Will Trent (Season 1) Episode 1: ABC’s new drama has an inspiring start. The perfect viewer for the show does not have to be too particular about their taste. Will Trent should be palatable to a diverse spectrum. Episode 1 sets the tone similar to So Help Me Todd. The story format will have elements of police procedural, harkened humor, and stern character development that will gradually settle into its pace. Ramon Rodriguez’s central ploy is charming but flawed enough to keep you distanced unless you know more.
This recap and ending explainer of episode 1 of Will Trent on Hulu and Hotstar is the first for the entire season. Keep checking back after every episode weekly to ensure you do not miss out on the story!
Will Trent (Season 1), Episode 1 Recap:
Pilot
The first sequence we see in the pilot is an unpleasant conversation between a couple, Paul and Abigail. She has just discovered that Paul has been having an affair with their trainer. As she declares her intention to have a divorce, she sees the house has been broken into. Paul is on the phone with her and cannot do anything. Abigail goes upstairs, following the bloody footrail. She sees her daughter, Emma, lying dead on the floor, and a young man emerges from her room. They struggle when Abigail overpowers him, and we meet Will Trent in the following sequence. He tries to give away his dead neighbor’s dog to a shelter but is guilted into taking her.
Her boss, Amanda, calls him on that case. It also seems that the department has singled him out for ratting. But nothing more is known. The source of hatred seems to be the implication of police personnel by Trent in the past. Although the police feel it is an open and shut case, Will seems to think differently. He does not believe that the killer entered from the front door, as the police seem to think. Will spots clues also pointing toward a kidnapping, apart from the apparent murders. To everyone’s surprise, the girl is Kayla, Emma’s best friend.
It is Paul who identifies the body when he comes back. There is also a hint of awkwardness between Paul and Will. It is later revealed that the two are acquainted. 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. According to their history, Paul informs everyone that Kayla is becoming a bad influence on Emma.
She used to get influenced very easily, and on that fated day, they decided to return to the house after bunking their classes in school. Will deduces that since Emma is missing, someone has taken her. The same person also killed Kayla and injured the boy, who became a mere victim of his circumstance.
Abigail misconstrued it as an attack and killed him. Another logical deduction explains the trail of the bloody footprint by Will. Emma was hiding in her wardrobe and was initially hidden, But the killer found her, and we saw her foot gets soaked in blood and make those imprints. An officer, Angie, spots the missing car (Emma’s) abandoned in an alley. He reaches the spot and then spots Faith, his new partner. They aren’t introduced very cordially but eventually put their differences aside. He would have instead preferred to be paired up with Angie, as the two are in a relationship. The footage from CCTV reveals that Will’s theory was indeed right.
According to the footage, Emma was taken from that place in another car. The name of the boy killed is Adam, and the police then investigate his friends at the local college. One of them, Gabe, comes under the scanner. He hesitates to tell the truth but splurts it out: Adam and Emma were in a relationship. Then comes the big revelation. A stranger was troubling Adam for the last few days and warned him against getting closer to Emma. Their closeness had riled him up; perhaps this man was the kidnapper.
Trent and Faith then put their handwriting expertise hat on to investigate the notes that this man was leaving for Adam. On close and repeated inspection, they notice that the e’s are reversed and k’s too. But what could this mean? They immediately realize who their suspect is. When they went in to see the CCTV footage, they saw something peculiar in the store. It belongs to Warren, and he sold musical instruments. Will had noticed the notes on those instruments all bore the same handwriting. This phenomenon was because Warren has dyslexia, which he even mentioned to the pair when they first met.
As in such scenarios, Warren is already prepared for the detectives. They do not get harmed in any way, but Warren has locked himself in the recording room. The sick man holds a gun to his head. But Will uses the microphone outside the room to communicate. It will give them enough time to try something and save him. Unlike so many other times, the young man shoots himself. The detectives are not able to save him and watch the tragedy unfold with aching helplessness.
Will Trent (Season 1) Episode 1 Ending Explained:
Why does Paul want Trent’s help?
Will tries to process this entire episode. It is also an appropriate time to talk about Will’s past, which will be a recurring theme this season. We can glean from some snippets of conversation that Faith’s hatred stems from Will’s indictment of her long-serving mother. She was a veteran of the force and led a very respectable career. But Will being himself, did not make an exception for her. Will also had dyslexia, so his sadness for Warren was even more pronounced. We return to the present and a revealing ending for episode 1. Paul is informed of the police’s findings at the station.
Being the bully, Paul tries to assert his dominance over Will again in front of everyone. But this time, the detective is not budging from his position. He fights back, and a scuffle breaks out between the two. In all that ballyhoo, Abigail reveals the truth about Paul’s affair in front of everyone. Remember, it was the first thing we saw in this episode, which is why it was so significant. We finally learn the name of the trainer: Dylan. From Abigail’s rushed explanations, we need more information about her. But we do know that she was not happy with Paul’s repeated interventions in her personal life.
All this business about Dylan is summed up in very brief minutes. We will probably get detailed explanations in the next few episodes. The ending of Will Trent’s episode one is a shocking one. Paul bangs on Will’s door at night, all bloodied from something. But he certainly did not go hunting. He confesses that he found the man who kidnapped Emma and has killed that man. His identity is yet not revealed, but we now know that Paul will need the help of his old foe. Will Trent be willing to come and help him? Only time can tell.
