The Equalizer is back after its long hiatus with Season 5 Episode 8, “Guns and Roses.” Keeping up with the spirit of the show, a little girl is wounded by gunshots as an accidental victim of a drive-by. As is to be expected, Robyn (Queen Latifah) is the one the little girl’s grandma turns to for help.
Right before Robyn gets called into work, she walks into her kitchen to find Aunt Vi (Lorraine Toussaint) has baked all her favorite foods. That is when the older woman tells her about her date with Captain Curtis. At the same time, Delilah (Laya DeLeon Hayes) freaks out when she realizes Aunt Vi has used all the butter. She and her boyfriend were planning on making popcorn that afternoon.
While Aunt Vi tells her Cam needs to make an effort instead of couch dating her, Robyn reminds her she needs to be responsible while dating.
RELATED: Read our recap of the previous episode of The Equalizer, “Slay Ride”
The Equalizer, “Guns and Roses”
Robyn meets the little girl’s grandma at the hospital, promising to find whoever shot her. The grandma explains that even though the police are looking into it, she doesn’t believe the crimes in the neighborhood are a priority. She also states that the attacks and gun violence have been getting worse.
As Harry (Adam Goldberg) starts looking into it, he confirms there has been a spike in gun violence. Robyn believes it has to do with the gun shipment she lost from Salazar. Harry and Mel (Liza Lapira) tell her to stop blaming herself. Harry also looks at police records and confirms it was gang-related. The little girl was caught in the crossfire.
RELATED: Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: Viola Marsette
Harry finds security footage from the guy who was driving as he disposed of the gun. Harry discovers he is working with another man. Mel traps the accomplice in a warehouse and threatens him with a life sentence unless he tells her where the gun is. Once the gun is found, Harry traces the serial number and discovers it isn’t from the shipment Robyn lost. However, it was also stolen from a shipment going to a military base.
With the information they have, the police arrest the man who killed the little girl. By the time Robyn arrives at the hospital to share the news with the grandma, she finds out the little girl is dead.
RELATED: Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: Robyn McCall
Dante Is in Town
Dante (Tory Kittles) and his team are working in New York from his old precinct because they believe Salazar is making his next move here. They have noticed there’s been cartel action with several big names being killed. This is all connected to Salazar.
While Dante settles back into his former precinct, Salazar talks to two investors about investing in his new deal.
Later, Robyn and Dante meet up. At first, he talks about seeing his son play basketball and how right Robyn was to advise him to let the boys stay in New York. However, Robyn turns the conversation to Salazar, declaring she is going after him. Dante offers his help. He mentions his team has noticed Salazar is looking to expand his business.
RELATED: What’s New on TV This Week (Feb 16 – 22)
An Undercover Adventure
Harry tells Robyn everything Salazar has been doing and how he might be stealing the guns. They discover the stolen shipments come from the same manufacturer. While Robyn mentions she will call Dante for information, Harry and Mel decide to go undercover at the manufacturer.
When they start asking questions, the manager says he has already reported the hijack. The details he gives them are vague, explaining what happened to the driver and how they later found the truck empty. He confesses that so far in the year, the manufacturer has lost five trucks.
RELATED: The 5 Best Blue Bloods Episodes to Rewatch
Harry hacks into the distribution center’s system and discovers the information for the hijacked trucks has been altered. At first, it seems Salazar is only stealing guns that can be sold on the street. However, Harry realizes another truck is about to be hijacked. That one is full of explosives, which means Salazar is expanding his business.
Mel and Robyn decide to hijack the stolen truck, trying to get ahead of Salazar. But by the time they arrive at the truck’s location, they discover it is empty. When they open the truck, Robyn notices a security camera before a bomb goes off, making the truck and any evidence explode.
The Vigilante at Work
Robyn and Dante continue to work on the case together. He decides to bring her into the precinct to look at the evidence. That is when his former boss sees Robyn for the first time and is very upset she is there. Dante’s old boss refuses to work with The Equalizer. However, Dante has Robyn’s back, mentioning that Robyn is a valuable asset who will help solve the case of a murdered little girl.
