TV Recap: 'Will Trent' Season 4, Episode 3: Death Through the Lens in “Studio 4B”
Just when Will Trent is trying to steady himself after the chaos of the past two weeks, “Studio 4B” brings a familiar face back into his orbit. Julia Chan returns as Ava Green, the stylish photographer Will met back in Season 1 — someone who understands the art world’s backrooms and the way images can hide as much as they reveal. Her reappearance isn’t just a quick nod to Will’s past; it becomes unexpectedly practical as the case turns on photographers, rare film stock, and a killer who treats death like a final shot.
Season 4, Episode 3: “Studio 4B” - Written by Juliet Lashinsky-Revene
The episode opens inside a photography studio where model Chloe Benbrooke (Liyah Chante Thompson) poses beneath harsh lighting. A camera operator in black gloves adjusts the lens while she hits her marks. Then, without warning, a knife enters the frame. Chloe visibly startles and tells the photographer to stop, but the knife keeps coming.
Crime-scene photographs are taken of Chloe’s stab wounds and the staged brutality of the room. Faith Mitchell (Iantha Richardson) studies the injuries with Amanda Wagner (Sonja Sohn) nearby, the two of them piecing together what little they can about the killer’s intention from the wounds alone.
Meanwhile, Will Trent (Ramón Rodríguez) calls Amanda because he can’t find Studio 4B. His dyslexia is throwing off the building’s layout, and he’s wandering. While lost, Will runs into someone from his past — Ava Green (Julia Chan). Ava recognizes him immediately, smiling as she tells him how long it’s been and that she’s missed his suits. She explains that she’s archiving the building’s history and didn’t personally know Chloe, though she worked with many of the photographers Chloe collaborated with. Chloe, she recalls, was known to be “sweet.”
Amanda calls again, cutting the reunion short. Will reluctantly asks Ava for help finding the right studio. She notices Will has a new phone and simply taps hers against it to exchange contact information.
Inside Studio 4B, the investigation expands. Building owner Valentina Talvesco (Cathy Moriarty) enters, hoping the case will be kept out of the press. Her son Alex Talvesco (Luciano Antonino) tries to calm her, explaining that Studio 4B had been vacant for three months. Someone pretending to be a major fashion icon contacted the family, claiming they needed the room, and convinced them to leave the door unlocked. The scammer hacked the Kessler account using public Wi-Fi, making them hard to track down. Chloe received an email, too, a booking for her “big break.” As an up-and-coming model, she believed it.
Will immediately begins assessing the crime scene: the absence of sexual assault, the odd choice of location, and the suspiciously placed blacklight fixture above the scene. When Faith flicks the blacklight on, a ghostly outline on the floor reveals where a tripod had stood.
Will then spots a box of vintage film — rare, expensive stock not used for casual shoots. The killer wasn’t just staging a murder. He was filming a moment. Capturing an image. This was a special occasion. The killer wanted a photograph of Chloe dying.
Elsewhere, Nico (Cora Lu Tran) trains Cooper Ormewood (Jophielle Love) to be a dog walker, while Michael Ormewood (Jake McLaughlin) begrudgingly joins them for exercise. He stops to tie his shoe, promising to catch up. Cooper confides in Nico that she doesn’t want to be a dog walker; she just needed an excuse to force her dad to get some doctor-ordered cardio.
Outside of a neighbor’s house, Betty begins barking. Nico explains that the owner gives her cookies, to Will’s chagrin. When Betty tugs at the leash, it slips out of Cooper’s hands. The chihuahua disappears into the fenced-in backyard, so Nico, Cooper, and Ormewood knock on Viggo’s front door, only to find two strangers - a woman claiming to be Viggo's niece (Nea Dune) and an intimidating-looking man (Gabriel Bonilla) who refuses to let them inside, but steps away to get Betty for them. As soon as the dog is back in Nico’s arms, the woman slams the door in their faces. Nico is confused because Viggo told them he’s an only child. When Cooper notices blood on Betty’s paw, Ormewood wipes it off with a towel and realizes it’s not hers.
At the GBI, Will and Faith review photos found in Chloe’s apartment of an older photo shoot where she has fake blood on her and holds a knife. Will brings Ava in as an expert. She immediately recognizes the artistic style of the photographer behind them: Crispin Ratner (Eric Mendenhall), a former fashion photographer with a reputation for assaulting models. He once worked in Valentina’s building and, Ava notes, hated Chloe because she was one of his accusers.
Ormewood and Nico bring Betty to the GBI, convinced she witnessed something violent at Vigo’s house. Captain Heller (Todd Allen Durkin) storms into Ormewood’s makeshift “office” — really the vending-machine corner — and demands to know why a dog is inside. Ormewood begs Angie Polaski (Erika Christensen) to help him pursue the case.
Will and Faith knock on Crispin’s apartment door. A girl — Vanessa (Hannah Dannelly) — answers and says he’s “soaking in the tub.” Will and Faith don’t wait; they barge inside with guns raised. In the bathroom, the tub is drawn, the window is open, and it seems like their target fled until Will notices a straw protruding from the bubble bath. Will plugs it with his finger, and Crispin bursts up gasping. He fights Faith, slippery and naked, until Will helps subdue him. Crispin furiously claims this counts as “sexual assault.”
Crispin’s alibi checks out — he was at a sorority party all night. But Will’s eye catches a vintage film box on Crispin’s desk, just like the one found at Chloe’s murder. Crispin says he bought the film on eBay for a job. A “rich guy” hired him: Gideon Barnell (Jim France) — an art collector obsessed with death imagery. He’s hosting an art salon later that night.
In Will’s neighborhood, Angie and Ormewood return to Viggo’s house. They can’t get a warrant, so they conduct a “wellness check.” Viggo Shaw (Marcelo Tubert) answers with a fresh gash on his cheek. He claims he slipped while making lunch. They ask about the couple from earlier. He calls them “friends.” Angie notes the car out front; he says it’s his, brand-new. Ormewood asks about the “niece.” Viggo insists she’s not family — just someone so close she’s like a niece. He tries to shut them down and closes the door quickly.
Back in the office nook, Ormewood asks for a rushed GBI report on Viggo. Ormewood confides in Angie that he feels too tired to parent and like he’s failing both his family and his job. Angie reassures him: the kids will love him however he is, and everyone knows he’s dealing with a lot. The report returns: there’s nothing on Viggo. He’s a ghost. Angie promises they’ll stake out the house at dawn.
That night, Will and Faith arrive at Gideon Barnell’s art salon. Ava introduces them to Barnell, who is surrounded by taxidermied animals posed in dramatic, mid-motion tableaux. Barnell’s photos all depict animals at the moment of death — frozen at the exact instant life leaves them. He describes the difficulty of capturing “the nothing beneath the thing,” which unsettles even Will. Nearby, a couple comments about Barnell’s spending habits, whispering that he’d pay $600,000 for the right image “if she’s pretty.”
At the GBI, Amanda reviews Barnell’s photos with Will when Faith enters with a list of buyers from the eBay seller who sold the rare film. One buyer used a P.O. box registered to Alex Talvesco.
Will and Faith return to the Talvesco building with a warrant. Valentina pleads with them to tell her something, anything. They push past and search Alex’s room. Searching, Will finds a box with a picture frame containing three images of Chloe’s murder! Valentina sees them and breaks. Alex returns, and Will corners him by the window. “I was just trying to help my mom,” he stammers. He apologizes to her over and over. Will orders him to turn around so Will can cuff him. When Alex turns, he jumps out of the window, plummeting to his death.
At the crime scene outside Valentina’s building, Will emerges after finding a knife hidden in the AC vent. It’s being sent to forensics for prints. Will confesses to Faith that he wishes he could have stopped Alex from jumping. Faith tells him Alex was trying to help his mother with financial strain — mortgage trouble.
The next morning, Ormewood wakes up in Angie’s car — he fell asleep during their stakeout. Nico and Betty are in the backseat. Nico shushes Betty when she barks. A report on the car parked outside of Viggo’s comes through, belonging to Toni Kumbaro. Ormewood recognizes the name, looking him up and finding a picture of Toni and his wife, Albana, who match the couple that first answered the door. Betty suddenly leaps out of the car and runs inside the home.
Through Betty’s POV, we see that Alban and Toni are inside, bound and gagged. Ormewood orders Nico to stay outside. Angie and Ormewood force entry with guns drawn. Inside, Viggo emerges with a gun, claiming the couple tried to kill him and that he acted in self-defense. Albana knocks her chair over. Viggo runs for it. Ormewood chases him — slow man vs. old man — until Viggo jumps onto a neighbor’s bike and wobbles away. With a burst of adrenaline, Ormewood pushes through his fatigue, catches him, and cuffs him.
Will goes to Ava’s studio to ask for her help. He brings the negatives recovered from Alex’s room. Ava, shaken by Alex’s death, hugs him tightly. In her dark room, Will asks Ava to print one of the frames. While waiting for the image to develop, things get steamy under the red light. Afterward, Faith calls. Forensics found two sets of prints on the knife. The second set is not in the system. Valentina has gone missing.
Ava finishes developing the print — a close-up of Chloe’s eye. Will looks closely. Reflected in the cornea are two distinct silhouettes.
A noise echoes from the hall. Will steps out with his gun drawn. It was just a couple who dropped a bag, but Ava’s scream alerts Will to the real danger. Back in her studio, he finds Valentina Talvesco has Ava at gunpoint. She demands the negatives. Valentina blames Will for Alex’s death. Will tells her he can’t help her until she lowers the gun. A sudden gunshot rings out — Faith, firing a warning shot to startle Valentina. It’s enough to allow Will and Faith to ambush Valentina and save Ava. As Faith takes Valentina away, Will comforts Ava.
Angie, Heller, Nico, and Betty are at lunch when Ormewood arrives with surprising news: Vigo was in witness protection. He was a getaway driver for a crime family that tracked him down. Ormewood inadvertently saved his life. Betty received a small badge for her casework. Ormewood grabs food to take home, determined to be present for his family.
Ormewood brings Cooper lunch. She asks him a very Cooper question about Judy Hopps from Zootopia and her 275 siblings. Ormewood sits down on the couch and instantly falls asleep. Cooper gently covers him with a blanket.
In his office, Will dictates notes into his record when Nico arrives with Betty. Nico has a date and needs someone to watch the dog. Will is confused why they were in the area, but Nico flees before an explanation can be given. Will picks up Betty and notices the little badge clipped to her collar. He also notices the smell of cookies on her breath. He moves to confront Nico but bumps directly into Ava, who is introduced to the most important lady in Will Trent’s life.
Ava thanks Will for saving her life, having brought him a gift — a black-and-white photograph she took of Will on the case. It’s a side of Will he’s never seen reflected back at him, and he’s touched by the gift. Ava is on her way to New York for a few weeks, but promises to text him when she gets back. Will initially tries to deflect by mentioning his therapy, but Ava tells him it “doesn’t have to be serious.”
Alone again, Will speaks Ava’s wisdom into his recorder as a note to self.
Will Trent returns next Tuesday, January 27th, at 8/7c on ABC with “The Man From Nowhere.”
When a dancer is murdered at the Atlanta World Salsa Championships, Will and Faith navigate the competition to uncover the truth. Meanwhile, Angie, Ormewood and Franklin scramble to manage college interns digging into a 15-year-old cold case.
Songs Featured in This Episode:
- “There Must Be Something” by Friday Saturday and Sunday
- “Let Me Solve All Your Problems’ by Bonnie Floyd
- “May Ninth” by Khruangbin