Ever since Will Trent began in 2023, it’s been a favorite since it balanced unique cases and character-rich arcs.
It’s improved each season, and Will Trent Season 3 took that to new heights as the cases had higher stakes and often involved the characters’ personal lives.
The series also injected more humor, so severe cases weren’t overly heavy. The result was a more balanced overall tone.
Stay with us as we discuss and rate the highlights of Will Trent Season 3, including memorable episodes, MVPs, and our favorite relationships.
Will Trent Season 3 MVP: Det. Michael Ormewood
It’s difficult to imagine that when the series began, Ormewood was hated because he was angry and argumentative.
Gina leaving him was the best thing that happened to him since it allowed him to self-reflect and bond with Max and Cooper.
During Will Trent’s third season, the writers threw everything at him, and Ormewood (Jake McLaughlin) delivered.
He finally opened up about his divorce and fear of dating again while flirting with Ariana Madix.
That was one of the most entertaining scenes of the season.
Ormewood also delivered when he learned he had a brain tumor. He had always been portrayed as a strong, dependable man, especially now that he’s a single dad and the custodial parent.
Losing those characteristics or his children would break him, so his emotional journey has been fantastic.
Character Who Needs More Focus: Amanda Wagner
Amanda is the best, and Sonja Sohn can act, but Amanda was often in the background as the GBI director this season, instead of getting character-centric scenes.
We saw her point of view a few times, generally when she was mothering Sunny or Will, and Amanda thrived in those softer scenes when her mother bear emerged.
Some of her best work was in the two-part Season 3 finale since it highlighted the strong relationship between her and Will, but so much was left unsaid.
During Will Trent Season 3 Episode 15, the series explored Amanda’s romantic side for the first time, which was illuminating to see her let loose and see a different side of her.
Hopefully, in the fourth season, the writers will continue to expand on Amanda’s relationships if she survives.
Best Improved Relationship: Will and Angie
Will and Angie have been trauma-bonded by everything that has happened in their lives. They have the type of relationship you either love or hate.
Even I admit it’s dysfunctional, and I’m relieved their relationship has evolved into a closer platonic bond versus a toxic romance.
At the beginning of Will Trent Season 3, it felt like they would never be close again because of so much resentment and pain. Cordial coworkers were the best we could hope for.
However, tragedy cemented these two again, and Angie was the only one who could comfort Will.
While he realized his mistake too late and Angie had moved on, these two will always be in each other’s lives.
Honorable Mention: Faith’s Family
We often complain about the lack of family relationships on primetime television, but the Mitchell family has blessed us with complex family dynamics this season.
Mother and daughters often have deep resentments, and the series highlighted how that started in Evelyn and Faith’s relationship.
Despite that, when her mom was kidnapped, Faith moved heaven and earth to find her, and that brought them closer.
Faith was often harder on her son, Jeremy, because she didn’t want him to repeat her mistakes. In that way, she was similar to Evelyn.
Just like her mom, when her son got into trouble, Faith demonstrated that she loved him unconditionally. The Mitchell family loves fiercely.
Best New Relationship: Faith and Ormewood
New pairings are fun, and the platonic relationship between Faith and Ormewood has been one of the season’s bright spots.
They could banter with each other when Angie and Will were acting toxic.
But it was so much more than that. They became supportive of each other, so much so that Faith moved in with him after losing her condo.
They were adorable watching reality television together and sharing take-out.
Faith was the first person who knew about Ormewood’s brain tumor and may be his primary support system to assist him and the kids. She’s become like family.
Best Guest-Starring Character: Rafael Wexford
It seems like every year, the series introduces a new arc from Will’s past, and this one included introducing Rafael Wexford, whom Will met after aging out of foster care.
Their relationship was complex since they loved each other like brothers, but an incident when they were young destroyed them.
There are only a few relationships where you would kill for someone, and family is one of them. While Rafael held it over Will’s head, their strong bond was still evident, especially as they buried Rafael’s grandma.
Will was torn between a long relationship with Rafael and his loyalty to Faith and Jeremy, which made everything soapy.
Honorable Mention: Sheriff Caleb
While I didn’t see the need to rewrite Will’s paternity, Caleb and Will share many similarities. He’s also not a massive jerk like James Ulster, so I’m keeping an open mind like Will is.
I’m cautiously optimistic that Will may have inherited his sense of law enforcement from Caleb and Amanda.
Their interactions have been entertaining so far, as they both want to have the last word and yearn for this new connection.
Best Episode: Will Trent Season 3 Episode 13
There were many fantastic episodes this season, but we chose Will Trent Season 3 Episode 13 because it showcased the teamwork in saving Will from the cult.
Everyone played a part, beginning with Ormewood using his military background to reach Cass, one of Rain’s minions.
While it took time to break through Cass’s exterior, that compassion helped him admit he felt used, and he helped them save Will.
It was horrifying to see Rain torture the members who didn’t follow the rules, but seeing Will high was still hilarious.
Those dancing scenes when he heard how much everyone cared about him and celebrated his return were some of the best of the season.
So often, Will does not feel appreciated, and for a minute, he felt like he belonged.
Worst Episode: Will Trent Season 3 Episode 6
Will Trent Season 3 mostly thrilled us, but Will Trent Season 3 Episode 6 was the weakest. It had promised to dig into Will and Rafael’s past, but that didn’t come until later.
In that episode, Rafael Wexford’s only purpose was to argue with Amanda over his daughter’s visitation rights.
While Amanda was a bit overbearing, she reminded him to prioritize Sunny over his crime ring.
I also hated that Angie has dealt with so many sex crimes, which causes people to distrust her instincts.
Naturally, everyone assumed John Shelley was guilty, even her at first, and no one wanted to hear any evidence to the contrary.
It took guts and courage for Angie to appeal to Will after everything that happened to them, and that was the best thing about that installment.
Most On the Edge of Your Seat Cliffhanger: Amanda and Ormewood’s Lives Were Left Hanging in the Balance
Will Trent has featured some brutal cliffhangers, but leaving two main characters’ lives in balance and going on an extended hiatus beats them all.
Almost everyone cares about and respects Amanda. Will considers her his surrogate mother, and Faith considers Amanda her aunt.
It will crush them both if Amanda doesn’t recover. She’s the glue of the GBI. She was willing to sacrifice herself to save the rest of the team.
Poor Faith. She also must be worried about Ormewood. He has a similar mindset to Amanda, and his earlier actions may have triggered that seizure, making him collapse.
While he’ll probably survive, his life and their friendship could significantly change next season while he recovers.
We have so many questions about how the team will change next season.
Overall Grade: A-
Will Trent’s third Season excelled at balancing wit and humor with unique and character-rich arcs. Hopefully, we’ll see more of that when the series returns in 2026.
However, the characters, especially Will, still suffered a lot this season. Was it necessarily for him to accidentally kill a child to become more introspective?
Attending therapy was crucial for Will to decide to embrace life again, but seeing him suffer repeatedly has become rough.
While we love character arcs, watching Ormewood and Angie repeatedly suffer is also hard. Hopefully, they can flesh out their characters without seeing everyone in pain.
This long hiatus will be challenging since they left all our favorite characters in flux, and many of us will worry about their safe return.
While I suspect they will all return, making us wait this long seems unfair.
Over to you, Will Trent Fanatics. What were your favorite parts of this season? Remember to grade the season and drop a comment below.
