The episode picks up right where last week’s cliffhanger left us: Will’s (Ramón Rodríguez) supposed “murder suicide.” Two bodies. A burned flip phone. A missing gold medallion. And Angie (Erika Christensen)—ever the Will Trent homing device—locks onto the one detail that matters. It’s not Will.
From there, the hour becomes less about casework and more about connection. This is the non-cop, cop show at its best—using crime as the scaffolding for a story about who we protect, who we outgrow, and who we finally let in.
The End of Will & Ulster
The show wastes no time revealing that Ulster (Greg Germann) staged the entire “death” scene. What follows is Will’s most emotionally raw confrontation yet—an epic takedown where he practically Hulks out on the man who shaped his childhood nightmares.
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| “Love Takes Time” – WILL TRENT. Pictured: Michaela Watkins as Susan, Greg Germann as James Ulster. Photo. Disney/Lynsey Weatherspoon © 2026 Disney. All rights reserved. |
The twist arrives at a gas station, where fiancé #3 and former correctional officer Susan (Michaela Watkins) sedates both men and drags them into her Misery coded “home,” Kathy Bates energy and all. Stun cuffs, playing a forced family game (Roses and Thorns), and a severed finger later, the dynamic between Will and Ulster snaps into focus: Ulster wants a twisted father son bond; Will wants the truth, which he finally says out loud:
“We are not father and son. We are not bonding. I’m not dying here with you.”
It’s the emotional severing the show has been building toward for seasons. Ulster’s final moments—shot by Susan, dying beside Will—are grotesquely intimate. Being at his side as he dies lets Will reclaim that “pathologically scrupulous” part of himself he nearly abandoned when he considered killing Ulster. But he refuses to let Ulster’s final words define him.
“I’m not going to let you be the last person to say something nice to me.”
Not forgiveness—closure. Will reclaiming his childhood on his own terms while forcing the van—and the past—to tip.
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| “Love Takes Time” – WILL TRENT. Pictured: Greg Germann as James Ulster, Ramon Rodriquez as Will Trent. Photo. Disney/Lynsey Weatherspoon © 2026 Disney. All rights reserved. |
Caleb & Will: A New Kind of Fatherhood
In contrast to Ulster’s manipulative “I’m the father you deserve,” Caleb (Yul Vazquez) is gentle, awkward, and deeply human. He shows up because he cares, tells Will, “Call me anytime. For anything,” and stays all day for café con leche.
It’s the beginning of something Will has never had: a father who shows up without violence, without strings, without a script. Caleb is imperfect, but he’s trying. And Will lets him.
Angie & Seth: Achieving Couple Goals
Angie and Seth (Scott Foley) continue to be the season’s emotional surprise. Their conflict: Angie, desperate to find Will while experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions, Seth, terrified of the danger she runs toward on Will’s behalf—is beautifully framed. Angie is scared of losing the friend who has saved her over and over. Seth, raised in stability, wants that same safety for their family.
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| “Love Takes Time” – WILL TRENT. Pictured: Erika Christensen as Angie Polaski, Scott Foley as Seth McDale. Photo. Disney/Lynsey Weatherspoon © 2026 Disney. All rights reserved. |
Instead of spiraling into last season’s self-destructive patterns, Angie steps into emotional clarity. She names her fear. Seth listens. They disagree without detonating. This is a relationship built on courageous conversations, not codependency. Seth’s line— “You didn’t grow up like me”—lands with the weight of someone who finally understands the woman he loves. It’s the healthiest Angie has ever been written, and it shows.
Mike Ormewood: Fatherhood, Found Family, and the Faith Connection
Mike Ormewood (Jake McLaughlin) remains the show’s secret heart. His scenes with his kids—especially the bit about his son’s perm—are grounded, funny, and real. The moment his son helps him deduce that Will was abducted by a correctional officer is classic father son bonding.>>
And then there’s Faith (Iantha Richardson).
The Faith–Mike dynamic is evolving into something warm and unexpectedly familial. They bicker like siblings, protect each other like partners, and co parent the emotional chaos of the GBI-APD. It’s not romantic (yet). It’s richer than that. It’s the found family energy that keeps this show from drowning in its own darkness.
Angie & Will: The Unbreakable Thread
Even separated by miles, stun cuffs, and a deranged correctional officer, Angie and Will remain tethered. She feels him in her bones. She knows when something is wrong. When she reaches the site where he’s being held, she rests a hand on her belly— “Will has got to meet you”—and then rushes in, gun drawn, to save her best friend.
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| “Love Takes Time” – WILL TRENT. Pictured: Erika Christensen as Angie Polaski. Photo. Disney/Lynsey Weatherspoon © 2026 Disney. All rights reserved. |
They’re not romantically together, but they are soul tethered. And the show honors that without forcing it into a box.
Final Thoughts
This episode delivers solid relational storytelling, sharpening every bond—romantic, familial, adversarial, and found. Will finally closes the door on Ulster. Angie and Seth deepen their connection. Mike strengthens his family with his kids and builds a chosen one with Faith. And Caleb quietly steps into the role of the father Will never had.
This isn’t just a cop show. It’s a show about emotional architecture—how people build, rebuild, and sometimes burn down the structures that shape them. And this week, that architecture feels stronger than ever.
Which relationship shift in this episode resonated with you most, and why do you think it hit you that way?
Overall Score: 9 out of 10
