Will Trent is back after a tumultuous Season 1 finale. But is everything back to normal?
It certainly seems to be, as Season 2 opens very much like the pilot episode, with the titular detective (Ramón Rodríguez) once again holding his doggie Betty with a relatively calm disposition. All this, despite the recent revelation of his long-lost mother and possible father, serial killer James Ulster (Greg Germann).
However, newcomer and bomb expert Cricket’s (played by special guest Susan Kelechi Watson) admiration for Trent has them both distracted as they work together. They both agree to go out on a date, and things are looking up for Trent, as his disassociation, as pointed out by Ulster’s kidnapping victim and Will’s co-worker Angie (Erika Christensen), is seemingly paying off. That is until a serial bomber takes the life of Cricket, and all his grief comes flooding back. Now, he can’t ignore his problems and is forced to face Ulster, not only about the new bomber on the loose but to tie up loose ends about his parentage.
“When we tried to figure out who would play this role, the bar we set was we really wanted the response to the episode to be, “Is there any way we don’t have to kill her,” co-showrunner Dan Thompson told TV Insider about how Watson got involved. “When we showed this episode to the network, they were very much like, “Oh my god, does it have to end this way?”
However, co-showrunner Liz Helden details, “We were really looking for a piece of trauma to kick off the season, so we could continue to explore Will’s inner life and what really makes him tick.” She concluded, which could be a theme of the season, “How much pressure is too much pressure for Will Trent?”