TV Recap: “Will Trent” Tackles a “Scooby-Doo”-Style Case in Season 2, Episode 4

After a three-week break, Season 2 of Will Trent resumed on ABC with “It’s Easier to Handcuff a Human Being.” As usual, it’s a strange title and one that comes from a quote from this episode. There’s a bit of a Scooby-Doo element to this episode via a crime that seems to have been committed by paranormal activity. But just like in that classic Hanna Barbera animated series, the real culprit is a masked human being.

Season 2, Episode 4: “It’s Easier to Handcuff a Human Being” – Written by Henry ‘Hank’ Jones & Adam Toltzis

Four young adults are partying in a graveyard, celebrating the engagement of two of them – Alex (Michael Rub) and Nicole (Selena Turner). Cut to the morning, and one of them, Bradley (Sean Michael Weber), stumbles to the road. “Help,” he calls to a woman having car trouble. “It was the boo hag!” he yells just before collapsing.

“Mr. Antionio Miranda lives a pretty quiet life,” Private Investigator Percy (Myke Holmes) tells Will Trent (Ramón Rodríguez) at Will’s home. He gives Will all the details just as Nico (Cora Lu Tran) enters to take Betty for a walk. Nico introduces themselves to Percy as the head of Will’s house. “I’m like his Alfred,” they joke about the Batman dynamic they have. After Nico and Betty leave, Will asks Percy to do some more digging to see if he can find why his biological uncle changed his name. Percy agrees to do it, but asks Will why he doesn’t investigate this himself. “He’s my uncle,” Will reveals. Percy cautions that sometimes it’s better not to know. “You remember that old foster dad Sleeveless Jack?” Percy asks, which triggers Will to see his 12-year-old self (Isacc Dodds) again, this time, his younger specter is listening in on a phone call. “He died,” Percy snaps Will back to reality. Will dismisses Percy as he heads to work.

Amanda Wagner (Sonja Sohn) arrives at work wearing workout clothes, telling Will and Faith Mitchell (Iantha Richardson) that she got a nail in her tire on her way to the gym and came to the office to get her extra set of car keys. She is dispatching them to Mathis near Savannah to investigate an abduction, with the lone witness claiming it to be the work of a “Boo Hag.” Will is unfamiliar with the term, but Faith shares that it’s a Gullah Geechee legend.  “A spirit that drains souls,” she explains.

Down in the APD, Michael Ormewood (Jake McLaughlin) shares his excitement with Angie Polaski (Erika Christensen) over a case that will please his wife, Gina. It concerns the death of a reality TV star, Margarita Royale, from a show they watch together every week, “Ex-Wives of Atlanta.” Margarita allegedly fell off her roof between seasons, meaning her death wasn’t caught on camera, but a valet with drug charges is now claiming that it was murder in hopes of getting his drug charges lifted.

In Mathis, Will and Faith meet with Sheriff Epley (Dave Maldonado), who supervises their meeting with Bradley. He’s Alex’s cousin, and he and his friend RJ were celebrating Alex’s engagement to Nicole when the Boo Hag attacked them. Will asks what such a creature looks like. “7 feet tall, covered in moss, and skin like a tree,” Bradley describes it, swearing he’s not lying. “I never actually thought that it took the others, but now…” After Bradley is dismissed, Sheriff Eply shares that five people have gone missing between 1998 and 2016, with local superstition claiming their disappearance to be the work of the Boo Hag. He gives Will and Faith the address of the graveyard.

In the graveyard, Will Trent goes through his typical process of voice recording his notes, walking through the events of the night. Nicole left the group to pee being a tree. When she screamed, her friends came rushing to help her and saw the Boo Hag. The trees in the graveyard are decorated with empty, colorful glass bottles. Bradley is Will’s lead suspect, and as he talks into his recorder, he upsets Faith with his commentary on Gullah Geechee folklore. Faith finds some fake grass in a tree, believing it to be part of a costume. As Will crouches by a log to investigate, a hand reaches over and grabs his. It’s RJ (Anthony Notarile).

