In the pilot, ex-super spy Robert McCall is sometimes uncertain how to proceed and makes errors in judgment. In China Rain, he is in complete control and uses contacts and methods from his sordid past to craft the perfect strategy to save the kidnapped boy.
The night club scene in China Rain establishes this side of McCall’s persona for the series. This becomes evident immediately as he walks through the club. In his perfectly-cut, dark, conservative suit (with the signature lapel pin), this slightly overweight, fifty-something man should feel glaringly out of place among the young Chinese dressed in the latest 1986 fashions. But he is not. McCall is supremely self-aware and self-confident, and anything but out of place. And everyone knows it. This is someone to watch out for.
In the ensuing conversation with night club owner and former associate, Tommy Lee, McCall’s reveals new sides of his interaction with the world and Edward Woodward reveals his range of acting skills. With small gestures, voice modifications, and facial changes, his tone varies from (albeit false) cordiality, to quietly menacing, to still calm but clearly threatening. For example, a few words and a tightening of his voice reveal how dangerous he is when they talk about an incident from their past. How is his hand, she asks? He replies that he saw Paul Lau a year ago in Hong Kong. Did he ever found out whether Lau had given him up? McCall returns in a low voice filled with menace that he (Lau) is still alive, isn’t he?
Viewers next find more out about the job McCall has resigned from and his disgust about it: his mission was providing protection for Tommy Lee’s heroin running (no reason is given why the company would be doing this). Tommy taunts him by saying he did everything for the ring but earn the money. Revulsion showing on his face for the heroin running, but also with himself for having facilitated it, McCall immediately changes the subject to the reason he is there: to find a little Chinese boy. Tommy Lee cannot believe that a man like McCall has come here for some Chinese kid. But yes, that is why he is here. What’s in it for her? There’s nothing in it for her. She’s got enough nothing already. Now his tone turns even more menacing when he spits out that it’s for OLD TIMES; she understands immediately that he can be very dangerous to her. Suitably frightened, she gives him information. When it isn’t enough for McCall, she says that she owes him, but not enough to go to war. In yet a different tone, he snarls that HE is the war she has to avoid. Knowing she indeed wants to avoid this man’s enmity, she reveals a secret which leads to his finding the boy.
There are other aspects of this episode that are noteworthy. The view of McCall in the darkened apartment listening to the businessman’s telephone conversation from a perspective outside a rain streaked window is an example of cinematographic excellence. We learn about McCall’s methods through his meticulous planning of the police diversion and his use of former colleagues to find information. And, perhaps most noteworthy, the episode introduces the interaction between McCall and Mickey with some of their most memorable banter. QUOTATIONS NOT CHECKED: (Mickey: I figured you were looking for some waco to put his hand in the fan…) and their wry humor of their interchanges interchange while planning the rescue (McCall: I have set up a diversion. Mickey: Why do we need a diversion, why don’t we just go in and wack them. McCall: Mickey, there is a 5 year old boy up there. Mickey: Oh, we might need a diversion. McCall: I have set up a diversion.)
This episode also has one of my favorite endings. McCall carries the little boy in his arms into the apartment where his mother has been waiting and praying. Her back is turned when he puts the boy down. The boy says Mama and the mother turns as the boy rushes into her arms, underscored by the fantastic EQ music. McCall is finding out how it feels to do a good deed and smiles slightly. Maybe he can be redeemed after all.
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Out of all the former colleagues of McCall's we're introduced to, I think Mickey has the most fascinating of the ones to become regulars (Jimmy, Sterno, Stock [I don't put Control in this category] can you think of anyone else who would help, physically, with a case? Pete O'Phelan in a pinch).
ReplyDeleteFirst time he's mentioned, we hear about a screwed up mission, and McCall's immediate reaction: "He's the best at what he does." (Compare and contrast that reaction to an earlier draft of the script: 'Kostmayer? The man's barely housebroken!'). We also find out that Kostmayer isn't one of Control's Princeton preppies.
The next time, he's an item on McCall's shopping list and Control warns McCall off him, 'You could be buying yourself a lot of trouble with Kostmayer', and McCall's retort that he'll keep him on a leash.
So, what is the first scene to show this potential nutcase? A young man, late 20s or early 30s, sitting and fishing in the river, wearing a t-shirt and jeans. One of my favourite scenes with Mickey ensues. McCall shows him his card, and very soon after, without McCall saying anything about the job, Mickey hops off his perch and starts to pack up, no asking why McCall is there, what does McCall want, what will McCall do for him, if he helps. No, he just starts packing up, ready to give a hand (and/or shoot lots of ammo) to McCall, because he figures McCall needs a whacko like himself, willing to stick his finger in the fan.
