Will Trent finally reveals what Rafael Wexford has been holding over Will’s head all season — but if you make your way over to TVLine immediately after Tuesday’s episode, chances are you want answers regarding the fate of Jake McLaughlin’s Detective Michael Ormewood.
In Season 3, Episode 14, Ormewood learns that he has a brain tumor. “It’s located in the area of the brain that controls visual processing,” Dr. Seth McDale explained. “And from what Angie told me — the car accident… bull-rushing her in your boss’ office — it’s impeding your spatial awareness.”
Only once the tumor is removed will an oncologist be able to conduct a biopsy, “and that’ll give you answers, which exists anywhere on a spectrum from good news… to pretty damn bad.”
A shellshocked Ormewood was shocked as he recalled his dad getting sick and dying young, at age 53. At the time, Ormewood was stationed overseas, and was unable to return home in time to say goodbye. Now he finds himself faced with his own mortality, and wonders how it will impact his two children, Max and Cooper, with whom he has grown exponentially closer in the wake of his divorce from Gina.
Below, co-showrunners Daniel Thomsen and Liz Heldens address this potentially tragic storyline and the deeply personal inspiration behind it.
TVLINE | We don’t yet know whether Ormewood’s tumor is malignant or benign. How long will it be before it’s removed and we receive a definitive prognosis?
THOMSEN | It’s going to be a few episodes. You’re not going to find out next week.
TVLINE | What was it about the Ormewood character — and about Jake McLaughlin as a performer — that inspired you guys to pursue this storyline?
HELDENS | So much of Ormewood’s identity is wrapped up in being strong and capable. He was a soldier. To find that physical vulnerability with him just seemed like a really cool place to go.
THOMSEN | We’re making story out of what we both think is a really emotional thing. When this happens, it’s really scary. There’s a lot of stuff you have to do just in case something goes wrong during this procedure. He’s got two kids. It’s a combination of having all of this stuff, and then not wanting to confront your potential mortality.
TVLINE | I’ve been delighted by how much you’ve relied on Jake for comic relief this season. And he’s been really, really funny.
HELDENS | I continue to be impressed with our entire cast — with one through five on the call sheet. Jake can handle anything we throw at him. He’s a wonderful actor, and he is able to access a lot of emotions and keep everything grounded. He’s funny, and it’s really cool to go someplace a little darker with him and see what he can do.
TVLINE | Ormewood gets quite emotional when Seth delivers the news. But at home, he’s able to put on a brave face in front of Max and Coop. Will he find it increasingly difficult to wear that mask in front of his kids?
HELDENS | We are making story of every step of this, and so we are making a point of him laying it out for his kids in as honest and brave a way as he can without being too honest.
THOMSEN | When we decided we wanted to challenge Jake with this, it was because we really wanted to counterbalance. We want to take him from being Ariana Madix’s bodyguard to being somebody, as a single father, really has to balance all of this other stuff, and deal with the reality of life not unfolding the way he wanted it to unfold. A lot of the specifics are inspired by my life. A couple of years ago, my father was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Unfortunately, he died, and it’s still very fresh in my mind. I’m an adult, obviously, on most levels… but looking back on everything that my father had to do, and the phone calls that he made to me before he told me what was going on…. We had this one phone call where he called me and said, “I’m going to send you a spreadsheet of all the finances,” and I was like, “What?” And he said, “I just want to make sure that somebody else has this spreadsheet.” It’s getting inside the head of what you go through, and the steps you have to take, before you can talk to your family about what you’re going through — or, in some cases, talk to your co-workers about what you’re going through.
TVLINE | Who will Ormewood be leaning on through this experience?
THOMSEN | We make a lot out of the fact that his roommate is Faith. How is that going to change their relationship? What is Faith’s responsibility, as someone who lives with him, to help him through this? We’re not a medical show, so we don’t have to go straight to surgery, or straight to treatment. We can really examine what this means on an emotional level — with family and with friends.
HELDENS | Yeah, and it’s going to give us a chance to explore things like dealing with the VA. It’s going to take us through the rest of the season…. and we’re going to see some friends from Season 2 come back to give him some help, so we’re excited about that.
TVLINE | Will Ormewood’s ex-wife Gina return to the picture?
THOMSEN | This season, Gina does not return.
TVLINE | Let’s move on to the other big reveal — that, at 18 years old, Rafael Wexford shot and killed a fellow delinquent to save Will’s life, and that’s what he’s been holding over Will’s head all season. Does this mark the end of the Rafael storyline?
THOMSEN | Yeah, this is it for the season. We really liked finding a way to end this story where Raphael didn’t have to die — he could still be out there — and I think we landed it in a very satisfying place where we could always come back to it in the future. But for this season, this was the apex of the story — how this event drove them apart in a tragic way, and was a formative experience for Will in terms of what it means to take responsibility in life-and-death situations.
TVLINE | Rafael and his daughter are going into witness defense, which means Sunny will no longer be living with Amanda. Hosting Sunny was such a big deal for her since it was the closest she’s come to motherhood. Will subsequent episodes explore how she feels about losing her?
THOMSEN | The week after this episode, you’re going to see Amanda go off on a really fun adventure [with Evelyn]. That wouldn’t be something you would do if you had a kid at home you were responsible for.
What did you think of Will Trent Season 3, Episode 14: “Funeral for a Quartermaine”? Drop your thoughts in a comment below.
