Original subtitles

Previously on The Equalizer...

While in pursuit of a suspect,

he and his group got the drop on me and

they relieved of my shield and weapon.

Stay away from this Lo-Lo guy.

Lo-Lo, stop!

Reminds me of when my dad was killed.

How I waited, helpless,

for somebody, anybody...

I know you think that what happened to

your father that night was your fault.

But it wasn't.

Not yet.

Damn, that was... Mm-hmm.

Boy, that was good.

I'm full, but I can't stop eating it.

It's amazing how a meal can take you back in time.

I just can't believe it took me this long to get back here.

And you remember when Daddy tried to

add on some hot sauce?

Yes, the top came off,

the whole bottle spilled in his gumbo.

Oh, no! Oh,

but it didn't slow him down. Oh, no, because my brother's

the stubbornest man on the whole planet.

He's sitting there and be like...

"Mm-hmm, I'm good, no..."

Sweat pouring off of his face, but he ate

every last spoonful.

Oh. He'd be so happy

to see this place thriving again.

I miss him.

Well, I'm gonna go to the ladies room

before I leave.

Oh. Me, too.

No way.

Marlon Dean. That you?

R-Breezy?

Oh!

Man, how long has it been?

Too long.

You know, the last time I saw you,

you was down there hot-wiring a Lexus?

Should I go outside and make sure my car's still there?

From what I recall, you were right there with me,

doing the same thing.

Yeah, but I never got caught.

Yeah.

Well, you look like you're still in the game, huh?

Oh, not me, I had to give that up years ago.

This time, I'm not into stealing cars.

I'm into detailing them.

You hear of Optimus?

On Atlantic Ave? That's yours?

Wow. Biggest car detailing shop in Brooklyn.

I get to be around the cars,

get paid. The right way.

Good for you.

Hey.

You need a wash and wax?

I got you.

Thank you. Mm-hmm.

I got to run, but it was great seeing you.

Oh, I'm so full I'm gonna pass out.

Aunt Vi.

Did you see who left this note here?

"You'll find the truth"?

What's that mean?

Robyn?

We checked cameras in the area around the restaurant,

but there doesn't seem to be much coverage.

Not to mention we have no idea who we're looking for.

Any idea what the note could mean?

I mean, "You'll find the truth"?

Truth about what?

I wish I knew.

I mean, it could be anything.

Or nothing.

Or it could be a trap.

I mean, whoever slipped you the note

made sure you couldn't see them.

There has to be a reason for that.

What about the address?

Well, it's an old abandoned farmhouse

out in Staten Island.

Looks like it was foreclosed on, acquired a year ago

by an LLC, no name for the owner.

I'm gonna go there now.

You sure you want to do that?

I mean, someone's basically luring you

to an abandoned farmhouse.

At least let me come with you.

You know, maybe you're right.

I'll hold off till we find out more

about the place. Okay.

I'll keep digging and see if I can find

something about the previous owner.

All right, keep me posted.

She's gonna head over there by herself.

Of course, it's Rob. Are you kidding?

Yeah.

Hey, Rob. Whoa!

It's me, it's me.

What the hell, Mel?

I told you I didn't want you coming here by yourself.

Where's the trust?

Seriously?

We knew you couldn't help yourself.

That's the trouble with having good friends who care about you.

Yeah, I guess. You find anything yet?

Just this.

Yeah, you head up there. Let's check it out.

It can't be.

What's wrong? You recognize this car?

Yeah...

It's my father's car.

It's the one he was killed in almost 30 years ago.

Harry says at the time of your father's murder,

this property was registered to someone named

Julius McElroy.

Does that mean anything to you?

Doesn't ring a bell.

But I want to talk to him.

That's not gonna happen. He died a few years ago.

Look, Harry's still looking, but so far,

there's no connection between him and your father.

Hey, you okay?

My father was carjacked.

His body was left in the street.

I can't imagine how hard that must've been.

I mean, you were so young.

I was 17.

My father and I had a deal.

If I was drinking too much, I could just call him,

he would come get me, no questions asked.

That night, I had been partying pretty hard.

So I called him.

