Episodes
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The Equalizer Season 4 Episode 22: Suicide SquadAired on CBS: August 24, 1989Directed by: Marc LaubWritten by : Jacqueline ZambranoFeaturing: Ving Rhames, Adam Coleman Howard, Joe Morton
Ladies and gentelmen, we have arrived. The 88th and final episode of the hit 80s show The Equalizer, and the 94th and final episode of our podcast The Equalizers. The episode itself doesn't provide any closure for the original series, but at least it's one last bonkers plotline - Ving Rhames, playing what we assume is a first draft version of Marsellus Wallace, is a drug lord who employs specifcally injured athletes, and EQ has to protect a teenager Willy whose football is ending short because of a bad knee. But whereas the episode doesn't give any kind of grand sendoff to the series, Chris, Chuck, and Vince (yes Vince!) do their best to make up for it. We got together and MST3K'd this guy, having our own party and sending off our podcast in style. It's a different format and different sound because we wanted to go all out to celebrate The Equalizer. This episode was a blast as was this entire ride. Thank you to everyone who came along with us.
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The Equalizer Season 4 Episode 21: EndgameAired on CBS: August 10, 1989Directed by: Alan MetzgerWritten by : Coleman LuckFeaturing: Elizabeth Berridge, Amy Morton, Lewis Van Bergen, Josef Sommer, Nick Bakay
Penultimate episode! We all remember the gaming mastermind Leon from the 1980 movie Midnight Madness who set off five teams on an epic scavenger hunt just for his own whimsy. Similarly in Endgame, the Equalizer goes up against an old dude who is really into "war games" - which unfortunately are less about Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy, and more about an elaborate recreation of the Battle of Gettysburg with little toy soldiers in his office. And this old dude's fixation on strategic games has bled into a real life game of vengeance aimed at an attorney and her sister (who happen to be pretty messed up themselves). Not necessarily a top tier EQ episode, but Chris and Chuck are on the home stretch and still giving it everything they got, including perhaps the best On This Date segment yet as Chris shows us what he's made of with a heartfelt serenade.
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Episodes manquant?
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The Equalizer Season 4 Episode 20: Race TraitorsAired on CBS: June 29, 1989Directed by: Robert E. WarrenWritten by : Robert SabaroffFeaturing: Laurence Fishburne, David Andrews, Michael Cerveris, Verna Bloom, John Cale
The antipenultimate Equalizer episode. This one is... woo boy. The Equalizer is going against a local chapter of neonazi skinheads including a childhood friend of Mickey's. Does the episode approach the topic delicately? Well it starts right off with stock footage of the Third Reich and sails on from there. At the very least, the viewpoint of the Equalizer and the show is in line with today's sensibilities. That said, maybe for the best that so much off the plot focused on weird white supremacy middle management. It's a very strange angle on a very real and sensitive topic. Similarly, Chris and Chuck handle the coverage of this episode with the delicacy of a runaway elephant.
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The Equalizer Season 4 Episode 19: Heart of JusticeAired on CBS: May 11, 1989Directed by: Bradford MayWritten by : Gail Morgan HickmanFeaturing: John Shepherd, Paul Guilfoyle, Vincent Gallo (!), Philip Bosco, Patty Mullen
New York City in 1989. When the wheels of justice can't convict obviously guilty criminals because of legal loopholes, those criminals run free and, once they get drugged up, they can go out and spend the day terrorizing innocent people without any consequences. This is the case for The Equalizer in this episode, so much so that while he's trying to stop a man who's out for vengeance to right a legal wrong, that guy gets beat to the punch by ANOTHER dude who's out for vengeance to right a legal wrong, just in a more general sense. This episode has emotions, it has an EQ-patented intricate plan that explodes, and it acts as a "Stay Away" sign for anyone thinking of visiting NYC.
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The Equalizer Season 4 Episode 18: The CaperAired on CBS: May 4, 1989Directed by: Alan MetzgerWritten by : Tom TowlerFeaturing: Maureen Stapleton, Laura San Giacomo, Zach Grenier, Michael Wincott
A lighter episode of The Equalizer. Yes there's still some grisly violence but this time that's paired up with a lighter mystery plot, a diamond heist, and a spunky new sidekick for Robert McCall. EQ is helping out Mrs. Rutherford (Maureen Stapleton), an older woman who's witnessed a murder and whose head is otherwise in the clouds from all the cheap mystery novels she reads. And she insists on a female bodyguard, so on Mickey's recommendation EQ enlists the help of Trudy Collins (Laura San Giacomo) who looks straight out of Desperately Seeking Susan. All that plus a mystery plot twist and a rather gratuitous strip club scene. Chris and Chuck dig deep into the episode as well as into the Florentine Diamond, Indy 500 pace cars, and the Kinsey report.
