The Equalizer Season 5 Episode 18, “Decisions,” marks the end of the road for this series. The final episode starts with a couple hiking in the woods. As they realize they are lost and have been walking in circles, they come across Salazar’s army.
Before they can escape, Salazar and his army find them. When the couple asks them not to shoot them, Salazar instructs one of his soldiers to kill them with her knife. At that moment, he sees Robyn (Queen Latifah) and Dante (Tory Kittles) arriving at their cabin. He says that because of Robyn’s skills, they need to use the element of surprise to win.
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The Equalizer, “Decisions”
Dante and Robyn are in the kitchen talking about the first time they met when a couple knocks on their door. Their neighbors from down the road step into the cabin and start looking around. To protect themselves, Dante and Robyn give them fake names. The neighbors refuse to leave and start drinking their way.
Meanwhile, Mel (Liza Lapira) and Harry (Adam Goldberg) look deeper into Salazar and his role on the global stage. That is when Harry begins to wonder how long they will keep equalizing and putting their lives in danger. When Mel asks if this has anything to do with her PTSD, Harry tells her it’s about survival.
Harry wants to text Robyn about Salazar, but Mel stops him. She thinks Dante planned this getaway to propose to Robyn, but Harry doesn’t think so because he believes Dante would have talked to him about it first. At that moment, a notification pops up on his computer, letting them know Salazar arrived near Robyn and Dante’s cabin that morning. Now is the time to let them know what’s happening.
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Danger Is Here
Aunt Vi (Lorraine Toussaint) is hiding her good pans when Dee (Laya DeLeon Hayes) walks into the kitchen that morning because Curtis is coming over to cook for her. The two women talk about how happy Aunt Vi has been lately, and Delilah mentions she’s going to see her favorite author at a book signing.
Meanwhile, the neighbors are still intruding on Robyn and Dante, but they kick them out when they mention the hot tub.
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Because they cannot reach Dante and Robyn on their phones, Mel and Harry decide to warn them in person. Harry is able to find the cabin Dante booked and notices there is a police station down the road. However, when he calls and gets no answer, we can see Salazar and his men hiding there, and the policemen are dead.
Dante and Robyn are in bed when someone knocks on their door again. As Dante opens the door to find Gary the neighbor, someone shoots him from behind. Salazar’s army is coming for them and shooting. Neither Robyn nor Dante has their guns with them.
The Future Is Knocking
As they get ready to help Robyn and Dante, Mel asks Harry what he thinks they would be doing if they weren’t equalizing. As they weigh their options, Salazar’s men break into the cabin, and Dante and Robyn have to physically fight them. One of the men gets too close to Robyn with his knife, but Dante shoots him before he can do any harm. That is when they realize those are Salazar’s men. They decide to split up to find the neighbor and cell signal.
Back at home, Curtis is cooking for Aunt Vi. She tries to tell him how to cook, so he decides to let her do things her way. Dee meets her favorite author and tells her she used quotes from her book in her essay for Howard. When the author asks about that, Dee tells her she was rejected because of her arrest. They leave to have coffee together.
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Social Justice
Dante finds their missing neighbor and breaks the news that her husband is dead. When the men chase after them, Dante sends her to find Robyn and stays behind. At the same time, Mel and Harry arrive at the cabin to find the chaotic aftermath of the shooting. Harry is able to outsmart Salazar’s signal jam as Robyn arrives back at the cabin. Even though her friends want to get backup, Robyn says there’s no time because they have Dante, and she is going to trade herself in for him.
Curtis asks Aunt Vi to move in with him, and for a second, she is unable to give him an answer.
Meanwhile, Dee and her favorite author talk about the multiple rejections she received because of her arrest. When she mentions she got into UCLA, but she is still set on the social justice program at Howard, the author asks her what she is willing to do to fight the “no” she got. She asks what Dee would tell the acceptance board, and Dee proceeds to tell her about her family history and why social justice is so important to her.
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An Unanswered Question
Robyn arrives at the police station where the army is hiding and sees Dante all beat up. She asks Salazar to let Dante go, but he refuses and tells her everything she has done to ruin his plans. Instead, he asks her if she wants to die first or watch Dante die. That is when Mel and Harry start shooting at the police station. They kill the army, but Salazar shoots Dante and runs away before they can get him.
Robyn and Mel go after Salazar. When Robyn and Salazar run out of bullets, they start physically fighting. Salazar has a knife that Robyn manages to steal from him and uses to stab him. When she arrives back at the station to check on Dante, he gets down on one knee, pulls out a ring, and asks her to marry him in front of Mel and Harry. But before Robyn can give him an answer, Dante passes out.
At home, Curtis tells Aunt Vi that he isn’t trying to pressure her into moving in with him but is ready for the next step. Aunt Vi explains she’s not ready and likes things the way they are. With so many changes in her life, she likes the stability of the relationship, but Curtis wonders if they are not growing together, then they might be growing apart.
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A Happy Ending for All on The Equalizer
Robyn, Mel and Harry are waiting at the hospital when Aunt Vi and Dee join them. The doctor comes out to say surgery went well and Dante is in recovery, so they take Robyn back to see him.
While they wait, Dee tells Aunt Vi about her meeting with the author and mentions she is part of Howard’s board of acceptance, so she will recommend that they change Dee’s rejection to an acceptance. Dee says if that happens, she will be going to Howard.
When Dante wakes up, Robyn talks about the kind of life they would have together because she is a danger magnet. Even though she tries to convince him it would be dangerous, Dante says he understands the risks of the life they have chosen to live together. Robyn puts on the ring and agrees to marry him.
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The series ends with an engagement party where Harry asks Robyn and Dante about the plan. They mention nothing will change, except now it will be a family business. Mel and Harry say they will be staying with them even if there are risks. The two men talk about Dante’s decision to propose to Robyn.
Curtis shows up to celebrate with them, and Aunt Vi tells him she will move in with him if they find a place together. Robyn makes a toast to celebrate their family.
The Equalizer is available to stream on Paramount+.
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