Countdown Episode 11 recap: Oliveras is back to the task force and a lead in the new investigation reveals the intentions of the mysterious sniper

Countdown Episode 11 titled "Run," opened today on a heartwarming note as viewers witnessed DEA Agent Amber Oliveras rejoining her old task force for a brand new mission. Nathan Blythe's team is already onto connecting dots in a twisted investigation that seems to be concerning not only the Governor of California but also POTUS.

Moreover, we also get some knowledge about the unidentified gunman's (introduced in Countdown Episode 10) backstory in flashbacks and how it connects to the present-day situation. Countdown Episode 11 has a decent amount of action, and the pace seems to have picked up a bit in comparison to the Volchek chapter.

Mark and Oliveras (though initially they have an awkward face-off) come to terms and decide to keep their relationship strictly professional (now that the latter is dating Julio). On the other hand, Bell and Shepherd continue using their investigative skills alongside Finau and fresh new face Fitz - thanks to task force Armor's solid teamwork, they eventually land a solid lead in the sniper's case.

Countdown Episode 11 sheds some light on the sniper's origin story while Oliveras and Mark try to reconcile and work in unison

Countdown Episode 11 not only reveals the face of the enigmatic sniper but also gives a sneak peek into his past. The story takes us back to 2023, where this mysterious figure is seen drinking and enjoying his hunting days.

Apparently, he, aka Todd (an identity that Mark gave him while working on the case), is on a sabbatical from work (because of something disturbing that has recently happened to him, leaving him grief-stricken), and shooting his rifle out in the wild seems to be bringing him peace.

One of his close friends is also worried about his present state of mind, and as seen in a diner sequence from 2023 in Countdown Episode 11, he tries to convince Todd to come back to work. Todd is portrayed as someone with psychological troubles who likes to unleash his inner demon on nature by hunting wild animals.

Todd apparently lives with his girlfriend and her dog, who is someone really "precious" to her. Todd's girlfriend also seems to be worried about whatever is wrong with him and asks her if he will return to work soon. To this, Todd replies, saying that he plans to do so, but before that, he'd go for a weekend hunting trip (these adventures to kill mostly portray how he channels his inner turmoil and are also symbolic of his mental delirium).

Todd also does not seem to be very fond of taking care of his girlfriend's dog, and his own problems are already bothering him a lot. So, when Todd finds out that his love interest is having an affair with his best friend, his inner killer takes a more scary form.

Todd steals the dog and goes out to the hunting ground. There, he uncages the poor creature and shouts at it to "Run" while he loads his sniper to take a shot at the dog. However, Countdown Episode 11 does not reveal whether he actually kills the dog, but for sure brings to light his inner psychopath hidden beneath a cold shell - a murderer is born.

While all of this is portrayed in flashbacks, the present day takes us back to the headquarters, where Oliveras' arrival comes out of the blue - thanks to Agent Nathan Blythe's connections that the team was able to get the DEA officer on board with the sniper's case. But it comes with an array of emotional exchanges between Mark Meachum and Oliveras.

Going back in time about eight months, Oliveras had helped Mark get into a medical trial under the guidance of her doctor friend, Julio, and at that moment, they did not want to move forward with their feelings because of obvious reasons. However, even though both of them had hoped to give it a shot once Mark got better, things changed over time, and Oliveras is now dating Julio.

This creates an atmosphere of palpable tension between the two officers once they are out for on-field operations again. Mark seems to have been affected by the fact that Oliveras has moved on and overreacts. However, while on their mission, both of them eventually realize that they need to leave the past behind to work together efficiently and do the same.

Countdown Episode 11 reveals unexpected connections between the Hammerhead Cabins and Singapore as the task force gets a major lead

Countdown Episode 11 comes with a lot of twists and turns - as it appears, the sniper's case has a much larger backdrop. Nathan Blythe and his team learn that the Hammerheard cabins' (Patricia Perez was discovered dead in that place) origin dates back to the 50s, and decades later, they were closed down because of an unfortunate accident, until the present day - as Agent Bell's initial investigation in Countdown Episode 11 reveals.

