“Should I Go Get My Tin Foil Hat?”
I wasn’t sure what to think of Will Trent when it premiered on ABC last January, but I decided to give it a chance. I stuck with it through all thirteen episodes of season 1, and I still don’t quite know what to think about it.
Based on a book series by Karen Slaughter, this series introduces us to Will Trent (Ramon Rodriguez), who works for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He’s got one of the highest clearance rates in the entire state. But he also has a hard time keeping a partner. His latest assigned partner is Faith Martin (Iantha Richardson). The two butt heads a lot since Will is most likely to go wild and do something crazy to solve a case.
Meanwhile, his on again off again relationship with Angie Polaski (Erika Christensen) is back on again. Angie is a cop, and she and Will have known each other since they were in an abusive foster home together. Their relationship isn’t the healthiest, which they both know, but they keep returning to each other. She and her partner usually have their own case, which makes up a B storyline in each episode.
What kind of cases does Will face this season? Things start off with a missing teen girl. A murder takes place when a football player is being robbed. A double murder takes place at a software company. Will takes temporary custody of a young boy left alone by a massacre at a trailer park. And Will goes undercover to catch a drug lord.
As you might have figured out, the storylines on the show are dark. I was expecting that from a show that aired Tuesday at 10 PM for the first season. But I wasn’t expecting just how dark the show would go. It seemed like a few times they were trying to push the envelope, in fact. That didn’t sit well with me. On the other hand, the mysteries themselves and how Will came up with the solution were often fascinating. I’d get pulled in despite myself.
The characters were also very flawed, bordering on self-destructive at times. Don’t get me wrong, I liked them. But that made watching them make bad choices that much harder. I understood why they were making those choices (most of the time), but it wasn’t easy to watch them do that.
This does mean the cast is doing their job. They really are putting in the work making the characters come to life in a way that made me care and made me tune in each week.
Ultimately, this does come down to a personal preference issue. I know other mystery lovers who did enjoy the show. But it was too dark for my tastes.
As a result, I finished out the thirteen episodes of season 1, but I won’t be back for season 2 when it premiers next month. Interestingly enough, the show is going to be moving at an 8 PM time slot. At least last I had heard. That seems like a bad time for a show that is this dark and gritty. But we’ll see if it works out or not.
I really do feel that my reaction to season 1 of Will Trent is personal preference. If you like darker shows, give this one a try. But if you are looking for lighter entertainment, you’ll probably want to pass on it.
I liked the show but missed a lot of the dialog because some of the actors were practically whispering, especially his supervisor. Really could have used closed captions. Look forward to the new season.
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