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The Equalizer Season 4 Episode 17: Prisoners of ConscienceAired on CBS: April 27, 1989Directed by: Marc LaubWritten by : Robert EiseleFeaturing: Tony Plana, Pat Hingle, Dan O'Herlihy, Tim Woodward (Edward's son!)
Another Equalizer episode with international intrigue. Whereas last week dealt with Bulgarian ambassadors, this time we got a team of torturers in town working for the Chilean government. But as with every Equalizer episode, the creators add some additional, crazy intrugue of their own: The head torturer (Randall Payne) just happens to be the same man who killed Robert McCall's father; we get a flashback/dream sequence with the Equalizer talking to his father, played by Edward Woodward's real life son Tim Woodward; plus the torture sequences have less polish than our 21st century sensibilities are accustomed to, so that's kinda weird. Chris and Chuck go deep on Chilean history, pronounce "Pinochet" in every way possible, and salute Robert Lansing for his final appearance as Control.
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The Equalizer Season 4 Episode 16: Time Present, Time PastAired on CBS: April 20, 1989Directed by: Gordon HesslerWritten by : Tom TowlerFeaturing: William Zabka, Shirley Knight, Brian Bedford, Dennis Boutsikaris
A big episode for the larger Equalizer through-story: First, the second appearance of Kay: Equalizer's ex-wife and Scott's mother. Shirley Knight got a Best Guest Actress Emmy nomination for her "You were never there for us... and now look what you've done: Scott's been kidnapped by the Bulgarian Embassy" scenes with Edward Woodward. Secondly, this episode is a series wrap for William Zabka, and what a way to go: a training montage, thwarting the Bulgarians, losing his innocence, listening an opera album on headphones. It's a tour de force. And then the action itself - brotherly strife between two Bulgarian spies by two veteran guest stars of the show - packs a punch and checks off one more country whose spies the Equalizer has taken head on.
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The Equalizer Season 4 Episode 15: StarfireAired on CBS: April 13, 1989Directed by: Bradford MayWritten by : Robert EiseleFeaturing: Michael Moriarty, George Plimpton, Wendell Pierce, Angela "you're what the french call les incompetents" Goethals
Equalizer episode or early precursor to the X-Files? Another superlative episode, the most sci-fi episode to date. This one reinforces once again that audiences have no idea what to expect when they sit down to watch an Equalizer episode. EQ helps a man who calls himself Seti (nudge nudge, UFO nerds) who believes he is part of a large cosmic battle but who is for real being targeted by assassins. That would be enough but this episode just keeps giving - Bunk from The Wire as a psychologist monitoring this odd alien guy; a spacey kaleidoscope; some budget 80s special effects; and another odd inclusion of a young girl in trouble (Angela Goethals not long before Home Alone). Is the show hinting that UFOs are real? Are they in fact real? Chris and Chuck provide conclusive answers to that question and many more in this can't-miss episode.
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The Equalizer Season 4 Episode 14: 17 ZebraAired on CBS: April 6, 1989Directed by: Alan MetzgerWritten by : Jacqueline ZambranoFeaturing: William Atherton, Cordelia González, Joe Seneca, Robert Joy
Just like other epic shows like The Sopranos or Breaking Bad, we at this Equalizer podcast have a different schedule for the second half of our final season. In our case, what has usually been a weekly show is now... every month or so. But like Gideon's army of three hundred against the Midianites, we are charging ahead with trumpets blaring. And 17 Zebra is a doozy of an episode to come back to: legendary Equalizer guest William Atherton (jerk from Real Genius, Die Hard, Ghostbusters) stars as an esteemed paramedic who is so fed up with the drunks, winos, and junkies he picks up that he starts killing them! If that wasn't enough, we go deep on every Bible verse McCall tosses around. Just like a prayer we will take you there, listeners.
