In a dramatic twist that left viewers reeling, the season 4 premiere of ABC's Will Trent aired on Tuesday, January 6, concluding with what appeared to be the death of the show's titular special agent. The episode, directed by star Ramón Rodríguez, depicted Will Trent being taken hostage by the escaped convict James Ulster, played by Greg Germann. As the two evaded authorities, Ulster insisted they needed to fake their deaths to stay ahead, leading to a tense final scene where a burned car containing two passengers suggested the pair's demise.
Ramón Rodríguez, who portrays the resilient Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent, addressed the shocking cliffhanger in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly. "Look, the reality is, ‘Could we just kill our lead character [when the show is] called Will Trent? Not likely," Rodríguez, 46, told the outlet. He expressed enthusiasm for the script's bold ending, adding, "But when I read the script, I loved that ending. I was like, ‘Oh, that’s exciting.'"
Despite the apparent fatality, Rodríguez emphasized that the stakes remain elevated for Will and the series. "There’s a lot of question marks and I think it’s going to be really fun for people when they get into the next episode and see what really happened," he said. The actor, who also helmed the premiere episode, highlighted how the plot forces Will to grapple with his moral compass. "We continue again this thing where Will is having to navigate his moral compass," Rodríguez explained. "He’s somebody that always does things the correct way by the book and now he may begin to start questioning and doubting these things again as he’s exploring emotions he hasn’t really tapped into often."
Based on the bestselling novels by Karin Slaughter, Will Trent centers on a special agent abandoned at birth and raised in Atlanta's overburdened foster care system. Will's unique perspective, shaped by dyslexia and a traumatic upbringing, contributes to his unmatched clearance rate at the GBI. The series has built a dedicated following since its debut, blending procedural crime-solving with deep character exploration.
The season 3 finale, which aired earlier, wrapped up several emotional threads for Will. He met his biological father for the first time while navigating complications from his ex-girlfriend Angie Polaski, played by Erika Christensen, who is now pregnant with her boyfriend's child. Additionally, Will's mentor Amanda Wagner, portrayed by Sonja Sohn, narrowly escaped death in a harrowing incident. A time jump in the season 4 opener showed Will still wrestling with these life-altering revelations.
Rodríguez teased the ongoing complexities in Will's personal life, particularly his fraught relationship with Angie. "There’s a lot of things that we see in that first episode that will be open-ended and have to be figured out. His relationship with Angie — who is pregnant — and this loaded history that they have. Are they able to navigate [that] as friends? They’ve always been an on-again, off-again, but does that trauma bond continue?" he said. "So there’s a lot of fun stuff that we get to play and explore."
The premiere also revisited Will's volatile history with James Ulster, the manipulative criminal whose prison break sets the season in motion. "We get to see his manipulative ways and he tries to get into Will’s head. There’s going to be some fun twists and some fun reveals in that second episode," Rodríguez noted. He promised that the dynamic between the two characters would drive much of the early narrative, with Ulster's psychological games challenging Will's principles.
Looking further ahead, the season introduces new romantic possibilities for Will, alongside echoes of past relationships. "Then obviously the rest of the season we have some new romances — and maybe some old romances. It will be a lot of fun," Rodríguez shared. This comes as the show delves into uncharted emotional territory for its protagonist, including an exploration of his suppressed rage.
"It’s something we really haven’t seen too much of from him. For someone who has such a loaded past in history, for the first time he is really getting into therapy," Rodríguez told Us Weekly. He drew from personal experience to describe the process: "Then a lot of stuff starts coming up for him. So we were really interested and intrigued by the idea of someone unraveling and peeling back the hood on themselves to see what’s in there. The process of therapy, I’ve gone through it and it is interesting what comes up. It can be good or it can be complicated. It can trigger things."
For someone like Will who hasn’t really taken much time to do that — considering how much he’s been through — he just always moves forward and focuses on his job. He keeps himself busy that those have been some of his coping mechanisms and now to finally meet a therapist who is a bit unconventional where her tactics might be a little strange. But I think that’s what someone like Will needs.
Rodríguez praised the show's innovative approach to therapy, a trope often seen in television but rarely with a fresh spin. "I love that we took what we’ve seen a million times before in movies and shows — which is therapy — and we said, ‘How can we make this really different and give it the Will Trent spin that we try to do?’ I loved it," he concluded.
The premiere's cliffhanger has sparked widespread discussion among fans, with social media buzzing about Will's fate. While Rodríguez's comments suggest survival, the ambiguity keeps suspense high as the series continues Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, with episodes streaming the following day on Hulu. This season marks a pivotal evolution for the character, building on the emotional groundwork laid in previous installments.
Season 4's narrative also ties into broader themes from Slaughter's books, where Will's investigations often mirror his internal struggles. The GBI agent's high-stakes cases have consistently highlighted systemic issues in Atlanta's justice system, from foster care failures to criminal rehabilitation. By incorporating therapy, the show aims to humanize Will further, potentially resonating with audiences dealing with similar personal challenges.
As the series progresses, viewers can expect resolutions to the open-ended plots introduced in the opener. The interplay between Will's professional duties and personal growth promises a season rich in twists, as hinted by Rodríguez. With Ulster's influence lingering, the question of how Will emerges from the presumed crash will likely dominate the next episode's revelations.
Overall, Will Trent continues to distinguish itself in the crowded procedural genre by prioritizing character depth alongside thrilling plots. Rodríguez's dual role as actor and director underscores the creative investment in the series, ensuring that season 4 delivers both excitement and introspection. Fans eager for answers will have to tune in to see how Will navigates the fallout from the premiere's explosive conclusion.