The season opens with a scene certain to please followers and followers of Rodríguez. Based mostly on the books by Karin Slaughter, Will Trent was not initially Latino however with Rodríguez’s casting, to not point out his phenomenal efficiency because the dyslexic detective who manages to be endearing and prickly, the character’s ethnicity demanded a reexamination. And, on the finish of the primary season, we realized that TV Will Trent is certainly Latino, the son of a slain Puerto Rican intercourse employee.
He learns this historical past with the viewer, having been raised in foster care with no ties to (and even data of) his Boricua tradition. We’re speaking a personality with a thick Georgia accent. So when the second season opens with Trent talking a really horrible Spanish (in actual life, Rodríguez is fluent), the result’s hilarious and meta. For the uninitiated, it’s just a bit foolish, a part of the character’s appeal and development. However for US Latinx audiences who know Rodríguez and our communities’ love/hate relationship with the language, it performs as a realizing wink, telling us that this collection and this character has been certainly one of us all alongside.
And from there, the primary episode soars, establishing the plot for the remainder of the season with out ever feeling prefer it’s doing chores or checking packing containers, as typically occurs in lesser reveals. Right here we meet new love pursuits and watch outdated relationship statuses change. We meet a brand new massive baddie and are reunited with a earlier one. It’s quite a lot of plot improvement however “Will Trent” executes it swiftly with out neglecting its mystery-of-the-week.
And that’s one other place the place “Will Trent” excels. It meets present viewers’ expectations by creating throughlines between its episodes, not simply the characters’ relationships however a bigger crime/ongoing thriller to attach the season. And it makes certain that every episode satisfies the procedural’s tidiness requirement. Listed here are tragedies that may be resolved in forty-five minutes or much less. Unhealthy guys found and disbursed; the world made proper once more by righteous if flawed cops.
Now, in fact, the copaganda subgenre has rightly confronted criticism of late. And “Will Trent” actually performs into the fantasy that legislation enforcement is all the time (or almost all the time) a drive for good. Whereas the primary season opened with Trent dealing with backlash for investigating his personal, that thread is absent within the second season premiere. One can solely hope it’ll present up once more in later episodes.
As an alternative, we get time with all our favourite Georgia legislation enforcement officers. Iantha Richardson is again as Will’s accomplice Religion Mitchell, simply as good, powerful, and weak as earlier than. Polaski, as Trent’s on-again, off-again long-time romantic curiosity is taking her paces, with Christensen persevering with to embody her wry vulnerability with ease. Sonja Sohn as Will’s boss Amanda Wagner doesn’t have a lot to do that episode, however nonetheless her no-nonsense compassion sparkles on display screen. And Angie’s accomplice Michael Ormewood (Jake McLaughlin), Will’s typically rival, will get a significant arc, placing these lengthy eyelashes and insecure toughman to work.