The Equalizer Season 5 Episode 16 Review: Sins of the Father

The Equalizer Season 5 Episode 16, “Sins of the Father,” brings back bits and pieces of Robyn’s past as the daughter of a former CIA agent asks for her help. While we believe this case might give us a closer look at Robyn’s past, it does quite the opposite by laying the land for what the future of the franchise may involve.

The introduction of Juani Feliz and Titus Welliver’s characters goes hand-in-hand with the idea that the show is preparing for a spin-off. Even though it is the first time we meet these characters, the episode’s ending creates the perfect stepping stone for them (particularly Samantha Reed) to run off and do their own thing.

It would have been interesting to see Sam join the equalizing team and fight alongside Robyn and Mel. But the idea of another show with a female lead who is out kicking ass seems just as exciting.

Even though Robyn and her team have helped many people throughout the five seasons of The Equalizer, we have never seen the show go into as much detail as they do when it comes to Samantha Reed’s past. She isn’t just someone Robyn is helping because she involves herself in the investigation, fighting just as hard as Robyn.

Throughout the episode, we get to see several flashbacks of Samantha and Elijah’s past. We learn about them running away and how Elijah raised her to fight, preparing her for the dangers of the world.

In those flashbacks and in how she fights alongside Robyn, viewers can see that Samantha Reed is just as tough as Robyn and is very capable of holding her own against the bad guys. It is clear that Robyn sees the potential in this woman, and that is why she tells her about their operation.

Besides Dante, no outsider has ever been invited into the secrecy of the equalizing team that Robyn shares with Harry and Mel. But because Sam understands Robyn’s past and is an incredible fighter, Robyn sees it might be helpful to add her to the team.

However, Sam refuses, stating she wants to do what Robyn is doing in New York but in Atlanta. That is when the spin-off’s ground is laid, and viewers believe what is coming is Samantha’s story in Atlanta as she becomes her own version of the equalizer.

Can a spin-off attract fans as much as this one has? Or will it feel too repetitive?

While The Equalizer Season 5 Episode 16, “Sins of the Father,” does a great job introducing Samantha and Elijah, there are two things that stand out as disappointing. The first one is Mel’s storyline.

The Equalizer Season 5 Episode 15, “Deception,” focused heavily on establishing the fact that Mel was once again struggling with her PTSD and having panic attacks. She went from having a panic attack while trying to catch the conman who had stolen from Evelyn to shooting and jumping out of warehouse windows with no issues. This seems off.

After everything that happened, one would think it would take Mel some time to go back out in full equalizing mode. Hopefully, this mistake will be addressed in upcoming episodes before the season is over.

The second thing that stands out is Dante’s absence. Even when he was in Los Angeles, we saw him on every episode. Now that he is back in New York, we see less of him. It seems weird that Robyn would work a case without consulting him, especially one that seems so important to the foundation of the franchise.

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The Equalizer airs Sundays at 10/9c on CBS.

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