Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Countdown Episode 5.
AsCountdowncontinues, the task force is another step closer to uncovering the secrets of the mysterious man named Volchek (Bogdan Yasinski), but can they catch him in time? After a few weeks, Mark Meachum (Jensen Ackles), Amber Oliveras (Jessica Camacho), and the team have become a well-oiled machine, and “Blurred Edges” proves just that. Things get more heated as the squad effectively becomes spies to break into the Belarusian consulate, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
The Task Force Closes in on Volchek in ‘Countdown’ Episode 5
Although “Blurred Edges” begins with flashbacks to Volchek’s life prior to coming to America, we’ll circle back to that at the end. Instead, let’s dive into the present.Following the previous episode, Volchek is reassured by his assistant Andrej (Jonathan Von Mering) that nothing was recovered from the fire at Mikhail Durko’s (Daniel Chernish) place. However, an image of Meachum with Timur Novikov (Mark Puchinsky) is discovered by the security system, and the terrorist leader demands to find out who he is.It isn’t long before Volchek discovers more about Meachum, but only his undercover alias of “Jack Walker,“the man who shared a cell block with Timur. The problem is that Andrej can’t find anything else about this Walker character, since he doesn’t really exist. Volchek orders him to come back with answers.
Back at the task force’s headquarters, Nathan Blythe (Eric Dane) recaps what they know so far, which isn’t too much considering they still don’t know who Volchek is. However, Evan Shepherd (Violette Beane) has been looking into the team’s other lead, the “Gallagher” name that Meachum remembered seeing on Volchek’s wall. As the team continues to investigate, Keynote Bell (Elliot Knight) informs Blythe that DA Grayson Valwell (Merrick McCartha) is gunning for “his head on a platter,” as if we weren’t all through with this guy. After the meeting,Meachum asks Oliveras about the heroin she usedon Dmitry Kotov (Nick Bardin) in the previous episode. He calls her out on her BS and asks if she’s using, but Oliveras beats around the bush. Meachum makes it clear that he doesn’t care if the edges get a little blurry when solving this case, but he wants to know if she’s an addict and if he should be concerned. All she says in return is that she’s done much that she isn’t proud of.
Turning the tables on Meachum, Oliveras asks about his past, wondering if he never did any drugs, having grown up in Los Angeles. However,Meachum didn’t grow up in LA but rather in the high desert(he calls himself a “desert rat”), where his only way out was the armed forces. But before we get any further, Bell interrupts and the team rolls out to investigate a break-in at a security service that worked at Mikhail’s restaurant/dance hall. While looking into the lead, Meachum, Oliveras, Bell, and Lucas Finau (Uli Latukefu) see that the whole break-in was a two-person job, and they theorize that Volchek may be working with a team.
‘Countdown’ Episode 5 Goes Full Spy Movie
Traveling to Hancock Park, Blythe speaks to a Belarusian diplomat, Iosif Adtapov (Pasha Lychnikoff), and asks what he knows about Volchek. Adtapov denies knowing anything, but the task force isn’t so sure. Blythe orders Shepherd to break into the consulate’s computer system to learn more if possible, but the only way to get into their network is by hacking in on site. It’s here thatFinau suggests breaking into the Belarusian consulate to get into their system to learn more about Volchek, and after learning about an event going on that evening, they co-op a local catering company to help get them in as cover. But beforehand, Meachum suffers an intense migraine that sends him to the ground in a blackout. By the time Oliveras goes to get him, Meachum has recovered, coming up with an excuse.
That evening, Meachum is on the phone with his doctor asking for stronger pain medication, but when he loses his temper, the doctor hangs up. It’s bad timing as Oliveras arrives wondering why Meachum isn’t dressed, but soon they’re on the road. At the Belarusian consulate, Meachum and Oliveras arrive dressed to kill as “Tim and Tina Murphy.” Bell and Finau work behind the scenes, and Shepherd has infiltrated the building by working undercover as waitstaff for the catering company. Blythe, however, shows up as himself and confronts Adtapov, convincing him to speak privately in his office. As Blythe and the diplomat go upstairs, Bell scans the security system with Blythe’s device, allowing the task force to break in. With Meachum and Oliveras to protect her,Shepherd sneaks into the office where Blythe and Adtapov meet and hacks into their system. To keep their cover, Meachum is forced to take out a security guard, only to walk into another. Barely hanging on, he takes out both guards as Blythe distracts the diplomat while Shepherd gets what they need.
“That Really Kicked It Into the Next Gear”: Jensen Ackles Teases What’s Next After That Shocking ‘Countdown’ Death
The stakes have never been higher!
Of course, it’s also worth noting that, surrounding these events, Blythe calls an old friend named Tim Carmichael (Adam J. Harrington) for a favor. Carmichael has plenty of political pull, and the next day, they confront Valwell in his office at City Hall. It’s here thatCarmichael makes it clear to the wayward DA that he needs to leave Blythe alone to do his job as he sees fit. Quoting President Teddy Roosevelt, Carmichael tells him to “have sense enough to pick good people to do what needs to be done but self-restraint enough not to meddle with them while they do it.”
‘Countdown’ Reveals More of Volchek’s Origins — and His Deadly Past
As noted before, “Blurred Edges” starts with a flashback to 2018, where we find a younger Volchek in London with a woman named Kira (Panna Dominika Biro). The two are clearly happy and romantically involved, and Volchek — still going by his given name, Borys Volsovich — speaks to her about a possible promotion. At a meeting with Investment Management Limited, Volchek uses an American accent to give a presentation on behalf of Blue Lion Foods. He argues with an American named Matt Woolley (Nick Wittman), who challenges the output ability of his company, leading to his apparent loss of the contract. Afterward, Volchek orders his assistant, Andrej, to find any dirt on the American that he can. The next day,Woolley withdraws his proposal after Volchek’s blackmail, but threatens the Belarusian.
A year later, back in Minsk, Volcheck is interrupted by Andrej at dinner, who reveals that he’s been framed for embezzlement. Andrej tells Volchek that he needs to leave the country, and he makes the preparations. But as he sends Kira, now his bride, off to the private plane, another man arrives on board just as the police arrive to arrest Volchek. Before the law can descend on the aircraft, it blows up, with Volchek watching menacingly from afar. But we’re not the only ones who know this. Back at HQ,the task force has combed through the Belarusian documents to find a file all about Volchek. It’s here that they learn everything we do, namely, his experience in demolitions and bomb-making. It turns out that the consulate also believes that Volchek survived, despite faking his own death.
Having learned all they can about Volchek, Meachum worries that the villain could go back and do the same to them. However, Shepherd reveals that on her very first day with the task force, she had all their photos on the official government databases replaced. If anyone looks into Meachum, Oliveras, Finau, Bell, or Shepherd, they will find other people entirely. But just because Volchek can’t discover who they are doesn’t mean that he still can’t be a threat to them.The episode ends with Blythe entering the Wilshire Federal Building, which we also discover is Volchek’s next target.
New episodes ofCountdownare available every Wednesday on Prime Video.
The task force uncovers the truth about Volchek in this classic spy-themed episode.
