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The Will Trent season 3 premiere episode was released on the ABC Channel this week on January 7, 2025. The series' third instalment continues the story of the titular detective and his friends six months after the events at the end of season 2.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Will Trent season 3 premiere episode.
The previous season ended with a falling out between Will Trent and Angie Polaski since Angie was responsible for covering up the crimes of a serial killer. After this, Will Trent essentially quit his job, taking an extended hiatus from work.
The new season began six months after this, with Trent having to cut his break short for a new case, where two police officers were shot off-duty at a captain's barbeque party.
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The episode revolved around Will Trent's old friend Rafael and his sudden confession that he had committed the crime. However, after some investigation, Trent realized that Rafael was not responsible for the murder.
He confessed because his daughter had been kidnapped and held captive by a rival gang who were trying to pin the blame of the crime on Rafael.
The first episode ended on this tense realization, with the revelation that Rafel was being framed.
What was the new case that started the events of the Will Trent season 3 premiere?
The Will Trent season 3 premiere began with a backyard barbeque party hosted by a captain named Cromwell. During the event, he suddenly received a notification on his phone and asked one of his co-workers to conduct a regular security check to avoid anything suspicious.
Two of the captain's officers checked the neighbourhood and saw a parked red car with a few men inside.
The partygoers then heard two gunshots, and rushed outside to find the two exploring cops shot. The case immediately rose to notoriety in the media, as the police realized that one cop among them had been brutally shot and killed, while the other only received one injury bullet.
The police also suspected that the people in the car could be linked to the violent street gang: the Piedmont Kings. This was the case that became the main catalyst that brought Will Trent back into the fray.
Also read: Will Trent season 2 ending explained: Who is the real killer?
What convinced Will Trent to return to active duty in the Will Trent season 3 premiere?
At the beginning of the premiere episode, Will Trent was shown in Tennessee, having stelled into a rented house in the town of Soddy-Daisy. Even though he resigned from the police force, he still took up work as a private investigator to use his skills somehow.
Amanda used all her resources and tracked down Will to ask for his help with the shooting case. One of the Piedmont gang suspects, Rafael, was in custody with the authorities but refused to speak to anyone except Will Trent.
When Amanda asked Will to return to Atlanta, he was initially reluctant and refused her offer. However, after some persuading, he changed his mind and agreed to join in.
After his return, it was revealed that Rafael and Will had gotten to know each other at a foster home, and they were very good friends in the past. This was the reason that Will took on the case: for an old friend.
Also read: Will Trent season 2 recap: All to remember before season 3 arrives
Did the episode reveal who was responsible for the murder of the two cops?
During Will's interrogation, Rafael mentioned that the Piedmont Kings gang were being framed for the attack and that a rival gang called the Grovepark Boys might be the ones responsible.
Acting on this lead, officers Faith and Michael did some digging on the leader of this rival gang, Lincoln Sterling.
They realised that Lincoln was involved in some shady activity, and might be a credible suspect in the attack.
However, the dead police officer's story was also developing rapidly in the meanwhile. It was suspected that the dead officer, Chester, donated a significant amount of money some time ago, making the officers suspect that he had been involved in some underhanded dealings too.
At this time, Will Trent received the shocking news that Rafael confessed to the murder at his house and had been arrested. Upon meeting his old friend in a holding cell again, Rafael desperately asked for his help but confirmed that he had not committed the murder and could not say more in front of the security cameras.
After some investigation, Will realised that Rafael's daughter had been kidnapped and held captive, used against him as blackmail to falsely confess, as the episode ended on this twist.
Also read: Will Trent season 3: Release date, cast, plot, trailer, and everything we know so far
Audiences can watch the Will Trent season 3 premiere streaming online on platforms like Hulu, FuboTV, and DIRECTV Stream, based on regional availability. The upcoming episodes of the series will be released weekly via the ABC Channel on cable.