And when he didn't come,

I thought he was just teaching me a lesson.

I had to walk home.

But when I got there...

there were all these cops waiting for me and...

It was the worst night of my life.

I'm so sorry, Robyn.

I always thought

if I hadn't been partying,

if I hadn't called him,

he wouldn't have been on that road.

He might still be alive today.

No, you cannot blame yourself for what happened.

Are you almost finished?

Yes, ma'am.

♪ And I know it's gonna be ♪

♪ A lovely day ♪ ♪ Lovely day, lovely day... ♪

Mm... Do you hear that? Yeah.

That's what 450 horsepower sounds like.

Wow. Man, I can't believe she's finally done.

I thought she'd never be ready. Yeah.

Hard work, persistence, and you.

Me?

I mean, I hardly did anything.

You did plenty.

Nah, I don't know about all that.

Hey, look at me.

Don't minimize your contributions,

and I mean that with everything, baby girl.

Huh? If you don't believe in yourself,

nobody else will.

You were a big part in this.

And when you set your mind to something,

there's nothing you can't do.

Remember that.

♪ And the world's all right with me... ♪

Well...

I made you something to celebrate.

Mm...

Okay. Okay.

Here we go.

Yup. That's my favorite song.

I know. All right. Don't be shy, girl.

♪ Fly, robin, fly ♪

♪ Fly, robin, fly ♪

♪ Fly, robin, fly ♪

♪ Up, up to the sky. ♪

Mind if I show it to her?

Aunt Vi.

I never thought I'd see this car again.

Robyn, what the hell is going on? What--

Wh-whose, whose place is this? I don't know yet.

That's what we're trying to get some answers to.

But the police are still collecting evidence.

Aunt Vi. Hi.

Hey, they found this-- front passenger seat.

Dolly... Yeah.

I don't remember any Dolly from back in the day.

Wait a minute. Dolly?

You know who that is?

Our old neighbor, Vernita Houston, she had a...

she had a daughter, Mary.

I think she used to go by, by Dolly.

All right, so Mary Houston now lives in The Bronx

with her two daughters, ages 12 and 14.

ROBYN Is there a way to connect Mary

to the name tag we found?

Yeah, as a matter of fact. Thanks to your

friendly neighborhood IRS,

I was able to dig up some old W-2s,

and it looks like Mary got herself a summer job

at a local restaurant called Sarbonne's

the week before your dad was killed.

And we think the name tag came from that restaurant?

Yeah, there's pictures of Sarbonne's employees

over the years on the restaurant's website.

And the name tags from the early 2000s

match the one found inside your father's car.

Then Mary was in the car around the time my father was murdered.

I mean, the odds just went up that Mary knows something about

what happened that night.

Need an address. Done.

I'm also trying to get all the credit card receipts

from The Brass Spoon around the time

that you ate there, and I'm hoping

that'll help narrow down who left you that note.

Let me know what you find.

Yep.

Detective Dante,

need to see you in my office.

What can I do for you, Captain?

You can start off by buying the boys in Internal Affairs

a round of drinks.

I just received an update that they recovered

your stolen service weapon from Lonnie Lofton's hangout.

That's good news. Lucky for you

it hasn't been fired since he relieved you of it.

Any news on his condition?

He's still in a medically-induced coma.

There are still a lot of

unanswered questions here, Detective.

Like why you were chasing Lo-Lo

after I specifically ordered you not to.

Like I told Internal Affairs,

I got a tip he was at the location.

IA isn't recommending any action be taken,

so it looks like you're in the clear.

For now. Thanks, Captain.

But next time I give you an order, Detective...

you sure as hell better follow it.

Or it'll be the last order you get.

Understood.

That's him.

I only met him once,

but, uh, it was enough to know he was a good man.

I know it was a really long time ago,

but...

do you remember how you wound up in his car?

Oh, I'll never forget it.

I was walking home from work,

and these two guys started following me...

Hey, girl, you look like you could use some company.

Yo, I'm talking to you.

Why you in such a hurry?

Get off me!

Why you playing so hard to get?

You know I'll treat you right. Please, just let me go.

