Most finales leave viewers hanging until the next season, so it was a relief that we don’t have to suffer the same fate.
There was tons of action and heart-racing drama as the team searched for Angie on Will Trent Season 1 Episode 13. These scenes were interspersed with Amanda and Evelyn dealing with Lucy’s disappearance in 1986.
While there wasn’t a cliffhanger, how these two cases fit together was shocking. I never would have guessed the culprit and was on the edge of my seat.
It’s a huge surprise that James was revealed as the serial killer. I fully expected the shady cops, Butch and Rick, to be involved.
Seeing how sexual assault cases were handled in the 1980s was sickening. Only Amanda and Evelyn cared about those girls, and the male cops threatened that if they kept investigating, they’d get hurt too.
Women’s intuition isn’t going to find this guy. We will.
Butch
Butch was as big of an arrogant jerk in the present, too, so he was easy prey. Even Will thought he was a suspect after only talking to him briefly. I hated how he still referred to prostitutes as “whores.” It was so sexist.
With that in mind, it was easy for James to convince Amanda that Butch was an evil monster, but another murder occurred as Butch was in the hospital.
There were all these clues the GBI and viewers missed. The girl serving James in Will Trent Season 1 Episode 12 also wore bright red nail polish like Lucy’s. He called Will “trash can” when he ran him over, his nickname from childhood.
I’m right behind you, trash can.
The Killer
Paul was also essential because he simultaneously recognized the soap and lotion on James’s hands, and Will realized an error in James’s notes.
What was James’s motivation to hurt Angie? Why did he want revenge on Will? James killed so many victims to prove his point.
James blamed Will because Lucy died in childbirth, so he wanted to take the other person Will loved the most. It was disgusting that James thought Lucy enjoyed being raped and that he thought he was blameless.
James tried to take both Angie and Betty, but Angie ran back for Betty instead of escaping. That showed real growth on Angie’s part since, at the beginning of Will Trent Season 1, Angie couldn’t stand that dog.
Now, Angie recognized how much Betty meant to Will and risked her life to keep her safe.
Erika Christensen gave such a layered performance as Angie fought for her life at Will’s place and Jame’s residence.
Angie was a fighter, and she wasn’t giving up. She wanted to escape, but James kept stopping her until Will arrived.
Will was filled with more rage than ever. He would have killed James for murdering Lucy and torturing Angie if she hadn’t stopped him.
In the end, he was practically dead, so he’ll either die a slow, painful death in the hospital or prison for all those murders.
Like many foster children, Will has longed to belong to someone and have someone love him. He always felt like a misfit at the foster and group homes, and this feeling was intensified by the foster parents and foster siblings ridiculing him because of his dyslexia.
He felt so disconnected, and the murder photos were the first pictures he’d ever seen of Lucy. He had been deprived of knowing his history for so long.
Will: This is the first picture I’ve seen of my mother.
Amanda: She was great, Will, really special.
Will: No, we’re not doing that now. You’ve had over 15 years to tell me who my mother was.
Amanda meant well. She thought she was protecting Will, but she only ended up hurting him. Will had been alone for so long until Amanda rescued him and saw his unique way of seeing the world. It now made sense why she was so protective of Will.
Learning Amanda’s and Will’s backstories were essential so that Will could forgive her for keeping so much from him. Things were different in the 1980s. It was nearly impossible for a single African-American woman to adopt a baby.
It was the 80s. Single women couldn’t adopt babies on their own back then. Losing you broke her heart, so she gave you the only thing she could – your name.
Evelyn
If Amanda had raised Will, things would have been different. He would never have met Angie, the other most important woman in his life.
Will needed help from both of his figure figures to beat this serial killer. It was such an emotional scene seeing a “heavenly” Lucy comfort and encourage her son.
I’m so sorry, baby. I know it’s been hard. But if anyone can do it, it’s you.
Lucy
Will had craved his mother’s approval all his life, so seeing her for a few moments gave him hope.
Now that Will knows he has two moms that loved him, will he be able to heal and forgive Amanda?
Will Trent Season 1 has had its ups and downs, but this was a satisfying finale, even without cliffhangers. We’re so relieved that Angie survived and that Will and Amanda made peace.
The series shines when the entire cast works a case together. Will, Ormewood, and Faith have actually become friends and work well as a team. They all cared about finding Angie.
Who didn’t love seeing Ormewood have Will’s back on the stake-out and shoot Butch? Seeing them gang up against the bad guys instead of each other is enjoyable.
Having Mark-Paul Gosselarr return again as Paul was also a treat. He and Will almost acted like brothers finally when Paul awkwardly hugged Will and kept him safe after James got Angie. Their interactions are amusing; hopefully, there will be more in Season 2.
We’re excited to see what happens next on Will Trent Season 2.
What repercussions will Angie suffer from her attack?
How will Will and Amanda’s relationship change? Would you like to see more of Evelyn in Season 2?
Comment below.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.