‘Countdown’s’ New Romance Just Broke Our Hearts (And Probably Yours Too)
Just when we thought Countdown couldn’t twist the knife any deeper into our collective hearts, Episode 11 (‘Run’) comes along and says, “Hold my beer.” If you’re still emotionally recovering from watching Meachum (Jensen Ackles) get absolutely freaking pulverized by Oliveras’ (Jessica Camacho) new relationship, you’re not alone. The writers really said, “let’s traumatize everyone,” and honestly? Mission accomplished.
Meachum’s Emotional Devastation Hits Different
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room – or should we say the wounded former soldier with a brain tumor who just got his heart stomped on? Meachum’s reaction to discovering Oliveras is now cozy with Dr. Julio (Eddie Aguirre) was basically watching someone’s soul leave their body in real-time. The man literally said she “took what could have been and threw it out the window.” Ouch. That’s the kind of line that makes you pause your streaming service and stare at the ceiling for a solid five minutes. Thanks, Countdown.
According to Jensen Ackles himself, Meachum’s later claim that they would’ve “wrecked everything” if they’d gotten together? Yeah, that’s complete garbage. “I don’t think he believes that,” Ackles reveals. “I think he said that as a way of deflating the situation.” So basically, our boy was lying through his teeth to save face. Yeah, no. The secondhand embarrassment is certainly real, folks.
Oliveras’ Safe Choice Makes Perfect Sense (Unfortunately)
Here’s where things get kind of complex – because, you know, of course they do. Olivera’s choice of Julio isn’t shocking when you really think about it. As Jessica Camacho explains, “he’s safe” in the most devastating way possible. She can hide parts of herself with him, only showing the easy, accessible bits while keeping all her messy, dangerous, adrenaline-junkie tendencies locked away.
“She needs complexity, depth, risk, adrenaline,” Camacho notes about her character. “She needs somebody who can see her in her totality.” And guess who that somebody obviously is? Not the nice doctor who patches up Meachum’s brain tumor, that’s for sure.
It’s like watching someone choose safe vanilla when there’s perfectly good (and freakin’ delicious) rocky road sitting right there, except the rocky road has PTSD and shoots people for a living. Hmm.
The Task Force Reunion We Actually Needed
At least we got something good out of this emotional trainwreck of an episode. Oliveras is back with the task force, and honestly, it’s about time. Watching her work with the DEA was like seeing a race car stuck in a school zone – technically functional but absolutely painful to witness.
The real MVP here is Blythe (Eric Dane), who apparently has enough emotional intelligence to recognize talent when he sees it. Camacho explains:
She sees herself in him…Finally, someone who gets me.
It’s refreshing to see a boss character who isn’t completely incompetent for once. Revolutionary stuff, really.
Derek Haas Protects Dogs (Thank God)
In other news that’s slightly less emotionally devastating (but only slightly less), creator Derek Haas has gone on record to clarify that no, the sniper villain Todd on Countdown did NOT kill that dog. “In my view, some couple was hiking in the woods, and that dog made it to the woods safely,” Haas insists, probably while crossing his fingers behind his back. Woof.
Look, we appreciate the sentiment, Derek, but we all saw what we saw. That said, if you want to pretend Penny the dog is living her best life in San Bernardino with some nice hiking couple, we’ll play along. Our hearts really can’t take much more trauma this season.
What This Means for Future Countdown Episodes
Canine drama aside, the emotional landscape of Countdown has officially shifted into more complicated territory, if that was even possible. With Oliveras back on the team but romantically involved with someone who represents everything “safe and normal,” and Meachum nursing wounds that go way deeper than his brain surgery, we’re looking at a huge powder keg of unresolved tension.
The chemistry between Meachum (Ackles) and Oliveras (Camacho) remains “pretty undeniable,” as Haas puts it, which means we’re probably in for more episodes of watching two people dance around their obvious connection while pretending everything is fine. Because nothing says quality television like emotional torture disguised as procedural drama.
When you’ve got two great leads, like Ackles and Camacho working together, nothing is off the table. In episode 10, it’s been noted that much of their porch scene was improvised. It will be interesting to see where the story meanders with these two, as well as the exciting countdown to the season’s finale. Remember, as they say, “every second counts.”