Haven't got no complaints yet.

Stop. Hey, fellas,

don't you have something better to do

than mess with that young lady?

Ride out, old man.

It's none of your business.

Now look what you did.

You got this old man all upset, like there's something wrong.

Get in the car.

Who the hell you think you are?

Nobody.

Let's just go home, all right?

All right, this is over.

This is over. Walk away.

Are you okay?

Yeah.

Let's get you home.

Come on, fool. Get up.

I didn't hear about your father's death

until a few months after he was killed.

I never linked it to what happened that night.

Do you think they had something to do with his murder?

Hearing your story, it's very possible.

What'd you find out?

All right, so I looked into every single person

who used a credit card at The Brass Spoon this morning,

and there was one that was particularly noteworthy.

This guy, Demetrius Young.

It says here he's only got vision in one eye.

Mary said the guy who tangled with my father had an eye patch.

Not only that, but we connected him to

the owner of the farmhouse

where we found your father's car.

Julius McElroy is Demetrius' great-uncle.

So it makes sense that he would know

that the car was stored there.

Especially if he was the one who stashed it there.

He must be the guy that gave you the note.

You know what this means, right, Rob?

Yeah, it means my father's carjacking wasn't random.

He was targeted.

Killed for revenge.

And I finally know who did it.

Where can I find him?

Well, until recently, prison.

Seems Mr. Young spent much of his youth

committing various crimes and misdemeanors

until it finally caught up with him in 2011

and he was convicted of attempted murder.

They put him away for ten years.

Got out a little over a year ago,

he's been keeping a low profile ever since.

But if Demetrius was involved in your father's murder,

why would he slip you the note at the restaurant?

I don't know. And I don't care.

He wants me to find the truth?

Well, he's gonna help me connect the dots.

This address on his license, is it current?

Uh, yeah.

Rob, I'll go with you.

No. I'm going alone.

And don't follow me this time.

This is something I have to do on my own.

Rob, listen, I-I got a really bad feeling about this.

I think, I think you're gonna do something you shouldn't do.

I know you blame yourself

for your father's death, but it wasn't your fault.

Wasn't it? No.

And every battle I've fought,

every wrong I've ever righted,

has been in an attempt to make up for that.

And it still hasn't been enough.

Because that's what guilt does.

You know? You're trying to fill up a hole that-that,

that can't be filled.

Well, I guess we're gonna find out.

No, Rob...

Let's just talk about it, Ro--

If Demetrius Young has anything to do with John McCall's murder,

he's gonna wish he was back in prison.

Demetrius.

Y... You found me.

Wake up.

Wake up!

Come on.

I'm going to ask you some questions.

And I suggest you don't waste my time.

In 1996...

a man was carjacked and murdered.

He was driving a blue--

Blue Super Sport Chevelle.

So you were involved.

Yes.

And-and I deserve everything you've come to do to me.

That man...

was my father.

What kind of games you playing, Demetrius?

So why leave that note?

You knew you would be caught.

I knew it was, it was a possibility.

I-I just didn't know...

it'll happen so soon.

So you wanted me to catch you.

I-I-I don't know. Uh... Maybe.

Look, I wasn't a good person.

And I ended up in prison for my crimes.

While I was locked up,

I got word that my son, Jibari, disappeared.

He'd be 14 next month.

I didn't know if my, if my boy just

ran away, was taken,

or murdered because of my misdeeds.

I still don't know.

Not knowing what happened to him nearly destroyed me.

And then my cellmate

introduced me to Islam.

It gave me a peace I've never known.

It helped me deal with the pain,

so I changed my name

to Adbul Mohammed,

and now...

...I'm an imam for the Hillcrest Masjid.

So I decided to turn things around.

Do good in the community.

The note.

When I saw you at the restaurant,

I realized that the torture of not knowing

what happened to my son

was the same torture I inflicted upon you

with your father.

So...

leaving the note was all about you making amends.

We were just supposed to scare your father.

I-It was never meant to go that far.

Who is "we"?

Who's the other man?

Which one of you pulled the trigger?

I did.

I did, I-I pulled the trigger. You're lying.

