Lady Cop, the fifth episode in The Equalizer’s first series boasts some pretty big and interesting names. It was written by Maurice Hurley and Joel Surnow from a story created by Hurley, Surnow and Kathryn Bigelow(!).

It first aired on 16 October, 1985 and sees Robert McCall (Edward Woodward) continuing to wrestle with his inner demons and balance the scales for all the things he did when he worked for the Company and Control (Robert Lansing).

This time he is approached by an NYPD officer, Stahl (Karen Young), because a trio of cops including her partner, Braxton (Will Patton!!) are on the take, and will do any dirty job if it pays well. Is there anything worse than dirty cops?

Braxton, Canterra (Esai Morales!) and Sergei (Bruce MacVittie) have blackmailed her into staying quiet by using her gun to kill a homeless man, but that just helps focus her resolve to unleash McCall and the rest of the police force, including Burnett (Steven Williams) on them.

McCall uses tech, intimidation and drugs to chip away at Braxton until all three are ready to break, but McCall will have to take another life before the assignment is over, and that makes him wonder about the good he’s doing.

The episode opens with a segment featuring Reginald VelJohnson (!) as a deejay who wants to hire McCall to help him deal with some loan sharks he made an agreement with. McCall refuses pointing out that he made the decision, he took the money, it’s up to the deejay to figure things out for himself.

He will help those who need it, but not those who deliberately made bad decisions. It’s an important distinction.

The Confirmation Day was written by Edward Adler and Heywood Gould from a story by Edward Blakeney and Gene Miller. It debuted on 23 October, 1985.

While McCall and Burnett deal with an elderly theater actress, Mrs. Fields (Anne Jackson), McCall takes on a case offered by a young boy, Anthony (Weird Science’s Ilan Mitchell-Smith). His father, Louie (Burt Young) has gotten mixed up in some mob business after a friend of his asks for his help in a heist.

McCall, knowing he can’t bring the mob down, goes after its head, Vanessi (Dr. No himself Joseph Wiseman!), in an attempt to reach some manner of accord, while also setting him up to be taken down by Burnett and his men.

It’s a fast-paced little story, though no where near as captivating as the previous episode was.

Once again, however, New York is very much a character itself as we get glimpses of a number of areas of town, and some sweeping vistas that reminded us of how the city looked in the 80s.

More next time!