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The Equalizer Season 4 Episode 13: Lullaby of DarknessAired on CBS: March 30, 1989Directed by: David JacksonWritten by : Coleman LuckFeaturing: Stephen Lang, Ellen Latzen, Mary-Joan Negro, Vivian Nathan, Jacqueline Brookes
Stephen Lang - the villainous Colonel Miles Quaritch in Avatar - is similarly evil in this one, though his victims aren't the Na'vis but rather his character's own wife and daughter. Like most episodes dealing with ugly topics, the viewpoint of the show is good but the execution gets uncomfortable, being from 1989 and all. Shaking up the episode: a) Lang's character takes out a restraining order against the Equalizer (future EQ villains take note) b) the daughter escapes into her imagination along with her old/creepy/evil dolls, making this the most that The Equalizer has ever dipped into the fantasy genre. We wouldn't say it's the easiest Equalizer episode to watch, but of course we're established professionals so this podcast episode goes down easy as always.
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The Equalizer Season 4 Episode 12: Silent FuryAired on CBS: March 8, 1989Directed by: Russ MayberryWritten by : Donna Powers & Wayne PowersFeaturing: Cynthia Nixon, Howie Seago, Jon Polito, Paul McCrane, Mark Boone Junior, Beth Ann Bull
Another Equalizer special episode. This time he is helping the victims of a band of burglars who target deaf people. Among them, a young Cynthia Nixon in an impressive performance as a deaf person who calls on the Equalizer and has to mediate between him and her hothead fiancee. This episode takes on its special episode topic from many angles but as we note there are a few omissions (What do Cynthina and her fiancee do besides being deaf?), a few cut corners (Do people really just stand around the Center For The Deaf), and a few Equalizer-spiked additions ("What if the attack against the burglars was somehow hearing-themed?"). All that plus Chris shared his own stories about the topic which somehow break the podcast.
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The Equalizer Season 4 Episode 11: Trial By OrdealAired on CBS: March 1, 1989Directed by: Marc LaubWritten by : Coleman LuckFeaturing: Roy Dotrice, Sylvia Sidney
Equalizer clip show! Control is on trial by an Agency Tribunal, with a judge and prosecutor and big agency flag and everything. The agency thinks that all the help Control has given The Equalizer could be considered treason, so they review all of these as evidence... which is where the clips come in. It's a unique clip show, only 30% or so clips, and by the Morrison Directives (one of several agency phrases in the episode), if he's found guilty he gets the chair! We go deep on the episode and clip shows in general, as well as expressing our love of Debbie Gibson.
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The Equalizer Season 4 Episode 10: Past ImperfectAired on CBS: February 15, 1989Directed by: Russ MayberryWritten by : Gail Morgan HickmanFeaturing: Mark Margolis, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Cortez, Jose Edwin Soto
A bittersweet episode, given the recent passing of Mark Margolis. It's his last episode as lovable Jimmy on The Equalizer and packs the most emotional punch. Jimmy acts as Big Brother to a fatherless boy named Tomas. It's a sweet relationship but gets a bit muddy when the boy's father shows up, and then a cartel and the agency and the DOJ are all chasing after him. We pay tribute to Mark Margolis the actor and the character Jimmy while also wondering if Jimmy is really a good fit for the Big Brother program. Also featuring a great guest spot by Hector Elizondo, snake tattoos, and more EQ series callbacks than usual, e.g. microdots.
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The Equalizer 3 movie! Holy cow. How often does it happen on a podcast for a 35 year old show that a new movie in the franchise comes out? Not often at all. For Chris and Chuck, it's a lot of firsts - the first podcast field trip (to a Chicago suburb halfway between our respective suburbs), the first mid-season bonus episode, and the first time we've seen the character Robert McCall, whom we have discussed so very much, on the big screen. It's a roaring rampage of bloody Equalizing justice. On the whole it's consistent with the first two movies, but also a departure in significant ways. Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington reteam, along with cinematographer Robert Richardson to bring you this installment of The Equalizer in a beautiful Italian seaside village, and Chris and Chuck are here to discuss it with their specialized expertise of the original Equalizer.
