McCall’s advert attracts attention…

Well, it didn’t take long to answer my questions on what happened to those additional seven minutes from the 1985 episode 1. Seems they were saving some of the nods to that for this one, and with that, have very quickly addressed some of the matters I wasn’t sure they were going to bring up at all in this version of the series.

This week’s episode starts by setting us up with a tense situation, which is somewhat reminiscent of Taken for the obvious reason, and expands upon the background strands we were introduced to in the first episode. The family tensions in terms of balance of home life and Robyn’s calling come to bear early on, particularly when laced with the setup of daughter Delilah and the resident Aunt Vi wondering why her ‘charity work’ is at such unsociable hours. It’s a relatively thin veneer that I would of course be amazed if remained intact for the duration of the season. Suspicions exist even at this stage, particularly with Delilah spending more time at home. However, the flipside of this is that Delilah and Vi aren’t above keeping a couple of secrets of their own…

Meanwhile, remember what I said when talking about leaving the Agency in the previous reviews? Or rather, as the CIA is properly referred to here, ‘the Company’? Well, it turns out that the old adage remains true, which of course sets us up neatly for the treacherous larger scale missions which go beyond the personal interest we have now. Once more on a comparative dynamic however, it appears (for now) that Chris Noth’s Bishop sits in the ‘Control’ role, though expressly is not that. Instead, he’s also private and freelance, but not free from obligations of his old job.

McCall’s crew, established from the previous episode, return and in brilliant form. Melody and Harry both have skillsets which make them excellent sidekicks for McCall and a really good chemistry together too. They’re a couple you can see are very different people but work well together. What I particularly enjoyed here is that they also manage to provide opportunities for comic relief and without being too goofy about it; the balance feels right. It also highlights that McCall never contradictorily mentions a preference to work alone; she’s clearly aware of her needs to succeed, and very definitely has the leadership chops to formulate a plan and manage those who attempt to run her. I’d note that there’s a subtle drop during one of the scenes that there’s some personal development that even these old friends don’t know about McCall. I wonder if that apparently throwaway reveal may grow into a source of tension further down the line?

Though happy to work as a team, we certainly see McCall handle herself when the time comes. She’s believably badass and there’s a moment where I thought the gun nerds might complain, but watching it through again can see it’s more cleverly shot than first revealed.

That very same apparent throwaway reveal from earlier does resurface with a further reference later, one that tells us how McCall got her nickname in this imagining. Without giving it away, the modern take is one I absolutely loved. This ties with another call back which I again really enjoyed, the subplot with Delilah on the surface copying a 1985 thread, but there is an additional significance behind it that was not there the first time. I’m going to sneakily bring my one incredibly minor gripe back in that we don’t have that thumping theme tune, or any reprise on it; I’m not letting that go. However, I will make a counterpoint to that as the score in the show, chosen songs more than the incidental music, are extremely well used. And yes, these points are connected.

Meanwhile, Detective Dante is firmly in a subplot parallel to McCall’s, though here he is firmly on her trail, currently marking her as a potentially dangerous vigilante. If I compared McCall to Batman last time around, Dante is undoubtedly our Jim Gordon. It’s clear their next encounter is likely to be somewhat more antagonistic – at least to begin with.

This episode made me happy and provided the hook I was looking for. A nail-biting start, with a fine balance of action, drama and chuckles. There’s a clear reverence for the source material and the slow burn on the background stories are well tweaked for a modern conversation. Friendships, the continuous message and once more, the placing of Queen Latifah’s McCall able to work in a cleverly different way to her predecessors who held the mantle. A key connection is the balance between compassion and ruthlessness all three so far hold, though even where we see differences in how it manifests.

Verdict: The last few minutes of the show are particularly clever, and it would appear this episode rounds out setting the background. I was going to say, ‘the rules’, but remember, The Equalizer can change those. 8/10

Russell Smith