The Equalizer is once more mining its main cast for some significant backstory in episode 11, season 3, titled "Never Again." This time, it is Harold "Harry" Keshegian at the center as a string of hate crimes terrorizes the local Jewish community. Played by Adam Goldberg, Harry's history as a hacker who had to fake his own death with Robyn's (Queen Latifah) help has been thoroughly explored. His mother and her absence in his life, however, is a hole that has yet to be filled.
Keshegian is an Armenian last name, stemming from his father's side of the family, but The Equalizer season 3 reveals that Harry's mother was actually Jewish. In fact, he went to the synagogue until just before his bar mitzvah — a detail Goldberg himself added as an homage to his own experiences. The actor shared with Screen Rant that:
I went to Jewish Day School until I was 11 years old, and chose not to have a bar mitzvah, which was my suggestion when I talked to the writers. The Rabbi [originally] said, "I haven't seen you since your bar mitzvah," and I said, "It might be interesting if he didn't have a bar mitzvah." You go right up to the point, and then you back away. That's sort of how I was.
Check out an exclusive clip from The Equalizer season 3, episode 11 below, as well as more of Goldberg's thoughts on the storyline.
What To Expect From Harry's Story In The Equalizer
In Screen Rant's exclusive clip, Rabbi Alton looks on sadly at the mural depicting a story of Jewish perseverance, which has been desecrated with graffiti. As he is lamenting the ongoing hate crimes, his colleague introduces him to Harry, who has left his lair to investigate the case personally. Upon hearing the last name Keshegian, the Rabbi launches into praises of Harry's mother Sarah, who was a wonderful woman in his book. Unfortunately, the look on Harry's face makes it clear he does not feel the same.
Harry's Jewish background came as a surprise to his actor, but he had a lot of fun with it. In an interview with Screen Rant, which will be released after the episode, he revealed his thoughts on diving into Harry's past with "Never Again."
Adam Goldberg: It's really helpful. Honestly, irrespective of what I end up doing in the subsequent episodes, it just gives me a much stronger foundation on which to think about how you're going to do something, or how you're going to say something.
With any TV show, whether it's a procedural or not, it's a very weird way of working as an actor. You read a movie, and you're working through the entire script. You know where this character is going, and you understand who he is. In television, you could find out in the third season of the series that you're Jewish. I didn't know [Henry] was Jewish until this year; I'm half-Jewish and am identified largely as Jewish.
Then, obviously, we learn more about his faith and family, and that sort of thing. All of that is what you always want as an actor. It is funny, though, when it shows up three seasons down the line.
As the series is of a procedural nature, it makes sense that the focus tends to be on the case of the week rather than on the characters' personal lives. But The Equalizer has started fleshing out what goes on behind the crime-fighting, between Mel's brother coming back into her life and Harry reconnecting with his childhood rabbi. The storytelling is all the better for it, and this week's episode is sure to be proof of that.