Will Trent might be coming back for another season, but there is one key member of the show's original ensemble who will not be returning for the show's fifth season.
WARNING: The following post contains major spoilers from Will Trent season 4, episode 15, "The Blank Expanse of Nothing." If you have not yet watched the episode and want to avoid spoilers, you'll want to bookmark this piece and come back in order to prevent the episode's shocking twist from being spoiled.
Will Trent has never been afraid of pulling off shocking twists, but the show's latest development might just take the cake. In a shocking twist, the show has killed off a major character, leading to the departure of a star who has been a part of the show's run since the very first episode.
As Faith and Ormwood worked to get to the bottom of a carjacking case that took one unexpected turn after another—carjacking turned into an alien abduction before we ultimately came to learn that the victims were part of a human trafficking ring. While the pair kept busy with their investigation, Will began to spiral after Adelaide called him up to continue their game of cat and mouse. This game of cat and mouse took a deadly turn resulting in the death of Amanda Wagner.
After Adelaide resurfaced, Amanda began doing a little digging of her own and was secretly working with the FBI to track down the Commander. Amanda was able to track down the Commander, the young man who had slipped Will the burner phone, which put him in touch with Adelaide. Upon tailing the young man, Amanda got out of her car and followed after the young boy on foot, but before she reached him, she was jumped by an unseen assailant.
Shortly after, Will goes to meet with Adelaide at a nearby bar, but he tries to pull a fast one on her by slipping a tracking device that is disguised as a duplicate of the matchbox souvenir she'd mentioned taking from their encounter in Puerto Rico. After giving Will the slip, Adelaide called Will and revealed she had left a gift for him around the corner. That gift was Amanda's dead body in the street.
“What a shame, Will. While we made these dinner plans, I really was going to give you everything you wanted: your uncle, your life, me, all of it, but you had to go ruin it by having your boss go looking for me. I just wanted to see you one last time. It’s over, Will. You’re never going to see Antonio again. And I left you a little present," Adelaide remarked before hanging up the phone. That's when Will discovered Amanda dead as the episode came to a close.
This sadly was not a fake-out death. The show has officially killed off Amanda, with the series creative team revealing that this was a creative decision, one which they hope to use to shake up the rest of the season and send ripples through the show.
“Amanda has been the character who has protected Will for as long as she has known him,” showrunner Karine Rosenthal revealed to Variety. “So this gives us the opportunity for a completely new dynamic in the GBI, because her replacement will not have that same relationship with Will. Her death had the most impact on the most amount of characters. It really sets everybody reeling from this enormous loss. So it’s such a reset for our characters in a way that is painful but exciting for Season 5.”
This decision was not one dictated by an actor's desire to leave, but rather one that the show's creative team landed upon.
“Nobody gets to always exit their shows — even on the writing side — on their own terms all the time. It’s hard to do that with grace. So it was just very impressive," showrunner Daniel T. Thomsen revealed, adding that Sonja Sohn was "a total pro."
With three episodes left this season, it's going to be interesting to see what fallout is in store, but we're certain Will will stop at nothing to bring Amanda's killer to justice.
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