The Will Trent two-part Season 3 premiere concludes with “Sunny-Side Up.” Following the murder of two APD officers, Special Agent Will Trent was forced to return to the life he abandoned when his old roommate, gang leader Rafael, was framed. At the end of the episode, it was discovered that Rafael’s daughter had been abducted, which is where things pick up at the top of this recap.
Season 3, Episode 2 – “Sunny-Side Up” – Written by Juliet Lashinsky-Revene & Henry “Hank” Jones
Will Trent (Ramón Rodríguez) and Faith Mitchell (Iantha Richardson) enter the home of Sunny’s caretaker, finding that the woman has been murdered. One of the framed photos on the wall is of Rafael holding Sunny when she was a baby. In a kids’ bedroom upstairs, they see signs of a struggle. They find a camera under the bed and plug it into the computer monitor, seeing Rafael’s daughter Sunny (Kyrie McAlpin) recording a video for school when she hears a gunshot downstairs. We see the back of a man abduct Sunny. Rewinding, they notice that the man’s face is momentarily reflected in a mirror – Lincoln Spelling (Isaac Keys).
Amanda Wagner (Sonja Sohn) and Michael Ormewood (Jake McLaughlin) visit Pete Chin (Kurt Yue) in the medical examiner’s lab. A body just came in, and they are able to confirm the identity – Lincoln Spelling. Amanda thinks this could’ve only been done by someone with a badge.
District Attorney Marion Alba (Gina Rodriguez) finishes leading a press conference saying that despite Rafael’s confession, they are still investigating the murder of the two APD officers. When she exits, Mayor Barbara Anthony (Olivia D. Dawson) is furious with her for not corroborating the story. “I want this case closed,” the mayor warns Marion. Captain Norton Cromwell (Matthew Sean Blumm) offers to help her with whatever she needs.
Back at the GBI, Will and Rafael Wexford (Antwayn Hopper) catch up. Will can’t believe his old roommate has a daughter. “She’s smarter than you and prettier, too,” Rafael jokes. Special Agent Gross (Douglas Smith) moves Rafael to the conference room to review some items that were retrieved from Sunny’s bedroom. He reveals that his daughter gets overwhelmed and sometimes needs puzzles to keep her calm. They also retrieved the power chord for a portable gaming device called Drixby. Rafael says there’s a game he used to play with his daughter that they would message each other through. Since the system wasn’t found, Amanda thinks they might be able to use it to reach Sunny.
Ormewood interrogates a woman named Doloris (Melissa Bailey) after receiving a tip that she’s been providing the ring of car thieves with forged titles. He brings up the slain cops, saying they can only help protect her if she corporates. She tells him all she knows – that she would bring the titles to a park, and a man named Mack would get them from her. Money was exchanged via direct deposit through Battery Hill Investments. Ormewood asks Dolores to arrange a meeting with Mack.
Will and Faith wait in the park, their exchange awkward. She’s still processing the fact that her former partner has close ties to a gang leader. Will is surprised to see how chummy Faith has gotten with Ormewood in his absence. Mack (Brice Anthony Heller) finally arrives, expecting to meet Dolores, and is surprised when two GBI agents confront him. Mack tries to run and they quickly catch him. They find a gun in his backpack.
In the security guard shack at Waldorf Estates, Angie Polaski (Erika Christensen) works on an apology speech with the help of AI, but she is distracted by a man named John (Dan Gill) who is loudly hammering in a new security monitor on the roof. He ends up falling, and later, he stops by with flowers for Angie in exchange for her not filing a report about his fall so he can keep his job.
The gun in Mack’s backpack is linked back to the same one that killed the two APD officers. Marion joins Will for the interrogation, and Mack feigns ignorance until they show him a picture of Lincoln’s dead body. He changes his tune, telling him that he shot the cops on Lincoln’s orders, and Lincoln was getting his own orders from a cop. Mack doesn’t know his name, but he describes him as White with a shaved head and a scar.
