THE EQUALIZER Post-Mortem: Tory Kittles on Dante’s Complications with Big Ben, the Boundary Crossed with Robyn

[Warning: This post contains spoilers for the Sunday, November 13 episode of THE EQUALIZER, “Blowback.”]

THE EQUALIZER’s Dante (Tory Kittles) had to face the lingering drama with his father head-on on the Sunday, November 13 episode, “Blowback.”

When Big Ben (Danny Johnson) told Dante he had cut a deal to testify and was getting out of jail, he had one request of his son: he wanted to meet his grandkids.

Dante was torn, and talked to his mom and Robyn (Queen Latifah) about what he should do. He admitted to Robyn he knew there was no sense dwelling on the past, but he didn’t want to set his boys up for disappointment.

Robyn asked Dante if there was a chance Big Ben might have changed. When Dante couldn’t answer definitively, she suggested he find out.

They said farewell, and got very close.”Your dad must have done something right, because he raised you to be the man you are today,” Robyn told Dante, before the duo shared a loaded hug.

Later, Dante looked through his old things and talked to his son about Big Ben: “He was tough on me, but he was only trying to prepare me for the world.”

So what comes next when Big Ben comes out? Kittles teased (via email) a little of what’s to come, that close Dante/Robyn moment, when Dante might get to join a family meal, and more…

How is Dante handling the delicate situation with his father going forward? And how much is it even in Dante’s control versus it being his father pushing forward, whether it’s what Dante wants or not?
Dante has had a complicated relationship with his father since the beginning. Some of the trauma he carries, he feels is a direct result of his father’s parenting, the mistakes his father made with him, and Dante doesn’t want to repeat those same mistakes with his sons. He also knows that holding on the the past can make you a prisoner of it, and that past could very well become the thing that pushes him onto some of the paths his father chose.

In this episode, Dante is struggling to find empathy and forgiveness for his father, struggling to move beyond their past, knowing that doing so could lead him to becoming a better man and father. But his familial wounds run deep, so this task proves harder to overcome the more he opens up to the possibility of a reconciliation, and he’s completely torn because of it.

Dante and Robyn got very close when she came over to help. What was the collaboration process in that scene with Queen Latifah and the writers/directors about how far the characters should go? And how much of a step forward is it for the duo?
Queen and I tend to operate in the space of spontaneity. There are wonderful words that our writers put on the page that gives us the blueprint, but then our instincts take over. We didn’t plan what happened in this episode, to be that close, we just lost ourselves in each other in the moment as Robyn and Dante. Actually, I think it was [director] Cheryl [Dunye]’s elated reaction that made us aware of the gravity of what had just happened, the boundary that they’d crossed. I’m not certain, whether or not, it will complicate Robyn and Dante’s relationship going forward because they’ve always operated in complicated spaces, and they both seem to thrive there.

Aunt Vi joked about inviting Dante over for dinner at some point, and he was the only one not at the group meal. How much will he be intermingling with the other parts of Robyn’s life going forward?
While we all know Aunt Vi can throw down in the kitchen (and at the gun range), I don’t know if it’s time for Dante to be at that table. I think it’s one thing for Robyn and Dante to have intimate moments with each other, but that becomes something entirely different once friends and family get involved.

So far, they’ve managed to get away with blurring those familial lines, but it could be dangerous to keep tempting those fates. Maybe it’s healthy for them have a bit of separation, keep a few things close to their vest, at least until the time is right, and our writers will decide when that is. 

Robyn is a suspect in the next episode. How is Dante handling that and what tough positions does that put him in?
In the next episode Dante finds himself looking out for Robyn, just like she has for him so many times. The history of their relationship stands on trust and mutual respect. So he knows she didn’t do the things she’s accused of, but to help her prove her innocence, he won’t be able to operate solely by the book. And as they get closer on a personal level, Dante secretly wonders what that means for their professional dealings.

Is there anything you want to/can tease about what’s in store for Dante in what you’ve filmed?
I’ve been sworn to secrecy. So no spoilers on all the great stories to come, but I can say we have some huge surprises along with some exciting guests coming your way. Stay tuned!

THE EQUALIZER, Sundays, 8/7c, CBS

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