While looking at the evidence, Robyn notices a woman who goes everywhere with Salazar. When they track her down, Dante explains the situation. The woman pretends not to know anything about what they’re saying and lies, saying Salazar is in the coffee business. In the end, Robyn apologizes to the woman but mentions Harry will be tracking her so he can listen in on her conversations.
RELATED: CBS’s New Matlock Cracks the Case With Season 2 Renewal
When the woman finds Salazar, she tells him about Dante and Robyn’s ambush. He guarantees the shipment has been moved and is on the way to the buyers. Salazar mentions he is concerned about her being followed or any information she could have given to the cops. Harry, Robyn and Dante listen as Salazar threatens her. However, by the time they reach her room, the woman is already dead. Robyn and Dante run after Salazar, but they lose him before they can catch him.
FBI + The Vigilante
It becomes obvious that someone in the manufacturer is Salazar’s inside man. As he looks into it, Harry discovers it’s the manager he and Mel spoke to. His past shows he is connected to organized crime. Dante must turn to his former boss because that’s the unit she used to work at.
When Dante mentions Salazar and shows her a picture of the manufacturer’s manager, his boss immediately recognizes the man and brings him in for interrogation. However, the manager isn’t giving anything up and makes a remark about how Dante’s old boss can’t do anything to him cause she is a cop. That is when she switches places with Dante and turns off the security camera. With one threat and the sight of a hammer, the old man is giving up the shipment’s location.
RELATED: 10 Must-Watch Queen Latifah Projects
By the time Dante and the FBI arrive at the warehouse, it’s empty. Harry tracks down six trucks that left that location, so the team must split up to chase them. With each stop, they discover the trucks are empty. Robyn believes the guns must still be at the warehouse. Upon their return, Harry guides them through the building until Dante finds a hidden doorway.
Through that passage, they walk in on the men doing the buy. The NYPD walks in at the same time, and everyone is arrested. Salazar is missing, so Robyn’s mission is still not over. She decides to go back to the little girl’s grandma and promises her she is still working to stop the flow of guns in the neighborhood.
Aunt and Niece on Dates
While Robyn is working the Salazar case, Delilah and Cam are hanging out at the house. They begin to talk about movies. Delilah notices all of Cam’s favorite movies include cars, so she mentions her mom is also into cars and has been fixing an old one. When Cam asks to see the car, Delilah hesitates but guides him to the garage.
Cam insists they turn on the car. Once the car is running, he suggests they go for a drive, and Delilah hesitantly agrees. Throughout the drive, it is clear Delilah is very nervous, but to calm her down, Cam decides to kiss her. At that moment, they are rear-ended by a car that drives away immediately. Afterward, the car won’t start, so they must call the police and have it towed. Delilah knows her mom will be upset.
RELATED: Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: Melody Bayani
Meanwhile, Aunt Vi is on her date with the captain at a wine and paint place. The two talk about dating and how new it feels to the captain. She tries to calm his nerves by saying they’re getting to know each other. This leads to him talking about his life and then wandering onto the topic of relationships. Their views seem to be very different.
When the time comes for them to reveal their paintings to each other, Aunt Vi realizes how he painted her shows he is actually interested in her. She decides to tell him that all she wants is love, so they agree to see where things go between them.
A New Beginning
Dante and Robyn end the night by going for a walk. He mentions he’s been thinking about their relationship. Dante informs her that after the case is closed, he will be moving back to New York because his life, family and Robyn are all there. When Robyn hesitates about starting the relationship over, he says she is all he wants and then kisses her.
RELATED: Read our recaps of The Equalizer
When Robyn arrives home, Delilah tells her about what happened during her date with Cam. As expected, Robyn is extremely upset because Delilah knows what the car means to her. Robyn grounds her right as Aunt Vi walks into the house. Aunt and niece talk about Aunt Vi’s date. Then, Robyn tells her that she and Dante will try to date again.
As the episode ends, we see Dante reading a letter from his father. At the same time, Salazar is back in the investor’s office. He murders one of them to get the other to do business with him.
The Equalizer airs on Sundays on CBS.
5 Things We Want To See on LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT Season 26
- What’s New on TV This Week (Mar 16 – 22) - March 14, 2025
- The Equalizer Recap: (S05E11) Taken - March 9, 2025
- What’s New on TV This Week (Mar 9 – 15) - March 9, 2025
