The Equalizer hasn’t shied away from addressing difficult and even sometimes uncomfortable topics over the three seasons so far, including antisemitic hate not too long ago. Now, the CBS drama is set to tackle the subject of domestic abuse via the character of Vi. Played by Lorraine Toussaint, Vi isn’t always in the thick of the cases of the week, with McCall (Queen Latifah) and her team usually solving cases. In the “No Way Out” episode, Vi will step up when she suspects that somebody she knows is a victim of domestic abuse, and Toussaint opened up to CinemaBlend about what she hopes fans take away from the episode, and its “important message.”
According to the CBS episode description, Vi will come to suspect that her masseuse is in situation of domestic abuse. Lorraine Toussaint previewed how The Equalizer approaches the sensitive but important message of awareness about domestic abuse in “No Way Out,” saying:
So much of what The Equalizer is about is advocacy, and advocating for the underdog, and the Robyn McCall character certainly does that in very big and bold ways and kind of exciting ways and thrilling ways. I think one of the things that the writers have put forth in Season 3 is the idea of empowering the ordinary person to also, where they are, to do a little bit of equalizing themselves. What that looks like is if you see something, say something, and this episode, as it speaks to domestic violence, has my character Vi at the center of it, rather reluctantly getting involved. She's not sure if she's crossing boundaries, if it's okay, but she sees something that she can't ignore, and just that alone is an important message.
The Equalizer – which, as Adam Goldberg has said, is able to take advantage of “different perspectives” to tell well-rounded stories – is empowering Vi in a different way when she steps up for a friend who seems to be suffering from domestic abuse. Lorraine Toussaint explained that a person not ignoring red flags is an “important message,” even if it means crossing boundaries. The actress continued:
If you suspect domestic abuse, or with a woman or a child or an elder person – if you suspect it, if you see something, say something, because so much of what happens with abuse is that it can only thrive in silence, and mutually agreed upon silence, and shame and isolation. You see Vi step out of her comfort zone, to go up to this woman and say 'I think something's wrong. I think something's going on. Do you need help?' And she doesn't give up.
It sounds like Vi’s masseuse may not initially embrace the attempts to reach out in case something is wrong, but the character seemingly won’t be discouraged from continuing to try to help. Could we expect anything else from Vi, who isn’t exactly known for giving up on the people she cares about? Toussaint elaborated on what it meant to her that her character doesn’t just give up:
That's the other thing that I really like about what our episode says. She doesn't just give up because it's so easy to make that first step, but sometimes it's harder to make that second and that third, and with Vi, that fourth and fifth step to really get in there and say, 'No, I don't believe you. Something is happening here.' That takes real courage, and so I think if anything, this episode hopefully empowers our audience to maybe be a little bit more courageous in situations where they may just accept the 'no,' and know that something is wrong, but turn their backs and walk away.
Lorraine Toussaint hopes that the episode can empower the audience, as Vi seemingly tries to empower the victim in this episode. Fans will have to wait and see whether or not the character is able to help the victim in time, but all signs point toward a powerful episode addressing a difficult issue from the perspective of a deeply caring character.
It also remains to be seen how involved the Season 3 cast members playing McCall’s team will be with the case, but Toussaint opened up about how it felt to her as an actress that The Equalizer is addressing domestic abuse via her character, saying that it “felt appropriate” because Vi has “lived a great deal of life” with “many different kinds of relationships” through “good times and hard times.” She continued:
One of the things I liked about having this story being told from the Vi perspective is that, as Lorraine, I don't know any woman who hasn't had to deal with some sort of an abusive situation at some point in her life, or some dangerous or potentially dangerous situation. I think it's part and parcel of being female in this life, that we are oftentimes to varying degrees vulnerable to abuse, or finding ourselves in abusive situations, and sometimes having a tough time getting out of them. Getting out of abusive situations isn't as easy as it sounds or it seems. It really does require education, and information, and resources, and courage, and all of the things that aren't always necessarily available, or easily accessible, or obvious, to the person being abused.
The episode writers took advantage of resources for “No Way Out,” including consulting with L.A.-based domestic abuse treatment center Jenesse for insight on the dynamics in abuse situations. As for within the episode, it will address what it can take to help the victims of domestic abuse, as Toussaint said:
Our episode covers a lot of ground in terms of all of the above. Resources, and what is it like to actually step in and hold a woman's hand and literally help her get out of it. Because sometimes, women are so buried in those situations that they've lost the courage, they've lost the will, they've lost the ability to even see it, much less be able to muster up what it takes to get out of it, and it does take a great deal to get out of an abusive relationship. It can be very, very dangerous, and I like that our show did not shy away from all of those aspects of how dangerous it actually can be, but how necessary it is and how possible it is.
Lorraine Toussaint went on to comment that it “does take the resources of the community to also be there to support the person who’s being abused.” If there’s anything that the tight-knight group of characters – particularly the three generations of women living in the McCall household, with Vi, Robyn, and Delilah – can be counted on for, it’s a sense of community.
Whether that community will be enough in Vi’s attempt to help a friend in “No Way Out” is a question that can only be answered with the new episode. Tune in to CBS on Sunday, April 23 at 8 p.m. ET for the “No Way Out” episode of The Equalizer, and/or streaming with a Paramount+ subscription. Check out the promo for a teaser of what to expect:
Now is the time to make sure to stay current on the hit drama, with the Season 3 finale arriving on May 21. The Equalizer was one of a handful of shows lucky enough to get a two-season renewal from CBS last spring (along with the three FBI shows), so fans don’t have to worry about whether or not it will be back for the 2023-2024 TV season. For now, you can always check out our 2023 TV premiere schedule for what to check out during summer hiatus.
