Ten weeks of a flimsy premise, meandering stories, and lacklustre characters finally come to an end in the season finale of Countdown.
Based on what we’ve seen thus far, I didn’t have high expectations for the finale. We knew there was no way for the show to wrap up Todd’s storyline in three episodes, so they had to leave us with a cliffhanger.
And for the most part, Countdown Season 1, Episode 13, “Your People Are In Danger,” plays out just as one would expect. However, it packs a few surprises.
For ardent fans, some hanging storylines need resolution. In fact, many questions need answers.
Why Does Todd Want to Kill the Governor and President?
We know that Todd does have a significant plan in the works that involves taking out the Governor of California and the President of the United States. However, the question becomes ‘why?’
Given his politics – which is not politics but curated ragebait – he doesn’t need many reasons to kill them.
If you were convinced that killing a governor and president was the only way to free yourself from some form of slavery while breaking up a cabal of pedophiles who feast on aborted fetuses in their sex orgies, then that’s reason enough.
And all signs point to Todd being brainwashed by the radio show he so religiously listens to. However, there must be a deeper reason. Did he become traumatized in the line of duty, and he never sought help?
Surely that drivel could not have radicalized him, no matter how insane it all sounds.
If that were the case, rural America and part of its cities would be crawling with homicidal maniacs, given the type of rhetoric paraded on “news” stations like Fox News.
In his prime, Tucker Carlson was the most-watched political commentator on cable television. His pseudo-truths used to hide blatant lies appealed to millions all over the country.
And like Randy Mankin, host of Truth to Power Hour, he never believed the poison he was pumping into the nation. He only wanted the ratings and a bigger paycheck.
How people can’t see through this nonsense remains foreign to me.
The Personal Arcs
Where personal arcs are concerned, Countdown assumes that the other characters stopped existing after that finale that wasn’t a finale.
However, we get some focus on the Meachum and Oliveras of it all, to no one’s surprise.
This relationship is confusing. It doesn’t work as a slow burn or enemies-to-lovers, continuing one of the show’s primary weaknesses: its inability to commit.
Like most arcs in the episode, we’re left wondering what is going on between the two. Do they like each other, or is it that they have great banter, which can be mistaken for chemistry?
Even after that awkwardly funny interaction in the office, we’re left wondering if Meachum and Oliveras have feelings for each other or if it’s all just a joke.
And for Oliveras’ sake, I hope it’s just a joke because she’d be pretty stupid to fall for a man she knows has commitment issues. She clocked him in their first interaction, and I hope she didn’t lose her mind between then and now.
Shepherd also receives some focus as the show delves into the pointless storyline with her sister. Until now, I have no idea how that was important to the story, but not all arcs, especially personal ones, need a huge endgame in mind.
Still, for a show as weak as this, it doesn’t have the luxury of adding pointless storylines.
With Bell and Finau, their personal arcs ended a long time ago.
Doing Anything Because Something Must Be Done
Overall, this finale feels like a pathetic attempt at baiting us into watching Season 2. The story doesn’t progress despite a sporadic collection of some thrilling scenes.
I have already made up that I won’t be tuning in for Season 2. And if curiosity gets the better part of me, like it usually does, I’ll watch the season premiere just to know what happens to Oliveras.
But as it stands, “Your People Are In Danger” does a terrible job of convincing anyone that the threat to the two government officials is dire, let alone urgent.
It successfully shows that Todd is brilliant and he’s working towards something, but it makes us feel no rush to find out what that is.
The Fixes
I was rooting for Countdown to become the next big hit, which is why I’m disappointed the most by its unrivaled ability to fail me consistently.
I’ve been thinking of ways to improve the show, and one of these ideas is to rework the entire show, starting with Todd’s storyline as the central arc, rather than Volchek’s.
There is a lot of meat to this radicalization storyline, and with the current political climate in the US, that could make for a thrilling storyline.
However, in Trump’s world, every creative is editing themselves to appease this crowd, which makes me unsure how far Haas would have been willing to go.
But as it stands, Countdown feels like a show, alright. A show that we’ll have forgotten by December. There are far too many shows for anyone to make something that feels like everything else.
Over to you, Countdown Fanatics. What did you think?
It’s like yelling into the void sometimes — so if you’re out there, holler back.
Comments, shares, and good vibes all keep this little ship afloat. Thanks for reading.
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