The Checklist: The Equalizer (S2 Ep18) “A Place to Stay”
Many of you may have seen the major motion picture version of The Equalizer starring Denzel Washington. But not many of you may know that the movie was based off an 80’s TV show and even if you did, you may have never seen an episode.
On the TV show, Robert McCall is played by veteran British actor, Edward Woodward. On the show, McCall plays a spy who has had enough. He’s done things and seen things that haunt him and now he has decided to use the skills and knowledge he gained from years in the spy game, to help people who have the odds stacked against them. He takes an ad out in the paper and people call him when they need help.
In this edition of The Checklist, I’ll take a look at the 18th episode of Season 2 of The Equalizer, entitled “A Place to Stay”.
- Synopsis: Lynn Rowan, a teenage girl from an abusive home, runs away from her suburban hell, hops on a bus and heads to New York City. Her mother calls The Equalizer for help and now, Robert, the Rowans and the police are on the hunt for Lynn who now finds herself in the world of child pornography. Yes, this was one of those TV episodes that tackled a tough subject, in this case teenage runaways and missing children.
Like all TV shows, there are certain quality checks that can be done, to tell us just how Equalizer this episode of The Equalizer is.
1. Were there any notable guest stars?
The late, great Ed Lauter appears as the abusive father and husband in this episode of The Equalizer. Lauter starred in several movies with Charles Bronson including Death Wish 3, Death Hunt and Breakheart Pass. He also starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Raw Deal. And if that doesn’t tell you how great Ed Lauter was the fact that he had the coveted “and Ed Lauter” credit at the start of the show should. They don’t give that out to just anybody. 1/1
2. Is the ad in the paper shown or referenced?
Yes, we see Mrs. Rowan with the classified section as she calls the number seeking Robert McCall’s help to find her runaway daughter. 2/2
3. Does Robert’s Jag make an appearance?
The sophisticated and elegant Robert McCall drives a Jaguar (what else?). However in this episode he does all his traveling on foot and we don’t see him driving in New York City traffic. 2/3
4. Does Robert get any assistance from any of his former spy buddies?
For a guy out of the spy game, Robert often interacts with some of his former colleagues, however in this episode he has no contact with any of them. He does get some help from a cop friend, Sgt. Alice Shepard. 2/4
5. Does Robert lose his cool?
The normally reserved and dignified Robert McCall, can often times be pushed too far and what erupts is pure entertainment. Unlike David/Bruce Banner, you want to see Robert McCall when he gets angry. And he REALLY gets angry when he confronts the money man behind a child pornography magazine. He shows up to a black tie affair the dirt bag is hosting for one of his legit magazines, handing out pictures of the publisher with underage girls and then chasing him down and pinning him against the wall while he publicly threatens the man. Easily my favorite scene in any of The Equalizer episodes I’ve seen to date. 3/5
- Final Score = 3/5 (60%)
