ABC’s crime drama series “Will Trent” is out with its pilot episode, and it is safe to say it is enjoyable without being too particular. The story follows the titular protagonist, Will Trent, who is a special agent working for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). Along with a case that starts to unfold in this first episode, there is also stress on Will as an individual, as some parts of his past and troubles from the time are also mentioned.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In ‘Will Trent’ Episode 1?
The eponymous Will Trent, the protagonist of the show, is a special agent for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). Despite the man’s tough professional introduction, his first scene in the series is a comparatively softer one. After finding his dead neighbor’s dog, Betty, in a helpless situation, he had adopted her and now wants to give her away at an adoption center. The two women at the desk of this center do not want any more abandoned pets, and they try their best to convince Will to keep Betty. Despite initially being very against it, Will cannot help but keep the dog to himself, thinking of the possibility that Betty might be put to rest by the center. Returning home, Will finds his professional superior at the GBI, Detective Amanda, who informs him of a new case that has been brought in and appoints him to go with her. This high-profile murder case had been brought to the GBI directly by the Governor, who had been informed of it by the victim’s billionaire grandfather. As Will and Amanda drive to the scene, it is clear that the police squad of the Atlanta Police Department (APD) is not exactly friendly towards Will Trent. They, in fact, passionately hate the detective, both for his brilliant observation skills and for some past case in which Will had incriminated someone in the police department. But the detective does not seem to be too perturbed by such hatred, and he makes his way into the house of the murder.
This house and the events in the Ansley Park neighborhood of Atlanta were, in fact, the opening scene of the pilot episode. A woman, Abigail Campano, returned home from her tennis practice session and was on the phone with her husband, Paul. An argument was heard over this phone call as Abigail threatened to tell their teenage daughter Emma that she wanted to divorce her father because Paul was having an extramarital affair with their personal trainer. Paul did not deny the accusation and instead wanted Abigail not to create trouble for him, but the two were soon shaken up by a different problem. Abigail realized that their house had been broken into and saw a bloody footprint on the staircase. Immediately concerned about the safety of Emma, she ran upstairs to find the dead body of a teenager lying in a pool of blood. Assuming that this was her daughter, Abigail shrieked out and was immediately met with another teenager, a boy, who ran out of the room. The boy, with a knife in his hand, stumbled towards her, and the two fell down the stairs. In a frenzied state, believing the boy to be her daughter’s murderer, she strangled him to death before he could do her any harm with his menacing knife. At present, the police officers on the scene also believe it to be an open-and-shut case, contrary to Will Trent’s thoughts. The police feel that the boy had broken into the house by smashing a windowpane by the side of the front door, had murdered Emma, and then was killed in the altercation by Abigail. However, Will Trent’s specialty and skills are in his exquisite ability to read a crime scene, and within a short while, he dismisses the entire theory of the police.
As Will discovers from the location, this was not only a murder but also a kidnapping. When Abigail’s husband, Paul comes home, he identifies the body inside their house as that of Emma’s best friend, Kayla, and not that of their daughter. As the body was turned on its side, Abigail could not actually see her face, and from her clothes, she believed it to be Emma. Paul explains that Emma had recently made friends with Kayla and since then had been dressing and behaving in a similar manner as the girl, who Paul felt was a bad influence on their daughter. On this particular day, the two girls had skipped school and come to the house, as Will believes, for no teenager skips school alone. Since Kayla was the one killed, it meant that Emma had been kidnapped by the murderer. Upon further questioning of Abigail, it is revealed that the boy whom she had strangled was not the killer but also a victim of the real perpetrator. This boy, named Adam, had also been struck in the chest with a knife by the attacker, and it was this knife that Adam pulled out of his chest and carried in his hand. Immensely injured, the boy stumbled towards Abigail and was unable to speak, but he never wanted to harm the woman. What followed was simply a misunderstanding on Abigail’s side. From the stench of urine inside the closet in Emma’s room, Will finds out that the girl was hiding there when the attacks against Kayla and Adam took place, and she had then been dragged out by the killer and carried downstairs. Her foot, which had touched the pool of blood earlier, now touched the staircase, which left the bloody footprint in the opposite direction. Since the teenager’s personal car was also missing, it was deduced that she had been kidnapped in her own car.
