Will Trent Season 1 Episode 1 Review: Pilot
Move over other TV detectives, Will Trent has entered the TV scene. And Will Trent Season 1 Episode 1, “Pilot,” shows that he may not follow the typical procedural formula.
Will Trent is an outsider.
This factor very much plays into how he brings us into his world. The “Pilot” revolves around a murder and a missing girl case, but that’s not the interesting part of the episode. It’s that he just helps to bring down several — presumably — corrupt cops.
This makes him enemy number one amongst his peers.
Immediately, Will encounters hostility anytime he interacts with anyone else in law enforcement, except Amanda Wagner, who assigns him to the investigation.
This past deed alerts us to Will’s rough situation. However, we learn that his life has always been a bit troubled.
Will being an outsider in the world that he thrives in the most isn’t unusual for a procedural series or cop show. However, Will fascinates us enough that we are still hooked even with a premise that has been done many times.
Will Trent is an odd, charming character.
This also makes the show unique to some shows about law enforcement. There are plenty of characters you grow to love in shows such as Law and Order, but generally, these characters aim to remain as professional and neutral as possible.
This sometimes means that they start their respective series by showing as little of their personalities as possible. The cases are more important than the cops.
Will Trent feels like it operates with the opposite intent. The cops and relationships are the keys to these stories.
The “Pilot” drops an intricate web of relationships. There are affairs, romances, grudges, familial bonds, and every shade of complicated that you can imagine.
The most intriguing relationship involves Will and his past with someone connected to the crime: Paul Campano.
We learn that Paul is Will’s old orphanage tormentor. Paul is such a dick that he can’t seem to call Will anything other than “trash can” — a not-so-affectionate childhood nickname.
However, we briefly learn that Paul may have been sexually abused as a child. This makes him a complicated antagonist in Will’s life.
Both men carry some of the baggage and lessons from those orphanage days. Dressing sharp and carrying a handkerchief is a common aesthetic trait of them.
They also both limit what they share with others. Paul hasn’t even told his wife about being an orphan.
Will and Paul’s personal connection creates a tension that’s often not seen between a cop and a victim/suspect/person of interest on these types of TV shows.
The episode ends with a cliffhanger, so we’ll have to see how their relationship evolves in the next episode. Their tension could develop into a bond or further grow the animosity.
Will and Angie have the second most interesting relationship of Will Trent. We’re given little breadcrumbs about it.
From Angie mentioning beating up Paul again, we can assume that maybe Angie also grew up in an orphanage with them. We also can assume that Will and her relationship is one that expands decades, as she instantly knew more about him than anyone at his job.
Angie seems just as complicated and possibly emotionally damaged as Will.
This could mean that we’re in for a series about very complicated people with badges. This is not an abnormal concept but Will Trent does enough to introduce us to this world and make us want to know more.
It could be a fascinating ride.
Stray Thoughts:
- The soundtrack of Will Trent is already very enjoyable.
- Faith having a college-age son is surprising. She looks so young.
- Will Trent starts strong with Jennifer Morrison and Mark-Paul Gosselaar as guest stars on the first (and presumably second) episode.
- This episode really has some truly funny moments. Hopefully, the comedic moments increase with each episode.
What did you think of this episode of Will Trent? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Will Trent airs Tuesdays on ABC at 10/9c on ABC.
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Jerrica Tisdale
Jerrica Tisdale is your favorite neighborhood pop culture junkie. She will annoy you with random TV and film facts, while complaining about whatever is the hottest new book. She has been a TV fan all her life but writing about it for over a decade. You may find her work all over the internet especially reality TV rants. She is a senior writer at Tell-Tale TV.
One thought on “Will Trent Season 1 Episode 1 Review: Pilot”
The show’s plots would be closer to reality if in Montana, where the population is mostly white. This show is based in the Atlanta area. So it seems strange that all of the criminals are white.
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