Will Trent has officially wrapped up Season 3, and it’s going to be a long and stressful wait for Season 4 next January after those major cliffhangers. The Season 3 finale of Will Trent sees things escalate with the Founders Front, as their bioweapon continues to spread through plastic takeout containers. There is no major character death as of the finale, even though there are a number of close calls throughout the episode. Angie (Erika Christensen) and her baby have made it out of the precinct alive, and just in time to get to the hospital for an ultrasound with Seth (Scott Foley). It’s a bittersweet moment, as a heartbroken Will (Ramón Rodríguez) looks on, forced to accept that his relationship with Angie is really over.
Seth, Nico (Cora Lu Tran), and Betty (Bluebell) have all survived the bioweapon attack on the hospital, and Nico has been treated and is going to be okay after being infected. Now, two lives are hanging in the balance as of the end of Season 3: those of Amanda Wagner (Sonja Sohn) and Michael Ormewood (Jake McLaughlin). It’s a good sign that neither of these characters died in the season finale, because that is usually when network procedures implement major character deaths. That said, Amanda and Ormewood are still not in the clear as of the end of this season, and their fates won’t be revealed for quite some time. So, what do these major cliffhangers mean for Season 4? Let’s break it down.
There Is No ‘Will Trent’ Without Amanda Wagner
In the Season 3 finale of Will Trent, the Founders Front storms the GBI and takes Amanda hostage to try to get Vince (Kevin Dunn) released from custody. Angie helps Amanda fight them off, but Amanda is ultimately shot in the chest and leaves fighting for her life at the end of the season. Meanwhile, Ormewood survives exposure to a bioweapon and a shootout, only to have a seizure from his brain tumor once he gets home.
Even though it’s very likely that both of these characters will live, there is still cause for concern about their fates. Amanda and Ormewood have both been around since the very beginning of Will Trent, and it’s difficult to imagine what the show would look like without them. Either of their deaths will heavily impact the other characters, as well as the working environments at the GBI and APD.
Amanda, in particular, is crucial to Will Trent, both as the chief of the GBI and as Will’s longtime mentor. There is an unfortunate trend right now of network procedurals killing off the leader and heart of the show, most recently with 9-1-1. It would be a huge mistake for Will Trent to kill off Amanda. She is the one who keeps things running smoothly for the GBI, but more than that, she is central to the show. Amanda is tied to every other main character. She is the one who encouraged Will to go into this line of work when he was arrested young, and she has been Faith’s (Iantha Richardson) aunt since she was born. She also looks out for Angie and Ormewood.
Will Trent will not be able to recover from Amanda’s death, but Ormewood’s loss will be a massive hit for the show as well. His character development has been really great to watch, and his friendship and living situation with Faith has been one of the highlights of this season. If Will Trent killed off Ormewood, it would be losing many great dynamics, as well as a huge source of its comic relief. Ultimately, the five main characters of Will Trent have great chemistry both personally and professionally, and it should keep them all around.
‘Will Trent’ Should Start Season 4 With a Time Jump
If Amanda and Ormewood are still alive, it would make sense for Season 4 to start with a time jump. This way, Amanda will have had time to recover from her gunshot wound, and can be back at work. Ormewood will be able to be back at work after his seizure as well, and the show could even choose to skip all the way to after his tumor has been removed. Additionally, this will give the show the opportunity to jump forward a bit in Angie’s pregnancy, and to show her and Seth planning to become parents. As of the Season 3 finale, Will has agreed to have dinner with his biological father, Caleb (Yul Vazquez), and his family, so the show can pick up several months into this new shift in their dynamic.
A time jump would be the right move for Will Trent to move past the events of the Season 3 finale without being too repetitive, and without having two of its main characters on bedrest. The show can still explore the effects that the shooting had on Amanda and what Ormewood’s tumor continues to have on him. This is ultimately the best option though, particularly with regard to Amanda’s injury. It isn’t realistic to have her suddenly heal from being shot in the chest, but the show would feel off if she were in a coma, or if she were stuck in the hospital and unable to work. As the season finale ends with Will calling Amanda his family,
