The Equalizer Stars Preview The ‘Imminent Jeopardy’ Facing Characters In High-Stakes Season 3 Finale: 'Most Intense Episode We've Ever Done'

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The Equalizer's Tory Kittles and Laya DeLeon Hayes opened up about the high stakes of the Season 3 finale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Season 3 of The Equalizer is nearly over, but the CBS drama still has plenty of twists and turns left before the final credits roll on the finale. Donal Logue returns as Colton Fisk, and the entire team will find themselves in danger as targets for revenge. As if that’s not enough, Delilah and Aunt Vi will end up in a sticky situation of their own, and the episode clearly isn’t going to be safe for any of the main characters. Fortunately, two stars spoke with CinemaBlend ahead of the finale to preview the “imminent danger” ahead.

Called “Eye for an Eye,” the May 21 finale isn’t going to be an episode to miss, based on what actors Tory Kittles (Dante) and Laya DeLeon Hayes (Delilah) had to say! 

Tory Kittles as Dante in The Equalizer Season 3 finale

 

Tory Kittles Promises Comedy And Intensity

Dante will be in harm’s way in “Eye for an Eye” due to McCall’s CIA past resurfacing in the form of a former colleague looking for revenge, according to the episode description from CBS. The crisis comes in a season that has already been rough for Dante (and available streaming with a Paramount+ subscription); by the time the finale picks up, he’s been suspended from his job despite trying to do everything the right way. Tory Kittles described the situation as Dante being “at a loss” after he gets suspended. When asked how high the stakes will be in the Season 3 finale, the actor shared:

" Well, I think this is the most intense episode we've ever done. The writers managed to place all of our central characters in imminent jeopardy at the same time, which is a very hard thing to do. [When] we leave this season, the stakes are the highest they've ever been. This episode, when I first read it, it took me by surprise, but they also managed to add levity. We get to see the side of Dante that we have never seen before. "

The episode taking one of the longtime stars by surprise seems to be a strong signal that fans may want to expect the unexpected! A little levity may be more than welcome in a finale that Kittles ranks as the “most intense” Equalizer episode, complete with a new side of Dante. The actor teased that his usually serious character is a source of levity in the finale when paired with Adam Goldberg (who had an intense episode of his own that addressed anti-semitism earlier in Season 3). Kittles previewed why it was fun for him:

" Getting to work with Adam in that capacity, because Goldberg has such great comedic timing. A lot of what we did felt like we were doing a buddy comedy and to be able to sort of lace that into this episode while the ticking clock element was going on had the stakes at such a high level. You're on the edge of your seats this whole episode. To be able to put some comedy and some comedic moments into that episode was a lot of fun to shoot. "

Dante and Harry don’t team up on the most regular basis compared to other characters, let alone in what sound like some stressful and also silly circumstances with sky-high stakes. All in all, it sounds like a must-see way to end a season!  

Delilah and Aunt Vi in The Equalizer Season 3 finale

 

Laya DeLeon Discusses Delilah 'Maturing'

Delilah may not be caught up in the same kind of danger as most of the other characters, but she and Aunt Vi will have a crisis of their own to deal with when they’re mixed up in a hostage situation. The character has been training for danger physically and mentally for several episodes now, so how prepared is she for this emergency? Actress Laya DeLeon Hayes answered that very question, saying: 

" I think at this point, she's as prepared as you can be in a situation like this, which is much better than most people, I would say. She's gone through so many traumatic events which we have seen in the first and second season, and then this third season via her mom and Mel, she's been able to gain so much training and really take control over the narrative. Finding her in this position in the last episode, I think she's more confident in being able to handle it, [and] I'm really excited for people to see how Delilah is maturing in that way. "

Delilah may still be a teenager in high school, but a teenager with training from McCall and Mel is not one who should be messed with! Of course, she’ll also have Aunt Vi with her, and Vi – as she demonstrated in the episode that addressed domestic abuse – has her own kind of wisdom and approach to crises. Laya DeLeon Hayes shared what it was like to work with Lorraine Toussaint as Dee and Vi in the Season 3 finale, saying that they “always have fun together.” She went on:

" She really is like my true auntie. Me and my mom call her, like, 'Thank you, Auntie Lorraine. We love you!' [laughs] But she's just so much fun, and then obviously she's so talented. I learn so much from just watching her work, and she has so many great moments with the robber named Drake in this episode. It's just kind of beautiful to see how they're relating to one another. Also in the background you can see Delilah's brain moving and always trying to stay a few steps ahead, but also listening to what Aunt Vi is saying and trying to take mental notes of how to properly handle this next time, which I think is something she is trying to do. But ultimately, you know, it could end up in a bad way. "

Aunt Vi and Delilah may be a formidable team under bad circumstances in the finale, and Laya DeLeon Hayes’ praise of Lorraine Toussaint is especially touching in light of what Toussaint said she’s proud of from the show. So, with high stakes all around and Delilah and Vi finding themselves in their own mess, it’s a good thing that fans can already count on Season 4!

Cast of The Equalizer Season 3

 

Stars Share Thoughts On Season 4 Renewal

The Equalizer was actually renewed for Season 4 last spring, when CBS announced that the hit show would return for a third and a fourth season. There's no guarantee that the entire cast of Season 3 characters who made to the finale will also make it to the 2023-2024 TV season, but it was very good news for the future of the show. Tory Kittles shared his thoughts on going into the Season 3 finale with the knowledge that Season 4 was assured:

I'd read in the press that the show had been picked up, but I was like, 'Well, I don't know. Is Dante going to make it out of this? I hope so!' … I wasn’t sure! It's one thing to go 'Okay, we're gonna continue the show,' but the question always remains, 'Well, how are we going to continue the show and where are we going to take these characters?' The writers have to decide that and we have Joe Wilson and Adam Glass who do such a great job of plotting out our seasons and where we're going to go. I have no idea where it's going to go next season, but I'm certain it'll be as fun as this one and the previous seasons.

The show continuing is hardly a 100% guarantee that an actor’s role will continue, and Tory Kittles had questions about how The Equalizer would move forward in the long run! Laya DeLeon Hayes shared her own thoughts, which were a bit different from her co-star’s. She said:

So grateful. I think anyone who is a part of this industry or is an actor just knows the feeling of waiting to see if you'll have a job in the next few months. It's very – I don't want to say scary in that way, but there's always the high stakes of not knowing and we've been so fortunate to have kind of a built-in fan base at this point where we've really found how people love the show and are very devoted to it. It just made us all feel very happy and even more excited for what's to come in this next season.

Fortunately for fans, the wait is almost over to see how The Equalizer closes out Season 3 and whether everybody will be able to return for Season 4! The third season finale will air on Sunday, May 21 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, ahead of the series finale of NCIS: Los Angeles. You can always revisit earlier seasons of The Equalizer streaming via Paramount+ over the summer, and find some upcoming viewing options on our 2023 TV premiere schedule.