Countdown (2025) – Season 1 Episode 1 'Teeth in the Bone' Recap & Review
Episode 1 of Countdown begins with Homeland Security officer Robert Darden being killed while meeting with a thug.
The next day, FBI Agent Nathan Blythe puts together a task force but two of the members are missing.
LAPD Homicide Detective Mark Meachum is jumped in prison. He has been undercover for 9 months before being pulled out for the task force. He doesn't seem to be well but he cites the prison riot for his headaches.
Next, we have DEA Agent Amber Oliveras being held hostage by drug dealers. She frees herself and beats up her captors before calling backup. Her senior scolds her for being brash before informing her of the task force.
With the task force complete, Blythe introduces everyone. Oliveras has 14 years of experience infiltrating gangs. FBI Agent Keyonte Bell focuses on homegrown terrorists and comes from a family of cops. FBI Agent Evan Shepherd works in the cybercrime department. LAPD Detective Luke Finau focuses on guns, gangs and narcotics. He is aggressive and has been suspended several times. As for Mark, he has worked with Blythe before and is quite chatty which gets on everyone's nerves.
Onto the case, Darden seems to be corrupt, having taken several huge bribes. It is why Blythe wants the task force to be a secret. Mark tries to team up with Oliveras but she refuses. It is revealed that she is friends with his ex-fiancée and knows he slept with her sister before the wedding.
Shepherd looks up to Blythe but doesn't understand why he treats her like his personal driver. Bell and Oliveras bond while Finau quietly tolerates Mark's ramblings.
The team questions Darden's colleagues and gets a lead – Darden's friend and a shady officer, Jim Talbott. Mark learns someone from DC is supporting their task force and realises there is more to Darden's case. However, Blythe shuts him down when he questions him.
Shepherd IDs the shooter, Cesar Murillo and Mark takes the lead, much to Oliveras' annoyance. He gets another headache but he keeps going. He ends up lowering his guard and Oliveras covers him as they find Los Reyes Nuevos members. Mark thanks her but she is still annoyed that he took the lead.
It cuts to Ray, an agent, warning Blythe that Oliveras is a ticking time bomb. She tends to go deep undercover and has turned into an addict. But Blythe is not deterred as her latest tests are clean.
Talbott is a dead-end as well but red flags pop up for Maurice Spellman, the customs officer who pointed them towards Talbott. A car chase ensues before they arrest him.
Mark is upset that Oliveras messed up his car chase strategy and they bicker. Blythe takes advantage of their anger and makes them interrogate Maurice. As expected, Mark and Oliveras end up arguing in the interrogation room. It confuses Maurice who finally slips up. They push and threaten his sister till he comes clean.
Looks like Maurice is the mole for Los Reyes and Darden was trying to expose them before they killed him. Blythe takes Shepherd to inform Darden's widow and reveals that he wants to mentor Shepherd on the field. As for his second-in-charge, Damon, he heads to a Little League practice. We learn that his son, Noah, was killed.
On Finau's advice, Oliveras looks up Mark's 9-month prison stint. It cuts to Mark visiting a doctor as he has an incurable brain tumour. The doctor suggests palliative care but he refuses.
Back at the base, Mark keeps hounding Blythe for his ulterior motives. We learn that Blythe had assigned Mark to an extremely risky operation which could have ruined his career if it had failed. This is why he owes Mark and tolerates his cheek.
Blythe finally reveals that he knew there were moles but his investigations have been constantly rebuffed. Darden's murder allowed him to directly appeal to the director. Which means some very senior officers are on the cartel's payroll. It is why he cannot trust anyone. Mark also realises why he picked the task force members he did – they are all indispensable or have ticked off their seniors. No one will miss them if it all goes sideways.
Right then, Bell finds an arms deal going down at Pier 31. They rush to the location and a gun fight ensues. Mark ends up killing Murillo who was about to shoot Oliveras. Blythe notices someone escaping.
At the end of Countdown Episode 1, Bell identifies highly radioactive weapons. They are enough to fuel a Chernobyl-level event.
The Episode Review
Countdown Episode 1 feels very Suicide Squad with a bunch of misfits teaming up for a risky operation with McSteamy playing Viola Davis. Helmed by Derek Haas, king of American TV procedural shows like FBI: International and the Chicago series, Countdown has all the usual quirks with tons of chases, gun fights and mysterious criminals doing criminal things while our heroes try to stop them.
There's some info-dumping which doesn't really serve any purpose as we doubt they will be important later on. Viewers have to sift through all that exposition to figure out what is filler and what is relevant to the Darden case. But fortunately, this chapter is quite fast-paced and packed so there are no dull moments. Along with the set-up, different character dynamics are also built like that between Mark and Blythe, and Mark and Oliveras.
As a Supernatural fan, we also know the allure of having Jensen Ackles once again playing a cocky, trigger-happy, misunderstood anti-hero. But with a strong ensemble cast like the one Countdown has, we do hope that they invest in their other characters instead of just focusing on Ackles, Eric Dane and Jessica Camacho. For now, the cliffhanger is enough to convince viewers to tune into the next episode.
