S01.E01: Pilot

[Meredith Quill]

Quote

TBA

[Trini]

Quote

When a murder investigation reveals there's more to the story than meets the eye, Special Agent Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) relies on his keen instincts and unique experience to uncover the truth. Along the way, he also reunites with a part of his past that helped shape him into the agent he is now.

Airdate: January 3, 2023

[Pop Tart]

Book comparisons/spoilers should be discussed in the Book Talk thread.

[AnimeMania]

Jennifer Morrison as Abigail Bentley
Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Mr. Paul Campano
Justin Kucsulain as Kyle
Danny Burstein as Atlanta PD
Kate Kovach as Jules

There were some pretty interesting scenes:

Trent uses a tape recorder for everything because he has problems reading, which is also why he refused to read the crime notes, instead saying "What! did you write these with your feet!"

The tape recorder was running when Campano was calling Trent "Trashcan".

Betty the Dog seems to have an unnatural ability to detect people who lived in foster care.

Edited January 4, 2023 by AnimeMania

[Starchild]

Promising. I was surprised a network procedural was not closing the case in one episode. Not sure I'll have a fuller opinion until this first case is completed.

[AnimeMania]

58 minutes ago, Starchild said:

Promising. I was surprised a network procedural was not closing the case in one episode. Not sure I'll have a fuller opinion until this first case is completed.

Spoiler

The case will be closed in the next episode and then the network will start showing the episodes out of order.

[LakeGal]

I liked it.  I will keep watching.

[Lady Calypso]

So, I'm still unsure if I liked the series enough to keep going. I think, overall, it's a very average procedural. Yes, they did try adding some unique aspects but I just see it as another procedural. It's a fine show, it had some fun moments, but is it enough to keep me watching? I'm not so sure yet. I guess the plus side is that it wasn't horrible enough to have me turn off right off the bat. 

Pros:

• They certainly tried some different editing styles to this that differentiates itself from other procedurals. Which....worked sometimes and annoyed me other times. They need to pick and choose some of those shots.
• A MAJOR pro to me tuning in would be if they carry cases over past one episode. I know it can't be an all-the-time situation, but not having 99% of cases solved in one episode. They really got me intrigued with having this first case not be solved in the pilot. If they do that from time to time, they may have me stick around all season. 
• Having Will and Angie be hooking up from the start. I'm not sure if they're setting up Will/Angie long-term or Will/Faith, but if it's the former, it's kind of fun to see them already one foot in. Most procedurals like the build-up, so I appreciate them trying something new. 
• Betty the Dog! Although, worry is if they can actually have Betty stick around if Will is going to be on cases all the time. I have a feeling Betty the Dog will either be disappearing very soon OR the show will have to introduce a new character connected to Will who can take care of the dog while he's working. 
• The foster care angle, which IS very interesting. I REALLY liked that they connected Will to the husband.
• Same with the dyslexia angle. I'm very intrigued with this aspect, although I hope the show has done its thorough research because I fear this angle could go very wrong very fast if they're not careful. 

Now, the cons:

• Again, like I pointed out, it's just another procedural so far out of the dozens of procedurals and cop shows and crime dramas out there. People are going to get tired of procedurals and this show will likely not be one people stick with if there's nothing interesting, and so far, there doesn't seem to be quite enough to keep people watching. 
• Already hate the guy who decided to beat up a teenager and had his partner have a stroke in front of him. They're already hinting at marriage issues and him also possibly sleeping with Angie which...no, please no. I am SO not into the Bad Boy With a Soft Side and a Sob Backstory that they're clearly angling with him. Especially if they're setting up Will/Faith instead, that means they're setting up Angie and THIS dude and I am NOT for it at all. Sorry, nope, I'm out if that happens. 

So far, there's more pros than cons, but the cons for me are REAL dealbreakers. However, I'm sticking around for one more episode, maybe two, to see how it goes. But they really need something to make this show pop. For me, if Will brought Betty with him on every case, THAT would be the unique aspect to keep me around. But, as of right now, they have interesting twists but it's not going to be enough to keep me around long-term.

[EtheltoTillie]

I liked it. Reminded me of The Mentalist or Monk. I think the Paul Campano character had his own hanky, which turned out to be the same thing Will had learned in the group home. At first I thought Will had handed him the hanky they misdirected us. 

[LakeGal]

My husband kept saying it reminded him of Monk.  

[redpencil]

I was really surprised about Jennifer Morrison and Mark-Paul Gosselaar playing case-of-the-week characters, but it made more sense once they introduced the connection to Will and carrying over to a 2nd episode.

I don't watch a lot of procedurals--for me there has to be something about the characters, or some sort of twist, that pulls me in. Saw  a promo that interested me solely based on the main character, and decided to give this one a try. So far I'm sticking with it.

[HelloooKitty]

I would just like to say that “Will Trent” works in the Ted Lasso “Roy Kent” song and whenever I think the name of the show or character my brain insists on singing it that way. It’s a bit annoying. 
 

I did find the show interesting- especially the tidbits we found out about Will and how you see he has learned to integrate  them into and work around them in his life. 

