Countdown Episode 12 recap: The killer strikes again and the task force is lured into a death trap

Countdown Episode 12, titled "This Is His Signature" kicked off today with more twists and turns in the new story of the mysterious sniper, aka Todd (as Mark named him). Our antagonist does not take a lot of time before striking again, and this time, the target was the press secretary of Governor Shelby.

While the task force goes on another run to find the killer and deduce his secret code language, Nathan Blythe himself tries to stop the Governor from attending the fundraiser alongside the President of the United States for security issues. It is something whose aftermath turns out to be against his favor.

Amidst all these, the unit is able to track down another coded message that the killer left in the victim's car, which they tag as "His Signature". However, the newest clue eventually lands them in quite some trouble, bringing the task force directly in contact with Todd. Follow this article to find out more about Countdown Episode 12.

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Countdown Episode 12 unravels with a tragic death

Countdown Episode 12 kicks off rather slowly just to create the perfect atmosphere of tension of a crime thriller moments later. In the opening sequence, we witness Agent Nathan Blythe and LAPD detective Mark Meachum walking up to the headquarters while conversing about the latter's interest in "moving up the ladder" in his department. Mark, being his usual weird and funny self, laughs it off, but Agent Blythe is convinced that he would surely make a great leader one day.

The scene then shifts to a gas station in Kern County, focusing on the press secretary of the Governor of California, Hope Miller (played by Moniqua Plante). Hope is seen refilling the tank of her car and leaving the station when, out of the blue, a sniper shot straight at her head, leaving her dead, leading to chaos all around in Countdown Episode 12.

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The task force intercepts the murder investigation of the governor's press secretary in Countdown Episode 12 as more shocking revelations surface

As we see in Countdown Episode 12, Agent Shepherd briefs Nathan Blythe and the others about their language analysis reports on the source of the killer's secret phrases and symbols. While Agent Shepherd and Bell seem to have made some progress with their research (they are close to decoding the sniper's hieroglyphic riddles), Sergeant Luke Finau is asked for an update on the Sugarloaf case.

As it seems, he is in constant touch with the local PD for any critical information about the cabin that the killer had rented using the identity of some other random guy (T.K., as seen in Countdown Episode 11). While the investigation seemed to be going in full swing in Countdown Episode 12, a major disruption takes the task force down to Kern County after they learn about the murder of Governor Shelby's press secretary.

Mark leads the team in Countdown Episode 12 with the usual Jensen Ackles aura, and the presence of a task force in front of CHP officers naturally steals the spotlight. Through questioning and normal conversation, the unit gets to know about the details of the crime to help with the investigation.

However, CHP State Trooper Randall Tooks' unnecessary curiosity about the larger picture in play raises suspicion. Agent Bell confronts him, saying that the details of the task force's investigation cannot be disclosed at the moment, but if the other departments are required in the case, the CHP would be looped in.

Following this, the task force questions Troy Ballard, the clerk who was then on duty at the gas station. But as seen in Countdown Episode 12, it turns out to be of no use to the team as he did not see from where the shot came, nor did he notice any movement. After the shooting, he took cover and lay low the entire time until the state troopers arrived.

So, the speculation about the shot being fired somewhere east of the adjacent hills remains, but the CCTV footage near the gas station comes with a harrowing revelation. While checking the cameras, Oliveras spots a mysterious person (supposedly the killer) opening the door of the victim's car - it appears as if he grabbed something from inside the vehicle, but the poor quality of the footage prevents a conclusion from being drawn.

It is also revealed in Countdown Episode 12 that the killer tried to keep his face covered during the entirety of the crime, which also raised suspicion among the team. Apparently, the killer, aka Todd, knew exactly where the CCTV cameras were and was also aware of Hope's routine. Later, with the help of the CHP Trooper Tooks' analysis of the footage, Agent Bell deduces that Todd did not actually take anything from Hope's car - he rather hid something inside.

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Blythe tries to convince Governor Shelby to avoid the fundraiser, but the whole idea backfires

While all of this goes on in Countdown Episode 12, Agent Blythe takes time out to visit Governor Sacramento to convince him not to attend the fundraiser for obvious security reasons. But the governor is hell bent to make his public appearance with the POTUS, as it would not just be a fundraiser for him but also a direct push to get his ticket for the next presidential election.

While Nathan Blythe's concern seems justified, the governor asks him to make sure that the killer is caught before the public event. However, Blythe's interception to cancel the whole thing in Countdown Episode 12 (for security concerns) leads to turmoil inside the department. Word goes out to his direct higher-up, ADIC Jay Tostaud (played by Scot Ruggles), who makes his presence felt at the headquarters and warns Blythe to never try to get in touch with the governor or POTUS without informing him first. Agent Blythe is also served an ultimatum by Jay that if he does not stick to the protocol, his present task force will be the last one before his retirement.

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Luke finds a major lead in the case, and Oliveras' deduces something crucial

While talking to Hope Miller's Sacramento-based PR company, Agent Blythe, along with Fitz, learns that she possessed the entire work schedule of Governor Shelby, which could be accessed from any device that she carried. But the inventory report from the CHP detectives is yet to arrive, so it still remains in question what the killer stole from the car.

But thanks to Agent Bell's conversation with Tooks (as mentioned earlier), we come to know in Countdown Episode 12 that the sniper was actually trying to hide something inside Hope's car after killing her. So, Agent Bell asks Luke to use his connections at the impound lot to cross-verify for any potential clues.

It is at this point that the investigation gets a major lead in Countdown Episode 12. Luke comes across a mysterious piece of a flyer hidden inside the car that had a secret message - a strange triangle-like symbol with a dot. When that piece of flyer is scanned potential image matches (thanks to Fitz's connections in the tech team), the name of a pub comes up to the task force - Raising Bane, located somewhere in Bradbury.

Todd was not careful enough while leaving his coded message on the torn piece of the flyer that had the name of the local pub, thus prompting the team to believe that he would attend the concert of the band playing that evening at Raising Bane. Moreover, Oliveras' earlier deduction about Todd being a part of law enforcement would make more sense pretty soon:

"Everything that he's doing is to trigger a response."

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The showdown at Raising Bane

Agent Bell, as promised by her sister Molly (who seems to have been MIA for a while now), gets to spend the night with her listening to music and reminiscing about their old sibling days. On the other hand, the rest of the task force goes on an undercover mission at the Raising Bane, hoping to catch the killer red-handed.

Oliveras uses the cover of someone stepping in for a guy named Toven to work for the owner of the pub, Mike Collins. Though Oliveras and Bell almost blow their cover, the former's presence of mind helps to break Mike Collins soon enough. Mike further reveals that a weird man had left an envelope after paying him one grand to give it to any cop who came in search of him.

While Meachum and Luke try to blend their way in at the rather unwelcome pub for protection, the former spots a mysterious man clicking Oliveras and Bell's pictures. As he chases him down to the outside of the pub, shots are fired at Mark.

He soon realizes that it is the killer himself, and the entire place goes into chaos. People start leaving the bar in their cars, and the killer also sneaks out at the right time (as we see him driving down the road at the end of Countdown Episode 12). However, Oliveras finally manages to get the envelope from Mike, and inside it was a piece of paper etched with the words:

"Only death can stop me."

It eventually all becomes clear to the task force - Todd was playing them around the entire time. He wanted them to stumble upon him at the bar and left behind every bit of a clue that made sure they found him. Mark event spotted him clicking their pictures, which means that now he is aware of the task force's identity and who is trying to catch him. Todd's note in the envelope appears more like a challenge to Nathan Blythe's team to stop him if they can.

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