S04.E05: The Whistleblower

[DanaK]

Quote

After Mel is reunited with her brother Matthew, McCall helps him blow the whistle on his former unit's unethical practices before it's too late. Meanwhile, Aunt Vi and Trish's relationship becomes fractured by Vi's need to protect McCall's true identity, on the CBS Original series THE EQUALIZER, Sunday, March 31 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+
 

 

[Trini]

Is this the same brother we met before? I honestly don't remember his story.

[AnimeMania]

25 minutes ago, Trini said:

Is this the same brother we met before? I honestly don't remember his story.

This is Mel's other brother that works overseas. I could be wrong, but I think Mel said he inspired her to join the military.

[AnimeMania]

Gloria Reuben as Trish
Omar Maskati as Eric Vickers

Alain Uy as Matthew Bayani
Destin Khari as Kyler

Tyler Williams as Stefon
Eric J. Thompson
Clifton Weldon
Andrij Witiuk
Samuel White

[Trini]

Good thing I recorded Tracker which was on after this, or else I would have only seen 15 minutes of this episode.

Did not need to see Fisk again. And he's asking Harry to keep secrets from the team? What's going on??

Boy, how many 'off the books'/secret special ops/government assassin teams are we going to meet? Anyway, glad Mel's brother turned out to be okay.

And now Dante's father is getting a subplot? Why??

I think they changed the actor for one of Dante's sons.

You'd think by now everyone would have their stories straight about Robyn's cover job.

Fashion highlights: I liked Dee's feathered(?) sweater, but I know in real life it would drive me crazy trying to wear and wash that thing. I liked Robyn's orange pattern shirt, but not so much the styling of the rest of the outfit.

Edited April 2 by Trini

[dwmarch]

"The CIA ruins everything" still ruins everything although this wasn't quite as bad as the previous CIA plot.

So we have these elite assassins who are super hardcore and yet for some reason they can't shoot for shit? My impression of Navy SEAL/Special Forces types is that they train until they can shoot a bee's dick off from 200 yards using a rusty AK they just picked up out of a muddy ditch. This week's assassins must have missed that class.

Also loved Robyn's PDW with the extended mag that holds about 900 rounds.

I'm curious which part of New York City allows you to have a pitched gun battle complete with exploding barrels (!!) and the police will not be troubled by any of this. I guess Dante really is the only cop in NYC. I feel like real NYC would have about 10,000 cops responding to this, especially once the video game barrels started popping off.

Mel's brother escaped an explosion by doing a barrel roll. I am starting to wonder if the writers are challenging each other to see who can put the most ridiculous thing in an episode.

[Trini]

7 hours ago, dwmarch said:

I'm curious which part of New York City allows you to have a pitched gun battle complete with exploding barrels (!!) and the police will not be troubled by any of this. I guess Dante really is the only cop in NYC. I feel like real NYC would have about 10,000 cops responding to this, especially once the video game barrels started popping off.

I usually don't nitpick this show, but yes, this was ridiculous.

[Quickbeam]

We only watched this waiting for Tracker. This was the worst hour of television we’d seen in forever. Wow is it just miserably scripted.

[michelec]

7 hours ago, dwmarch said:

Mel's brother escaped an explosion by doing a barrel roll. I am starting to wonder if the writers are challenging each other to see who can put the most ridiculous thing in an episode.

I literally busted out laughing and rolled my eyes at the same time. Like really?

[possibilities]

Maybe CBS doesn't like the idea of helping ordinary people, and are forcing the show to abandon that premise.

[milkyaqua]

Agree with all the above, the CIA shenanigans (I was expecting Fisk to get taken out at the end on the phone with Robyn), all the black-ops/off the book stuff, Mel's brother miraculous save, the subplot for Dante's dad (why?), the fact that there seems to be no set story between Aunt Vi, Dee and Robyn about Robyn's work, and the idea of a small war taking place with no police response at all.  But nothing was as odd as whatever that was on Gloria Reuben's head.

[12catcrazy]

5 hours ago, possibilities said:

Maybe CBS doesn't like the idea of helping ordinary people, and are forcing the show to abandon that premise.

