Will Trent showrunners Liz Heldens and Daniel Thomsen have opened up about why the season 2 finale ends with a flashforward of Will’s prospective life with Angie in the future. At the end of Will Trent season 2, Will is about to confront Angie for tampering with evidence and giving false testimony to keep Crystal from being tied to Lenny Broussard’s death. He ends up having a lengthy flashforward scene where he proposes to her instead, before snapping back to reality and placing her under arrest.
Speaking with TVLine, Heldens and Thomsen explained why Will Trent season 2 ended with a lengthy scene of Will and Angie’s possible future together as a married couple. The showrunners explained how the flashforward sequence was to show the life he was giving up by arresting her, while also playing with his inward feelings much like other elements of the series do. Check out what Heldens and Thomsen had to say below:
Daniel Thomsen: It’s the most dramatic way to show the audience what Will was giving up. Throughout the series, we’ve really put an emphasis on Will’s ethical guidelines — they’re like his North Star — and this is the most gut-wrenching situation he could find himself in.
Liz Heldens: The other thing about Will is that he’s not a character that expresses a lot of desires. He doesn’t ask for things, in general. He’s an inward character. We find ways, as much as we possibly can, to get out his desires — he talks to his mother, who’s not really there; he talks to Betty; he uses the tape recorder — but he has never been a character who has dared to hope for this wonderful, beautiful, magical, normal life. This season, with the way Uncle Antonio helped him forgive himself [in Episode 8], I think he’s starting to shift, to be in a position to want things, and to want a future, and to want some scope in his life. He’s just not a character who is going to look at another character and say, “I really want to have a family with you someday.” You have to look at his face and project what he might want. This is a glimpse into what his dreams are, and I thought it would be a powerful way to show his inner wishes.
How Will’s Decision To Arrest Angie Impacts Will Trent Season 3
Will and Angie’s relationship has had a number of ups and downs throughout the series, with the pair often supporting one another with a romance that sometimes led to various break-ups. When the titular character learns that she’s tampered with evidence to keep Crystal from being posthumously connected to Lenny’s death, he has a major choice to make. However, instead of choosing to let his romance with her continue, possibly leading to a life together, he throws it away for the sake of getting justice for the deceased.
With Angie now placed under arrest, it’s clear Will Trent season 3 will be focusing on the fallout from his decision. This will include what her punishment is going to be, as well as reactions of people around him as they learn about what he’s done. Both of them are likely going to be as isolated as they’ve ever been, their trust in one another alongside the trust others have for them now damaged by their decisions. Season 3 will have to show the pair working hard if they’re ever to gain that trust in each other again.
With Will Trent season 2 revealing more backstory for its titular character, it seems this truth may have changed him. His decision seems to be the apex of his character arc this season, even at the expense of a relationship with Angie. Although it’s very possible the damage he did between the two is irreparable, nothing is for certain between these two until season 3 arrives. For now, though, it seems their trust in each other has eroded, and will likely stay that way unless there’s a major change.