A politically-charged hostage situation sees Dante and McCall putting their differences aside.

Expectations of the show’s formula are somewhat subverted on this occasion in that the client also happens to be the cause of the danger in this case. Lauren Stone, the mother of Emily who suffers from a very rare illness, falls foul of the worst of the financially dictated healthcare system in the United States. The episode asks the question ‘What price a human life?’ – in this case it’s at least $100,000 and as such, somewhat beyond the standard income of the antagonist/victim/client (or combination of such depending upon viewer perspective).

Although Lauren is very much the focal point of events, the show’s own social conscience can be heard with every character interaction. Before she even reaches for the gun (a subtle but important note is that the firearm is not even hers), she are likely to have earned our utmost sympathy, as few would be willing to stand aside and see any child die, certainly not their own. And yet the system has failed mother and daughter here, with the result that the operation will not take place, which would see exactly that come to pass. This episode asks, which of us would not be so desperate in this situation not to have reached for the gun ourselves? It is clear that Lauren has no intention whatsoever to have anyone die this day, whether by the neglect of the system or by her own hand. And yet we also know that she had to pick up the weapon in the first place to even be heard.

The medical staff themselves are demonstrably under considerable strain from their own bureaucracy and have their hands tied by it at critical junctures. A doctor held hostage clashes with senior administration in a particularly tense flashpoint. Conversely, the administrator in question comes down on the conservative side of seeing a terrorist where others see a victim of the system. This viewpoint is manifested more strongly in another of the hostages in an ironic situation that almost brings fatal consequences in more ways than one.

As well as the characters directly in the line of fire, the show’s regulars each have something to say. Dante is lead support this time around; both first on the scene, and bringing McCall into the situation. He is the senior voice of law enforcement, at least at first, but also one who recognises Lauren’s motivations. The actual antagonist for most of the episode is Commander Gregory, who heads up the tactical support unit and echoes Dante’s role in earlier seasons – a by-the-book instrument of the state. Gregory seems to be a stickler for following his orders without question, creating a dangerous obstruction, as well as a time limit, for Dante, McCall and Lauren.

However, McCall soon notes that the tactical support team are not in fact sticking perfectly to procedure, alerting her to there being more to matters than the threat Lauren carries. McCall recognises this cannot be resolved at ground level alone, which leads to a welcome return of District Attorney Grafton to assist with some high-level machinations. This in itself serves to further highlight the systemic aspect of Lauren and Emily’s plight. Without the Equalizer’s connections, there may have been one obstacle too far for them.

This episode actually contains two strong storylines, as the B-plot, initially a simple culinary school assignment for Delilah, soon speaks of the preservation of family and community heritage. We are provided one of the scenarios in which Aunt Vi excels; her relentlessness with regards to the revival of a lost family recipe. The quest allows her to provide an educational moment for Delilah in terms of the significance of a recipe once served at a restaurant frequented regularly by Vi – through which she herself has to overcome the obstacle of some difficult memories to call upon better ones.

There is an almost mystic element to the story as Vi works to recover an essential part of the restaurant’s soul, through resurrection of the recipe the family business could no longer replicate. Yet as Vi comes to their rescue, she also helps herself, with her recreation of the dish intentionally ritualistic in its nature. The quest comes with a note on gentrification almost proving the death of one of the most sacrosanct elements of home town community. As the task involves Vi’s reaching farther into her past, the results warms the heart as much as the gumbo we witness being created.

Verdict: This episode features much of the essence of the show at its best, whilst managing to remain fresh and very much topical on social matters with relation to US healthcare, societal inequalities, the value of community and its related heritage. Yet what it does best is to provoke the audience by asking: ‘what would you do in this position?’ One of the stronger episodes of the season with one final sting in the tale. 9/10

Russell A. Smith