9 minutes. That’s about how lengthy the wait time is for Queen Latifah to begin beating down dangerous guys in CBS’ reboot of The Equalizer. And boy, is it definitely worth the wait.
The pilot episode premiered Sunday following the Tremendous Bowl, and stars Latifah as Robyn McCall, a newly retired CIA operative who’s attempting to settle right into a quiet lifetime of motherhood and faculty drop-offs. She virtually will get her want till an outdated handler and mentor named Bishop (Chris Noth) asks to fulfill up on the Coney Island Surprise Wheel to speak about what seems to be her surreptitious resignation.
The final mission broke her, Robyn says at their clandestine nighttime assembly, regardless of Bishop’s message from “The Firm” that she will be able to nonetheless come again. Bishop even says Robyn can come and work for him, at his non-public safety agency. “Once I can’t sleep at evening, it’s not the issues that I’ve carried out that maintain me up,” a decided Robyn says as she turns down all of Bishop’s presents. “It’s the individuals I couldn’t save.” And with that, Robyn stays behind to stare into the darkness and ponder about her decisions after Bishop leaves.
It’s factor she does, too, as a result of that’s when Robyn spots a younger girl and a shady-looking dude squeeze by way of a series hyperlink fence to sneak into the amusement park. Robyn, the mom of a teenage lady across the identical age, worries in regards to the underage stranger and follows the 2. (As viewers beforehand realized, the lady, whose identify is Jewel, witnessed a homicide that she has now been framed for and is assembly with some underworld varieties to purchase a pretend ID and passport so she will be able to go on the lam.)
Robyn is aware of none of this but however her Spidey senses are nonetheless telling her to test issues out simply in case. See, underworld varieties don’t play by the principles, and as a substitute of promoting the lady the pretend paperwork, the baddie takes her cash and decides he and his three pals will rape her first. That’s, till Robyn reveals up and spoils their sick plan.
Straight out of Central Casting, the Russian-accented head goon tells Robyn to thoughts her personal enterprise. “I’ll inform you, I’ve tried,” Robyn says, inching nearer to the goon and channeling her inside Liam Neeson, lowered voice, narrowed eyes and all. “However it seems, I’m actually dangerous at it. However there are different issues I’m actual good at. So, why don’t you let that lady go, and I’ll allow you to stroll out of right here.”
The goon and his slimy friends snigger at Robyn’s phrases and pull out their weapons — however earlier than they will pull triggers, she disarms the top goon and shoots the others along with his gun. Two of them stand as much as struggle her with a hammer and a wrench, however she beats them up with their very own instruments to the beat of a fast-tempo rap track. (That is particularly cool as a result of Latifah lately informed reporters that the musician in her fights villains on the present to a track in her head, and she or he is aware of she has to knock them out by the point the hook drops.)
As followers of the unique Nineteen Eighties The Equalizer will inform you, Edward Woodward was a cool outdated dude, however he couldn’t struggle to a drum beat. Using what seems to be like a preventing type known as Wing Chun, Latifah proves she doesn’t need to be muscle-bound to obliterate thugs. She additionally doesn’t need to be Denzel Washington within the film variations of The Equalizer. Or a person in any respect. Latifah, who clearly is aware of how one can struggle, simply needs to be quicker and extra expert than the opposite guys.
The beatdown additionally permits Robyn to understand her life’s mission and the aim of the present — to avoid wasting individuals in want who can’t flip to the police. Though there’s one cop that’s higher than the remaining (performed by actor Tory Kittles), Robyn is aware of she has to show Jewel’s innocence first. To maintain tensions excessive on the motion drama, Robyn additionally has to avoid wasting Jewel greater than as soon as and depend on her savvy sidekicks (performed by Liza Lapira and Adam Goldberg) from her CIA days. Bishop even lends an help, however not earlier than one other set of villainous thugs douse Robyn’s hair whereas waterboarding her. Throwing water on a Black girl’s head? Oh, you’re going to die.
As a result of, make no mistake about it, Robyn is a Black girl in an America with its first Black and South Asian Vice President and a Black girl named Stacey Abrams who helped flip Georgia blue. A Black girl may equalize all types of criminals, play darts and lean on her aunt (performed by the incomparable Lorraine Toussaint) to assist her increase her unruly daughter. We are able to’t anticipate the PTO to get a load of this mom.
