[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Countdown Season 1 Episode 4 “Bite ‘Em Down.”]
The duty power suffers a significant loss within the Wednesday, July 2, episode of Countdown.
Sadly, Damon Drew (Jonathan Togo) dies after being shot on the finish of Episode 3. However the process power goes to recollect him with a plaque hung of their workplace in his honor as they proceed to seek out the menace to Los Angeles. Beneath, Jonathan Togo displays on Drew’s arc, compares him to CSI: Miami‘s Ryan Wolfe, and extra.
How a lot of Drew’s arc had you recognized if you signed on?
Jonathan Togo: When Derek [Haas] approached me concerning the undertaking, he informed me that it was solely going to be 4 episodes, and he defined that he needed to have one of many members of the core staff die fairly early on within the collection in order that he may talk to the viewers that the threats and hazard that they have been going through was actual and to make it very speedy. I feel that lots of instances on procedural cop reveals on TV, the primary characters face hazard however by no means fairly endure the implications of that. This was a chance for him to carry the kind of urgency and immediacy to the story that perhaps we haven’t seen earlier than on this style.
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Had you additionally recognized the backstory along with his son?
That was new info. The primary time I used to be conscious of that, and I used to be actually excited once I learn it as a result of it’s a wealthy character notice, was through the read-through.
It was so heartbreaking. Particularly as a result of the buildup to the reveal, of him teaching his little league…
I feel I made a joke to Derek, hasn’t this man been via sufficient? After which I additional made the joke that after they go to inform Cora, who’s Drew’s spouse, it’s like they need to come there and discover her throwing herself off the roof. This poor lady has been via a lot. However that’s the enjoyment of working for Derek Haas, I did a procedural crime present for eight years, CSI: Miami, and there actually have been notes for Ryan Wolfe in there, he had his personal kind of private demons, however lots of the time for the aim of storytelling, the thrust of the story is about fixing a criminal offense and interspersed all through these eight years, you get little clues about who the character was. However Derek begins character first when he writes a present. I keep in mind studying it after which calling him and going, that is what we’ve been seeing for a few years has been so widespread on tv, but it surely’s elevated. That’s what was so thrilling about it.
What was your response to how Drew died particularly?
I feel he died a noble loss of life in pursuit of making an attempt to save lots of thousands and thousands of individuals. So in that means, I’m grateful for the way in which it was written. I feel that what’s attention-grabbing about the way in which Derek writes it, and what was attention-grabbing about how Drew died, was it’s a scene that we’ve seen so many instances. It’s a cliche, the great guys displaying up on the final second to save lots of the hero, and barely will we ever see the implications of that. It upends the prevailing means we watch these reveals. It simply reveals you that every one these characters, regardless of their peccadillos and their very own private shortcomings at their core, are very selfless and are placing their lives on the road in service of this larger trigger.
Drew and Blythe (Eric Dane) clearly had historical past. Is there any backstory you recognize about that we didn’t see on display?
The whole lot that I used to be conscious of was written. It was humorous as a result of the second Eric and I met — we’ve a really, excellent buddy in frequent, a screenwriter, John Gatins, who wrote Flight, I had met Eric as soon as earlier than — we immediately bonded. I feel actors do this. They type of meet one another and go searching for the components of their private relationship that they will carry to the characters. However we had a tremendous time. I actually was conscious of who Eric was, and it was tremendous attention-grabbing to satisfy him for the primary time as a result of apart from assembly him as soon as, I used to be so conscious of his profession, however we hit it off straight away. We each come from this time of early ‘00s community tv. So we truly had quite a bit in frequent, we had lots of battle tales to share, but it surely was an unimaginable expertise.
As an actor, I’m not accountable for what’s taking place or what’s being stated. If it have been as much as me, Drew could be there for 10 seasons, however that wasn’t the gig. So that you go, “Nicely, what can I management about this expertise,” or “What can I carry to it that Derek’s written so masterfully?” I feel when it got here to Drew and Blythe, Eric and I have been capable of faucet in actually rapidly. We’re two guys that got here from this period of community tv and now we’re sitting on this stunning historic lot working for this streaming channel that’s owned by the most important conglomerate on this planet. It’s a very totally different world from once we began. We related tremendous rapidly on that.
