When Oliveras (Jessica Camacho) and Meachum (Jensen Ackles) met in the pilot episode of Countdown, no one would have thought they’d share a moment like the one in CountdownSeason 1, Episode 8, “The Nail in the Seat.” Yet throughout the season, they’ve been slowly growing closer, and it culminates in Meachum asking Oliveras to crash at his place and being turned down. The tense and complicated scene is a favorite of series creator Derek Haas. “I thought that scene turned out dynamite,” he told TV Insider. It was confusing because it went contrary to what Oliveras thinks of herself, and Haas admitted that the characters were also in a confused state of mind. He explained, saying,
“What I want is these two who, in a very stressful, emotional, heightened place, don’t want to do this the wrong way and think that, did we do this just because all of our feelings were out on the table? Not to mention that Meachum’s going through what he’s going through. I just think they need to get their stars aligned prior to something more potentially they could hurt each other’s friendship.”
Based on Haas’ comments, there is still some distance to be traveled by both characters, or they risk ruining the good thing they have going.
‘Countdown’ Star Weighs in on Meachum and Oliveras’ Relationship
Camacho thinks the situation is “messy” for her character, and one thing Oliveras has made clear is that she doesn’t do messy. “She likes clean-cut, she likes simple, straightforward, and this potential situation is anything but that,” the actress said. However, that moment betrays what she might be feeling, and it leaves her at a loss. Camacho explained, saying,
“It’s vulnerable and layered. And they depend on one another. They’re partners, they work together, and you see them discovering this other kind of pull, this curiosity, this shared kind of knowledge that they have, this shared understanding, and this bond that’s kind of just naturally organically created that has its own pull. So she’s stuck. She’s like, ‘Goodnight, I gotta go.’ I don’t think she knows what to do with it all.”
Will she betray her convictions and allow herself to go there with Meachum? Will she become like her friend and the latter’s sister whose hearts Meachum broke? Viewers will have to tune in on Wednesdays when new episodes of Countdown stream on Prime Video. In Episode 9, “10-33,” airing on Wednesday, August 6, “the clock ticks down as the team races to stop Volchek in time,” the official episode logline reads.
Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