No, no, no. Who are you trying to protect?

Look, it doesn't matter.

I didn't stop him.

I might as well have pulled the trigger myself.

It matters to me.

You know what?

I'm gonna find this other man

and I'm gonna deal with him.

And then I'm coming back

and I'm gonna deal with you.

Revenge and retaliation

are corrosive to the soul.

They never bring you peace.

I'm not seeking peace.

I mean... guy wasn't lying.

He's done a lot of good.

You know, organizes food drives, he runs workshops,

uh, cautioning kids against prison.

He even got an award from a local nursing home for

deterring crime against senior citizens.

If he's really dedicated to improving the community,

then why is he protecting a murderer?

Fear of retaliation?

I want to know who he was with that night.

Anyone Abdul ever ran with, criminal associates, old gang,

anyone he did time with.

Wow. Night and day.

It's like a whole different person.

Just because you carry groceries for the elderly

doesn't automatically change who you are.

Hey.

So, NYPD was able to pull prints from your father's car.

Is it in the system?

Oh, yeah. Belongs to Yancy Turner.

Yancy Turner?

As in head of the biggest crime

syndicate in Brooklyn?

DANTE That one.

Robyn, these guys are no joke.

I mean, they run everything from racketeering to drugs

and murder is like a hobby to them.

I know what they do.

What I don't know

is why his fingerprint was in my father's car.

Do you think he was the other man with Demetrius?

Well, he certainly kept some unsavory company.

Check this out.

It looks like way back, Yancy and Demetrius

were nabbed for the same armed robbery,

but only Demetrius went to prison.

Where you going, Rob?

To find Yancy Turner.

Easier said than done.

Yancy's a modern-day Gotti.

Everybody knows he runs things,

but no one's been able to make a connection. Yeah, I'll say.

I mean, Yancy's never spent a day in prison.

Meanwhile, most of his crew has done hard time.

Talk about being a bad luck charm.

I don't care about his crew.

I just care about making him pay.

Slow your roll. You'll never get near the guy.

He's protected at all times by one of the largest

private security forces I've ever seen.

He's untouchable.

No one's untouchable.

Harry...

third guy from the left.

Blow that up.

Marlon?

You got to be kidding.

You know that guy?

From the neighborhood.

He was in the restaurant

when Demetrius slipped me the note.

You think he was involved in all of this?

Oh, man.

I know Demetrius Young

and Yancy Turner carjacked my father.

Robyn, what the hell? Is that you-- Hey.

I'm not playing with you.

I know you were at the restaurant

same time Demetrius slipped me a note.

Okay...

Look, I-I have no idea what you're talking about,

and I wasn't involved

in no carjacking. At all.

I don't even run with Yancy and that crew anymore.

The fact that it was your father...

He was the reason why I stopped.

You know, he used to always say,

"You gonna end up dead in them streets."

You know, I could never even hear him.

Until one day, I got shot.

Your father's words finally made sense.

From that moment on, I...

I had no illegal involvement with Yancy at all.

"Illegal" involvement?

Hey, look, yeah, Yancy, his crew,

they got a lot of cars-- tons of them.

They all need detailing.

That's where our interaction stops.

When you detail Yancy's cars,

how does that process work?

Geno.

What's up, man?

Here to pick up Yancy's Benz for detailing.

Again?

Second time this week.

Well, if you'd stop leaving Cheeto crumbs in the seats,

I wouldn't have to.

You got jokes. Go ahead, man.

Hey. Lift the gate.

I'll catch you later.

All right.

But like I was saying...

You need time to think?

Word of advice, don't take too long.

Dead serious.

Psst.

Who are you? How'd you get in here?

My father did not deserve to die

at the hands of someone like you.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Wait, wait, wait!

I figured out you were the punk

my father roughed up before he was carjacked.

You remember now.

I just wanted to see your face

before I repay the favor.

Don't!

I suggest you leave

before you have to witness this.

Don't do this.

Don't throw your life away for this trash.

He took my life away!

He has to pay.

And he will.

But killing him would be mercy.

Let the system do what it was designed to do.

Make him spend the rest of his life in prison.

