Will Trent returns tonight for a second round as one of the top two shows on ABC and I have a confession. The first time I watched episodes 1 and 2, I did it for you (as your pop-culture pundit). The second, third, and fourth times were all for me. Season 2 gives everything fans of Will Trent want. Episode 1 is charming and chokingly funny but emotional. Episode 2 is tense and driven. Even better, they’re connected; contiguous parts of a very long, very difficult day for the GBI and Will. One that tests each character’s capacity for every emotion possible. Friendships take new turns, situations escalate, and the intricacies of personal and work lives begin to feel like something is burning. Yet underscoring the action is the whippingly witty dialogue and backward displays of affection that endear the show to us. Also, the toaster ovens—at least the fixing of toaster ovens—bind the episodes together. Season 2 is all about the unexpected nuances and connections that we’ve learned to expect from Will Trent.
Let’s get into it. In the first episode, a car bomb goes off in a suburban cul-de-sac but the victim doesn’t have any enemies. Neither does Will (Ramón Rodríguez), especially not the bomb squad expert Agent Cricket Dawson (Susan Kelechi Watson). She does not hate him at all. But Will is clueless and focused on the case. He’s not used to being desirable, but he’s going to learn today. Meanwhile, Faith (Iantha Richardson) has an “entanglement” of her own to unravel, and Angie keeps it messy because she’s good at it. Likewise with Ormewood (Jake McLaughlin), who tries to give orders but finds out Franklin (Kevin Daniels) is not his or anyone else’s bitch in an exchange that kept me giggling. Boss Lady, Amanda (Sonja Sohn) is still the queen bee with the worst sting and sweetest heart.
There are so many things to smile about in the episode called “Me Llamo Will Trent” from the opening scene where Will takes a class and overshares, to the contentious cop dialogues, to the romancing and the reveals, through to the pulse-racing bomb scares. Kelechi Watson and Rodríguez share the kind of chemistry you want to see play out in a longer form—like a rom-com or a football season culminating in a Super Bowl—whatever makes you blush. The point is, Kelechi Watson is flawless in the role of Cricket Dawson.
The second episode replaces the charm with steadily escalating stakes—actually, both episodes are high on stakes but where the first episode shocks you, the second roughs you up more. You know that lyric, “I’m vanilla, baby, I’ll choke you, but I ain’t no killer, baby”? That’s episode one. Episode 2 prefers the subsequent, “…whips and chains,” well maybe more handcuffs and chains, but you’ll see what I mean when you get there. Titled “It’s the Work I Signed Up For” that’s all I can say about that, for now, but you won’t be disappointed. Okay, here’s a teaser, Will and Angie appear to be nesting but not together and, again, not in the ways you’ll expect.
I’ll go ahead and risk being corny by saying, season 2 of Will Trent is still a thrill. The first episode is brilliant in its storytelling, dialogue, character arcs, and twists. It’s like being on an airplane with a former stunt pilot who refuses to stop now. So, put your hands up! The second episode is a setup, you’ll worry about the ending like a reunion with an ex you know is messing with your mind (but you like it, you like it a lot)
Before I go, I also want to talk about the cast of women and femmes on this show. How are they all this good, complex, and interesting? Faith, Amanda, Nico, Angie, and our beloved Betty, the more we learn about them the more it enhances the series.
Watch Will Trent live because you don’t want to miss a thing (and you’ll need to talk about it with more than your therapist).
