Will Trent is finally back after what felt like FOREVER with how season 3 ended. All the people Will loves the most were in distress, and there wasn’t much he could do about it, except wait (and we waited with him —f or 6 months!). We get answers about the fate of the main characters right away in the season 4 premiere, which was directed by leading actor Ramon Rodriguez, according to his recent post on Instagram.
Amanda, Ormewood, and Angie are all healthy and happy (as they can be given their other personal issues). Trent is trying to settle into the new normal of seeing Angie pregnant with another man’s baby, when his attention is stolen by James Ulster, his stepfather — better described as his mother’s killer — who violently breaks out of prison and warns Will not to come after him.
Ulster’s escape plan goes up in smoke
Ulster is not quite as cunning as he seems, because his escape plan falls apart completely in episode 1: his getaway passports and money are discovered by the GBI, his aiding and abetting partner is shot, and he’s all out of options. The episode ends with Ulster luring Will into yet another kidnapping situation (remember that Trent was also held hostage in season 3 when he blew his cover while at the compound of a cult).
With Will at the mercy of a serial killer, Ulster’s words in the ending scene were: “it’s time to die”, followed by a car, with two bodies, set ablaze. Will’s partner recovered his tape recorder from the scene, ending the episode on a huge cliffhanger.
Production fails to keep fans in suspense about Trent’s possible death
I immediately called the writers’ bluff with this one! I am normally a pretty good plot predictor, but this one seemed obvious — there’s no way the main character would be written off in the very first episode of a new season! I always say, ‘if they didn’t show it, it didn’t happen!’
Production gave fans very little time to speculate on Will’s whereabouts because the preview for Will Trent season 4 episode 2 gave away the answer to the most pressing issue: Will is most likely still alive. As much as we fans complain about having to wait for anything, those of us who love mystery want to see the plot unfold, rather than having it spoiled in a preview. So, why the cliffhanger in the first place?
The season 4 premiere was meant to be a two-part premiere, according to the episode 2 promo (again, it seems weird to build up suspense and then spoil it before the second part comes out). Production could be trying to ensure strong viewership by giving just enough details to keep us on our toes about whether Will is still alive. I have a few ideas, myself.
Theory 1: Will and Ulster are both still alive
The promo already leads fans in the direction of Will still being alive, although I think we all reached that assumption anyways. Assuming Will is alive, I must also presume that Ulster is still alive. It’d be pointless for him to kidnap Will, just for the two of them to die together in a car explosion. I think the writers want to distract us from a bigger theme that they plan to unravel throughout the season.
Ulster appears ready to meet his day of reckoning at the end of episode 1, but he clearly has some unfinished business with Will, especially by the way he taunts him on the phone. The premiere teases that James feels slightly jealous about Will building a relationship with his biological father. Although he talks about it in a joking manner, I think Ulster has a twisted kind of affection for Will.
Ulster likely won’t end his villain charade without getting some validation and acknowledgement from Will, or helping Will get revelation about something from his childhood (no doubt with selfish intentions, and not to help Will in any way).
Overall, I think this season will be less about “is Will alive?”, and more about “what is Will going to discover (or overcome) from his childhood this season”? This fits the trend of past seasons, where Will learns to address some of the bad habits he picked up as a child, spurring from abandonment issues.
Theory 2: Ulster knows something we don’t
Since James is still living during episode 1, he’s not just a voice in Will’s head; he’s a monster in the flesh that Will must face, and I bet writers will spend some time having Will grapple with more childhood trauma to come to some sort of new epiphany or uncover suppressed memories.
Recall, at the beginning of episode 1, Trent fantasizes about throwing a rock through the window of his foster home. This foreshadows Will’s probable whereabouts, yet to be revealed. He is likely trapped in a place that represents his childhood, and James wants him to confront something — but what? Ulster must know some secrets about Will that fans don’t!
Theory 3: Ulster really is planning to die
If my second theory is true, Trent probably won’t be located by law enforcement right away. James will want to break him down mentally and physically to achieve whatever it is he’s wanting (if he’s smart enough to keep Angie, Faith, and Broussard off his scent). We’ll get a better idea of his whereabouts by episode 2, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he must find his own way out of his mystery location.
What does James gain from kidnapping Will? It’s possible that this buys him more time to flee the country as he originally planned, but I think he’ll be tired of running by the time he’s done with whatever it is he’s doing to Will, and he’ll probably be ready to face his own death. There’s no going back to prison for him, after all the lives he took on his killing spree, and I think he’d rather die than surrender to law enforcement.
Tune in next week to see if any of these theories come to fruition!
Will Trent airs on Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC and streams the following day on Hulu.