McCall is hired to help protect a superstar singer.

The mid-season finale might at first seem to have plenty of matters reminiscent of The Bodyguard – the late Whitney Houston’s movie alongside Kevin Costner, not the Richard Madden miniseries – but the story is not that one. Instead, the bodyguard in this case is not the hero of the tale; he is McCall’s client this week, as he petitions her to protect her from what appears to be a dangerous stalker.

The tale features another musical guest star in the form of Kelly Rowland, formerly of Destiny’s Child, as she plays Misty, a talented and famous solo artist who has resolved to step away from the limelight after one final performance. Yet this does not appear sufficient to sate her enemy, who simply escalates as McCall takes on the case alongside Melody and Harry, who collectively form a surprisingly competent-looking documentary crew as they keep a closer eye on the situation.

The episode sees a wide range of emotions summoned, which start with paranoia as the identity of the stalker renders Misty unsure of who to trust. It naturally does not help matters that there is a false film crew, and it is not a simple matter for McCall to reassure her about them given Misty had no say in the presence of the Equalizer. There is also anger, particularly from two sources. The stalker’s motivations are very understandable but their rage blinds any hope of discourse as the stalker goes too far, especially when the matter is considerably more complicated than originally appears.

The second source is McCall herself. The series has not allowed Delilah’s clandestine training situation with Melody to drag on, and Aunt Vi sets a hard time limit for Dee to tell her mother about it. Unfortunately for Dee, time runs out even more quickly than she might have hoped as an incident triggers her training reflexes with excessive force. Yet what could have been a matter which created trouble for Dee and a lengthy rift between McCall and Melody is expertly managed by the perennial moral compass of the show, Aunt Vi. She reminds everyone that Dee’s reasoning makes absolute sense. However, that particular reconciliation does remain on hold for now, given a fresh reveal for the cliffhanger.

Kelly Rowland is a welcome choice for the guest role, as she combines her top-class singing voice and star presence with an air of vulnerability as Misty which makes her easy to root for, particularly in an ongoing quest for happiness which riches and fame have not, up to the start of the episode’s events, brought her. Despite the riff of a famous musical movie and obvious nods to it, the story is firmly its own and all the better for it.

Verdict: The hook for the second half of the season is fresh and already brings with it  high personal stakes, but the first half has reached a satisfactory conclusion with a well-weaved mystery. 8/10

Russell A. Smith