Aahana Swrup
In the Amazon Prime show ‘Countdown,’ episode 8, titled ‘The Nail in the Chair,’ digs deeper into the backstories of the central characters. Now that Meachum has opened up about his cancer diagnosis to Oliveras, sharing the information with the rest of the team remains the sensible next step. Yet, as the tensions rise and the investigation turns unexpected corners, Blythe’s time and attention become coveted currency. As the Belurisian Consul General, Iosif Astapov, continues to uphold his hostile front toward the task force, the special agent has no choice but to employ iron-clad methods to gather information about his target, Volchek. Meanwhile, the elusive terrorist accepts that the interdepartmental team is a force to be reckoned with and runs his own countermeasures against them to secure the future of his destructive plans. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Parts of Volchek’s Past are Revealed
So far, Volchek has established himself as a commendable national threat. He has access to dangerous amounts of fissile material and the means to transport it around the country without suspicion. Furthermore, he has access to never-ending funds thanks to his history of embezzlement back in his homeland. Nonetheless, the specifics of his menacing plans and the nature of their origins stay hidden in a cloud of obscurity. Therefore, the slight peek into his life once he fled to America offers an intriguing insight into his character. As it turns out, Volchek’s initial foray into the States hadn’t been seamless. During the early days, he simply blew his money on a bar and drank his evenings away. That is, until a resourceful man, Lubomir Piskun, approached him.
Piskun was a man with many connections who could help the Belurisian fugitive launder his money into legitimate wealth. He convinced the other man to set his roots in America and continue doing what he initially came here for: carving out a new start for himself. However, things inevitably took a wrong turn. After buying out lucrative parking lot areas, Volchek had established a reputable business for himself. Nonetheless, eventual complications with the city rules backed him into an unfortunate corner. Therefore, he tried to find his way out by bribing the city official, assuming that corruption must be the name of the game. In the end, that ended up being his doom. Apparently, the entire charade was a sting operation to trap Volchek. In the end, he got out of the ordeal by faking his death again, this time, planting Piskun as a fake body in his blown-up car. More importantly, he walked away from the incident with clear contempt for the United States.
Volchek Plants a Decoy Truck For Blythe
Where the task force’s previous recent attempts at catching Volchek had come up empty, Meachum’s lead finally pays off. The terrorist’s violent altercation with Astapov’s men ends in a basement-wide explosion. Once the authorities investigate the scene, they naturally retrieve multiple Russian bullets from the premises. Thus, Meachum is tipped off about the event, which leads him to form a connection between his target and the Belurisian Consul General. Simultaneously, Bell’s research skills also pay off when he discovers a Gallagher truck disguised as an American postal service vehicle that has been suspiciously parked in a populated area.
As a result, Blythe soon arrives at the scene with a SWAT and Bomb team. Meachum, who is trying to find an opportunity to clue his boss in on his adverse medical condition, also follows. Yet, the bomb squad discovers no real threat within the truck. Instead, only a few cameras were found to be fixed to the vehicle. It’s evident that Volchek must be on the other end of the cameras. Nonetheless, the highly encrypted nature of the devices makes it impossible to track him down. Consequently, while confusion festers among the law enforcement agents, Volchek gets to take notes on Blythe and his response team’s exact time and habits. Meanwhile, the special agent’s evident need for control puts Meachum off the idea of unveiling his deepest secrets. The LAPD cop remains too concerned with the idea of getting benched due to his volatile condition.
Blythe’s Meeting With Astapov Proves Near-Fatal
Meachum’s discovery of the basement explosion provides the task force with hard, cold evidence proving Astapov’s connection to Volchek. Therefore, even when the Consul General refuses to play ball with Blythe and his demands, the latter is able to use governmental support to force the other man to share his coveted information. Thus, hours before what the special agent considers to be the final stretch, he manages to secure a rendezvous with Astapov, who promises to earn him vital information about his target. However, once he arrives at the meeting location, he’s in for a cruel surprise.
Although Astapov’s car waits for him in the back alley, the man himself is dead inside the driver’s seat. By the time Blythe discovers this, it’s already too late for him. Volchek emerges from the shadows and stabs the special agent, leaving him to die in the nondescript alley. Thus, Blythe’s future hangs in a precarious balance with no assurances for his survival. His team has all retired for the night, prepared to get some shut-eye before their big mission tomorrow. Therefore, whether or not the agent would be able to save himself remains entirely up to fate for now.
Read More: Is Countdown a True Story? Is the Prime Video Show Based on Real Life?
