Countdown’s ending focused on Todd kidnapping Amber and Nathan’s task force arresting Seth Lewis. After learning about the threat to the lives of Governor Shelby and POTUS, Nathan and his task force went into overdrive to find the assassin before the fundraiser that the two politicians were about to conduct in Beverly Hills. Every bit of info that they collected pointed them in the direction of one Seth Lewis, a former friend of Todd’s and the current husband of Todd’s ex-wife. So, led by Nathan, the task force reached Seth’s doorstep and arrested him under the suspicion of threatening the lives of the governor of California and the POTUS. But as Seth yelled that he was a federal officer, Matt pointed out that something was off about this whole affair. He was right, because Seth wasn’t the perpetrator; Todd was. And while the task force was busy with Seth, Todd had kidnapped Amber and subjected her to the same fate as his ex-wife’s dog. In addition to all that, Evan found out that Molly had suffered from a drug overdose and gone into a coma. What is the meaning of all these plot threads? What can we expect to see in Season 2, if it’s greenlit by Prime Video? With a major spoiler warning, let’s find out.
Is Amber Dead?
Countdown didn’t really offer any explanation for Todd’s obsession with Amber or why he targeted Amber specifically. We saw him taking pictures of her at Raising Bane’s, even though Keyonte, Mark, and Luke were there. If he wanted to dismantle the task force, he could have chosen any one of them. Why did he go for Amber? Because she’s a girl? That’s why he thought she was the weakest link? Well, if he gassed anyone from the task force like he gassed Amber, I’m sure they would have fainted, and he could have captured them. Maybe he chose her because she’s the smallest? If he targeted Luke, Mark, Keyonte, Fitz, or Nathan, they would have been tough to handle. Evan hardly leaves the office. Hence, Amber is the best choice to strike fear into the heart of the federal forces. I don’t think it’s a personal thing, because there’s no evidence to connect her to him. If Season 2 reveals that Todd was involved in some kind of drug-peddling activities and Amber was the one who got him jailed and put him out of a job, then this targeting will make sense. Otherwise, I think he went after Amber because it’s convenient. As for whether or not Amber is dead, I don’t think the showrunners will kill her off that easily. We all saw how they gave Volchek’s nuking plan so much build-up and then dismantled it within seconds because the plot armor on the task force is strong. So, yeah, even though it seems like Todd will kill Amber, I’m sure they’ll find a way to just injure her or something and then continue her story. They have laid the ground for several seasons of “will they, won’t they” romance between Mark and Amber. That’s another reason why she won’t be killed off so soon. That said, if the showrunners do make her bite the dust before Mark and the rest of the task force realize that she was kidnapped by Todd while they were busy with Seth, I will be surprised, because the show did nothing surprising over the course of thirteen goddamn episodes. However, right after doing that, I’m sure that the writers will use her death to fuel Mark’s revenge saga, because these guys love cliches.
Did Todd Frame Seth?
The biggest question that the finale raised was whether this whole fiasco about threatening the lives of the governor of California and the POTUS was just to frame Seth. As seen in the penultimate episode, Todd wasn’t a good husband when he still had a wife. There were subtle signs of abuse in the duo’s relationship, but the signs were there for those with eyes to see. So, it came as a surprise to no one when he found out that his wife was having an affair with his best friend. In the finale it was revealed that that “best friend” is Seth Lewis, a federal officer who is currently married to Todd’s ex-wife. Now, based on how quickly all the data on the alleged assassin that the task force had collected fell into place and pointed them in the direction of Seth, it made me think that there’s a possibility that Todd doesn’t really care about killing the governor or the POTUS. He just wanted to get back at Seth for fornicating with his wife. What about Todd being an employee of Randy Markin? Yeah, I think that’s his day job so that he can pay the bills and buy all the equipment he needs to frame Seth. He has volunteered for a position where he has to travel to interview people who probably listen to Truth To Power Hour. However, much like Randy doesn’t believe in what he says, Todd also knows that Randy’s spiel is fraudulent. He has only used his talking points in the manifesto and the message boards to make it seem like the person that the task force is after, which is Seth, has an agenda behind his assassination plans. But now that Seth has been caught, is Todd’s mission over? I don’t think so, because it’s only a matter of time before the task force realizes they’ve got the wrong guy. Maybe that’s when Todd is going to reveal the swords he is dangling over the governor, POTUS, Amber, and the loved ones of the members of the task force and force them to keep Seth in jail if they want all of them alive.
