In episode 1 of Will Trent, a lady confronts her husband about his infidelity after discovering a break-in. Abigail (Jennifer Morrison) sees a bloody footprint and rushes up to discover her daughter Emma lying face down in a pool of blood and a man with a bloody knife.
See Also: The Pale Blue Eye on Netflix - Movie Review
Abigail kills the man in a fight, possibly from adrenaline or shock at seeing her child dead. A man in a three-piece suit adopts Betty, a puppy, at a rescue shelter for unknown reasons. Trent arrives at the crime site and rapidly disproves the breaking and entering theory. After, Trent finds many clues. Some of them include a photo frame of Emma and another girl who appear alike and two boots of the same size, which the police missed.
Paul Campano, Abigail's husband and the slain teenager's father, enters the crime scene and calls the special agent "crap," implying that Trent and Paul split up. After walking around, Trent smells urine from a closet. He assumes Emma hid in there while the offender stabbed Kayla, Emma's friend. Paul identifies the deceased girl as Kayla. Because Emma was kidnapped and Abigail's killer sought to save Kayla, he sends an amber alert. Trent and Faith Mitchell dislike working together.
While undercover, Angie Polaski's pal Jules tells her that the police's white BMW is nearby. Polaski calls Trent to alert him of the latest development, hinting at a love relationship. The unusual pair meet Warren, the recording studio's owner, at the car's location.
Crime
The cops discover a second kidnapper who drove off in a different vehicle from the CCTV footage. Trent realizes Warren is dyslexic on the way to GBI and fights Paul inside. Paul and Trent were orphaned together. Now, Trent wants to get revenge for Paul's years of bullying, while Abigail leaves her husband enraged.
Michael brings Gabe, Adam's roommate, to the Atlanta Police Department. Abigail accidentally stabbed and killed Adam. Gabe tells Trent and Faith that Adam received notes from a stranger because of his relationship with Emma, a juvenile. Trent immediately detects the letter's reversed E's and suspects Warren.
Before they can reach Warren, he commits suicide. Faith and Trent discuss Trent's orphanage experience after losing their only lead in Emma's kidnapping. Trent and Angie hug at home. Trent becomes dyslexic after struggling to read. Paul tells Trent that he shot the man who kidnapped Emma. The case reopens, and we must wait until next week to learn who Paul shot and how he knew it was him.
Will Trent is odd, but all excellent investigators have quirks, even if Trent's coworkers disagree. Trent's eagle-eye perception discovers hints that others miss, but they're easy to miss.
Episodes will show the agent's rough past and wounded body. Angie Polaski knows Paul and Trent, who seems to have had an on-again, off-again romance. The details aren't apparent either, so we'll have to wait for the next episodes. Trent's probe damaged Faith's mother's three-decade law enforcement career, which he doesn't explain. The Pilot raises several Emma kidnapping questions beyond the obvious.
Review
For crime drama fans, the clues seem clear or Trent's classmates are made less informed to enable the protagonist to shine. If the Pilot's questions don't capture "Will Trent" viewers, this tape-recorder-using, handkerchief-wielding adoptive dad of Betty the dog's quirks will.
Episode 1 of Will Trent is now available for streaming on ABC.com.