RJ is brought to a hospital room, and after nurses treat him, Will, Faith, and Sheriff Epley are permitted to question him. RJ gives the same description of the Boo Hag as Bradley, and recounts how they tried and failed to overpower the giant creature. He fell and hit his head and doesn’t remember anything after that. Will asks why he wasn’t taken like Alex and Nicole. “The Boo Hag must not have seen me after I fell,” RJ reasons, adding, “The witch, either.” Will asks more about the witch, and RJ refers to her as Erica. “Erica Goodwine, the Geechee lady in town,” Sheriff Epley explains.

The outside of Erica Goodwine’s home is decorated in colorful glass bottles hanging from trees and metal scultptiors. Her roof is covered with black crows. Her garage is open, and as Will, Faith, and Epley look around. “Y’all here to arrest me?” Erica Goodwine (Daphne Bloomer) asks as she steps outside to meet them. She shares that as the only Gullah Geechee woman in town, she is viewed as evil by the community and hints that Epley has been at her door numerous times over the years. Will asks why she was in the graveyard after the abduction. “It is my ancestors' resting place,” she shares. “I go there every week to pay my respects and pick up their vapes.” She cleans up the messes people leave in the sacred space, and has a garbage bag full of beer cans from the night of the abduction. Asked about her whereabouts at the time of the abduction, she says she was home alone working. Will says they need to take the bottles for evidence. “Be careful,” Eria warns, “I used those bottles to catch evil spirits.” Will laughs. Erica refuses to come to the station for further questioning. Will asks if she minds having a deputy stationed in front of her house. “You don’t mind if I put a hex on all of you, do you?” Will smiles and replies, “By all means.” And so Erica gives him a hex. Just then, all of the ravens on her roof flew away.

Ormewood fills Angie in on “Ex-Wives of Atlanta,” explaining that Margarita Royale launched her own tequila brand and got into a fight with Adela Blakely because she showed up in a green dress, the color of envy. “This is not real life,” Angie declares. “We’ve gotta bring them in to see who they are off camera.” Michael thinks getting to meet the reality TV stars will make his wife want to renew their wedding vows. Adela Blakely (Phaedra Parks) is the first ex-wife brought in, who says she wore green to the party because it’s the color of money. Not coincidentally, she also wore green to the interrogation.

Next is Aviva Westwood (Shamea Morton), who sits with her dog on her lap. Her dog’s name used to be Miss Thang, but she renamed it Gravity after Margarita’s death. “Margarita slept with my ex,” Aviva reveals. “I guess that other shoe dropped with her.”

The final interviewee is Shanitra Hux (Shakira Ja’Nai Paye), Margarita’s former assistant who became a star herself. Michael asks Shanitra why she didn’t attend the tequila launch party, despite helping Margarita create the brand. She says Margarita owed her. And to Michael’s delight, she says her famous tagline from the TV show – “I don’t make friends, I make bucks.” After interviewing the three reality TV stars, Angie confesses to Michael that she was wrong, they’re exactly how they seem on TV. She speculates that they worked together to kill Margarita. “I have an idea,” Michael shares.

Amanda declines a call from an unknown caller as Will and Faith fill her in over the phone. When the number calls again, she ends the call to answer it. “Amanda Wagner, it’s time to pay,” the caller says through a breathy voice distorter. Amanda hangs up and shrugs it off.

Will and Faith have checked into a bed and breakfast where they have separate bedrooms, but have to share a bathroom with a key attached to a ladle. Will talks to Nico on speakerphone about a draft of a letter he’s been writing to his uncle. Nico offers to write a better version on new embossed stationary. Faith knocks for the bathroom key, but reveals that the walls are thin and she heard everything. She looked into the other unsolved missing persons cases attributed to the Boo Hag, finding reasons for all but the most recent one from 2016. That was a teenager named Kenneth Goddard whose large sneakers were found by a cliff. Their conversation is interrupted by a familiar face and voice – reporter Luke Sullivan (Ser’Darius Blain). “Two teens, a ghost, and cultural appropriation,” is how he answers their question about what he’s doing there. Luke flirts with Faith and reveals he begged for this assignment after he found out she was on the case. Will reminds Faith about the thin walls. Luke shares that he has a suite with a spacious shower she can borrow anytime. “Good to know,” Faith smiles.

