McCall (Edward Woodward) and Harley (Richard Jordan) – and again this could have been Keith Szarabajka’s Mickey – find themselves helping Karen Alden (Katherine Cortez), who may or may not be psychic. It seems she’s being haunted by visions of the Shadow Man (Terrence Mann) who is stalking New York City for his next victim.

A serial killer on the loose. A psychic. Odds against you? Call The Equalizer.

Inner View was written by Jim Trombetta, this episode debuted on 18 November, 1987. It’s a familiar enough trope, one we’ve seen in dozens of cop and detective shows, and while there is some nice execution with Karen’s visions, it’s arguably not the best offering of what is already a tough season, as Woodward continues to recover from his heart attack.

This explains why Jordan is front and centre throughout the episode and Woodward’s McCall only shows up when truly needed.

It’s by no means a horrible episode, and the way the whole thing is shot and executed is very much in keeping with the way The Equalizer’s world has been created and brought to life, and whether such things can actually happen, well that’s what stories are for.

I’m having a really tough time coming around to Harley. I like Jordan as an actor, but it still feels like he’s being shoehorned into the series when an opportunity was obviously there to develop Mickey more.

I get that producers were preparing for the worst if Woodward wasn’t able to resume the role, but I don’t think viewers were able to connect with Harley.

The Rehearsal is an interesting bit of locked-room story with a little Phantom of the Opera thrown in for good effect, mixed well, and served at Equalizer temperature.

Written by Robert Eisele, it first aired on 2 December, 1987.

McCall and Harley are enjoying the rehearsal performance of their friend, Sandra (Jennifer Van Dyck) who, during a break, is warned by a scarred and burnt figure, Micheal (Chris Cooper!) to leave the theatre before it’s too late.

She’s a little freaked out, but McCall, Harley, and the show’s director, Everett (George Morfogen) are able to calm her down. At least until they realized all the exits to the building are sealed, and the main entrance is wired to explode, something that will happen in an hour when the janitor arrives to begin his shift.

Harley and McCall work together, with Harley still doing the lion’s share, to not only find out who this Michael is, but to figure out who he’s working with, and what he’s really after.

I quite like how most of this episode is executed, while once again, the story would have worked better with Miceky – honestly, Harley here feels like a Mickey substitute – but I love the ticking clock idea, I like the one location (sure, it’s the entire theatre, but still) and holy crap, Chris Cooper!

Let’s see how McCall is feeling next time when I take a look at more of The Equalizer.