Is Todd Behind Molly’s Drug Overdose?
It was a little weird to introduce Molly and Rawlston into this whole affair. I get the whole Luke and Amber romance subplot. They are two colleagues who see each other all the time. They are clearly into each other but can’t accept the fact that they are in love. It’s something we have seen in shows such as Countdown all the time. So, it doesn’t seem odd. The Molly and Evan subplot, though, is weird. If we got a peek into the personal lives of all the characters, then it would have made some sense. But to bring Molly into the picture so late into the game, put her in a relationship with a shady-looking guy, and then use her going into a coma as one of the concluding moments of a show confused the hell out of me. Yeah, a surface-level reading of Molly’s arc sends the usual “don’t do drugs, kids” message, warning you that you’ll find yourself in some bad company, and then that company will put you in a coma. Since we saw Rawlston in a car, I assumed that he must have totaled it, and since Molly was in it, she went into a coma because of the accident. That said, Molly had no visible injuries, so I have to rule out that theory. The second theory is that she did overdose while “living it up” with Rawlston, and there’s no grand conspiracy behind it. Evan’s going to catch Rawlston, give him a shakedown, and then have him thrown into jail for all the crimes he has committed. My third theory is that Rawlston has been planted by Todd. As mentioned earlier, Todd might be going after the task force so as to force them to keep Seth behind bars. He has already taken down Amber. Maybe he knows that, after Amber, Evan is the most vulnerable because of her tender relationship with Molly. And it’s possible that he has employed Rawlston to take advantage of Molly’s vices and put Evan on the backfoot. No, I don’t think interrogating Rawlston will expose this connection because, much like everything else Todd has done in this show, he must’ve employed the druggie in such a way that there’s no way of linking Rawlston to him.
Season 2 Theories
If Todd has upended the personal lives of Evan and Amber, I don’t think that Nathan, Luke, Keyonte, and Fitz are safe. We know that Nathan and Luke have families. So, once Todd is done tormenting Evan and Amber, he’ll go after them. Mark will be devastated or emotionally unstable if anything happens to Amber, so he’s taken care of. Not a lot is known about Keyonte and Fitz’s personal spheres. But if Todd is as smart as we think he is, then their families and friends won’t be out of his reach. Once all that fails, I suppose he will in fact go after the governor and POTUS. Yes, I did say earlier that maybe the assassination plots were a front to get Seth in jail, and that he’ll threaten to attack the fundraiser if the task force tries to release Seth. However, if his threats don’t work, I think he will fulfill his promises. That’s probably when we’ll learn more about Ragnar, the Norwegian guy that the FBI is after, and his association with Todd. Fair warning: Ragnar might end up being a total red herring. In addition to all this, I expect Season 2 of Countdown to have better writing and direction. The dialogue was horrendous. The action sequences were elaborate, but the editing, cinematography, and the overall vision that creator Derek Haas had made them a chore to sit through. I’m sure that they’ll do yet another mid-season switcheroo, where they’ll abruptly end Todd’s arc and introduce a new villain, and I hope that that antagonist is incredibly compelling. So far, Volchek and Todd have done nothing impressive. These streaming platforms keep hiking the subscription charges while the products they deliver are not even worth the price of admission. Therefore, yeah, I hope to see something that’s straight-up masterful. Anyway, those are just my thoughts on Countdown’s ending. What are your thoughts on the same? Feel free to share them through the comments section below.