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The Equalizer Season 4 Episode 9: The VisitationAired on CBS: February 1, 1989Directed by: Bradford MayWritten by : Robert EiseleFeaturing: Jenny Agutter, James Tolkan, Leonardo Cimino, Mike Starr, Mel Gorham
The Equalizer has an Outbreak episode - EQ has to stop a deadly disease from spreading outside of New York City. You may think you know what to expect from an episode like this, but the classic beats of the Equalizer totally overtake the beats of a typical pandemic story. Like in this one, the only way to stop the spread is to locate the biggest illegal arms dealer in New York who happens to be Mr. Strickland from Back to the Future wearing a Pirates cap. And the infectious disease plot is further pushed aside by perhaps the most bizarre EQ romance to date - the rekindling of a long-ago relationship that, from what we learn of it, is rather creepy. A bonkers episode that is unpredicatable to the last minute.
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The Equalizer Season 4 Episode 8: The Sins of Our FathersAired on CBS: January 18, 1989Directed by: Paul KrasnyWritten by : Tom TowlerFeaturing: J. Smith-Cameron, Al Shannon, Yvonne Wilder, Austin Pendleton, Joe Morton, Michael Sergio
A mobster's son is kidnapped; EQ helps his wife extricate her son from the inevitability of a life in the mafia. On the whole this is a rather thin episode considering a) recent heavy-hitting and very special episodes b) it's hard not to compare this plot of mafia domestic issues with The Sopranos which got just a tad more intricate and nuanced. That said our podcast coverage of this episode has got poetry, it's got Bible verses, it's contemplative. Making the episode has made our outlook on life that much more optimistic and informed, as we are sure it will for our listeners listening to it. Where this inspiration comes from, whether it's from The Equalizer, from our own lives, a combination or the collaboration - who knows, but there's probably some sonnet out there for that.
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The Equalizer Season 4 Episode 7: Making of a MartyrAired on CBS: January 11, 1989Directed by: Bradford MayWritten by : Wayne Powers & Donna PowersFeaturing: Tom Noonan, Barbara Williams, Sally Jessy Raphael (as herself)
First episode of 1989. This is a very special episode that doesn't seem to know what to do with its very special topic. How is The Equalizer - who in the 3 1/3 seasons we've seen so far seems to enjoy guns and the freedom to shoot more or less anyone he wants based on his own idea of justice - going to deal with a friend's wife who's bringing everybody down with this whole gun control thing. It's the first time in a while that McCalls's views seem antiquated compared to modern day. We cover the episode much more thoroughly than the episode covered the original topic.
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The Equalizer Season 4 Episode 6: SplintersAired on CBS: December 14, 1988Directed by: Paul KrasnyWritten by : Coleman LuckFeaturing: Kevin Conway Richard Bright, Christopher Meloni (1st credit), David Brisbin
The KGB tries to reprogram Mickey's mind to turn on the Equalizer. But there's one thing the KGB didn't plan on: Mickey's heart, filled with love you can only get when you loyally assist your ex-secret agent coworker's weird new Equalizing business. This is first time the show has delved into sci-fi and easily the trippiest Equalizer episode. We break it down and place it in the history of the topic of memory fluidity in movies, as well as break down the entire sixth season of Black Mirror.
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The Equalizer Season 4 Episode 3: Day of the CovenantAired on CBS: December 7, 1988Directed by: James A. ContnerWritten by : Robert EiseleFeaturing: Kasi Lemmons, William Zabka, Theodore Bikel, Michael Genet, Tobin Bell
There are two sides to this episode. On one hand is a relatively tight plot about a violent resistance movement to the Apartheid, including an opening segment of footage from South Africa and even Desmond Tutu... not to mention a rogue Afrikaner, the NIS, and some grenades. On the other hand, there is Scott's first appearance in Season 4, featuring an even more majestic mane of hair, an actual music performance by his light jazz/peppy Muzak band, and repeatedly pulling a race card on his dad. Leave it to The Equalizer to bring together that doofus character with a very special episode that deals with a current topic more than any other episode to date.
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The Equalizer Season 4 Episode 4: Eighteen with a BulletAired on CBS: November 16, 1988Directed by: Richard ComptonWritten by : Bruce A. TaylorFeaturing: Bruce Payne, Colleen Ann Fitzpatrick (Vitamin C), Amy Morton, and Ken Obert (Remote Control!)
The Equalizer dives into the hollow amoral music industry. A slimy agent, Greg Rivers, is trying to take advantage of a new young talent, Beverly Heat, but is having difficulty because his previous protégé, Gina Rox, is defiantly standing up to Greg and the music industry that spat her out. Greg gets more and more erratic not least because EQ and Mickey are contuinually taunting him for about a week straight. Great episode and great view of the 80s music scene from EQ's viewpoint.
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