The Equalizer: Season 3/ Episode 17 “Justified” – Recap and Review (with Spoilers)
After almost 30 years, Robyn gets closure regarding the death of John McCall, her father who was murdered during a car hijack.
After almost 30 years, Robyn gets closure regarding the death of John McCall, her father who was murdered during a car hijack.
| Release Date (CBS) | May 14, 2023 |
| Director(s) | Darren Grant |
| Writer(s) | Joseph C. Wilson, Rob Hanning |
| Newly Noted Characters and Cast | |
| John McCall | Morocco Omari |
| Young Yancy | To Be Determined |
| Young Demetrius | To Be Determined |
| Adult Yancy | Manny Perez |
| Adult Demetrius | Elvis Nolasco |
| Young Mary | Natalie Kaye Clater |
| Young Robyn | Taliyah Whitaker |
| Previously Noted Characters and Cast | |
| Robyn | Queen Latifah |
| Detective Dante | Tory Kittles |
| Captain Watkins | Indira G. Wilson |
| Aunt Vi | Lorraine Toussaint |
| Mel | Liza Lapira |
| Harry | Adam Goldberg |
Plot Recap
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The Death of John McCall – John, Yancy, Demetrius, Mary, Robyn
As established when Delilah started to smell herself, Robyn was also a bit of a wild child. In 1996, she was partying, hot-wiring cars, and heading down the wrong path. Her dad, John, saw this, warned her, and tried his best to influence her to keep her from going from a dumb kid to an incarcerated adult, and sadly, it seems his death is what turned her life around.
Because of this, she has long believed it was her fault that her dad died. If she wasn’t partying one night and called him to pick her up, under their “No questions asked” policy, maybe he wouldn’t have been carjacked and killed? Well, we learn his death had nothing to do with her.
The facts are John saw a neighbor, Mary, being harassed by Yancy and Demetrius. John decided to intervene, and neither of the boys liked that and tried to teach John a lesson. Both boys, certainly not the Paul Bunyon size John was, didn’t stand a chance, so John went about his day and drove Mary home. For his interference, Yancy put a bullet into John.
Trying Things The Legal Way – Dante, Demetrius, Robyn, Yancy
Fast forward 30-some-odd years, Robyn is just now learning the truth and wants vengeance. Originally, she tried to do things through the justice system. Demetrius turned his life around, so while he got tasered, Robyn was willing to let going back to jail be his punishment. Yancy, on the other hand? She was going to kill him, but Detective Dante stopped him because he believed the system would handle Yancy.
It doesn’t, and this lights the kind of fire under Robyn, which makes it seem she is going to use that CIA training to murder Yancy in ways that will make him unrecognizable.
Learning The Hard Way – Dante, Captain Watkins, Yancy, Robyn, Vi, Harry, Mel
But, after losing the element of surprise, Robyn ultimately doesn’t go in guns blazing. Instead, she takes the man who heads the biggest syndicate in Brooklyn down by using what got him into that position – snitching. Thanks to Harry, Robyn is able to expose how Yancy screwed over every last member of his team, including some of their wives. Thus leading to the end of his life and Mel not having to run into a situation to save Robyn.
Due to this, Aunt Vi is thankful to Robyn for bringing her and the family closure. And with recovering John’s car, they have a piece of him he put his soul into, so in some ways, beyond Robyn and Delilah, a piece of him is still alive.
Unfortunately, though, not everyone ends things on a high note. Detective Dante gets suspended by Captain Watkins due to Lolo accusing Dante of pushing him off the roof. With that, Robyn loses an ally for a while, who she may need as this new boss may not take as well to Robyn’s assistance as others.
Things To Note
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- What happened with Dante’s dad?
- When is the last time we heard about Robyn’s mom?
Review
Highlights
Waiting On Robyn & Captain Watkins To Face Off
Eventually, Captain Watkins is going to catch wind of Robyn, and with her by the book ways, it is likely she isn’t going to support someone without a badge and not under her command, getting to go rogue. Now, this isn’t to say they will be enemies, and Captain Watkins will go out of her way to end Robyn’s time as The Equalizer. However, I can imagine her being a pain in the ass and the closest thing to a consistent villain that this show may provide Robyn.
Robyn and Vi Getting Closure
Yes, this episode came out of nowhere and wasn’t built up to at all. However, even though the writers missed a grand opportunity, you can’t deny that the resolution to a long-held family tragedy wasn’t beautiful. It allowed us to see Robyn at her worst and most emotional. It reminded us how, despite her personal and professional support, Robyn still sees herself as a solo agent who works alone.
In many ways, this episode deconstructed and put Robyn back together and acted as a reminder of how dangerous she is, even if her long-term goal has always been to punish bullies and protect the innocent. For as shown via Demetrius, Robyn sometimes doesn’t like or desire to work in the grays, and through Yancy, even though she didn’t kill him, we’re reminded that she has no issues being the cause of someone’s death if she can justify it. Never mind, as much as Harry and Mel tend to seem more about justice through the system than by being executioners, they, too, are capable of aiding in someone’s death.
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