The Equalizer delivered a gut punch this week with “Sacrifice,” an episode that upended the team’s dynamic with the sudden death of a key player. The mission, ostensibly to rescue a young hacker named Jason, quickly spiraled into something far more complicated, forcing the team to confront difficult choices and their consequences.
The episode opened with Robyn (Queen Latifah), Mel (Liza Lapira), and Harry (Adam Goldberg) scrambling to extract Jason (Uly Schlesinger), whose predicament mirrored Harry’s own youthful indiscretions. Enter Colton Fisk (Donal Logue), a CIA officer from Harry’s past, whose involvement promised to streamline the rescue but instead paved the way for tragedy. As the team untangled Jason’s situation, it became clear he was a pawn in a larger game, working undercover for Fisk to infiltrate the ominous Dragonfly Collective.
While the hacker storyline served as the main thrust of the episode, The Equalizer didn’t neglect its supporting players. Dante’s (Tory Kittles) return to town to visit his comatose father offered a poignant counterpoint to the main action. His father’s awakening, coupled with his inability to recognize Dante, created a heartbreaking scenario. Robyn, forgoing a date to support Dante, had a revealing conversation with Aunt Vi (Lorraine Toussaint) about her conflicted emotions, hinting at a potential future romance.
The episode culminated in Fisk’s self-sacrifice, a desperate attempt to protect Jason and avert a catastrophic cyberattack. While heroic, Fisk’s demise leaves a void, particularly for Harry, who grappled with the moral ambiguities of Fisk’s methods and the ultimate price he paid. The fallout from Fisk’s death is sure to have a ripple effect, and this viewer is waiting to see how Harry processes his complicated feelings for the man.
The Equalizer airs Sundays at 8/7c on CBS.