Your family needs you.

I need you.

The fingerprint is enough to hold him for 24 hours.

I understand there was a witness.

If we want this to stick...

you need to make him come forward.

I found Yancy.

Did you get the vengeance you were seeking?

Someone close to me convinced me to take a different route.

Mm.

Lucky for him. Lucky for you.

You say that you want to serve your community?

Then rid it of the man who's tearing it apart.

Testify against Yancy.

Yancy's people...

They'll kill me.

You're already done, Abdul.

You're going back to prison.

The only question is, will your last act

be one of courage...

...or one of cowardice?

Look at that pose.

I wish I knew him.

Oh, he would've spoiled you rotten.

I remember the day he got that car.

What a piece of junk.

No, really.

To his credit, he had a vision.

Was so good with his hands.

Could fix anything.

You know, he was on his way to being an engineer

before he had to...

quit school...

to help my parents pay the bills.

Hmm.

Always willing to sacrifice.

Hey, Mom.

Everything okay?

I just got a witness to testify

against the person who murdered your granddaddy.

Robyn...

After all this time...

Yeah, Auntie.

We got him.

Looks like we're finally gonna get justice for Daddy.

So he can rest in peace.

Hey, Dante.

...filing a harassment complaint against the police?

Being the businessman that I am,

I forgive the NYPD for this grave mistake.

In fact, I commend them

for admitting their mistake

and for this swift correction.

What about your attacker?

I leave that to NYPD's finest.

It's justice, baby.

"Let the system do what it was designed to do."

That's what you said, right?

Between Yancy's high-priced lawyers

and some powerful people he's in bed with,

D.A. Grafton wasn't confident she could make

the murder charge stick.

I wish I was surprised,

but of course they're gonna take the word of Yancy

over the testimony of a respected community leader.

Who, at the end of the day, is still a convicted felon.

Like Yancy should be.

The system is broken, Marcus.

It failed me, just like it failed

so many of my clients in the past.

I tried to get justice your way.

Now I'm gonna get it my way.

That's not justice-- it's murder.

And frankly, I'm afraid it might be yours.

Don't do this.

You've lost the element of surprise.

Yancy's goons will see you coming.

Think it through. I know you're angry, Robyn--

Angry doesn't begin to describe what I am.

What am I gonna do with you?

You know they're gonna suspend you over this, right?

I don't care. Excuse you?

You better care.

Look, Dad, that girl is a bully.

To everyone. Especially the little kids.

What am I supposed to do? Just... let it happen?

No, get the teachers involved.

They don't do anything.

She just waits until they're not around.

Then you figure out another way.

You could've really hurt that girl.

Look...

I'm sorry.

I know you had to leave from work.

Bully, huh?

Yeah.

Biggest kid in the playground.

It's just not fair.

I mean, I know you say violence isn't the answer,

but-- It's not.

But sometimes, when people need help...

you have no choice.

Some things are worth fighting for.

Robyn?

I know this has haunted our family for decades.

When we lost your father,

I lost a huge part of myself.

But what you are about to do scares the hell out of me.

We can't change the past, sweetheart.

This won't bring him back. Aunt Vi!

This man took everything from us.

And I was too young to do something about it.

I'll be damned if I don't do something now.

But at what cost?

Losing you, too?

I want justice as much as you do, Robyn,

but not like this.

There has to be another way.

Daddy didn't deserve to die that way.

I'm not letting that slide.

I know I can't stop you once you've made up your mind.

Just make sure you come back to us.

Yeah, no. For sure I will be there.

Of course I will.

We'll be fine.

Boss.

I didn't think you'd be dumb enough to come back.

Thanks for saving me the trouble of finding you.

No problem.

Now that I'm here, cough up your confession.

You, uh,

you a priest, or something?

Nothing holy about what I'm here to do.

I like this one.

You realize we're in the middle of nowhere.

No one to hear you scream.

I think you got it twisted.

It's you and your men who are gonna be screaming.

Why you here?

You messed up now.

You were saying?

You're so tough

you need all these guys to protect you.

You the same scared-ass punk

from way back then.