A detective working in the Vice Department of the APD named Angie Polaski was on an undercover mission trying to investigate drug dealers when she spotted the missing car in an alley close to where she was working. She immediately calls up Will Trent, who is very familiar to her, and informs him of the same. Will and Angie are currently in a relationship, as it is later revealed. Will is partnered with a younger detective of the GBI, Faith, who is very reluctant to work with the man due to his reputation. Keeping their differences aside, though, the two reach the alley and investigate the car, confirming that Emma had indeed been kidnapped in its trunk. Spotting a security camera in the next building, they go to check the footage and meet with Warren, who runs a small music studio in the building. From this footage, it is clear that a different car and a different driver were used to drive Emma away from this spot. Although this confirmed that there were two kidnappers, the identity of the first who stayed behind could not be found due to the bad quality of the footage. On the other side, the APD detectives investigate Adam, who was a freshman student at Atlanta City Tech. The boy’s roommate at college, Gabe, is interrogated by the police, but he initially denies knowing Emma or Kayla. Later, when Gabe comes into the GBI office and is interrogated by Will and Faith, he reveals that Adam and Emma were actually in a relationship. They had all wanted to hide it so far since Emma was a minor, and Gabe did not want any trouble for his roommate. Gabe also tells the detectives that a man had been threatening Adam to stay away from Emma and that this person would leave threat notes on their car and dormitory door. Seeing the last such note, Will and Faith take notice of the reversed e’s and k’s and immediately realize who their suspect is. Earlier, when they were inside Warren’s music studio, Will had seen notes on the music equipment, which made it evident that Warren was dyslexic. This unusual writing on the threat note made it clear that this individual, who was also the first kidnapper to take Emma from her house, was Warren himself.
Will and Faith rush to the studio building, but it is already too late, as Warren has locked himself up inside the recording room. Using the microphone, Will tries to talk to and calm the young man down while Faith tries her best to open the lock on the door. However, Warren is already prepared for such doom, and he pulls out a gun to use on himself. For a very brief moment, it seemed like the detectives would be able to reach the man, but Warren ultimately shot himself dead right in front of the two. Will Trent cannot help but painstakingly watch as Warren kills himself. Not only had a young man who could have been brought back to the good side lost his life, but the only living connection that the detectives had to Emma’s real kidnapper was now lost.
What Do We Know About Trent’s Past So Far?
As much as the first episode of “Will Trent” reveals, there seem to be multiple layers and stages of the detective’s past that will gradually unfold. The case in his past that incriminated a police officer is not yet presented in full detail but mentions of it have been made. During an intense conversation that the two new detective partners, Will and Faith, have inside the latter’s car, it is revealed that Faith is also linked to the case. The mother of Faith Mitchell was the one whom Will had investigated in that devastating past case, and he had ended her long and distinguished career in law enforcement in the process. Faith can never forgive him for this, as he asks if Will can change the past, and the detective has to disappointingly admit that he indeed cannot.
Further details about Will’s past, or rather, very beginning, are also provided through the character of Paul Campano, who is Emma’s father. From the moment the two men meet, they recognize each other from their childhood days. Both of them had spent their childhood and teenage years in a foster home, but the difference was that Paul used to be a harsh bully, and Will was his favorite victim. This brash and sometimes abusive personality of Paul still exists, as he constantly tries to be the one in control of every situation. On the other hand, these experiences have taken an emotional toll on Will as well, as he still remembers those days with a tone of sadness in his voice. Will was also dyslexic, which was due to the lack of care in the foster home, and he is rather frustrated by his inability at present.
Sensing that there was more that could be found out about Paul, Will and Faith call him into the GBI office, and Paul immediately starts to create a scene. Angry at the fact that he and Abigail were also called for questioning over their daughter’s kidnapping case, Paul insults Will. A scuffle ensues, and Will then reveals their personal past in front of everyone. This is a surprise for Paul’s wife, Abigail, too, as she never knew that her husband had grown up in foster care and is appalled by his secrecy. She then goes on to tell the cops that Paul had been having an affair with a young woman named Dylan, who looked and sounded a lot like Kayla. Abigail informs the detectives that she had threatened Dylan that morning due to this illicit relationship and then storms out of the place, telling him that she is leaving him. A lot remains to be revealed in this regard, as Paul arrives late at night at Will’s house at the end of the pilot episode. With blood stains all over his shirt and a shaken temper, he tells Will that he has just shot the man who had taken Emma. Paul now asks for Will’s help, acknowledging the great mess he has just created for himself.
What Should We Expect Next From ‘Will Trent’ Episode 2?
With only one episode out, there are numerous things to look out for in the “Will Trent” series. The first of these is obviously where Emma is and who kidnapped her. In a brief shot in the middle, it was revealed that the car that had taken Emma later on was driving through the suburban neighborhoods of Lee County, Georgia. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that Paul knew who this person was, and the mystery surrounding this case will be something to watch. The influential grandfather, who had got the GIB involved, might also be introduced later on. There is also the matter of Will Trent and his past, and revelations in that matter can also be expected in every new episode. His lover, Angie, had been investigating drug gangs before being moved to the Detective Department from Vice, and this might also add up to the main drama somewhere down the line. There appears to be internal politics and rivalry between the GBI and the APD as well, with the character of police detective Michael Ormewood appearing to be significant. Some developments in this aspect can also be expected.
See More: ‘Will Trent’ Episode 2: Recap And Ending, Explained: Is Will Able To Save Emma In Time?