Also love Mickey's second scene, describing what had happened and McCall mentioning he's set up a diversion. Wonderful acting by EW and KS again, as Mickey misses McCall's looks and his eyes widen, seeing the 'candy store' in McCall's trunk.
Right from the start, Mickey is the physical to McCall's mental, and takes the route outside, running across the roof of a truck to leap onto a ladder and climb up, to the balcony to get into the apartment on the second floor while McCall takes the direct route of the stairs inside. Mickey also has his highest body count ever, hosing everybody with bullets, including one who snuck up on Mickey and McCall while they were sweeping the apartment.
As far as I know, this was the first episode Keith S. filmed, and I sit back and am still amazed at how wonderful the rapport between Mickey and McCall was, and how believeable it is, that they've worked together dozens of times, perhaps hundreds.
Something else I really liked about Mickey was how he contrasted with McCall, yet he was also very similar in ways (Control being Mickey's mirror image; Control looks very much like McCall, suits, bow ties instead of ties, yet very complicated morally); Mickey blue collar to McCall's white collar, Mickey's muscle to McCall's brain, yet both are capable of great loyalty and seeing some situations as black and white whereas Control would see shades of gray.
Well done, "China Rain", for having the Big Three of The Equalizer introduced so quickly.
Anna
I originally had a lot more in the review, but I figured that I should not make it toooo long for TV.com. I was going to mention that first scene with Mickey and McCall, if only for that great line Mickey says about looking for a guy who will stick his finger in the fan (you probably know the exact words). Funny thing about that scene: when Mickey does a little southern accent. In Bump and Run he tells the girl that he's from Texas (which of course they dropped later), so maybe he thought he had to try a Texas accent?
ReplyDeleteAnd then the beginning of the conversation about the diversion, when McCall says running the operation against Gadafi's guys (can you imagine, Gadafi is still around!!) was bad manners. And the candy store... loved it all. It's wonderful that they found two actors and two characters who worked so well together. And not only that, but they found Robert Lansing (whom I LOVED in 12 O'Clock High) to complete the other pair.
Both of them were great contrasts or foils for McCall, representing perhaps the two sides of his personality, the strong, straight-line, let's get it done side being Mickey and the other, "shades of gray" as you put it being Control.
Hum whether any other character would physically help McCall? Maybe if they'd continued Ginger, whom we only saw once? Or the girl in The Caper (i would have loved to see her in a 5th season. Oh, and then there's Brock in the later episodes, although I never really warmed to him. I kind of wonder about Pete. She doesn't do such a good job in The Last Campaign (which also has one of my favorite scenes when McCall tells the psychiatrist about his real life). She also just sits around in Last Call.
I liked the others (Sterno, Jimmy, Stock) but they can't stand up to Mickey. I wish there was more.
Yeah, I forgot to mention the Texas twang which was immediately dropped after this episode.
ReplyDeleteFunny how there were lots of characters shown who could potentially help (George Cook, Logan, Alex (two different men named Alex), Sonny, Ginger, etc. but Mickey ended up being in almost half the episodes... and Jimmy and Sterno who were in more episodes in season one were mostly phased out. I don't think Sterno appeared after season three and Jimmy was only in a few in seasons three and four.
And aren't we happy it WAS Mickey???
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!
ReplyDeleteSo when are you going to make a long post about Mickey? *grin*
Anna
Hum, I'll have to think that one over. A question for you: do you think Mickey would have shot Payne if he'd been in McCall's situation?
ReplyDeleteYes, I do. But Mickey's younger and wilder. If he was mid-fifties... he might have held off, too. I think by season four, Mickey was heading down McCall's path, starting to get disillusioned, etc. I think eventually, Mickey would have taken over the EQ business. I also wouldn't be surprised if McCall set money aside so that it could continue.
ReplyDeleteAnna
ep, I thought he would kill him, too. But, as you said, maybe not. I don't think Mickey had any illusions from the beginning; that is, I don't think he started in the business because of his ideals. He likes to play with guns, after all. Maybe he joined because McCall helped him get out of Leavenworth and then recruited him? He also started at a different time in history than McCall. He was a soldier in Vietnam. How could you keep your illusions after fighting in Vietnam?
ReplyDeleteI think that Mickey places his highest value on loyalty and friendship, although he also abhors being called a traitor, doesn't he (in Splinters). And he did quit, over and over. Remember in the episode when Mickey and Pete are being held at the restaurant by Phipps, he was telling Pete at the beginning that he'd just quit again and Pete asks him how many times he'd already quit. He says something like five times.
Ah, the possibilities.