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And I feel if you see the scenes, you get a way that these two human beings have a mutual love and respect and type of a banter collectively, a consolation with each other. They’re guys who’ve been round. I began my profession in 2001, and it’s been 24 years of doing this, and Eric’s been round longer than I’ve however in an identical period, and we actually received one another. That set was unimaginable. Jensen [Ackles], the identical factor. The primary time I met Jensen, we had just a little solid solely read-through, and he got here as much as me, and he stated, “Hello, I’m Jensen.” And he was so good and I used to be so taken again and I’ve been doing this and I don’t get starstruck, but it surely was surreal. We simply had so many laughs, and Violett [Beane] and Uli [Latukefu] and Jessica [Camacho] and Elliot [Knight], it was enjoyable.
Everybody type of was actually grateful to be there, as a result of it had come after the strike and COVID, and we have been a gaggle of actors who’d all labored earlier than and we have been so thrilled to be there. After which all of us type of found one another have been drama children. There was singing and joking, and it was a very nice group. We truly went and had dinner collectively proper after Drew died. We went out to eat, and we received requested to settle down by a desk close to us as a result of we have been so loud as a result of we’re actors and we bonded actually, actually rapidly. And once I watched it lastly when it got here out, I am going, yeah, it’s there. That kind of group camaraderie is basically there, and I hope individuals get that after they watch it, that this group of individuals do have this affinity for each other and are having fun with what they’re do. And everybody there may be additionally tremendous gifted and tremendous skilled, not in contrast to the group itself.
So I feel that dynamic performs out in lots of methods between lots of the interpersonal relationships. Once you see two individuals on display collectively, if you see Jessica and Jensen bantering, that’s an actual factor. They actually bantered. Once you see Eric and I collectively, we’re like two outdated canines actually sitting on the porch chopping it up. It was an unimaginable expertise. I felt actually nice about this group. And I feel should you speak to any of them, they’ll all inform you an identical factor. We had a lot enjoyable, we actually imagine in what we did, and we’re tremendous happy with it.
If it had been anybody apart from Blythe operating this process power, do you assume Drew would’ve stated sure contemplating his dedication to teaching little league?
I feel it could’ve solely been Blythe. And I feel that’s type of like his superpower. He’s type of just like the, to not steal from one other franchise, Nick Fury of this world. The primary time you see Damon, he’s speaking about, “Nicely, I stated I’d coach my child’s little league,” which I don’t know if that’s actually only a ruse for, “It’s been too tough.” When Derek got here to me concerning the position, he stated, “I image this man, he’s type of the Watson to Nathan Blythe’s Sherlock,” and I like that quite a bit. And it’s humorous as a result of Eric’s actually tall and I’m not that tall. And he’s received a lot gravitas in his deep voice and I don’t. However for me, I actually clung to that.
Additionally, as a result of I’ve been on this cop present world now since earlier than the web, enjoying, carrying a badge and a rubber gun, I type of thought of it like, I feel the perfect I can do, I feel that is type of Ryan Wolfe [from CSI: Miami] 20 years later. And I feel that as a result of the character in CSI: Miami was actually type of brash and naive and bold and impetuous. And if I needed to revisit that character, 10, 15 years later, he’s mellowed out quite a bit. He’s received a household. I did that present once I was in my 20s, and I used to be formidable and younger and impetuous, and I mellowed out quite a bit. So it’s enjoyable to get the prospect to revisit the style in that means and play a personality who I feel mirrors my life. As an actor, that’s what I carry to it. And once more, again to the entire, Eric and I are from that very same community TV period. It’s like, we’re two guys older now and contemplative about the place we at the moment are, and there was an actual kinship and affinity for one another coming from that place.
There’s that heartbreaking change that Drew has with Blythe about what he would’ve completed if he didn’t have his spouse after they misplaced their son. Did Drew additionally want the work as a distraction virtually from that loss and that additionally performed into why he stated sure to this process power?