I'd love to continue our chat, but my time is valuable.

Yours is up.

Why'd you do it?

He was the kindest man on the planet.

Your father stuck his nose where it didn't belong.

So I gave him what he had coming.

Get out the car.

Get out the car!

Yeah. Not so tough now, right?

Want to be Neighborhood Watch? Huh?

Huh?

Watch this. Yancy, that's enough, man.

You proved your point.

Shut up! First and last time he puts his hands on me!

Put the gun down.

You don't want to do this.

Come on, man, put the gun down. Shut up!

No, you tripping, bro. Don't do it.

He says so. Don't do it, man. No!

So it was you who pulled the trigger.

And it's gonna be me who pulls it again.

Keep it a family tradition.

I just needed to be sure.

Harry, do it.

Copy that. Incoming.

I really hope this works. Well, there's no plan B,

so it better.

You guys might want to check your phones.

You might have all just received some...

information you'll find educational.

Fat Johnny,

you did eight years at Rikers, yeah?

Ever wonder who put you there?

Plea deal he signed with the Feds

should be right there in your inbox.

Joey B, that's Yancy,

being let into your house at 2:00 a.m. by your wife.

Oh, yeah, he was very attentive to her

while you were away at Fishkill.

Uh, don't worry,

I didn't want to leave anybody out.

You all have something. Take a look.

Personal, financial, legal...

all sorts of ways your boss screwed you over.

That's all fake.

All of it. You--

You, you don't believe her.

It's all fake. All of it.

Back up.

Back up, all of you.

Stand back, that's an order!

Handle your business.

And don't worry. We're in the middle of nowhere.

No one will ever hear him scream.

I, uh...

I wasn't sure if it was going to be you or Yancy.

You don't have to worry about Yancy.

He's gone.

But this, this isn't over.

I've made the necessary arrangements.

I'm ready for you to take me in.

You still have time to serve...

...but not that kind.

What you did to my father...

...I can never forgive.

But the world's need for decency

is greater than one person's lust for vengeance.

You will help others find their path,

the way you found yours.

And that makes you too valuable to lock away.

I-I don't know what to say.

I won't let you down.

I know you won't.

Because if you do,

I will have my vengeance.

Come in.

You wanted to see me, Captain?

Just got some interesting news.

Lonnie Lofton's regained consciousness. That's good.

Now he can be questioned. Mm, you're right.

But not by you.

He's accusing you of pushing him off that roof.

What? That's ridiculous.

I stand by my report.

Lo-Lo jumped off that roof.

He wasn't able to clear the distance

to the next roof and fell.

And I'm sure if that's true,

the investigation will find your version of the events

to be accurate.

"If it's true"? It's what happened.

Be that as it may, Detective, you know the scrutiny

this department is operating under.

Much of it justified, as I believe

you know from your own experience.

Yes, ma'am.

Then until this is sorted out,

you also know what I have to do next.

How long am I suspended?

Long as the investigation takes.

Indefinitely?

Go home, Detective.

Let the system take its course.

The system...

Right.

Good morning. Morning.

I want to thank you

for...

bringing me closure around my brother's death.

You're welcome.

I did it for all of us.

Daddy, too.

Then hopefully it'll bring you some peace, as well.

I'm okay.

Are you?

All these years, I've watched you struggle

needlessly with this burden.

Blaming yourself for what happened

to your father that night.

Now you see:

it wouldn't have mattered, sweetheart.

Those boys had it out for him.

If it hadn't happened that night,

it would have been...

...the next, or the next, or the next.

The point is...

your father's death had nothing to do with you.

You see that now, don't you?

Thank you, Aunt Vi.

I love you.

Well...

I happen to know that you're gonna love me

even more in about 30 seconds.

There's a little something waiting for you

out in the garage.

♪ Fly, robin, fly ♪

♪ Fly, robin, fly ♪

♪ Fly, robin, fly ♪

♪ Up, up to the sky. ♪

Thank you.

I miss you, Daddy.

Is this really Granddad's car?

Yeah.

It sure is.

It's beautiful.

It's home.

Captioning sponsored by CBS

and TOYOTA.

Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org