The Equalizer Season 3 Episode 13: The Child Broker
Aired on CBS: January 20, 1988
Directed by: Mark Sobel
Written by : Mick Curran
Featuring: Sam Rockwell, Frank Whaley, Jerry O'Connell, Anthony LaPaglia, Max Casella, Christopher Collet, Thomas G. Waites, Lycia Naff
If absolutely nothing else, just check out that cast list. There's a new gang leader on the dire streets of NYC and he's turning on impressionable teens to the rough life: robbing pawn shops, running around, and basking in their misdeeds in their abandoned underground amusement park. You just don't want to get messed up with them, though if you do, you're pretty much guaranteed steady work in the entertainment business for at least forty years. The crazy plot itself would be more at home in a comic book, but this episode is definitely worth it for to see their recognizable faces in what seems like an extended headshot session for their "tough guy" shot.
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The Equalizer aired on CBS from 1985 to 1989. It inspired two Denzel Washington movies and a reboot with Queen Latifah, but the original series with Edward Woodward is largely forgotten (It can be streamed on nbc.com or the NBC Roku app. Your move, Peacock). In a perfect world, it would receive all the nostalgic love of your MacGyver, your Magnum PI, your A Team, your Knight Rider. The premise - a retired special agent puts an ad in the paper to help those who feel the odds are against them (take that, paper clips and talking cars). Never heard of it? Not a problem. Vince, Chris, and Chuck take a deep dive into the show one episode at a time - incredibly absurd plots, well-known guest stars in every episode (sometimes 4 or 5!), and all other aspects of this show that make it a true hidden gem.
Note: This is pure episodic TV, very few larger plots and themes, so no need to listen in order. This podcast, like say the celebrated show Parks+Rec, had a gestation period, and our full crew kicked in on season 1 episode 16, so you might want to skip ahead.
Photo Credit: Bill Heck