Yeah, in all probability, proper? It is a man who’s grieving nonetheless. I don’t assume the grieving would ever finish for him. However he’s doing the one factor he is aware of the best way to do, which is put one foot in entrance of the opposite and preserve going. There’s one thing about individuals who work in regulation enforcement — and I’ve had the privilege of working with lots of them doing reveals like this as a result of they’re technical advisors — and also you meet guys and it’s like it’s their complete life. They get misplaced in that work. It’s additionally he’s being of service to his group and to his nation, and perhaps that’s the way in which he distracts himself from that ache. It’s not simple for these guys. They need to create an armor after they go to work as a result of they’re battling the last word evil. They’re saving lives. It’s such severe enterprise. So I don’t know that the power to articulate their emotions comes as simply to them. However I feel that was such a gorgeous second that Derek wrote, and I used to be tremendous privileged and honored to get the chance to do this. Once I learn it, as an actor, you’re like, “That is such an unimaginable scene, a chance, I can’t wait to get on set and do that.”
Talking of that armor and articulating emotions, Blythe had stated if he wanted to speak or simply needed to seize a beer and never speak after the case was over … Would Drew have opened as much as him or chosen the get a beer and never speak possibility?
That’s a very nice query. I feel Drew exists as a sounding board for Nathan, and I feel a part of what he brings to the staff is being that. He’s the man they go to. He’s the chief of employees that the president goes to and confers with privately they usually take their authority hats off and communicate frankly and brazenly. I received the sense that as a result of he capabilities as that particular person throughout the context of that group, it doesn’t come as simply for him to speak about himself or be susceptible himself. His energy comes from being any person that the ability consorts with. Would he have that beer? I feel ultimately. I feel it’s at all times difficult when somebody’s grieving like that. You don’t fairly know what to — as a result of you possibly can’t repair it.
And I get the sense that Drew is basically good at being the quantity two. That is Blythe assembling the perfect individuals for a very powerful job. So I don’t know that he has that a part of his character that capabilities throughout the group that means. I feel that was an actual turning level of their relationship. I feel ultimately, had he lived, they might have had that beer. The factor about Blythe is that he’s not displaying his hand to anyone there ever. That’s his energy. He’s type of the wizard behind the display, besides with Drew, and I’m assuming their wives are mates, I’m assuming they’ve a life outdoors of the workplace collectively. Though it was attention-grabbing, there may be one other scene the place we speak concerning the military and I ask him about it and I stated to Derek, “Drew didn’t know this.” And he goes, “No, he didn’t know.” And so Blythe even has issues he hasn’t proven Damon.
There was that second the place Drew received within the DA’s face. You talked about him being Ryan however mellowed out in a means. So the place precisely did that come from? Was that, he’s going to do this to anybody who’s going after Blythe? Was that one thing else? Was that perhaps his grief, virtually like a solution to let that out?
Yeah, look, I feel additionally a part of being the second in command is being the one who’s the pit bull. He’s the man who will get issues completed and he does issues that he intuits Blythe can’t do. So we’ve been coping with the DA displaying up a pair instances now, and eventually, it turns into cop, dangerous cop factor. They’re so mission-focused that something that will get of their means, they’re going to take away, and it doesn’t matter the place it’s coming from, however they particularly know that this man’s stuffed with s**t. They spend all day, all night time making an attempt to perform the purpose. They’re there when the solar’s developing, they’re there when the solar’s happening. And at his core, Drew is a cop, they usually’re cerebral they usually’re strategic. However after they need to, they will push individuals out of the way in which, too, if that’s what the job entails.
I don’t know that that essentially got here from coping with the grief, though I want I had thought of that on the day. I want once I did it, I had thought of that. I assumed that he has a nicely of anger and reserve, however no, I feel it had extra to do with — it’s life and loss of life to them. And he says that, this isn’t politics, that is what we breathe. That is it. That is our id. And also you coming in right here to play politics simply doesn’t fly with us.
However they’re fairly irreverent. I feel Drew’s in all probability caught in center administration just a little bit. And I feel Blythe is just a little bit on the skin, too. And I feel they’re a gaggle of misfits, each single particular person there. What they’re doing is basically necessary. And I don’t know that — like I stated, they’ve all received their very own little kind of peccadillos to cope with which have put them the place they’re. However I feel at their core, they’re tremendous mission-focused, and it’s fairly selfless what they’re doing. And because of that, they’re going to push in any route they need to.
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