May 4th was Star Wars Day, and one of the saga’s most quoted lines is “I am your father,” which makes this May 6th episode of Will Trent feel extra topical. Marking Erika Christensen’s directorial debut, the penultimate of Season 3 deals with the aftermath episode of Angie falling off the wagon while also giving her character a potentially different future. As for the title character, we’ve seen Will Trent try to connect with the mother he never knew without much thought about the other side of his gene pool… until now! Let’s recap.
Season 3, Episode 17 – “Why Hello, Sheriff” – Written by Karine Rosenthal & Jordan Pope
In the mysterious prologue, we see a lot of chemicals and vials in a lab, and a close-up of gloved hands carefully working with them. A loaf of sandwich bread is involved, and at the end of the process, a sandwich is sealed in a plastic container, which is then given to a homeless veteran named Roy (Tom Nowicki) who lives in a tent.
After getting beaten up in a bar, Angie Polaski (Erika Christensen) finds herself in the emergency room. To make matters worse, her boyfriend, Dr. Seth McDale (Scott Foley), just arrived at work to take over her case. Living in sobriety himself, he instantly understands Angie’s pain and asks her if anything happened to cause this. She opens up about her mother, who was in a coma for 12 years ago recently passing away. “You’re not the first person to fall off the wagon, it’s ok,” he consoles her, before dropping a truth bomb – Angie’s pregnant! As her doctor, he advises her to stop drinking, and as her lover/baby daddy, he supports whatever she decides to do.
Special Agent Will Trent (Ramón Rodríguez) returns home from his morning jog to find that his partner, Faith Mitchell (Iantha Richardson), and boss, Amanda Wagner (Sonja Sohn), have made themselves comfortable, thanks to Will’s live-in dogsitter, Nico (Cora Lu Tran), and his adorable chihuahua Betty. Will’s colleagues are surprised by the home renovation project in the dining room, where a part of drywall has been cut out, but there’s no time for small talk. Amanda needs Will and Faith to leave for Bradford County immediately. The town’s Deputy sheriff was killed in her home, and the governor wants the GBI to supervise the county’s hotheaded sheriff. Will is flustered that Amanda won’t allow him to change from sweatpants into one of his signature tailored suits.
Michael Ormewood (Jake McLaughlin) has finally put aside time to see a doctor, but time moves slowly at the VA hospital. When his number is finally called, the receptionist, Gloria (Jill Jane Clements), informs him for the first time that he needs to have a blood test before he can see a doctor, sending him off to sign up for one for another day. “Thank you for your service,” she adds as she dismisses him and his valuable time.
Sheriff Caleb Roussard (Yul Vazquez) is about as inhospitable as can be when Will and Faith arrive outside the home of the deceased deputy sheriff. It’s clear that this is a tight-knit community, as evidenced by the neighbor, Diana (Malena Cunningham Anderson), who brings Roussard some banana bread and tells him about the three gunshots she heard around 2:00 am last night.
The Deputy Sheriff, Joanna, lies dead on her living room floor with a gunshot to her back, joined by a deceased male. Deputy Kenny Hall (Michael Hanson) tells them his name was Levi, a local handyman, whom Joanna met last night at the local bar. Hall shares his assessment of the crime, but Will and Faith quickly see flaws in his theory. Will believes Levi was the assassin’s target, and their first attempt to shoot him through the window fails. The killer entered the home and killed Levi. Joanna’s gun was in her purse, and as the killer put her in a chokehold, she grabbed a knife and stabbed her assailant, who ultimately shot her in the back and fled, leaving behind their gun with no fingerprints and a knife covered in their blood.
As Will explains, he uses a laser pointer, which catches the attention of Joanna’s black cat, Jellybean, who traps through the crime scene, contaminating it. In the process of keeping Jellybean out of the living room, Will slams a double-glass door that already had bullet holes in it, causing the glass to shatter.
Will and Faith go to the bar where Joanna met Levi to ask questions. Will is hung up on a T-shaped brand they saw on Levi’s side, and the fact that among his possessions was a membership card for a gym in Atlanta, an 80-minute drive from Bradford County. The bartender, Bailey (Indya Bussey), remembers Joanna and Levi being all over each other. There was another man who seemed to be watching Levi like a hawk. She didn’t catch his name, and he paid for his root beer in cash, but she thinks he’s the son of a middle school teacher, Mr. Korda.
Who should be standing in the Korda’s driveway but Sheriff Caleb Roussard, one step ahead of Will and Faith. Roussard introduces them to Vince Korda (Kevin Dunn), an old friend of his. Roussard recognized the killer’s gun at the scene of the crime as one that Vince gave to his son, Beau, who has a checkered past of theft and drugs. Vince thought Beau was in Atlanta, seeming confused that his son was back in town. Roussard promises his friend he will handle everything, but the GBI reminds him they have to follow protocol.
Angie and Ormewood are tasked with helping out, going to the gym Levi had a membership card at. The manager (Keegan Reese Henderson) shares that Levi only ever seemed to go to the locker room to grab a backpack, which he would take across the street for a while, only to return and put it back. He is impressed by Ormewood’s strength as he pops the lock off with a crowbar. Inside the backpack, they find a list of names, some of which have been crossed out, which Angie assumes is a hit list. It’s accompanied by a printed manifesto that they quickly realize is part of a domestic terrorist group.