[shapeshifter]

49 minutes ago, HelloooKitty said:

I did find the show interesting- especially the tidbits we found out about Will and how you see he has learned to integrate  them into and work around them in his life.

Having known a high-functioning, super-intelligent person who was so dyslexic that she didn’t learn to read until volunteering in her kid’s classroom, but then went on to get an advanced degree with the help of audio books and recorded lectures, I found that aspect of Will’s personality to be accurately portrayed.  
But I’d rather they didn’t have the dyslexic killer in the first episode too. I wonder if that was originally supposed to be around the third episode, but someone decided to cram it into the pilot. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 

Edited January 5, 2023 by shapeshifter

[peachmangosteen]

I found this kind of hard to follow because there was too much going on but I really liked it. I will definitely keep watching.

[forevertwentynine]

I really enjoyed this show.  

I like the personal aspects with Will and Paul knowing each other, and then the other detective at the end.

I like that it's not a weekly wrap up procedural.

So I'm sure it will get cancelled. lol

[EtheltoTillie]

I did not recognize Mark Paul Gosselar!!!

[Rickster]

5 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I found this kind of hard to follow because there was too much going on but I really liked it. I will definitely keep watching.

Agree. For a first episode, I would have preferred a slower introduction to the characters and we got lost at points (watching it half asleep didn’t help) but it does seem intriguing.

[kirkola]

Well this reminds me of my other favorite "cop who sees the world differently" show, Life, so I'm all in.

I had Mark-Paul Gosselaar pegged from the minute he started whining to his wife.  Jennifer Morrison took a little longer. Then I was confused as to why use relatively recognizable actors for the "case of the week".  Good thing is not the case of the week. 

Jake McLaughlin was also fairly recognizable as "hey it's that guy from that thing".  I had to look him up.  Thing was Quantico and also Believe.  Weird that he has the same haircut in all three.

The only thing I disliked was that the introductions felt rushed.  I may have to watch again to figure out who people are.

[twoods]

I am enjoying it so far. Like other, it reminds me of Monk.

[Trini]

I'm undecided on whether this will be regular viewing for me. I'll still check out the next couple of episodes, though. I liked the main character; I didn't like how almost everyone seemed to hate with each other. Way too much friction for a pilot I think. Didn't learn anyone else's names.

[heatherchandler]

On 1/5/2023 at 1:27 PM, EtheltoTillie said:

I did not recognize Mark Paul Gosselar!!!

Love him.  He was recently (last year) on Barry!  He played Hugh Manity 🤣 
 

I really like this show so far.  It’s right up my alley.  Praying it doesn’t get canceled.

I did figure out that the body wasn’t the daughter, but I like the misdirection.  I agree with the poster above, it reminds me of Monk.

 

On 1/8/2023 at 12:29 PM, Trini said:

I'm undecided on whether this will be regular viewing for me. I'll still check out the next couple of episodes, though. I liked the main character; I didn't like how almost everyone seemed to hate with each other. Way too much friction for a pilot I think. Didn't learn anyone else's names.

I didn’t like how much everyone hated him. They have to understand he had a job to do.  

Edited January 10, 2023 by heatherchandler

[shapeshifter]

18 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

I didn’t like how much everyone hated him. They have to understand he had a job to do.  

Maybe it will be like Brenda in The Closer and Sharon Raydor in Major Crimes where they'll respect him after half a dozen episodes and then love him eventually.
Or it could be like House, and he'll always rub everyone the wrong way.
Monk wasn't liked at the beginning either.

[xfuse]

1 hour ago, heatherchandler said:

I didn’t like how much everyone hated him.

There is a reason why they hate him but it's book talk and I don't know if it will be addressed in the show. There are a few things that they did that I scratched my head about.

Will and Amanda are GBA. The rest of them are Atlanta PD. 

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, xfuse said:

Will and Amanda are GBA

It’s actually GBI——which reminds me of CBI (California Bureau of Investigation) from The Mentalist, another show with a quirky sleuth for a lead (Simon Baker as Patrick Jane) who often annoyed his coworkers, and arguably was at least as attractive as Ramón Rodríguez as Will Trent.

Edited January 10, 2023 by shapeshifter

[xfuse]

11 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

It’s actually GBI

You are so right but my excuse is I'm so doped up on cold meds that I'm lucky that I got the G for Georgia part right. With the exception of Amanda (who's his boss) they are not really his co-workers. It's more like when the FBI takes over a case from local cops. The local cops do the scut work that the FBI gives them.

[possibilities]

On 1/6/2023 at 3:27 PM, kirkola said:

Well this reminds me of my other favorite "cop who sees the world differently" show, Life, so I'm all in.

 

Yes! For me, that's what it reminds me of, much more than Monk. Monk was somehow much lighter in tone and Trent isn't in need of a support person while he works or just generally to get through the day. I also like that they're giving him a sex life. It surprised me, but I like that they haven't made him the stereotypical disabled person who's also asexual.

I realize the show is supposedly set in Georgia but there was nothing about it that said Georgia, to me. 

