Will Trent – ...Speaking of Sharks – Review: A Killer Return (Pun Fully Intended)

The Premiere 

The Season 4 opener of Will Trent proves the series hasn’t missed a beat. If anything, it returns sharper, darker, and more emotionally layered than ever — a balancing act the show has always excelled at, but here it feels especially intentional. This episode is a reminder that Will Trent knows exactly what it is: a crime drama with heart, humor, and a protagonist whose trauma isn’t just backstory but an active force shaping every choice he makes.

Will in Therapy The episode opens with Will (Ramon Rodriguez) doing something he’s avoided for most of his life — standing on a pickleball court across from his therapist, Dr. Roach (Margaret Cho), and actually talking about his feelings. His attachment trauma, rooted in childhood violence and neglect, is no longer subtext. It’s text.

“… Speaking of Sharks” – WILL TRENT. Pictured: Ramon Rodriquez as Will Trent, Margaret Cho as Dr. Roach. Photo. Disney/Lynsey Weatherspoon © 2026 Disney. All rights reserved

When Dr. Roach tells him that anger doesn’t like to be ignored, the line becomes a thesis for the entire hour. Will spends the rest of the episode simmering, snapping, and spiraling while his partner Faith Mitchell (Iantha Richardson) and his boss Amanda Wagner (Sonja Sohn) watch with a mix of worry and fierce loyalty. 

It’s some of the strongest character work the show has ever done.

A Catch-Up Montage with Bite 

The ensemble check in is quick but effective. Angie (Erika Christensen) is fully pregnant — a bittersweet moment for anyone who’s ever wondered what Will’s life might have looked like in another universe. The show doesn’t linger, but the heartbreak is unmistakable.

“… Speaking of Sharks” – WILL TRENT. Pictured: Iantha Richardson as Faith Mitchell, Michael Ormewood as Jake McLaughlin, Kevin Daniels as Franklin. Photo. Disney/Lynsey Weatherspoon © 2026 Disney. All rights reserved.

Meanwhile, the APD and GBI team’s WhatsApp gossip chain is thriving… and Will is very much not included. It’s a small comedic beat that lands because it’s true: Will is always half inside, half outside the family he’s built. 

Speaking of family, “Uncle Will” makes an appearance, promising his new stepbrother, Calvin, that the sharks he fears won’t get them on dry land. It’s sweet, awkward, and so very Will.

Alternate Universes and Bad Omens There’s an Angie and Seth (Scott Foley) engagement subplot that plays like a mirror held up to Will’s life — a reminder of the version of adulthood he never got to have with his lifelong love, Angie. The episode doesn’t hammer the metaphor, but the implication is clear: if Will is imagining alternate universes, something inside him is shifting. And not necessarily in a good way.

Case of the Week: Shocking, Funny, and Brutal 

The tonal whiplash is intentional. One moment you’re laughing, the next you’re staring at a crime scene involving James Ulster (Gregg Germann), who racks up ten victims in forty-eight hours. The show’s signature blend of humor and violence is back, and it still works.

“… Speaking of Sharks” – WILL TRENT. Pictured: Greg Germann as James Ulster, Ramon Rodriquez as Will Trent. Photo. Disney/Lynsey Weatherspoon © 2026 Disney. All rights reserved.

Not everything lands, though. A catfight between Ulster’s would be brides (Wynn Everett and Veanna Black) stretches credulity and veers into making the women look ridiculous. It’s the one beat that feels beneath the show’s usual nuance.

Franklin Rises

The supporting cast gets real estate this episode, including Franklin (Kevin Daniels), now a series regular, canonically gay, and finally getting the depth he deserves. His Janice Theresa Phoenix–style interrogation of Ulster’s blonde fiancée is a highlight — commiserating about how men can break your heart and disappoint. It’s messy, human, and grounded. Franklin eventually learns that the woman’s sister was once romantically involved with Ulster. Sadly, that sister ends up on a slab in the morgue — another one of Ulster’s victims.  

The Past Never Stays Buried

The emotional gut punches keep coming. Will attempts to reckon with his parental legacy — a pretend father who “created” him, killed his mother, and discarded him in the trash. This terrible beginning has dictated his emotional life, and the show doesn’t soften the blow. 

“… Speaking of Sharks” – WILL TRENT. Pictured: Ramon Rodriquez as Will Trent, Yul Vazquez as Sheriff Caleb Roussard. Photo. Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr © 2026 Disney. All rights reserved.

Then there’s Reed Hobbs (Sam Bullington), the man Ulster broke out of prison with. Ulster calls Hobbs his “chosen son.” After a foot chase, Will tries to connect with Hobbs as brothers in trauma. Just as Will is breaking through and Hobbs is breaking down, Will’s biological father, Sheriff Caleb Rossourd (Yul Vazquez), kills Hobbs. It’s bleak, but it deepens the show’s exploration of how violence echoes through every version of Will’s idea of family. 

 Family Ties, Twisted and Terrifying 

A phone call leads Will to his stepbrother Calvin, who has been (low key) abducted by Ulster. Will trades his gun for Calvin’s life and instructs the boy to call Faith, who ends up picking up the emotional pieces.

And in a darkly poetic way, Will keeps his promise to Calvin. Earlier in the episode, he reassures the boy that the sharks he fears can’t get them on dry land. But Ulster is the shark — circling, stalking, devouring anything in his emotional radius. By pulling Calvin out of Ulster’s grip, Will saves him from the shark on dry land. It’s a small but powerful echo of the family Will wishes he had and the protector he’s determined to be. 

“… Speaking of Sharks” – WILL TRENT. Pictured: Eli Botzer as Calvin, Ramon Rodriguez as Will Trent. Photo. Disney/Lynsey Weatherspoon © 2026 Disney. All rights reserved.

Ulster, as Will’s psycho dad, looms over the episode like a shadow. He taunts Will with; I am the father you deserve. The line is chilling, manipulative, and perfectly delivered. Ulster acknowledges that Will and his cowboy father will never stop looking. The only way out: It’s time to die.

The show has always been good with villains, but this is different. This is personal.

A Finale-Level Cliffhanger

Just when you think the episode is winding down, the police converge on a burning car with two bodies inside. Amanda is holding a charred gun. She asks Faith, “Is it Will’s?” Faith says, "Yes". And the final moments deliver a cliffhanger bigger than the Season 3 finale — a bold move that pays off.

Verdict The Season 4 premiere is confident, emotionally rich, and narratively ruthless. It honors the show’s core — trauma, found family, justice, and the messy humanity in between — while raising the stakes in ways that feel like they’re going to matter.

Will Trent is still killing it. And if this opener is any indication, Season 4 is going to hurt in all the right ways. 

What did you think of the episode? What has happened to Will? Let me know what you think in the comments. 

Overall Score: 9 out of 10

Lynette Jones

I am a self-identified 'woke boomer' who hails from an era bathed in the comforting glow of a TV, not a computer screen. Navigating the digital world can sometimes leave me feeling a bit unsure, but I approach it with curiosity and a willingness to learn. Patience and kindness in this new landscape are truly valued. Let's embrace the journey together with appreciation and a touch of humor!