.

He shows him the elevator while asking him to leave. Valwell does leave, but not before dropping a warning that the days of their task force are numbered.

Novikov has his cousin pick them up in a car. They argue in Belarusian which the special agent doesn’t understand.

By night, Meachum and Novikov reach the latter’s uncle’s Belarusian dance hall in Burbank. The hall is under renovation.

While Novikov expects his uncle, Mikhail, to be welcoming, he scolds him for coming to his hall. Mikhail is upset that Novikov’s arrival would attract police attention.

Meachum’s presence exacerbates the situation, as he gives the impression of being an outsider. As they argue, the agent excuses himself to go to the washroom.

From there, he calls Oliveras and asks her to put the phone on tracking. Shepherd should keep the phone alive even if the original owner tries to block it remotely.

Oliveras asks if he is out of danger, to which he offers a vague answer. After the call disconnects, she informs Blythe about the same.

She shares her instinct with Blythe that Meachum might be in danger, although he didn’t say so on the call.

Meachum, on the other hand, sneaks out of the washroom and goes on to secretly explore the hall while Novikov argues with Mikhail.

He randomly checks rooms, and inside one of them, Meachum finds a recipe for something significant: maps on the walls, electrical equipment spread out on the table with exposed wires, a considerable amount of paperwork meticulously stuck to the wall, among other things.

But before he can explore it further, a clatter from outside forces him to leave. He walks out and finds a man, face not visible, standing on the other side of the gallery.

Meachum tells him that he accidentally entered the room, taking it for the washroom.

The man on the other side is none other than Borys Volchek, but he is standing in the dark so Meachum cannot see his face.

Mikhail enters the arena and points a gun at Meachum’s head from behind. Borys advises him to kill him as he has seen the room.

Novikov comes to the lobby, following his uncle, and asks him not to shoot Meachum. However, he doesn’t listen.

Mikhail directs Meachum to do as he says. The special agent remains calm and doesn’t resist, although he continuously tells him to trust him.

Eventually, Mikhail takes him outside through the back door along with Novikov. Borys, on the other hand, winds up the room and sets it on fire to destroy everything inside.

Now, Meachum is on his knees with Mikhail about to pull the trigger. However, they notice smoke coming out of the door, followed by a blast.

The distraction is enough for Meachum to turn the tables. The rest of the Task force members also arrive at the scene.

Meachum joins them and takes guard. A gunfight follows between them and the nephew-uncle duo.

A bullet from Oliveras kills Novikov and, in the very next moment, an anguished Mikhail serves a shot at Finau, the birthday boy.

Everybody thinks he has been hit, but no, the bullet missed him. Later, they realize the bullet that missed him went on to hit Drew, who falls and becomes unconscious.

They call the ambulance as the curtains fall on the third episode.