Few procedurals possess quite the same sense of humor as Will Trent, but the series could pull off its most elaborate punchline yet by keeping one character at arm’s length. This would be a relief after Will Trent season 3 became the darkest season to date, thanks largely to several episodes focusing on Wilbur’s accidental shooting of a young child.
Oddly enough, it was his interactions with the rest of the Will Trent cast in one of those very same episodes that helped set up what could become the series’ longest brick joke. The one catch is that the punchline can’t land until Will Trent season 5, and it will depend entirely on decisions made regarding Will Trent season 4.
Will Trent’s Showrunner Has Talked About Bringing Marion Back In Season 4
After two seasons of back and forth with Angie, Will meets ADA Marion Alba in Will Trent season 3. The two are fantastic together, but they break up when Will’s depression over an accidental shooting creates distance between them. She’s absent from the rest of the season, but co-showrunner Liz Heldens says Marion could return in Will Trent season 4:
“I think that Gina Rodriguez is wonderful. She pops off the screen. We love her. It was an amazing experience to work with her, and I wouldn’t rule out her coming back in season 4 at all.”
This is great news for fans of the series, as many believe Marion to be Will’s best match. Gina Rodriguez delivers a predictably charming performance in every scene, but fans of the books might be less enthusiastic about Marion’s return, especially after Ramón Rodríguez hinted that season 4 could finally feature novel character Sara Linton’s first Will Trent appearance:
“That’s something that we talk about, and we’re very mindful of when and how we bring characters in, if they’re from the books or not. And I know it’s something people want; we all were very aware of it. … I think it’s something that, at some point, we are going to probably have to figure out how to integrate. We haven’t gotten too specific about it. But it is something that we talk about, so we’ll see what ends up happening there.”
This is obviously less of a promise than a musing, but it’s interesting to ponder. Bringing Marion back for Sara’s first season could lead to interesting romantic tension, establishing a love triangle between the books’ main love interest and a fan-favorite sweetheart from the series. But, putting Sara aside, there’s a unique reason not to bring back Marion just yet.
Will Trent Season 3 Sets Up The Series’ Best Inside Joke (But Marion’s Return Ruins It)
In Will Trent 3, episode 13 takes Will undercover to investigate a cult who openly labels him a killer for accidentally taking a child’s life. They also drug him with an unknown hallucinogenic, leading to an upbeat disco number during which Will asks a hallucination of Marion to hold off on other relationships for two years while he gets himself back together:
“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?”
Fake Marion enthusiastically agrees, which is the nice thing about dating a disco ghost. And even though the real Marion isn’t present for the conversation, this sets up an amazing brick joke (a joke in which the setup and punchline are separated by unrelated filler). But the joke only works if the real Marion adheres to the hallucinatory Marion’s agreement.
Will Trent season 5 could approach this in two ways. If Marion simply doesn’t return for two seasons, at least some diehard Will Trent fans would make the connection to this scene. But it could be even funnier to have Will acknowledge the coincidence himself. Either way, it would add levity to a more serious reason for delaying Marion’s return.
Will Trent Season 4 Also Needs To Keep Marion At Arm’s Length For Story Reasons
Jokes aside, the best reason to hit pause on bringing Marion back is the same reason some fans think Sara Linton shouldn’t appear in Will Trent for a while longer. Namely, Wilbur still hasn’t made the breakthroughs he admits to needing before he’s ready to start dating again. The series depicts his emotional recovery realistically, lessening it gradually over time.
This doesn’t preclude Marion from appearing as ADA or Sara appearing as a medical examiner. Matchmaking isn’t the focus of the show.
But bringing in love interests before Wilbur’s ready for them does limit their storytelling potential somewhat, so Will Trent needs to tread cautiously. And if waiting a bit means getting a decent punchline out of the deal, then the wait will be well worth it.
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