Will Trent season 2, episode 3, “You Don’t Have to Understand”, follows two parallel investigations between the APD and the GBI, and was a ratings smash. The show’s sophomore season opened with a two-part premiere in February 2024, as season 2, episode 1 of Will Trent picks up six months after the events of the season 1 finale.
It sees the shocking introduction and immediate death of Cricket Watson (Susan Kelechi Watson), Will’s (Ramón Rodríguez) love interest. Life has dealt with another traumatic hand for Will, one that he must deal with the rest of the season.
Season 2, episode 2 picks up right from that moment as Will tries to figure out who killed Cricket with a bomb before any more innocents die. While these two episodes of Will Trent season 2 will surely be important in season 3, season 2, episode 3, “You Don’t Have to Understand” takes a step back.
After two episodes of extremely personal events happening to Will, episode 3 returns to the “crime of the week” storytelling style that the procedural TV show is known for. However, the events of the episode still affect Will in a lasting way.
Will And Faith Visit A Murder Scene At The Mall
The beginning of Will Trent season 2, episode 3, begins with a woman, Isabella Altman (Kaitlyn Bausch) walking into an abandoned mall, apparently set to meet someone. When she tries a door, the handle breaks off. As she looks at the sharp inner mechanisms of the broken handle, a black plastic bag descends around her head and her scream is cut short by a jump to black. The next day, Will and his boss Amanda Wagner (Sonja Sohn) arrive at the mall to investigate. There they found a dead man with the door handle stuck in his back.
Will’s partner, Faith Mitchell (Iantha Richardson), is already there, and while Amanda goes to speak with Councilman Victor Carrie (Ricardo Chavira), hanging around outside, Faith and Will stumble upon another body. Although he has no ID or keys, he is clutching a purse with a bottle of folic acid tablets. Will also find evidence that a woman was there and that she was likely the intended target of a murder. From the bottle of folic acid, Faith also realized she is pregnant.
Angie And Michael Investigate A Deceased Fitness Guru
While GBI is investigating the mall murders, Angie (Erika Christensen) and Michael (Jake McLaughlin) are at the morgue, looking at the body of Ted Burkle (Lucas Hyde), an investment broker and fitness guru who collapsed while at the Ruby Dreams Wellness Center. His autopsy revealed that he had a lethal dose of buprenorphine in his blood. Angie understands buprenorphine to be a fast-acting agent, so Ted was likely exposed to it soon before he passed.
The GBI Follows Leads On The Mall Murder Investigation
Amanda reveals to Will what she and her team have learned. The man with the handle in his back is Dale Sorenson, a known member of a biker gang who hires himself out as a hitman. The other man with the purse was Conrad Warren, a local youth pastor. Will reveals he’s learned the identity of the missing woman: Isabella Altman. Will surmises that someone lured Isabella to the mall, and paid Dale to kill her. However, he’s still not sure of Conrad’s role and so calls in his parents, who are accompanied by Pastor Reggie (Jerod Haynes), Conrad’s superior.
Every question Will asks Conrad’s parents is answered by Pastor Reggie, so Will removes Reggie to question him privately. Reggie insists Conrad was not involved and that he is not the father of Isabella’s baby. Will remains suspicious, distrusting religion in general, and goes to visit Reggie’s church, where Isabella was a member. There, he interviewed the congregation and had a conversation with Reggie where Reggie told Will that they both had pain in their youth. Despite his suspicions, Amanda traces Isabella’s parking pass to Councilman Carrie’s office, getting Reggie off the hook.
As Faith and Will left their home, they both noted how anxious Councilman Carrie was during their conversation.
Faith and Will head to Carrie’s home where they meet him and his wife, Erin (Jennifer Westfeldt). GBI learns Isabella was an intern on Carrie’s campaign and Erin is distracted to learn that she’s disappeared. As Faith and Will left their home, they both noted how anxious Councilman Carrie was during their conversation.
The APD Visits Ted Burkle’s Brother And Goes To His Gym
Back at the other investigation, the APD interviews Ted’s brother Joel Burkle (Will Rothhaar), who tearfully says he and Ted were supposed to have a day at the spa together for Ted’s birthday. They were only a few minutes while Ted collapsed. Although Joel can’t think of anyone who would want Ted dead, he admits that his brother was generous but could be self-centered.
Their investigation inevitably takes them to the Ruby Dreams Wellness Center. Summer Fairfield (Cara Mantella), the owner of the spa, is questioned when APD learns Ted intended to start his own spa, but Summer claims she had no problem with that. Angie and Michael also asked another gym member, Wolfgang (William McKinney), whom Ted was supposed to go into business with.
Wolfgang claims there were no hard feelings when Ted backed out, but the APD finds one of Wolfgang’s branded essential oils melting on a hot stone, suggesting he is destroying evidence.
Wolfgang claims there were no hard feelings when Ted backed out, but the APD finds one of Wolfgang’s branded essential oils melting on a hot stone, suggesting he is destroying evidence. Despite claiming his innocence, Ange and Michael take him back to the department for more questioning.
Michael And Angie Realize Who Killed Ted Burkle
Furthermore, the detectives uncover that the Burkles’ father was also paying his two sons through a trust, one that would all go to Joel if Ted was out of the picture. When Michael asks Joel if his father was using buprenorphine patches for his pain, Joel’s face goes white, and he all but confesses. The APD prepares to take him in but allows Joel to say goodbye to his father one last time.