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Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
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She was a fraud what I can see from the beginning who was just using opportunities to advance herself. Her brand wasn't one built on substance. It was based on using people. 'They're not executing anything well on any show on anything. But it shows how gullible a lot of consumers are'. Mr Millar said that investors including Netflix appear to have failed to ask serious questions of Meghan before the launch. 'People who consider themselves smart because nobody ever questions them are running this business and telling her to use a playbook that works for products where scarcity matters. Confectionery scarcity doesn't matter. He added: 'There's an egocentric approach to it that if you achieve some level of celebrity, you think you can build a brand, but that's the start of your brand. You can make short-term money from it, but it's not a long-term strategy'. Phillip believes Meghan has failed to see what she really is - a 'disruptor' rather than a homemaker. He said: 'Her brand should be I'm a disruptor. I go into TV. I make noise. I go into the Royal Family. I make noise. She should brand herself as a rebel, but she's not consistent with what she is. 'She should be a disruptor and sell products that are not that expensive and that represent disruption, but that audience is not spending a lot of money'. Ms Moore said Meghan is responsible 'for really probably having the worst brand execution to date', adding: 'She's had zero ownership in this business. It's effectively like she's just like labeling her brand'. She added: 'I feel like she's doing such a brutal or good job, depending on how you're looking at it, of getting this like free PR and then absolutely s***ing the bed'. When she started posting links on the ShopMy e-commerce site, some thought that this was going to prove an irresistible source of serious income for the Duchess of Sussex. It couldn't be easier, really – influencers link posts from their Instagram to the online shop, and then rake in a percentage of every item of clothing, make-up or homeware sold as a result. Some of the top creators make up to $1million (£740,000) a year with a cut of between 10 and 30 per cent per item, depending on the retailer. The 'creators' are ranked in a tiering visible only to other ShopMy entrepreneurs; the biggest earners are 'icons' and the lowliest ranking is 'enthusiast'. After an initial flurry on the site, in which she directed shoppers to the sweaters she wore in her Netflix show With Love, Meghan, the denim dress she wore on a 'date night' with Prince Harry to watch Beyonce and her make-up and hair favourites, Meghan has fallen silent. Indeed, she's not posted in over two months on ShopMy and it seems that her ranking has dropped from icon to enthusiast as a result. While she continues to appear regularly on her own Instagram page and that of her brand, As Ever, she or her team are not linking through for 'easy money'. A spokesman for the couple did not respond to requests for clarification but a source says that – however lucrative – this potential revenue stream is simply not important to her. 'Her current priorities are centred on As Ever and expanding her business ventures. ShopMy represents an exploration into social media that she enjoys.' The source adds: 'The duchess has consistently approached ShopMy with a focus on authentically sharing products and designers she supports, particularly female founders she wants to uplift.' The deal is then: Meghan doesn't need the money, because she's making plenty already. As speculation grows over the couple attempting to renew links to the UK – with two key members of the Sussex team meeting the King's aide, Tobyn Andreae, earlier this month, as revealed exclusively by The Mail on Sunday – it's intriguing to examine what commercial successes the couple have had since moving their lives to California. The bottom line, of course, has always been significant for both Harry and Meghan. As they seemingly make steps towards rebuilding bridges with the Royal Family, you have to ask: How would a rapprochement serve the Sussexes? And, more than this, might they need to make up with the King for financial reasons. After all, he used to fund his son Harry's life ... right down to a wardrobe allowance for his wife. People who know the Sussexes say the reopening of communications doesn't mean they're any less committed to life in Montecito. I'm told: 'They're very happy living in and raising their family in California and, as it stands, have no plans to leave. The duke will of course continue, as he has done since he emigrated, to visit the UK in support of his charitable causes and patronages.' Indeed, Montecito is the epicentre of how they are marketing themselves. Meghan's As Ever brand was originally known as American Riviera Orchard, after the area in which they live. Five months after Megxit in February 2020, the Sussexes bought their house in Montecito for $14.65million (£10,890,000). And it's that purchase which seems to have fired the starting gun on the Sussexes' endeavours. In their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey the following year, which took place while Meghan was pregnant with daughter Lilibet, Prince Harry reflected on their money-making activities to date. He said their deals with Netflix and Spotify had both been driven by financial necessity. The prince said he was cut off by his family in the first quarter of 2020, shortly after he and Meghan announced they would step back as senior members of the royals. He added that he still had the money left to him by his late mother, Princess Diana. 'Without that, we wouldn't have been able to do this,' he said, referring to the family's move to California. If Harry and Meghan had really been getting $100million over five years from Netflix at a steady rate of $20million a year, then you could consider it taken care of. But a source with knowledge of the Netflix deal say it's never worked out like that But even the reputed £10million left by Diana wouldn't be enough to buy his house and sustain their lifestyle for long. The couple are widely reported to have taken out a mortgage, with repayments apparently standing at $480,000 a year. On top of this, property tax will be a further $68,000 a year. Utilities are estimated at $24,000 a year, staffing costs $250,000 and security – always a priority for Prince Harry, who made two tours of duty in Afghanistan with the Army Air Corps – is said to cost up to $3million a year. It all adds up to needing to clear around $4million a year after tax, which is quite a task. Sources also indicate that the price Harry and Meghan pay to run their Archewell production company is significant, 'probably $3million a year, which as an overhead commitment is quite big by Hollywood standards', though some of those costs come out of charity funds. If Harry and Meghan had really been getting $100million over five years from Netflix at a steady rate of $20million a year, then you could consider it taken care of. But a source with knowledge of the Netflix deal say it's never worked out like that. They said: 'From speaking to someone with knowledge of the deal, it looks like they've probably managed to maybe keep $10million-$15million or a touch more purely for themselves over the nearly five years so far – not bad business, but that kind of money doesn't last long with their lifestyle. 'Netflix paid for the production of [the tell-all hit documentary series] Harry & Meghan, which would have included a big fee for them. 'I'd guess [the money Netflix spent on it] works out at $20million all-in. 'Netflix haven't done too badly out of the relationship in as much as they've probably only gone out of pocket to the tune of around $40million or thereabouts, and they did at least get a huge hit documentary out of the investment, and a less successful show in With Love, Meghan. 'The whole arrangement was basically a trade-off for Netflix getting the Harry & Meghan documentary and they will regard it as a modest win.'
