This post contains spoilers from Countdown season 1 episode 4 from this point forward.
For the past week, we have been worried about what would happen to Drew following the cliffhanger in episode 3 that left him fighting for his life. Countdown season 1 episode 4 picks up directly after he gets shot as the team and paramedics work on him. Meachum accompanies Drew to the hospital as the team stays behind to check out the dance hall. Drew's rushed into an operating room and the rest of the team gathers in the waiting room.
In the morning, Blythe receives the unfortunate news from the doctor that Drew died. He didn't make it through surgery. Blythe and Shepherd deliver the devastating news to his wife Cora, and the situation begins to make the rounds on the news. The task force obviously feels heartbroken to lose one of their own, but they're also inspired more than ever to track down Volchek. Meachum remembers seeing the name "Gallagher" on the wall in the dance hall's basement, which gives them something to go on now.
As the task force gets back to work and Meachum blames himself for Drew's death, Blythe deals with the impending problem of the LAPD wanting to reassign detectives to in-house special units, which could upend the team. Meanwhile, Mikhail tries to talk Volchek out of following through with his plan, but he's not stopping for anything. Thankfully, Shepherd gets a bite while searching for their guy and tracks down Mikhail. When they arrive at the address, they assume he's the one making an escape, but it's a terrified woman.
The team almost catches Volchek
The woman cries that Mikhail left her. They questions Mikhail's wife Tatsiana, and she insists that she doesn't know anything about his business. The team agrees that she's not telling the full truth and is trying to play to their empathy. Meachum and Oliveras push harder, which includes a dig at Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars, and convince her to confess that she knows how to contact him on the website he uses to secretly communicate.
While the team continues pursuing the case, Blythe pays Valwell a visit to confront him about trying to reassigning LAPD detectives. He knows the DA is the one behind the scheme after his thinly veiled threat in episode 3. Valwell throws Drew's death in his face as evidence that the task force is dangerous and the leadership is failing. Blythe drops a threat of his own, but this tug of war is clearly far from over, even after Blythe hears a positive assessment of Valwell from his father's experience working with him.
Their communication with Mikhail under the guise of speaking with Tatsi works. He proposes a meeting in Chinatown, but when Mikhail approaches his wife, he quickly spots the task force hiding in plain sight. Spooked, he runs and begins a chase through the streets and into the subway terminal. Bell and Finau catch up to Mikhail and corner him long enough for Meachum to tackle him. Mikhail weaves a story full of lies, pretending to have no knowledge of Volchek or his plans.
Meachum and Oliveras apprehend Mikhail's nephew Dmitry and find heroin in his pocket, which Oliveras apparently planted on him. They use it as a bargaining chip to get him to talk about Mikhail and reveal that he has an 18-year-old daughter born from an affair. Shepherd steps in to interview Mikhail about his daughter, Anya. She uses emotion to appeal to him, and he cracks about allowing Volchek to use his dance hall as a base.
While he maintains that he doesn't know the specifics of what Volchek was planning, Mikhail reveals the system they used for making contact. Mikhail draws an X on a street post in green chalk, which is a signal to Volchek that he has information. The team gathers at the Van Nuys airport later that night hoping to catch Volchek. Unfortunately, they catch a pilot dressed like Volchek who was told to be at the meeting. Meanwhile, Volchek goes to the movies, knowing that Mikhail had tried to set him up earlier. Back to square one!
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