The Equalizer Season 5 Episode 17, "Acceptance" - (l-r) Tory Kittles as Detective Marcus Dante and Neil Brown Jr. as James Munoz The Equalizer Season 5 Episode 17 Review: Acceptance

The Equalizer Season 5 Episode 17 Review: Acceptance

Reviews, The Equalizer

If you have been waiting all season to find out where Delilah will attend college, The Equalizer Season 5, Episode 17, “Acceptance,” brings us one step closer to that answer. However, an acceptance letter doesn’t change the fact that Delilah is terrified of the future and has no idea what she wants to do.

At first, it seemed Delilah was just upset her safety college hadn’t accepted her. Then we realized that she was scared of the unknown and what would happen after high school. The excitement of her finally choosing a college and being accepted dissipates immediately after seeing her reaction.

While Aunt Vi and Robyn are celebrating that she got accepted into UCLA, Dee’s face tells us she is full of fear and doubt.

The Equalizer Season 5 Episode 17, "Acceptance" - Laya DeLeon Hayes as Delilah
“Acceptance” – Pictured: Laya DeLeon Hayes as Delilah. Photo: Michael Greenberg/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

It makes sense that instead of telling her mom, Dee calls Mel to talk about her fear of telling Cam that she got accepted into a college across the country. Mel is the person who trained her. They built a bond that allows them to be honest with one another without Delilah having the fear that comes with being honest and open with her mother.

While it’s normal that a teenager is scared of leaving her boyfriend on the other side of the country, Dee’s reaction seems off compared to the big desire she showed all season long to be accepted into any college. Knowing that she has secured a spot at UCLA should have brought her absolute joy. But contrary to that, we see more doubt in her.

This goes even worse when Cam sees the letter and is upset that Delilah didn’t tell him about it. It is through Delilah explaining her feelings to him that we corroborate that she is still afraid of the unknown and what might come next.

However, this episode shows us how far she’s come and how much she’s grown in the last seasons. The girl who was terrified of her mother’s job to the point that she trained to protect herself is the one to encourage Robyn to help her team.

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This feeling is reinforced for Robyn and the viewers when we see the flashback of all the precious moments Delilah has experienced on The Equalizer. Hopefully, The Equalizer Season 5 finale will leave us with the answer to where she’s going to college.

If this were to be the last season of the show, it would be nice for viewers to picture her future.

The Equalizer Season 5 Episode 17, "Acceptance" - (l-r) Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall, Lorraine Toussaint as Viola "Vi" Marsette, and Laya DeLeon Hayes as Delilah
“Acceptance” – Pictured (L-R): Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall, Lorraine Toussaint as Viola “Vi” Marsette, and Laya DeLeon Hayes as Delilah. Photo: Michael Greenberg/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

While The Equalizer Season 5 Episode 16, “Sins of the Father,” gave us a nice preview of what the spin-off could look like, this episode shows us what life could be like if Harry got an extra set of hands to help.

His relationship with Kaos has always been a special one because Harry sees himself in the younger hacker. He looks out for him because he doesn’t want Kaos to be alone and feel depressed by the introverted life of a hacker.

However, seeing them team up for this case and watching their interactions as they work together, makes us wonder if the extra help Robyn mentioned could be another set of eyes that guide her and Mel. Or if Kaos could even jump cities and be included in the Atlanta spinoff with the Reed family.

Nicknaming Kaos as Harry 2.0 is a cute nod to how Harry has taken Kaos under his wing and has become his mentor. It would be interesting to see Kaos back for another episode because this storyline is one of the few instances in which we get to see Harry as someone other than Mel’s husband and Robyn’s hacker.

The Equalizer Season 5 Episode 17, "Acceptance" - (l-r) Tory Kittles as Detective Marcus Dante and Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall
“Acceptance” – Pictured (L-R): Tory Kittles as Detective Marcus Dante and Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall. Photo: Michael Greenberg/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

If people missed Dante on the previous episode, there’s plenty of him on “Acceptance.” There is also plenty of James and the developing relationship.

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Even though James reaches out to Dante because he wants the equalizer’s help, what happens between them is far greater than if Dante had simply connected him to Robyn. Instead, they find themselves in each other’s corner, being a support they never had before.

While they play on opposite sides of the law and have very different relationships with their father, James and Dante aren’t all that different. They both do what they believe is best for the people they work for, trying to be the best version of themselves.

By giving James his help, Dante is creating room to have a relationship with his brother, like he couldn’t have with his father. Maybe it’s too late for him and Big Ben to reconnect and forgive everything that happened, but he gets a fresh start with James.

This storyline is the perfect return to New York for Dante.

The Equalizer Season 5 Episode 17, "Acceptance" - Liza Lapira as Melody "Mel" Bayani
“Acceptance” – Pictured: Liza Lapira as Melody “Mel” Bayani. Photo: Michael Greenberg/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

There are two things that stand out on The Equalizer Season 5, Episode 17, “Acceptance.” The first one is the lack of attention to Mel’s PTSD, yet again.

Has the show completely forgotten she was having panic attacks two episodes ago? Or will this be shoved under the rug until it’s randomly pulled out again?

We see Mel physically fighting a hit man to the point that he holds a gun to her head, but there is no reaction to that. Instead of addressing her already existing trauma, each episode continues to add to that. She goes as far as saying she “slept like a rock” after disarming a bomb.

Hopefully, this won’t backfire when it’s time to face Salazar again.

The second one is Dante’s captain’s reaction to the equalizer. It’s nice to see that, after her constant rejection of Robyn, they can come to an agreement when Robyn’s presence is needed to save lives, including her own.

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It would be great to see this understanding expand to other episodes.


What did you think of this episode of The Equalizer? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!

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

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By day, Lara Rosales (she/her) is a solo mom by choice and a bilingual writer with a BA in Latin-American Literature who works in PR. By night, she is a TV enjoyer who used to host a podcast (Cats, Milfs & Lesbian Things). You can find her work published on Eulalie Magazine, Geek Girl Authority, Collider, USA Wire, Mentors Collective, Instelite, Noodle, Dear Movies, Nicki Swift, and Flip Screened.

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