I think that CBS has found that shows that aren't non-stop gun fights/explosions/people getting the shit kicked out of them have a viewership in the dreaded over 50 Female category and for some strange reason advertisers don't like or want us.    And I'm getting to the point where I'm fed up to here with violent stupidity and want to spend more of my viewing time watching PBS or TCM and to hell with network TV AND their advertisers for shoving this crap down our throats.  

The original premise of this show was a good one and I thought that Robyn was over and done with the CIA and that doesn't seem to be the case now.  And yeah, I thought that Fisk was gonna buy the farm when he was on the call with Robyn, but maybe that will be next week's episode unless Donal Logue has a long contract with this show.  

[marceline]

6 hours ago, possibilities said:

Maybe CBS doesn't like the idea of helping ordinary people, and are forcing the show to abandon that premise.

I don't keep track of the behind the scenes stuff but I feel like this show is being written by a whole new team. I feel like there's been a lot of false starts and dropped threads. Some were necessary like losing Bishop after Chris Noth was fired. (Remember when Delilah was supposed to be getting therapy from him?) Although to be honest I really miss the chemistry between Latifah and Noth. Fisk works my nerves.

I actually tuned out of the show during episode because I'm tired of CIA/Black ops nonsense. I don't give a damn where Michelle went. I don't ever want to see Michelle again. 

The conflict between Vi and Trish felt right. Lorraine Toussaint and Gloria Reuben? Yes, please!

Confession I have no interest in Mel's family. I didn't need another sibling jumping out of the woodwork.

 

15 hours ago, dwmarch said:

I'm curious which part of New York City allows you to have a pitched gun battle complete with exploding barrels (!!) and the police will not be troubled by any of this. I guess Dante really is the only cop in NYC. 

While Dante goes to a baseball game with his kids in the middle of the day.

Edited April 1 by marceline

[Trini]

1 hour ago, marceline said:

Although to be honest I really miss the chemistry between Latifah and Noth. Fisk works my nerves.

I don't expect the same relationship or chemistry that Robyn had with Bishop, but then they're making things way worse with Fisk by writing him as antagonistic. Do they want me to hate this guy?? Because it's working.

But, as stated already, the bigger issue is that we don't need the CIA as a regular presence (or at all) on this show.

[KWalkerInc]

Until they brought her up again, I had somehow forgotten that Michelle ever existed.  And I was fine with that.  Now for their cliffhanger before they have a few weeks without an episode, they have Robyn facing the threat of a task force?  Are they trying to hang on to viewers or drive them away?  Except for Vi and Delilah admitting their troubles to Robyn, it seems like everyone is holding onto secrets, but that's not nearly as interesting as they think it is.

I really didn't buy that Matthew was dead, though I was almost convinced when they had Mel so sad for a minute.  During that moment, I thought it was cruel for them to have her save a brother one season, and then bring on another one just to kill him.  So I felt relief even though it was extra-implausible.

[andromeda331]

I'm tired of the CIA. I think everyone here is right. They want the show to be CIA crap. Even though that's not how it started as. Robyn quit and didn't want to go back.  

At least it was Mel's brother. I did like them showing up in the office having already talked to the military woman. I did like she admitted to being skeptical at the beginning of their story. 
That was really it.

I forgot about Dante's dad was a thing. It made Dante's trusting him to take the boys to a baseball game and disappointment not really matter since we hadn't heard much of it in awhile.

I still don't know if Robyn knows if Vi and Delilah were held hostage. 

I really don't understand why Vi and Delilah don't have a story already worked out about Robyn's job. 

I really wish it would go back to the original premise of Robyn helping people. 

Edited April 3 by andromeda331

[marceline]

7 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I really don't understand why Vi and Delilah don't have a story already worked out about Robyn's job. 

I've been saying this since the first episode. Why doesn't Robyn have an airtight cover story? Harry could easily create a fake charity complete with website. Even when she was keeping secrets from Vi and Dee she still referred to the charity she worked for but never by name. It's ridiculous.