On further digging, it is learned that the owner of these cabins is a big-shot corporate house from Singapore, Beruang Holdings. So, when the task force learns that the killer has rented such a cabin to set up his hidden firing range, they decide to interview the company's chief, Kieran Teo.

As seen in Countdown Episode 11, Oliveras and Mark head the interview as per Blythe's orders, and the moment they were about to get crucial information out of Kieran's interpreter, Venetia Lim, the People’s Action Party of Singapore intervenes in the scene. An apparently influential man with the PAP, Ho, appears at the scene and tells Mark and Oliveras that access to any further information about Beruang Holdings' rent list needs to happen through the consulate general.

On the other hand, the clock is ticking in Countdown Episode 11 as (according to Agent Fitz's information) the POTUS will soon head for a fundraiser somewhere on the United States' West Coast. So, any possible threat to the president needs to be neutralized before that - the killer must be caught.

But when the task force is restricted from further questioning Kieran Teo, Agent Nathan Blythe pulls a few strings by doing his usual diplomat bit, and, as seen in Countdown Episode 11, he arranges a meeting with Governor George Shelby and Ho. As expected, Ho does not seem to be as influential (as he appears to be) in front of the Governor of California and agrees to cooperate with his American counterparts.

Mark and Oliveras once again head to Kieran Teo's office to interview him, and this time, they return with a huge amount of rental data of the Hammerhead Cabins from over the past decade (15 years to be precise). As Agent Bell further investigates the information along with Shepherd, a new lead and name come to light - Trevor Kellen Pasternak, a man who has a major criminal record and is currently associated with some sort of cult movement.

His name raises suspicion, as the rental records reveal a long stay duration against his name. As we witness in Countdown Episode 11, Mark, Oliveras, Luke, and Fitz head to Trevor's present address retrieved from the data, and they are taken by surprise, as right on their arrival, a biker wrapped in black gear flees the scene.

The team chases him down but fails to catch him due to a road obstruction. The first attempt to nab Trevor (the only lead to the killer) goes in vain, but thanks to Bell and Shepherd's thorough research, they are able to track down Trevor's ex-wife. As the two of them head over to her residence at Temescal Canyon, the duo senses something fishy.

Owing to their presence of mind, Shepherd and Bell soon figure that Trevor's ex-wife is probably hiding him at her place only. As they try to go inside the house to cross-check, an unidentified man (probably only Trevor) is seen escaping the premises. But Agent Bell's prompt on-field skills do not allow him to escape this time, and Trevor is brought in for investigation in Countdown Episode 11.

Trevor's statement eventually brings the killer's intentions to light

As Trevor is brought in for interrogation in Countdown Episode 11, Oliveras and Mark break him pretty easily with their expertise and manipulation. To much surprise, Countdown Episode 11 reveals that Trevor never rented any cabin himself but was paid a huge amount of money to let an anonymous person use his identity (probably the killer).

While digging into Trevor's laptop, Agent Shepherd comes up with another revelation in Countdown Episode 11 - he got an anonymous email from the person paying him the money, and it was also VPN encrypted. But a one-way email does not make sense, and thanks to Mark's presence of mind, a secret encrypted chat server is discovered in Trevor's device.

As Agent Shepherd tries to initiate a conversation with the person of interest on the other side, the killer does not take a moment to respond - it's as if he were waiting for the Feds to get in touch with him. As Shepherd types that "we just want to talk" message as per Nathan Blythe's instructions, a strange thing happens.

The sniper sends a long, weird message, as Meachum asks:

"More looney tune manifesto?" (the one discovered from the cabin)

To this, Agent Shepherd replies:

"No, this is the Rosetta Stone that translates the manifesto."

As it appears, the killer wanted T.K. to get caught and the FBI to eventually reach out to him. He seems to have left a message of threat for the United States that reads:

"Federal kings rule everything. Crushing the toothless worms, I will strike the kings with black lightning. I will smash the heads of government with broken teeth. You took everything from me. Now, you will feel what it means to have nothing."

Countdown Episode 11 ends on a rather tense note and leaves a lot of questions. Who is this Todd? Who is the killer? And why is he after the government? All of it yet remains to be addressed.

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