The eponymous character Will Trent has sadly gone through too many devastating events in his life, and he deserves a healthy relationship in season 3 that isn’t based on a traumatic one. The ABC crime drama, created by Liz Heldens, Karin Slaughter, and Daniel T. Thomsen, is based on Slaughter’s book series of the same name and centers on Will Trent, a highly intelligent Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) agent who grew up in a foster home. Angie Polaski was also placed in the Atlanta foster care system, where she and Will met and formed a deep bond. Will and Angie (a detective for the Atlanta Police Department) have been friends since they were children and have been through tremendous hardships together during their formative years. Their friendship turns romantic as they become teenagers, but because they both have extreme trauma, the relationship is not healthy. Since then, Will and Angie have had an on-again, off-again relationship. At the end of season 1, it seemed like the two had called it quits for good. One might think that Will Trent season 2 would introduce a new love interest for Ramón Rodríguez. Instead, it left Will and Angie disappointed when they got back together.
Unfortunately, Will Trent season 2 didn’t end Will and Angie’s relationship for good, as they kissed at the end of episode 7, “Have You Never Been to a Wedding?” and seemingly rekindled their romance. The two were still very much in love and didn’t fall back into their old ways for many episodes, but after the hostage incident at the wedding, Will was vulnerable and Angie was ready to be his escape. They succumbed to temptation, and even Will’s dog Betty judged the couple while they were kissing.
Will and Angie understand each other on a level that many people cannot fathom, but being more than friends is a bad idea.
Given their past and strong bond, some people might have been supportive of Will and Angie getting back together. However, the on-again, off-again nature of their relationship was unhealthy, and their being together proved to be detrimental to their mental health. The foundation of Will and Angie’s relationship was built on their shared experiences of abuse. As such, they are both reminders of each other’s traumatic pasts, and Angie tends to push Will away. Yes, Will and Angie understand each other on a level that many people cannot fathom, but being more than friends is a bad idea.
The relationship between Will and Angie in Will Trent can be described as a traumatic one. While some couples in traumatic relationships are able to work through their issues and build a healthy relationship, Will and Angie have proven (time and again) that their romantic relationship is toxic, and likely always will be. If they haven’t worked through their weaknesses by now (in their 30s), a lasting romance is out of the question. It seems like they haven’t come to terms with that harsh truth in Will Trent season 2, so season 3 has to help them figure it out.
At this point, it’s clear that Will and Angie only got back together after one of them experienced a traumatic event.
Instead of working through it themselves (and Will working through his blocked memories from his childhood throughout the season), Will and Angie continue to try to escape their trauma by continuing their relationship. However, while things seemed great at first, their romance always ended in arguments and breakups. Supposedly, this will be how Will and Angie’s latest encounter will be contained at the end of Will Trent season 2, but Ramón Rodríguez, who plays Will, teased that it could work for the couple. Speaking to TVLine, Rodríguez said:
“We’ll see that relationship continue to evolve. But the big question is: Can it evolve in a healthy way? … It feels hopeful. Maybe there’s a way to work through this, and maybe there’s a way we can commit to this. I think there’s anxiety on both sides, and I think for things to really work out in a healthy way, they both need to fully commit and do it.”
Perhaps Will and Angie can turn their traumatic relationship into a healthy one on the ABC series. However, things didn’t work out as expected, and Will and Angie deserve someone who doesn’t remind them of their horrible past. The writers need to keep Will and Angie apart and find him a new love interest for the recently renewed Will Trent season 3.
It’s clear that Will and Angie only got back together after one of their experiences was a traumatic event. So Will needs to look elsewhere for love, and the writers have a handful of characters from the series to choose from. Or, they can create a new character (hopefully not one who dies in the same episode they’re introduced). However, Will and Angie will try to form a relationship
