The Equalizer: Season 5 Episode 2 “Haunted Heights” – Recap and Review

Originally Aired	October 27, 2024
Network	CBS
Director(s)	Chris Fisher
Writer(s)	Aurora Ferlin, Joe Gazzam
Character	ACTOR’S NAME
Delilah	Laya DeLeon Hayes
Aunt Vi	Lorraine Toussaint
Evelyn	Michael Michele
Ajay	Arjun Gupta
Jane	Mackenzie Mauzy
Robyn	Queen Latifah
Mel	Liza Lapira
Harry	Adam Goldberg

Storyline Recap

Boy Trouble – Delilah

With Cam not answering Delilah’s texts, she gets in her feelings. She even decides to change her hairstyle from the braids she has been wearing for almost a season, with the push being that a new look could get his attention. Ultimately, though, she only removes her braids and wears her curls out.

As for Cam, he had an opportunity to do a photoshoot he couldn’t pass up and seemed to understand that, by focusing so much on his work and not checking in or at least letting Delilah know what was going on, he could do better and seems to plan to.

All In Due Time – Aunt Vi, Evelyn

After getting a mammogram, Aunt Vi learns that something was found that requires a biopsy. Naturally, Delilah is a senior and so excited, never mind having her first boyfriend, so she doesn’t want to rain on her parade. Pair that with what Robyn is going through with her ex and Dante, and never mind her work as an Equalizer. The only one Aunt Vi sees herself able to turn to is Evelyn.

Evelyn is a breast cancer survivor and the kind of support Aunt Vi needs, but Evelyn makes it clear, on the surface, she may have made it look easy, but behind closed doors, her journey was arduous. However, she and Aunt Vi agree that waiting until a diagnosis might be best, but if the worst-case scenario hits, Aunt Vi has to speak up.

A Ghost In The Plumbing – Ajay, Jane, Robyn, Mel, Harry

Despite what happened in the last episode, Robyn is relatively cordial with Harry and Mel. She does make an off-the-cuff comment, but beyond that, she keeps things professional for a rather odd situation. So, what’s the case of the week? Well, Ajay’s apartment building, which he co-owns with his sister, appears to be haunted and making folks hallucinate.

However, we learn that Jane, Ajay’s girlfriend, is part of a predatory construction company that wanted to buy Ajay’s rent control building, so they were pumping carbon monoxide into the building to scare off the tenants. Luckily, Harry, Robyn, and even Mel catch onto this before Jane and her crew not only cause seniors to die but almost kill Ajay.

New Character Descriptions

Evelyn

Evelyn is one of Aunt Vi’s close friends who survived breast cancer.

Ajay

Ajay is the co-owner of a rent-controlled apartment building in New York City. He inherited the building from his father.

Jane

Jane is Ajay’s girlfriend who is using him to gain control of his family’s building.

Review

Highlights

Delilah’s Storyline

Delilah has to be one of the few kids in a show like this who we don’t question the purpose of or who makes us roll our eyes. I’d contribute that mainly to Laya DeLeon Hayes’ performance but also because Delilah feels like the closest thing we may ever get to a coming-of-age story for a Black girl. Point blank, they don’t exist, whether we’re talking about mainstream movies or any television, whether network, cable, or streaming.

So, while Delilah isn’t the lead role, watching her deal with boy trouble, worry about senior year, and contemplate what to do with her hair to attract a boy feels like things you don’t really get anywhere else. It all becomes an asset to “The Equalizer” despite all the ways it would be a liability if certain aspects were changed.

Evelyn’s Take On Breast Cancer

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and despite progress made in various aspects of medicine, Black women are still having worse outcomes and have far harder fights with the deadly disease. So, in many ways, not only having Aunt Vi be presented with a scare but Evelyn’s speech about breasts and womanhood, it could speak to someone.

Never mind, if Aunt Vi goes on this journey, it could make someone feel less alone since “The Equalizer” is probably one of the Blackest shows on network television outside of “Abbot Elementary.” As shown by its history, “The Equalizer” may not pursue a Shonda Rhimes or “Bel-Air” depiction or push regarding Blackness, but it doesn’t shy away from the cultural aspect of who the characters are.

On The Fence

A Halloween-themed episode?

While I love Robyn, I feel this week’s case was corny. Never mind the usual need to suspend disbelief, like Robyn being able to pull a grown man by herself over a ledge and Jane not shooting her throughout that whole tussle, but then you got a building with a carbon monoxide leak? One that is intentional in coercing the owners to sell? It’s not the worst idea, but sometimes I do wish that Robyn’s cases were a bit more rooted in something long-term vs. quick and unimportant in the long run.

Robyn Bouncing Back So Quickly

Case in point, wasn’t she talking about how she can only trust or rely on herself, yet she is smiling and acting like her feelings weren’t hurt? Granted, who knows what conversations could have been had off-screen regarding what Mel went through, but between how quickly injuries heal, the coming and going of certain characters, and how often characters seem to bury or forget things, it is difficult not to get frustrated. I mean, where is Miles? Did Aunt Vi scare him off? Where is Robyn’s former protégé who is still on the run? I know the series has an episode order to fill, but it is strange how Robyn is the lead, the assumed hook of the show, and yet she is the least consistent in presenting herself as an asset but can deliver with ease filler.

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