The next morning, Faith and Luke are awoken in bed by strange sounds outside. They go outside to find Will Trent standing on the front lawn. Dead crows are all over the front lawn, and more continue to fly into the bed and breakfast before dropping dead. “Are you a believer now?” Faith asks Will. “No, but this is a bit unusual,” he responds, sharing that this is likely a “flushing,” an event where a large bird attacks a group. Epley arrives and takes Will to a farm where a goat was lifted over a fence and killed. The crime scene includes a large footprint and more fake grass.“Whoever took your goats is wearing a gilly suit,” Will tells the farmer.

Faith interviews Nicole’s best friend Hannah, who also grew up friends with Alex. She shared that Bradley and RJ were older and used to buy them alcohol. Now Bradley works in a pharmacy. “He’s just one of those guys who peaked in high school,” she says. “I know he was shocked that Alex got Nicole.” Faith asks Nicole to call her if she remembers anything else. Luke meets her for coffee, and she asks for an update on the missing person she told him about. He wants to see a transcript of RJ’s interview first. “You show me yours, I’ll show you mine,” Faith teases. Luke found that both of Ken’s parents were dead and that he was known to do odd jobs for Erica Goodwine before he went missing. He interviewed one of Ken’s old teachers, who gave him a photo of the boy with some friends. Faith grabs it and leaves, not sharing her transcripts with Luke.

At Kay’s Slaughter House, Michael tells Angie that Gina seemed like she was in a fog when he told her about the “Ex-Wives of Atlanta” case. The waitress stops by to take their order, and it’s Crystal (Chapel Elizabeth Oaks), who thanks Angie for helping her get the job. They tell her they’re expecting one more guest, who soon arrives – Brent Swann (Sean Hankinson), executive producer of “Ex-Wives of Atlanta.” They ask to see unused footage from around the time of Margarita’s death. “Nothing is more important than truth and justice and honor and drama,” he says, quoting the show’s tagline.

Faith brings the photo of Ken Goddard to an evidence meeting, noting how big he was as a teenager compared to his friends. She asks for the size of the shoes that were found and learns that they were size 13, which also matches the footprint from the farm. Will shares that he researched the Boo Hag lore, sharing that the legends started as a way to describe feelings like depression and paranoia. He suggests that Erica may have been Ken’s metaphorical Boo Hag. He wants to try and find Ken.

And then Nicole turns up on the side of a road. She is brought to the hotel to be treated. Will asks her what happened after the graveyard. “I don’t want to remember this,” she cries. But she does share one fact – she could hear rushing water from wherever she was being kept. Faith steps into the hallway and asks for Ken Goddard’s medical records. RJ and Bradley arrive to see Nicole, asking Faith if she remembers what happened. Faith denies them entry, saying Nicole needs to rest. After the boys leave, she asks the nurse to not admit anyone without her approval.

Will and Faith examine a map of town to see if there’s anywhere that could’ve allowed Nicole to hear rushing water. Will suspects she could’ve mistaken highway noise for water. A nurse told Faith that Nicole’s wounds were packed with mud to help fight off infection. When they see Luke leave the bed and breakfast, they follow him to the graveyard. But their plans are changed when Will, once again, is distracted by a vision of his younger self. “Go away, he whispers, catching Faith’s attention. “I might be losing my mind,” he reluctantly tells Faith after she begs him to open up to her. “I’m seeing me when I was 12. He’s been following me around.” Faith asks Will what happened to him when he was that age. He tells her that his foster dad, Jack, killed his wife. “Did you see it happen?” Faith asks. “My memory of that year is a little foggy,” Will replies. Faith tells him he’s not crazy, but she thinks his 12-year-old self needs his attention. Luke sees them and rushes over, angry that he was followed. He was there to meet RJ, who told him to come alone. Will says that if RJ has something else to say, they should all be privy to it. They follow Luke to the graveyard where RJ was to meet him, only to find that RJ is dead on the ground. He’s bleeding from the chest, and the murder weapon looks like one of Erica’s sculpting tools.

Erica is brought into the station. She tells Will and Faith that she was framed, pointing out that a deputy has been outside her home since the abduction. Will asks her about Ken and she is upset when it’s implied that she had a relationship with the boy. “I gave Ken a place to be,” she reveals. “We made bottle trees, and we went on hikes. That boy deserved so much better than what he got, and that’s all I’m going to say.”

