Is [Spoiler] really dead on Will Trent?

Will Trent had an explosive Season 2 premiere that included a shocking character death! Is that character really gone, and what’s next for the intrepid detective?

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Will Trent Season 2 premiere 

The Season 2 premiere had Will Trent back on the job investigating a man killed in a car bombing. While everyone was focused on the crime scene, Trent realized the bomber had gotten the wrong target and had meant to kill his neighbor, Arthur Highsmith (Clark Gregg).

What happened in the Will Trent Season 2 premiere?

Highsmith was being blackmailed by someone who threatened to kill his son in prison. Will met up with Agent Cricket Dawson (Susan Kelechi Watson), a bomb expert who helped him out when they realized someone planted a bomb in the GBI offices and later tried to kill another woman. 

The pair had a great banter, with Cricket dropping hints that Will should ask her out and Will finally doing so in his unique style. Before that could happen, they realized another bomb was placed in the impound lot of the GBI building. 

Cricket and Will tried to defuse it as Will was convinced this had something to do with serial killer James Ulster (Greg Germann), who might just be Will’s father. Cricket asked Will to get a tool from her kit, but too late, Will realized it was a trick so Cricket could take the bomb and toss it into a safe room just before it went off. 

The aftermath confirmed that Cricket had been killed, with Will naturally deeply shaken. The episode ended with him confronting Ulster in prison to get answers. 

It was a stunning episode, so why did Cricket have to meet such an end?

What does Cricket's death mean for Will?

Speaking to TV Insider, co-showrunner Dan Thompson stated that they didn’t want to bump off Cricket as they all loved how Watson played the role. 

"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.”When we showed this episode to the network, they were very much like, “Oh my god, does it have to end this way?"

Co-showrunner Liz Helden added that Cricket’s death was needed to set up a larger plot. The episode had Will seeing visions of himself as a young boy, and this will play into his new trauma. 

"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. How much pressure is too much pressure for Will Trent?"

Helden claims that Season 2 will begin exploring a trauma from his childhood that Will has long suppressed. That's going to come up majorly as he hunts for Cricket's killer.

Watson herself told TVLine that she didn’t mind this sudden exit as she loved making the most of this short time on screen.

"I love that she leaves an impression. Sometimes, there’s just a beginning, a middle and an end, and it all plays out in one episode. It’s in service to Will, and I’m excited to see how that affects him for at least another episode or two. I was just so happy to have the opportunity to play in this world for a little while."

It was a jarring moment as the loss of a woman who could have meant a lot to him is going to drive Will to find her killer and figure out what it means to his past. Thus, while Cricket didn’t last long on Will Trent, she made an impact that will play into Season 2. 

Will Trent Season 2 airs Tuesdays at 8/7 on ABC.