The Equalizer: Season 3/ Episode 2 “Where’s There Smoke” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

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It’s Robyn’s first case since being kidnapped, and while she is worried about Delilah, she ignores Aunt Vi, who can no longer be the rock Robyn is used to having.

This content contains pertinent spoilers.

Recap

The Dark Is Scary, I Need Some Light – Aunt Vi, Robyn, Delilah

While Delilah has learned to process her trauma, thanks to therapy, Aunt Vi has surpassed her limit. She now, almost like a parental figure, wants to know as much as possible about Robyn’s life. Which verbally, Robyn says she’ll reveal more, but like a kid, she wants to keep Aunt Vi on a need-to-know basis. In which she’ll only know what’s going on when Robyn needs Aunt Vi to take Delilah somewhere safe.

This isn’t acceptable, and Robyn promises to do better, but Delilah has a different idea rather than worry. She’d rather be trained than worry about her mother or her mom worrying about her. Which as of the end of the episode, Robyn hasn’t said no to.

Daddy Wasn’t There – Sam, Robyn, Jeff, Captain Sanders, Juan, Angela, Derrick, Mel, Harry

This week’s case is triggered by a little girl named Sam who isn’t sure where her dad, Jeff, is, and because he is an adult, the police aren’t willing to help much. Robyn takes on the situation and, alongside Mel and Harry, investigates Jeff’s job at a local fire station and his potential girlfriend, Angela.

Now, when it comes to Angela, we see her get shot, and Robyn barely misses a bullet, so we know Jeff is into something janky that could get him killed. As for Mel and Harry? They hit a roadblock since Captain Sanders doesn’t seem to know anything, and Derrick and Juan aren’t saying much.

However, Harry, being the hacker he is, unravels the BS and begins to put the puzzle pieces together, pushing the idea that Jeff, Derrick, and Juan covered up an act of arson, with Angela being involved, to steal from Angela’s workplace.

Captain, My Captain – Captain Sanders, Robyn, Dante, Xavier, Derrick, Juan, Sam, Jeff

Now, why did they do it? For Captain Sanders. He was working on 9/11 and has suffered the health effects for it. On top of that, he has a mountain of bills that may lead to him losing his house, so his boys, non-biological, decided to find a way to get him the money he needed. What they didn’t account for is Xavier, a local gangster, finding out and wanting to make an example of them. Hence Jeff being held hostage, and Derrick and Juan scrambling to get more money to pay Xavier’s ransom. Though, in the long run, Xavier was going to kill all parties involved to make sure there were no loose ends.

Luckily for them, though, Dante and Robyn show up and get everyone out of the situation safely. Also, using his skills, Harry shuts down Xavier’s operation and reallocates his money to a 9/11 fund. Thus allowing Sam to have her dad back and Robyn to see she still has it and can take a few bumps.

Things To Note

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. How did Robyn’s body get covered in soot, jump through a window, and deal with more than one explosion, yet her hair not get damaged?
2. So we’re just going to skip Jeff and the rest getting arrested? They did commit multiple crimes.

What Could Happen Next

1. Robyn taking up Delilah’s request and training her

Review

Highlights

Vi No Longer Being The Strong, Unshakable, Maternal Figure

The portrayal of the strong Black woman is a constant. Whether it is an action production, legal drama, or what have you, if a Black woman is starring in it, you can find someone with unfathomable strength, intelligence, and adaptability. All of which highlights the levels a Black woman must operate on to be recognized as the best in her field. However, that way of living sometimes spills over into their personal life, and through Aunt Vi, the rock of the family, we have seen what holding it down has meant.

For Delilah, Vi was a more consistent maternal figure, and thus she had a notable bond with her. Robyn too seemed to have found Aunt Vi to be a maternal presence, and as this show has depicted, Vi has been everything to everyone while barely having much of a life of her own.

But, after the kidnapping situation and being let into what Robyn actually does, you can see there is a shift. Aunt Vi is no longer capable of not knowing a thing, yet having Herculean strength to power through whatever situation is thrown at her. She is no longer unshakeable, she is shook and wants the feeling of solid ground. Something that Robyn isn’t willing or able to provide, and we can see the effect of that. Her art is dark, her mind is clouded, and while she had boundaries with Robyn, since she is her aunt, now there is a wall up and higher expectations.

Aunt Vi and Robyn’s relationship has permanently shifted, and it seems, while she will always be there for her niece and grandniece, she may not be able to at the capacity she once was.

Robyn Opening Up To Delilah

While Delilah is still very much a teenager, there is a need to recognize that despite the house, neighborhood, and financial stability Robyn offers, she has been forced to grow up faster than Robyn would like. Her friend was killed in front of her, her mother kidnapped, and slowly but surely, she is becoming aware of the lack of safety in her life. As you can imagine, whether you are a parent or not, your child coming of age, realizing you can’t solve or protect them from every problem, and they have to start to handle things on their own, is a hard.

But, for Robyn, it goes deeper than that. She has seemingly relinquished the idea she can keep her family out of harm’s way. If she continues the job she does, she’ll make enemies, and not all of them will be two-bit gangsters who don’t have someone like Harry or Mel with hacking or tracking skills. So she picks and chooses what to reveal to maintain some sense of trust and family while keeping people safe.

Case in point with Delilah, part of the reason Robyn quit working for the CIA wasn’t only the moral issue but also wanting a better relationship with her kid. Part of achieving that is showingRobyn showing herself as fallible, and noting her nightmares, sleeping issues, and how she is going through it.

This allows Delilah to see Robyn. Not just as her mother, this badass who handles bad guys throughout the tri-state, formerly the world. She gets introduced to Robyn, and this is a major step in their relationship. One that will never become those two being friends, but more so like Aunt Vi and Robyn where you can see a line, but a level of respect where the line, the boundary, isn’t mentioned until someone abuses the privilege of being cordial.

Delilah Talking About Being Trained

Setting aside the idea of a mother/daughter duo, what also interests me about Delilah being trained is it could set up the actress to potentially expand what she can do. There aren’t a notable amount of Black actresses who are regularly cast or seen as potential action heroes. Gabrielle Union has been in multiple productions, from “Bad Boys II” to the spin-off she did with Jessica Alba. Outside of her? Especially if we’re talking about currently on-air or soon-to-be-released action shows or films? You do have “The Woman King,” but what else?

So Laya DeLeon Hayes, who is barely 18, getting to show herself as an action hero? Perhaps being able to use “The Equalizer” as a launch pad for that? That matters. Add in the show already has a season 4 pickup, it means more than enough training so Hayes, if she chooses, can light a torch and hopefully, similar to how Will Smith expanded what work Black men could do, Hayes could for Black women.

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