“She’s lucky I only pushed her,” the voice of Shanitra Hux is heard on an audio recording that Ormewood and Angie play for the TV star. She laughs, saying that could’ve been about anything. But Michael reminds her that the comment was made in response to Adlea calling her broke, and recalls that in their last interview, Shanitra felt that Margarita owed her. Shanitra starts to cry and comes clean, saying they wouldn’t let her stay on the show. Brent Swann rushes in with a camera to capture her confession. Shanitra tries to make a run for it, comedically running into the supply room, trapping herself.

Faith brings Will two files – one of Ken’s medical records, the other Nicole’s toxicity reports. Will rushes back to Erica to share that he knows she didn’t kill RJ, but that he believes Ken is alive and has Alex. “I need you to help me find him,” Will asks. Shortly after, Will searches the woods with police dogs, calling Ken’s name, talking about understanding why he disappeared. “Your parents, they abused you,” Will says, based on his medical records listing multiple treatments for broken bones and cuts. “I’ve been there, Ken. I know what it’s like to hide. I’ve been doing it my whole life.” The dogs lead them to a curtain covering a small cave. Ken Goddard (Peter Heid) steps out. “Erica told me she taught you how to heal your own wounds, so you did that for Nicole,” Will says. “I know the truth. It’s time to stop hiding Ken.” Ken helps Alex limp out of the cave.

Meanwhile, Faith meets with Bradley. “RJ wasn’t as dumb as you think,” she tells the young man. “He wanted to tell the truth before things got worse.” She reveals that she knows he wanted Nicole, who had Temazepam in her system. Bradley’s manager at the pharmacy shared that a vial went missing from the log. She believes he and RJ were planning to rape Nicole that night, but they didn’t know that Ken was there to stop them. Faith arrests Bradley for murder and attempted rape.

Shortly after, Will goes to Erica’s home to check in, offering to reconnect her with Ken. She says that he will reach out to her when he’s ready. “Not all of us are so fortunate to have someone like you,” Will says. Erica makes amends by giving Will a blue glass bottle that she says will protect him from evil spirits.

Back in Atlanta, Faith and Will bring Amanda a peach cobbler. “Are you disappointed it wasn’t a Boo Hag?” she jokes. “No, it’s easier to handcuff a human being,” Faith responds. When Will and Faith step back into the hallway, she asks him what he really thinks about the dead crows now. “That was most definitely the Boo Hag,” he appeases her. Luke is waiting for Faith and Will tells her to have fun. “Hey,” Faith pauses. “I’m never going to know a fraction of the things that happened to you as a kid, but maybe that 12-year-old knows who you are.” Will is confused. “And who am I?” he asks. “You are Special Agent Will Trent of the GBI,” Faith reminds him. “It’s just a case, and you don’t have to solve it alone.” Will thanks her as she walks away. Luke offers to make Faith dinner at her place.

Michael Ormewood returns home, excited to share the end of the “Ex-Wives of Atlanta” case with her. But instead, he finds an empty home and a letter. “I’m sorry, Michael,” it reads. “I love you, but I have to go. The kids are next door.” It seems that Gina could have a future on their favorite reality show.

In his living room, Nico gives Will ten different options for a letter to his uncle. Betty barks at the blue bottle he put near the window. “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Nico tells Will. “He’s your uncle, not a monster.” After Nico leaves, Will tries to read the first letter, but his dyslexia gets in the way, and he closes his laptop in frustration. He pulls the necklace out of his shirt collar and holds it, the only thing he has that belonged to his mother. He pulls out his cell phone and dials, getting the voice message. “I’m the son of your sister, Lucy. My name is Will Trent.”

Amanda takes her boxed pie and heads towards the elevator to go home. She seems to be the last one at the GBI. After pressing the elevator button, she hears a strange thumping sound. When the elevator doors open, she steps inside, finding a large nail on the ground. She picks it up and turns around as the doors close. “Time to pay,” reads a message scratched into the metal doors with the nail she holds in her hands.

Will Trent returns next Tuesday, April 2nd, at 8/7c on ABC with “Capt. Duke Wagner’s Daughter.”

As threats against Amanda escalate, Will investigates, narrowing down a list of potential suspects. Amidst the tension, Amanda is forced to confront moments from her past. Meanwhile, Ormewood struggles in Gina’s absence.

Songs Featured in This Episode: