There was never a doubt that Will Trent (played by Ramón Rodríguez) would survive the cliffhanger at the end of last week's episode of Will Trent, but this is still a shocking and intense way to end the first half of the Season 4 premiere. The season's second episode, "Love Takes Time," picks up right where last week's episode left off.
Will's team is initially in shock when it looks like Ulster (played by Greg Germann) has killed him, until Angie (played by Erika Christensen) shows up to the crime scene and realizes that the cell phone there is not Will's, and that the body isn't wearing Will's medallion. Meanwhile, Will has just been abducted by Ulster after giving himself up to protect Caleb's (played by Yul Vazquez) son, Calvin.
Will has faced off against Ulster before, and Will Trent knows this, opting not to repeat old storylines. Instead, Will quickly gets out of his wrist ties and gets the upper hand. Now two episodes into the new season, Will Trent is already coming in hot with bold swings and big risks, and it bodes very well for the rest of the season.
Will gets out of his ties and bests Ulster very early on in the episode, and that easily could have been the end of it. A season or two ago, Will would have taken Ulster right to the GBI Headquarters and gotten him sent back to prison. This is not the same Will Trent as before. Time and time again, Will has given up everything and sacrificed his closest relationships to uphold the law. After all that, the man responsible for his mother's (played by Raiany Silva) death and his horrible childhood gets to walk free again.
Will was already feeling lost and angry at the start of the season, but Ulster's escape has broken him, and now he's unpredictable even to himself. The tension is palpable as we wait to see how Will will navigate this new level of frustration and rage.
In a stark contrast to his previous actions, Will, driven by a desperate need to prevent Ulster from causing further harm, finds himself considering the unthinkable—murder. The thought of breaking the law, which he has always upheld so diligently, even in the face of personal loss, is a testament to the depths of his distress. This moral dilemma is beautifully illustrated in a scene where Will, grappling with self-doubt and Eduardo's (his digital assistant) imagined rebuke, teeters on the brink of madness.
The potential for an epic showdown between Will and Ulster—two minds locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse—promised to be a highlight of Season 4. However, the introduction of Susan (Michaela Watkins), Ulster's former prison guard and now one of his fiancées, feels like a cheapening of the narrative. While Watkins' portrayal is commendable, Susan's character shifts the tone from suspenseful thriller to light-hearted sitcom, diluting the intensity and reducing the stakes in the process.
Susan's obsession with familial bonds creates an absurd scenario where Will and Ulster, rather than being adversaries, become complicit in her delusions. The simplistic resolution—simply play along to make Susan feel significant—is not only convenient but also trivializes the complex dynamics that had previously defined their relationship.
Despite this disappointing turn, there are moments of brilliance. The unexpected bond between Will and Ulster, played out as a bizarre comedic duo amidst Susan's captivity, offers glimpses of their true nature. The scene where Ulster confesses his regret for hurting Lucy and Will reveals his intention to kill Ulster is poignant and nuanced. It's a missed opportunity that this could have been the culminating moment, reinforcing the complexity of both characters without diluting the impact of Ulster's villainy.
In conclusion, while the initial setup promised a gripping exploration of Will's moral ambiguity, the episode ultimately falls short by introducing a villain whose harmless nature undermines the tension and depth that had been so carefully crafted. The potential for a more nuanced resolution was squandered in favor of a simplistic, comedic resolution that failed to capitalize on the promising start.
Instead, Will and Ulster form an alliance to escape together, and then Angie arrives at the warehouse where Susan is holding them to rescue Will. This serves as a point of conflict in her relationship with Seth (Scott Foley), as he doesn't want her risking her and the baby's lives when there are other people on the case who can help Will. Despite Seth's concerns, Angie can't stay away from Will when he's in danger. As Will is about to reach Angie, Susan angrily points her gun at him. Ulster rushes at Susan and takes the gun away to save Will's life, but accidentally shoots and kills him. It's a disappointing end for Will Trent's best and most evil villain, who deserved an epic and unforgiving ending akin to Game of Thrones' Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson).
Ulster's death as a martyr is undeserved, but his chilling last words, "See you soon" (implying that Will is a monster just like him), almost make up for it. The episode may be a disappointing conclusion to Ulster's return, but it's still a promising setup for the rest of the season. Though Ulster may be dead, he will undoubtedly haunt Will, forcing him to confront the choice he almost made.
Meanwhile, Amanda's job is being threatened after her time away, Angie and Seth end the episode on solid ground, and Faith and Ormewood (Jake McLaughlin) remain a solid team in a cute scene with his kids at the end. The episode ends with a sweet moment between Will and Caleb, but Will lies to Caleb to hide that he wanted to kill Ulster, setting up a heartbreaking and compelling arc for our protagonist this season.
