Will Trent EP Talks Will and Angie’s Big Blowup and Alias Homage in Episode 4
Are Will Trent and Angie Polaski never, ever getting back together — like, ever?
Tuesday’s Will Trent marked the first time the exes had been in the same room since the titular Special Agent placed his girlfri— err, ex-girlfriend, under arrest. Being forced to work together — on a very meta case involving another beloved ABC show, the early-aughts classic Alias — led to a series of frank discussions, including a particularly volatile exchange at Kay’s Slaughter House.
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In the end, Angie concluded that she and Will have no future together. They’re co-workers now, nothing more. She also clocked a potential love connection between Will and ADA Marion Alba — who, as we learned this week, isn’t technically single. At least not yet.
Below, co-showrunner Liz Heldens weighs in on the state of Will and Angie’s relationship (or lack thereof) and teases when things will start getting “interesting” between Will and Marion.
TVLINE | Before we unpack all that went down between Will and Angie, I have to ask about the Alias homage.
We ended up having a lot of fun with that. We paid our respects.
TVLINE | Will Trent and Alias are both ABC shows, they both hail from 20th Television… Beyond that, though, is there any sort of connection that I’m missing here? Neither you nor [co-showrunner] Daniel Thomsen worked on Alias….
It came out of this idea that there are these lonely people who connect over television, and it got kind of meta. We picked the show Alias because it’s got a pretty rabid following. Britta Lundin, who wrote that episode, was a fan, and it just evolved [from there]. It seemed like a really fun runner. The idea that Angie and Ormewood were fans of it, I mean… those ideas just kind of mushroom up as you’re breaking the episode.
TVLINE | I want to talk about that moment where Will and Angie first lock eyes. I know the audience has been anticipating it, and I can only imagine how much the writers’ room has been anticipating it… What did you want that moment to feel like? What sort of emotions were you hoping to tap into there?
Everybody has had the experience of running into an ex after a bad breakup and you want it to go a certain way. I think we all can tap into that feeling when you see somebody that you haven’t seen in a long time — the combination gut-punch and butterflies in your stomach that it produces — and then when we came up with the idea that they can’t touch the floor, that seemed like a funny metaphor. There are things in this room that we can’t touch, there are things that we can’t talk about… we’re all trying to act normal, but we’re all standing on furniture, and we were just like, how can we make this as awkward as possible? The other thing we thought is that they’re so knit into each other’s lives, and they know each other so well, that we like the idea that there is a part of them that could just kind of snap back into their work relationship and their sort of… friendly banter. But then Angie would catch herself doing that and just be like, “No, we can’t. I’m not doing this anymore.”
TVLINE | Will and Angie ultimately have it out at Kay’s Slaughter House, where Angie screams at Will for blowing up their life. Did you workshop that scene with Ramón and Erika, or was it always that visceral on the page?
We wanted a big blow-up. As it went through its initial drafts, we sat in my office, we’re looking at a monitor and we’re, like, how can we make this as big as it can be and really feel like they’re having it out? As drafts came out, it did get a little bit bigger and more intense, and then Erika and Ramón went for it. That scene was originally supposed to be outside. Because of weather, we had to put it inside. And then we found that gag of, like, what if the door is locked? The restaurant is closing, you’re the last one in there, and they have to unlock it for you. What if they’re trapped in there…? And they killed it. Erika can tap into big reserves of emotion. She’s never afraid to get too mad [and she doesn’t overthink] how something might be received by an audience. I love that kind of actor who’s just really in the moment and not in the mirror with it, you know? She gets to show a lot of colors.
TVLINE | In the end, Angie insists that they can’t keep this cycle going. She says, “Wilbur Trent, I release you.” But does she really believe this relationship is over, forever? Is she really “releasing” Will?
I think she wants to try. I mean, they both have a side to what happened at the end of Season 2. Her side is, “You arrested me in front of everybody,” and his side is, “I had to,” so I think that she’s trying to respect herself, and she’s really trying to let them both off the hook. You know, we all say things one day and feel differently the next day. We try. You say you’re going to change, and you stumble, so we’ll see. But I think she meant it in the moment.
TVLINE | Angie clocks that there’s a connection between Will and Marion… but is Will fully aware of that connection at this point?
I think it’s sneaking up on him a little bit. He’s not really the most self-aware guy in the world, so I think it’s sneaking up on him…. Things get interesting with them in Episode 6.
TVLINE | Marion reveals to Will that she’s married, but she’s going through a divorce. Will we meet her husband this season?
I don’t think so.
What did you think of Will Trent Season 3, Episode 4: “Floor Is Lava”? Drop a comment with your full review.
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