Rafael and Amanda wait for a message from Sunny in the game, and one finally comes through. She doesn’t know where she is, other than a room in a house. Amanda asks her to check the closet, which she says is full of new clothes. Amanda thinks she’s in an APD safe house, asking her to look for a bag under the bed, which should contain a phone. Shortly after, they are connected on Amanda’s cellphone, and Gross starts using it to try and get Sunny’s location. However, Sunny’s captor enters wearing a ski mask. He sees the Drixby open and sees the messages she sent. Sunny tries to run, but the man grabs her and tosses her on the bed. In the skirmish, she pulls the ski mask off – Captain Norton Cromwell! He tells Sunny he has to kill her now.
Sunny is put in the trunk of a car as Cromwell drives away. Amanda tries to calm her down on the phone, helping her to find a pull tab that will open the trunk from inside. When it’s clear that Cromwell is approaching a stop sign, Amanda tells Sunny to pull the tab and run into the nearby mall. When she makes a run for it, Cromwell turns around to drive after Sunny, chasing her on foot into the mall.
Will, Faith, and Ormwood all arrive at the mall at the same time, donning bulletproof vests for the pursuit. They split up, and it’s Faith who finds Cromwell dragging Sunny back to his car. They fight over her gun, and when he hears a shot fire in the mall, Will runs toward the sound. Will gets shot in his vest, flying back. Sunny bites Cromwell’s arm to make him drop his gun. He tries to run, but Ormewood gets there just in time to aapprehendhim.
Rafael and Sunny have an emotional reunion back at the GBI, with Rafael introducing his daughter to his old friend, “Mr. Will.” Amanda congratulates Sunny on her bravery.
In the hallway, Faith sees Will rubbing his chest where the bullet made impact with his vest. She offers him medical assistance and he declines. “So, back to Tennessee, huh?” she asks. Will doesn’t immediately answer, but apologizes for leaving without saying goodbye. Faith tells him she wishes he would’ve let her help him. They almost hug, but the moment gets awkward.
Will and Rafael talk outside of the conference room. Rafael tells Will that Sunny was the miraculous result of his one failed attempt at being heterosexual and that her mother is not in the picture. He was paying someone to care for his daughter and keep her safe, but now he’s not sure anywhere could be. Will suggests he switch careers, something Rafael doesn’t think he can do. Will tells Rafael he has an idea.
In the conference room, Ormewood has packed up his office to move back down to the APD now that Will is back. On the TV, the news coverage is showing a live feed of Cromwell being brought into prison. But a shot is fired. Cromwell is shot in the head. This happens just as Faith makes a big discovery about Battery Hill Investments.
Mayor Barbara Anthony just finished a press conference where she told reporters that there won’t be anymore dead cops on her watch. Will Trent waits for her backstage, asking about her role in Battery Hill Investments. He suspects that the cops were going to expose her crime ring, so she had them killed. She laughs, saying nobody will believe him. He pulls out Cromwell’s phone, redialing the last number he called. The mayor’s phone rings. “Evidence speaks for itself,” he responds. A door opens and Faith is waiting to arrest the mayor.
Amanda brings Sunny to her home. Her pristinely tidy lifestyle isn’t well suited for a 14-year-old. Both Amanda and Sunny will have to make some concessions for this living arrangement to work.
Angie attends a hearing with her written apology letter. She doesn’t get to read all of it because the board stops her, saying her actions showed disrespect for her position. Angie talks about how she became a cop to make the world safer, which guided her actions to try and protect Crystal. She abandons her prepared script and speaks from the heart. “I’m a good cop. I love my job despite my failures. I want to serve. If you let me back on the force, I will be the best version of myself because that is what the job requires of me.”
At his home, Will Trent gets dressed in his signature suits, playfully lip-synching with Betty to “Midnight Train to Georgia.” Rafael stops by, and Will gives him something he took from Sunny’s caretaker’s home – a framed photo of Rafael holding his baby girl. “You are a kind man, Wilbur,” Rafael says. But their good vibes are quickly soured when Will reveals that the APD caught the person who shot Cromwell. “I know he’s one of your guys, Rafael,” Will warns. “Cromwell had it coming, there are rules,” Rafael responds. Will warns his old friend that he is back in Atlanta to stay.
Next Episode: “Find a New Pond” – Airing Tuesday, January 21st, at 8/7c on ABC
A dispute within a family-owned business leads to multiple poisonings, pulling Will and Faith into a tangled web of secrets and corporate intrigue. Meanwhile, Angie, eager to rejoin the force, makes a discovery at Waldorf Estates.
Songs Featured in This Episode: