Sorry, Angie Fans, but Will Trent Season 3 Needs a New Love Interest

Summary

• Angie Polaski and Will Trent have been cycling in and out of romance for two seasons now.
• Their relationship is based on shared experiences of childhood trauma.
• Unfortunately, this means that their relationship is also very toxic.
• Will needs to move on, and the books have a perfect Angie alternative who could be waiting in the wings.

From the beginning, ABC's lauded police procedural Will Trent has included one of the most popular television tropes of all time: the will-they-won't-they romance.

The two halves of that romance are titular detective Will Trent and his emotional mess of a colleague, Angie Polaski. The two have shared childhood traumas that keep them bonded for life.

Unfortunately, those same traumas keep Will and Angie's relationship in a toxic cycle that we've been watching for two years now. In season 3, it's time to finally break that cycle.

A Trauma Bond

Angie and Will both grew up in the Atlanta foster care system, and have been friends their entire lives. However, the two have never been able to have a healthy romantic relationship:

1. They trigger each other endlessly; no sooner do they get together than they fight and fall apart.
2. Angie treats Will like a doormat, and her decisions have often caused him pain or put him in danger. She doesn't seem willing to put in the work to improve her choices.
3. Both characters have acknowledged since the pilot that they seem to 'bring out the worst' in each other.

For all of these reasons, Will and Angie broke up in season one, only to get back together in season two during a moment of vulnerability for Will. It didn't take long for them to break up all over again.

Angie Needs to Work on Herself

Although Will and Angie share similar histories, Will has managed to come through it with his compassion and empathy still intact. Although he still struggles emotionally (especially during this last season, as his repressed memories started bubbling to the surface), Will still manages to be a good person.

Angie, on the other hand – sorry, Angie fans! – can be quite awful. The show has actually softened the character considerably compared to the character in the novels (where she is the WORST), but show-Angie is still pretty toxic to a lot of the people around her.

Of course, when you know about Angie's childhood you can understand why she isn't the most healthy person in the world. But while Will actively works to have a stable life, Angie tends to self-sabotage. At her worst, she pulls everyone around her into her chaos.

Angie doesn't need a boyfriend – she needs a therapist, and lots of time to work on herself.

Who Else Could It Be?

Fans of the Will Trent novels will know that in the books, Will has another love interest: medical examiner Sara Linton. Sara and Will meet during a series of investigations, and though she has her own emotional baggage (her husband died shortly before she and Will met), their relationship is much healthier than his on-again-off-again trauma bond with Angie.

It's possible, however, that the showrunners behind Will Trent are committed to making Will and Angie endgame. In an interview with TV Line, Ramón Rodríguez (Will) said:

'We're going to see that relationship continue to build. But the big question is: Can it build in a healthy way? ... It's feeling hopeful. Maybe there is a way to work this, and maybe there is a way that we can commit to this.'

TV audiences have been trained to expect an eventual 'Yes, they will!' from will-they-won't-they romances. But in this case, Will Trent should break from tradition and answer the question by saying: 'Actually, this time they WON'T.'

Season 3 of Will Trent will premiere on ABC this fall. Although the date has not been confirmed, work on the series will begin in June.

Will Trent currently carries 89% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Source: TV Line.