Can we stick to the non-CIA cases from now on?

Coming off a strong run of episodes, The Equalizer Season 1 Episode 5 was hindered by a case that was simply uninteresting.

Dorian was horrible. He had the keys to the kingdom at his disposal, but his snarky comments immediately made him one of the most cumbersome cases of the week.

The writers clearly wanted to expand the world and show us how Robyn could work a CIA case, but I wish the case were more interesting.

It felt out of place compared to the previous cases from The Equalizer Season 1, but at least Robyn's heart was still in the right place throughout.

The last-minute reveal Robyn and Bishop swindled Nash into thinking she'd killed Dorian took me by surprise, and it was all thanks to the way Robyn, Bishop, and Dorian acted in the scene.

One wrong move and Dorian would have been killed for real, and Robyn and Bishop would have lost their careers. There was no margin for error, but Bishop putting his career on the line highlighted how much he cares about Robyn.

If you watch The Equalizer online, you know Robyn has been all about that equalizing life, so there was no chance she would allow Dorian to die on her watch. 

Indeed, his talent could bring the world to an end, but I find it hard to believe he managed to write the program again overnight with no errors. Maybe that's why the CIA, The Russians, and the Triads all wanted him.

He's an immensely talented man, but it was frustrating how many chances Robyn gave him before she realized he was legitimately always going to swindle her.

Allowing such a person to leave the U.S. and enter another country gives him the potential to rewrite his code and cause some damage. Would he dare after almost dying? I don't know, but people are going to be looking for him.

Anyone close to the situation will be thinking there's more to the case than meets the eye, and they'd be right on the money.

Nash was the more concerning figure here. She's downright scary and isn't scared to go toe-to-toe with McCall or Bishop. She's obviously had to make many controversial decisions to get to that point in her career, but I'm unsure what her long-term plan is for Robyn.

Does she want to keep her on retainer, or does she merely want to have power over her? Nash sure seems like the type to throw her weight around, but she's going to flip out if she finds out the truth.

Robyn's heart shone through the entire case. Any other CIA operative would have probably agreed that Dorian needed to be killed, but Robyn is cut from another cloth.

There's a bigger story about how she quit the CIA, and we need to start exploring that soon. She's great at her job, but I suspect the CIA will not be stopping looking into her any time soon.

The issue here is that Robyn could outsmart anyone, and it seems that Nash sees that as detrimental to the future of the CIA.

Lying is part of Robyn's job, but she's straddling a fine line by lying to her family. It's safer for the family to be in the dark about her life, but it's only a matter of time before a case causes far-reaching ramifications in her personal life.

Robyn taking Dorian to the gas station while fully aware that Delilah was attending a game nearby didn't track what we know about Robyn.

I know the random meeting had to happen to serve the story, but Robyn doesn't make sloppy moves. She knows everything about everyone and how it can help her keep her secrets buried for long.

She's opened a can of worms, and now Delilah is going to be shouting it from the rooftops every time she tries to discipline her daughter.

Even if Robyn 'fessed up about her career, Delilah would still find a problem with her mother's lies. Robyn has been telling her daughter to be a good person, and Delilah will struggle to move on from that.

I figured Aunt Vi would have had a bigger reaction because she was left in the lurch at the retreat, but she only seemed to care that Robyn was out there again.

Would the family even believe Robyn if she told the truth? It's quite a big thing to reveal, but the family would probably feel like she was making a terrible excuse to throw them off the scent.

"The Milk Run" was the weakest episode to date. Yes, there were some great moments and a wealth of development for the more pressing storylines, but the case of the week held what should have been an outstanding episode back.

The series needs to find a better balance if we're going to get more CIA cases.

What did you think of Dorian? Do you think Robyn and Bishop made a grave mistake?

Will Nash allow Robyn to be free from the confines of the CIA?

Hit the comments.

Catch a new episode next Sunday at 9/8c.

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.