Will Trent seems to close the door on Rafael Wexford in the 14th episode of Season 3. At the end of last season, Will seemed to have destroyed his life in Atlanta beyond repair. However, like some strange modern version of Mary Poppins, Rafael’s demand to have his old friend handle his case seems to have brought Will back to his center in many ways. So it feels a little sad to think that Rafael may be out of his life forever now, but hopefully we will see him again someday. Here’s a recap.
Through flashbacks to 2004, we see how Will Trent (Andres Velez) came to know Rafael Wexford (Yannick Haynes). A young adult living on his own, Will responded to a room rental at Rafael’s grandmother’s house, Ms. Pearl (Roxzane T. Mims).
Rafael was against his grandma taking Will on as a boarder, in part because he smelled and hadn’t been able to hold a steady job. But Ms. Pearl was impressed by Will’s ability to fix her cuckoo clock. Right off the bat, Will and Rafael had a brotherly, quarrelsome dynamic.
When Will’s dyslexia cost him his fast food job, Rafael let him in on a secret side hustle – stolen rugs. Will recognized the value of the rugs, having once had a foster parent who forced him to work in their home goods warehouse. With Will’s knowledge of Turkish handmade rugs, Rafael saw potential for Will as a salesman, revealing that he always wanted to own a money bin like Scrooge McDuck.
We see Will make his first sale to a man named Henry (Benjamin Spruger). Soon after, the original owner of the stolen rugs, Eddie (James Choi), found Will and Rafael. He demanded the money they made, but also saw their potential and wanted to hire them.
