‘Will Trent’ Bosses Explain Cricket’s Death and Tease What’s Next in Season 3
[Warning: The following contains major spoilers for Will Trent, Season 2, Episode 1, “Me Llamo Will Trent.”] Will Trent is back after a tumultuous Season 1 finale. But is everything back to normal?
It seems so, as Season 2 opens much like the first episode, with the lead detective (Ramón Rodríguez) once again holding his dog Betty in a rather calm manner. All this, despite the recent revelation about his long-lost mother and possible father, serial killer James Ulster (Greg Germann).
However, Cricket’s admiration for Trent, a newbie bomb expert (played by special guest Susan Kelechi Watson), becomes a distraction for both of them as they work together. They both agree to go out, and things are looking up for Trent, as his isolation, as Ulster’s kidnapping victim and Will’s co-worker Angie (Erika Christensen) points out, seems to be paying off. Until a serial bomber takes Cricket’s life, and all his pain comes flooding back. Now he can’t ignore his problems and is forced to confront Ulster, not only about the new bomber on the loose, but also to resolve the unresolved issues about his parents. Co-executive producer Dan Thompson told TV Insider about how Watson got involved, “When we were trying to figure out who was going to play her, we set the standard that we wanted the reaction of the episode to be, ‘Is there any way we don’t have to kill her?’” “When we pitched the episode to the network, they were like, ‘Oh my gosh, does it have to end this way?’” However, co-executive producer Liz Helden revealed, “We really wanted to find a trauma piece to start the season, so we could continue to explore Will’s inner world and what really drives him.” She concluded, which could be the theme of the season, “How much pressure is too much for Will Trent?”
After Cricket’s death, he sees violent scenes from his past, alluding to his upbringing, as it’s known that he was in and out of orphanages throughout his youth. “We’re trying to tell a story about a trauma from his childhood that he’s buried,” Helden admits before assuring, “We’re trying to figure out how to open that story up and tell that story by the end of the season.”
The episode ends with Trent and Ulster coming face to face, the latter believing he’s his father and the former hoping that’s not the case. When it comes to what we can expect next, Thompson says, “In Episode 2, we’re really excited to tell a story that has a lot of substance to it about Will and James.” He goes on to tease, “There’s a moment very early in Episode 2 where James Ultser realizes that on some level, Will is choosing to be with him. And that’s really exciting for Ulster. And so the episode isn’t just about finding Cricket’s killer, it’s also about what Ultser does, knowing that he has some power over Will.”
