Will Trent Season 2 Episode 5 Review: Capt. Duke Wagner's Daughter
Laura Nowak
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Amanda Wagner has always been silent and strong, which now makes so much more sense.
Will Trent Season 2 Episode 5 fill in more details about Amanda's past, including why an old enemy was targeting her again.
Her story reiterated that things were different for Black female cops in the 1990s and how women still work harder to be heard.
It's disheartening that female cops were treated so differently than their male counterparts in the 90s. It shouldn't be unheard of for a mother to miss work to attend a parent-teacher conference.
Part of me wondered if the department worked harder to find Amanda a partner, if that fateful night with Chuck Murray could have been avoided, or if he would have attacked both of them.
Amanda has always tried to be tough, so much so that Will and Faith seemed hurt that she didn't confide in them about the threats earlier. While she blew it off, they could tell she was frightened.
Will: Then you got a threatening call on your personal line. I didn’t get that call. Did you?
Faith: I did not get a call.
It was out of character for Amanda to want to apologize, and she jumped on the idea that Mr. Garza, the janitor, could have harassed her, and she wanted to smooth things over with him. But all the GBI found was a car racing away and Amanda by Mr. Garza's dead body.
At least the new GBI Director, Edie Reynolds, was more in Amanda's corner. While she insisted the APD handle the case, it was also apparent that she believed in Amanda's innocence.
APD will conduct the criminal investigation. GBI will provide whatever support you need, detectives.
Edie Reynolds
This case became complicated because Will and Faith were like Amanda's family, and they resented that they couldn't help but clear her name. It didn't help that Michael was on edge from his family issues and acted like a jerk to Will to prevent him from examining the crime scene.
When Amanda revealed that she arrested Chuck Murray, a serial rapist and drug dealer in the 90s who was recently released and harbored a grudge, Edie agreed that was a good lead.
Chuck's dad also harbored resentment towards Amanda and barely talked to Angie and Michael, insisting his son was innocent and the female cop was wrong.
While Angie believed in Amanda's innocence, Michael wasn't as sure. When Michael found the bloody coffee grinder at Amanda's condo, Angie seemed horrified. She knew that would destroy Will and a woman's career.
Both Edie Reynolds and the APD captain seemed reluctant to take Amanda's gun and badge, but they knew they had to follow protocol. If only the other cops did that.
Some of the cops at the APD reminded me of the ones from the 90s with how they insulted Amanda or ridiculed Faith for killing a cop in self-defense. It was like they thought women should be meek and follow orders.
Amanda didn’t kill anyone. I was there. Where were you?
Will
Faith generally isn't violent, but since they attacked Amanda, she went into "mama bear" mode, and I loved seeing Angie and Micheal work with her to admonish their team. These are the best episodes when everyone works together reluctantly to clear someone's name.
Amanda also jeopardized the case by meeting Chuck Murray alone. She worked in law enforcement for years and should have brought back up.
Every flashback of Chuck Murray got scarier, from when he threw her down on the floor and beat her to when he started raping her.
Chuck: You look good, Amanda. Do you still think about me? That night we got real close.
Amanda: Give yourself up.
I hate that he's still taunting and abusing her. What could he have on her that's so bad after he violently raped her? Things were different then. She couldn't even report the rape because Chuck Murray took advantage of a police officer on the job.
Her father was worried it would hinder her promotion and made her hide the assault, which nearly ruined their relationship. When she needed his support, he cared more about her following in his footsteps than if she was safe and protected.
While Amanda has always followed the rules, it's hard not to empathize with her. Chuck Murray wouldn't have gone to prison unless she planted those drugs on him.
Will and Faith can judge her all they want, but she did what she had to in order to survive.
She stood by her decision, too, until a SWAT team accosted her in the park, and she realized she'd never get any peace until the truth was revealed.
Even after Angie, Michael, and Faith located Mr. Garza's daughter, Leann, on Chuck Murray's property and cleared Amanda's name, she was still going to confess.
But serial rapists and murderers never change, and Chuck Murray tried to attack Amanda again.
The difference was this time, Will was in the car with her. While that car accident deeply injured Will, he recovered enough to shoot Chuck.
While Amanda was cleared of the charges, things remained cool with Faith and Will. Faith didn't understand why her mother was forced to resign after a mistake, but Amanda was allowed to keep her job.
Will still didn't agree with Amanda's choices, even though he saved her life, and he now was reaching out to his mother's side of the family.
This episode focused on women and their mental health. While it initially depicted Michael as clueless in managing the household and the kids, it became obvious Gina had to be overwhelmed.
Michael meant well, Gina had to be doing everything if he became stressed from packing lunches, signing permission slips, and doing dishes. Obviously, Angie was right when she was concerned about Gina staying in bed more often.
Gina's sister, Nancy, didn't want to tell Michael the truth but eventually admitted that Gina disappeared to a mental wellness center to get help. Like most men, Michael's first instinct was to fix it, and Gina needed space to decipher what happened to her.
Max and Cooper have been through so much that I'm relieved that Michael told his children that their mom went away to get some help and they would get through it as a family.
Sometimes, we don’t even have all the answers. Your mom is just going away long enough to take care of herself, and then she can come home and be with us again. Then, we’ll take care of each other because that’s how this family works.
Michael
Those children worried mainly about whether their mom would return and if they did anything to cause her to leave, which Michael assured them they didn't. He had to learn that Gina's leaving was bigger than him and affected the entire family.
Will Trent has done a beautiful job incorporating personal stories into complex cases.
What did you think, Will Trent Fanatics? Were you shocked by Amanda's past? Will she repair her relationships with Will and Faith? When will Gina return?
Let us know in the comments.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on X.
