Before Sara Arrives: Why Will Trent Must Face His Past in Season 4

While I’m sure that most fans want to see Will happy in Will Trent, the show shouldn’t introduce his main love interest from the books (outside of Angie Polaski) anytime soon. The ABC crime drama is based on Karin Slaughter’s book series of the same name. As such, many of the characters in Will Trent are pulled from the novels, including Will, Angie, Faith Mitchell, Amanda Wagner, Michael Ormewood, and Betty. However, given how many books are in Slaughter’s collection, the show has yet to bring every significant character from the novels into the fold, like Will’s true love, Sara Linton.

I won’t go too into Will’s true love interest from the books to avoid spoilers. Based on how much the cast and crew talk about the possibility of Sara appearing in Will Trent in future episodes, though, her arrival is inevitable. The only problem is that the ABC TV series must get her introduction right. Timing is everything, and Will Trent season 4 isn’t the ideal season to incorporate Sara into Will’s life for various reasons.

Will Still Isn’t Ready For A Relationship After His Falling Out With Angie
Will Still Isn’t Ready For A Relationship After His Falling Out With Angie The biggest reason why Sara shouldn’t appear in Will Trent season 4 is simply because he hasn’t gotten over Angie yet. As evidenced by his reaction to her pregnancy in the season 3 finale, Will still has lingering feelings for Angie. Given their history, those feelings might never fully go away.

Will and Angie will always hold a special place in their hearts for each other. However, Will have to try to move on. He has to accept that the future he had always imagined for the two of them doesn’t exist anymore.

Following the events of the Will Trent season 2 finale, the idea of ​​Will and Angie ending up together became all but impossible. He arrested her, and the look she gave him signaled that their relationship was over, for good this time.

Will tried to accept this reality in season 3 when he started dating Marion Alba. Unfortunately, for him, Will’s trauma runs deep, and part of it can be linked back to the day he turned Angie in. If he can’t move past the source of this hurt, Will won’t ever be ready for a stable, long-term relationship. Sara deserves a version of Will who isn’t still hanging on to Angie.

Will Has To Watch Angie Have A Baby With Another Man In Season 4
Although it must be done, it will be difficult for Will to move on from Angie when he has to watch she has a baby with another man, Dr. Seth McDale, in Will Trent season 4.

As many will remember, Angie learned she was pregnant towards the end of season 3. Consequently, Angie had a choice to make in the finale. All of her decision-making got stalled, though, when a terrorist group infiltrated the GBI, and it was up to Angie to save the day.

At first, Angie believed she had had a workshop. The thought of losing her baby (whom she believes is a girl), combined with everything she went through that day, made Angie realize she wanted to be a mother. The Will Trent season 3 finale ends with Angie and Seth basking in their newfound happiness as they hug, kissed, and looked at their baby’s ultrasound. It’ll undoubtedly be hard for Will to watch Angie move on with her life and achieve a future he dreamed of having with her. So, letting go of Angie will be even more difficult for Will.

Will Told Marion He Needed 2 Years Before He Could Be Mentally Ready To Date Anyone
Sara shouldn’t appear in season 4 because Will himself claimed it would take him two years until he is mentally ready to be in a relationship.

In Will Trent season 3, episode 13, Will was working undercover at a retreat led by a cult. He got caught, and the leader forcibly fed him drugs that made him hallucinate. Will dreamed of a disco dance sequence at the GBI, and he was accompanied by all his friends — Angie, Amanda, Nico, Betty, and even Marion. As a reminder, Will and Marion broke up in the episode prior.

When speaking with Marion, Will asked his ex-girlfriend, “Hey! I was thinking, what if you just wait? Don’t have sex with anyone else for like two years until I’m mentally healthy and ready to date you?” And since this was Will’s dream sequence, Marion enthusiastically agreed, and then they all danced the salsa.

Obviously, Will never asked Marion to wait two years for him in real life. However, that want and need came from a true place, and unless Will Trent season 4 begins with a big time jump, Will won’t be “mentally healthy and ready to date” Sara.

Will Needs To Work Through His Trauma Before Meeting The Love Of His Life
As proven by his failed relationship with Marion in Will Trent season 3, Will can’t date anyone until he has processed his trauma. Will has enough heartbreak to go around, and he still carries all of it with him every day. It certainly didn’t help when Will shot and accidentally killed a young teenage boy in season 3, episode 11, which only added to his self-loathing.

Even though Will doesn’t like going to therapy, he must get help after everything he has been through since childhood. He has to deal with his pain before entering a committed relationship. Will could casually date, but as fans of the books know, Sara isn’t someone who could only be a fling for the protagonist. Instead, it would be for the best if Will worked on himself in Will Trent season 4, and then Sara could enter the scene.

Amanda’s Fate Could Traumatize Will Even More

Outside of his Angie problems and his love life, Will has a more dire situation to contend with — Amanda might die after the Will Trent season 3 finale. While holding off the terrorists alongside Angie, one of them shot Amanda in the chest.

Later, the GBI Deputy Director made it out of surgery at the hospital, but the doctors weren’t sure if she would wake up. The episode ended with Will sitting by Amanda’s bedside, evidently terrified of losing someone who had been like a mother to him. Will told Amanda:”I want you to be okay. Because you helped me to be okay … You are my family. So you need to wake up. You hear me? You better wake up.”

If Amanda dies, Will will be utterly devastated. Amanda is one of the most important people in Will’s life, meaning her death could send him into a spiral as he attempts to deal with his immense grief. It would just add to the large pile that is Will’s trauma, making it even harder for him to be ready for a long-term, romantic relationship.

Will Trent Needs To Explore Who Will Is Outside A Relationship

Will has spent the majority of Will Trent‘s three seasons either in a relationship (whether casual or serious) or pining over Angie. So, perhaps season 4 could take a different route regarding Will’s character. In fact, the writers would be wise to have Will remain single. That way, he could explore who he is without a romantic relationship and without the possibility of getting back together with Angie lingering in the back of his mind. Only then can Will be ready to be with someone (like Sara) long-term.

Will Trent Season 4 Has Bigger Things To Worry About Than Will’s Love Life

Another reason why Will Trent season 4 shouldn’t introduce Sara is that it already has many storylines to explore. For starters, the upcoming episodes must resolve the previous season’s double cliffhangers. The viewers need to know if Amanda and/or Ormewood survived. Whether they die or live, the ABC police procedural series must also address the fallout from each incident. And of course, Angie’s pregnancy arc will likely play a big part in season 4.

Meanwhile, Will learned who his biological father is at the end of Will Trent season 3. Will and Caleb will presumably try to get to know one another better in future episodes. According to co-showrunner Liz Heldens, the writers want Caleb to return in season 4. Heldens told TVLine, “We really do want to explore that relationship and explore the way they’re different insofar as both of them being in law enforcement.” So, Will should be busy dealing with Amanda’s fate and his newfound dynamic with his father in Will Trent season 4, leaving little room for Sara in his life.

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