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ABC’s underrated detective dramedy Will Trent serves up a lively hour that fills in a few blanks about its lead character while also having a ton of fun with a TV classic. So if you’ve been sleeping on this one, now’s the prime time to jump in.
All season, super astute Georgia Bureau of Investigations agent Will Trent (Ramón Rodríguez) has been torn over helping gang leader Rafael Wexford (Antwayn Hopper) escape the crime game without facing too much time. Why’s he so protective? The guys grew up together after Rafael’s grandmother (The Jeffersons‘ royalty, Marla Gibbs) took in foster kid Will, giving him the family he was searching for.
“We knew Will and Angie [Erika Christensen] were going to have more distance between them this season, so it felt important to introduce a character who could help us understand more about what built Will into who he is today,” explains Daniel Thomsen, who created this adaptation of Karin Slaughter’s crime novels with co-showrunner Liz Heldens. The introduction of someone from Will’s early days, he notes, offered the show both a way to reveal his own youthful crimes and a chance to explain why he still struggles with relationships. “The idea that Will fractured a law or two growing up, but still evolved into a pathologically scrupulous person — Will’s words, not mine! — felt very real and interesting to us.”
“Will’s on a journey of figuring out how to relate to the people in his life who don’t always live up to his high expectations, and his arc with Rafael is part of that journey,” Thomsen continues. “I was hoping Rafael would feel like a long-lost brother to Will, and when Antwayn Hopper brought the character to life, we knew we’d found that special dynamic. I’d certainly like to find more stories to tell with the two of them. When Antwayn brought [Rafael] to life, we knew we’d found that special dynamic.”
It’s a dynamic that is about to face a major shift once Rafael visits Will with heartbreaking news: Grandma has died, and they need to give their General Hospital-loving caretaker a funeral fit for the soap’s former matriarch Lila Quartermaine. “We have a few GH fans on the writing staff,” confesses Heldens. “I used to watch it with my grandmother pretty religiously. We put that idea into the first episode of the season and then doubled down on the idea in this episode.” Fittingly, the grave turn of events triggers a reveal from Will and Rafael’s past that would make Port Charles proud.
Oh and big FYI, that’s not the only twist the show has in its chamber.
Will Trent, Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC
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