The race against time sort of story has been frequently done on film and in television, so by the time 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit's' "Countdown" was made it was hardly innovative and has been seen many times since with varied success. Whether that actually matters or not is dependent on how though the story is executed, with it needing a lot of tension to work. So whether it is edge of the seat stuff or dull and too derivative.
"Countdown" is an example of the former luckily. One of the best episodes of Season 2 and of the show's early seasons. That the concept was not a new one was not a problem here at all in "Countdown", as the material actually felt very fresh, any turns in the plot not being too obvious, and had many moments where it chilled and surprised. It also didn't matter at all that the outcome was ever so slightly on the easy side, when the ending itself is still incredibly gripping and the killer makes a big impression here.
It starts off in a way that intrigues from the get go and already there is tension. Something that continues all the way through the episode, both in the events of the case and the team interaction, up to the nail-biting climax. The screen time for the killer is short, but the scare factor that he has means that a major impression was made. There are plenty of turns, meaning that nothing is too predictable, and the tension and suspense really sears in the latter parts when it becomes increasingly urgent.
Absolutely loved the team interaction, where one sees how the case affects the team personally (i.e. sleep deprivation) and how they act towards each other at work (snapping so easily, which does cause a bit of a shock), making the urgency in solving the case even more rootable than it already is. The writing delivers brilliantly on the tautness and edge, but does provide some welcome and genuinely amusing humour at the same time ("I'm not tipping all of you"). The acting all round is very good, regulars and supporting. The killer's acting is as creepy as one can get.
Have no issues with the production values, fitting the atmosphere very aptly. The music is not overused or over-bearing, the theme tune still being memorable. The direction avoids things from getting mundane or dull.
Summing up, brilliant. 10/10
"Countdown" is an example of the former luckily. One of the best episodes of Season 2 and of the show's early seasons. That the concept was not a new one was not a problem here at all in "Countdown", as the material actually felt very fresh, any turns in the plot not being too obvious, and had many moments where it chilled and surprised. It also didn't matter at all that the outcome was ever so slightly on the easy side, when the ending itself is still incredibly gripping and the killer makes a big impression here.
It starts off in a way that intrigues from the get go and already there is tension. Something that continues all the way through the episode, both in the events of the case and the team interaction, up to the nail-biting climax. The screen time for the killer is short, but the scare factor that he has means that a major impression was made. There are plenty of turns, meaning that nothing is too predictable, and the tension and suspense really sears in the latter parts when it becomes increasingly urgent.
Absolutely loved the team interaction, where one sees how the case affects the team personally (i.e. sleep deprivation) and how they act towards each other at work (snapping so easily, which does cause a bit of a shock), making the urgency in solving the case even more rootable than it already is. The writing delivers brilliantly on the tautness and edge, but does provide some welcome and genuinely amusing humour at the same time ("I'm not tipping all of you"). The acting all round is very good, regulars and supporting. The killer's acting is as creepy as one can get.
Have no issues with the production values, fitting the atmosphere very aptly. The music is not overused or over-bearing, the theme tune still being memorable. The direction avoids things from getting mundane or dull.
Summing up, brilliant. 10/10
