The Equalizer (TV Series) Trial by Ordeal (1989) User Reviews

Hands down best episode of the show

[koohii · 10/10 · 5 January 2021]

Without giving away any spoilers, in a way, this is a wine-bottle episode (lots of flashbacks to previous stories) with facts twisted and distorted to project an agenda as Control is put on Trial for treason (partly for all the times he's helped McCall). This episode showed new sides to 3 characters and was a step away from the typical 80s vigilante hero stories.

Control and McCall Compose One Final Aria

[mfc90125 · 10/10 · 8 November 2014]

"Trial By Ordeal" is the kind of episode that shakes a television show to its very foundation. Back when it was released in 1989, such 'look-back' episodes were always shoddily done, performed as a throwaway rather than offer anything meaningful. Not here. It's one of the best episodes for a top-flight series, and perhaps one of the best in television. Think I'm kidding? Look at the 'evidence' as mirrored during the kangaroo court McCall and Control endure: solid acting including the stern but mournful Szarabajka as well as the appearance of Sidney and Dotrice as Company Bosses You'd Love to Kill. Here, the trial is wrapped around classic episodes like "Beyond Control" and the show's pilot, piling on the evidence against Control while McCall can do nothing but play out the game. But every great Equalizer episode would not be so without the best duo around: Woodward and Lansing weave a web of lies to Control's employees as they turn the tables in an ending made all the better by Composer Cameron Allan's haunting synthesizers. It's the last time these two titans would share the stage, but it's a fitting end to their relationship. But we're not done yet: the story by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim makes one final turn that reveals Control is in fact operating a secret organization within The Company. That arrogance - albeit for the public good - is treason, a neat and tidy secret that will soon be buried like all of Control's deceptions. For now, enjoy "Trial By Ordeal" for its heavy-handedness, its games, and its lies, all things The Company did so well.

A court order episode.

[mm-39 · 6/10 · 27 April 2021]

Trial by Ordeal is a court episode. Well written, directed and acted. Control is charged with and act for running a splinter group. There is flash backs. Court room drama. Woodard is a strong actor and plies his trade excellently. A few twists and turns with a surprise ending. My wife likes this episode, but she loves court room drama. Me not heavy on the action but just and okay episode. 6 stars.