Will Trent Season 1 Episode 9 Review: Manhunt

Many TV shows have featured suspects trying to prove their innocence at the final hour.

Sam Laporte took it a step further when he kidnapped Faith Mitchell from the courthouse on Will Trent Season 1 Episode 9.

Being wanted for murdering a cop and taking a GBI agent hostage was never a good combination.

Sam Laporte wanted justice as much as the cops did and remembered Faith as one of the good ones. It was her bad luck that he ran into her in the hallway.

He needed someone to believe him because there was a dirty rat in the Atlanta PD’s office. No one expected Officer Grillo to murder another cop, let alone make it seem like Faith was assisting Sam.

Faith: You have to see the irony in threatening to kill me unless I convince people you’re not a killer.
Sam: I didn’t have any other options.

It was disheartening to see Officer Grillo have such a grudge against Sam and not understand why.

Initially, he seemed to want justice for Andrew’s murder, but then it became apparent he needed to control the narrative.

He was a senior cop that changed evidence for his purposes.

Officer Grillo was like an abusive husband in many ways since he never let Andrew’s widow talk to anyone without him, let alone defend Sam. He kept her very isolated.

He knew too much about Sam, including where he would hide out to prove his innocence.

Blaming Sam probably seemed easy since Grillo assumed no one would miss him, and everyone hates a cop killer. Even though Sam was later cleared of murder because Sam kidnapped Faith to prove his innocence, he still had new charges against him.

Officer Grillo thought he beat the system by murdering Sam’s best friend, but both Faith and Will outsmarted him.

Blaming Faith for Gwen’s murder and forcing Sam, Faith, and Sam on the run only stalled matters because no one reads a crime scene like Will Trent.

Will reads crime scenes and finds clues that no one else notices. This time, it was the direction the blood faced on the pillow and the marks around Officer Grillo’s neck.

It was apparent even to Ormewood that Faith had still been handcuffed.

Proving Faith’s innocence was more challenging because Officer Grillo had everyone in his pocket, including the Director of the GBI.

I thought Amanda was promoted to Director. I really wanted that because then she could protect her staff.

Will Trent excels when the entire team is involved. Watching Will and Ormewood work together, even grudgingly, was more fun than watching them snipe at each other.

They had the same goal –to learn who really murdered Andrew and how it connected to Faith and Sam Laporte. They approach cases differently but Will hit a nerve when he accused Ormewood of being on the wrong side, making Ormewood examine the evidence again.

Both men were so proper that seeing them dig in the dirt for evidence that Will would do anything to find Faith and clear her name was amusing.

If you’re wrong about this, we’re going to look pretty stupid.

Ormewood

While Will and Ormewood will probably never be friends, hopefully, they’ve reached a new understanding after working together to save Faith and clear Sam’s name.

Iantha Richardson stood out in this installment in her layered performance as Faith.

She showed what a strong, badass Faith was as she pulled her gun on Sam numerous times.

Faith was a mom and only cared about getting home to her son initially.

Faith started to believe in Sam’s innocence as time passed, but she knew they needed a plan and help to beat the system.

Being a mom helped Faith entice a young kid at the gas station so that she could get contact Will through Betty’s new Instagram page. Who knew Betty being famous would come in handy?

Even though Faith was a detective and he was a prisoner, she and Sam had an amusing banter. I could almost see them dating when he got out of jail. That was a sexy, tender kiss they shared in the cabin. Why does Faith have the best chemistry with the bad boys?

Sam: Thanks for saving my life.
Faith: Thanks for ruining mine.

Faith also dealt with killing a cop while protecting herself and Sam.

While Officer Grillo was a jerk, that will still weigh on her regardless of whether her peers think she did the right thing.

Erica Christensen’s Angie also excelled as she learned her former abuser, Lenny, had been released. Additional flashbacks, using the same teenage Angie from Will Trent Season 1 Episode 7, showed her former foster dad entering her bedroom.

It affected Angie so much that she involuntarily screamed, “That’s him!” while on a stakeout for Sam Laporte. Angie had come a long way.

She realized she was overwhelmed and went to a meeting and talked about it.

That man I saw today was supposed to protect me because I was a kid. But he always said he’d rather treat me as a woman instead. I wish I could forget that scumbag existed.

Angie

Even if she felt she should be strong and out looking for Faith, she cared for herself and didn’t relapse.

Some professionals advocate for confronting your abuser, but it’s more challenging when it’s your own.

Angie had difficulty listening to Lenny apologize for hurting her and hearing his pride that she helped others now. In her mind, he had no right to feel proud of her.

To make matters worse, could the cycle start again? Lenny seemed to have another teenage daughter.

Angie should be proud of how she handled herself, but she couldn’t admit that she cared for herself to Will. She needed to realize what she needed to, or she’ll push him further away.

Over to you, Will Trent Fanatics. Will we see Sam Laporte again, and will he and Faith date?

How will Angie cope with seeing Lenny, her former abuser? Comment below.

To catch up on any of the GBI cases, watch Will Trent online via TV Fanatic.

Will Trent airs at 10/9c on Tuesdays on ABC.

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Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.

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