[pasdetrois]

I'm a fan of the books so I'm going to give this a try. I too am glad it's not one-crime-each-week, which screams corporate TV. I've been spoiled by the very fine Under the Banner of Heaven and Black Bird, whose crimes required a season to solve.

I'm glad to see Sonja Sohn again (The Wire) and I like Erika Christiansen's portrayal of the undercover cop.

Edited January 11, 2023 by pasdetrois

[EtheltoTillie]

On 1/9/2023 at 8:54 PM, xfuse said:

There is a reason why they hate him but it's book talk and I don't know if it will be addressed in the show. There are a few things that they did that I scratched my head about.

Will and Amanda are GBA. The rest of them are Atlanta PD. 

I thought they hated him because he had brought down corrupt officers.  That was in the episode.  Is that wrong?

[possibilities]

2 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

I'm glad to see Sonja Sohn again

I thought that was her! Her voice was sounding like Angela Bassett, who I also love, but I was pretty sure that was Sohn and I regretted not paying attention to the credits.

7 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I thought they hated him because he had brought down corrupt officers.  That was in the episode.  Is that wrong?

That's what I thought, too. It irritated me that his partner of the day was angry about that. If we're supposed to like her, I don't want her to be pro-corruption.

[EtheltoTillie]

On 1/6/2023 at 3:27 PM, kirkola said:

Well this reminds me of my other favorite "cop who sees the world differently" show, Life, so I'm all in.

 

How have I never heard of this show?  It has Damian Lewis!  I'll track it down. 

Now, @heatherchandlerhas mentioned Barry, which I've never been able to get into.  Maybe I should give it another try, as it keeps winning awards. 

Meanwhile I'm all in on Will Trent. 

Edited January 11, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[AnimeMania]

32 minutes ago, possibilities said:

40 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I thought they hated him because he had brought down corrupt officers.  That was in the episode.  Is that wrong?

That's what I thought, too. It irritated me that his partner of the day was angry about that. If we're supposed to like her, I don't want her to be pro-corruption.

His partner's mother was one of the cops that Trent brought down.

[EtheltoTillie]

11 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

His partner's mother was one of the cops that Trent brought down.

Yes, talk about cognitive dissonance.  Will be interesting to learn more about this.

[Starchild]

36 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Now, @heatherchandlerhas mentioned Barry, which I've never been able to get into.  Maybe I should give it another try, as it keeps winning awards.

Ha, that's why I finally decided to watch Breaking Bad, it kept beating my other favourite shows at awards time so I was like, "WTF is this stupid show anyway, how is the father from Malcolm in the Middle winning all these drama acting awards?" Now, of course, I know that it's one of the best shows ever made.

[heatherchandler]

9 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

How have I never heard of this show?  It has Damian Lewis!  I'll track it down. 

Now, @heatherchandlerhas mentioned Barry, which I've never been able to get into.  Maybe I should give it another try, as it keeps winning awards. 

Meanwhile I'm all in on Will Trent. 

Barry is so damn good!  It’s worth another try.  A lot of suspended reality (I think that’s the right phrase).

I’m all in on Will Trent too!

[EtheltoTillie]

I tried Life. It’s on Peacock. Watched one episode and love it. Yes I can definitely see the similarities to this show. 

[Clanstarling]

On 1/9/2023 at 4:11 PM, heatherchandler said:

I didn’t like how much everyone hated him. They have to understand he had a job to do.  

I don't think understanding really comes into it when an outsider hurts someone on your team. It takes time to get that objective.

On 1/11/2023 at 8:21 AM, pasdetrois said:

I'm glad to see Sonja Sohn again (The Wire) and I like Erika Christiansen's portrayal of the undercover cop.

Me too, for both of them.

I've never read the books. I watched the pilot because my backlog of exercise shows (mostly police procedurals), is getting smaller.

I did like the show, and particularly the character. I will be watching it. I also liked that they started in the middle of the action and the characters were introduced quickly. I'm not sure why I like that, but I did.

[peachmangosteen]

I don't like that they all hate him because he brought down corrupt cops. Like, it's not a good look lol. Faith is easier since it was her mom so I can understand her being conflicted.

[akg]

10 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I don't like that they all hate him because he brought down corrupt cops. Like, it's not a good look lol.

Based on what I've seen in the real world, this seemed pretty realistic. I haven't heard of many police officers willing to admit there are bad cops in their ranks. Considering all of the talk in the last few years on "copaganda", I liked that this show wasn't all in on the normal trust the police story line. I'm interested to see where they take things, especially with Will's new partner's mother being involved.

On 1/4/2023 at 9:25 AM, Lady Calypso said:

Same with the dyslexia angle. I'm very intrigued with this aspect, although I hope the show has done its thorough research because I fear this angle could go very wrong very fast if they're not careful. 

I liked this too. It's not something we usually see in a main character. I was disappointed the sound guy turned out to be involved. Before that, I thought it was a nice moment for him and Will to bond a little and show that there are different ways to work around a learning disability.

My favorite part by far, however, is Betty. I love her.

[peachmangosteen]

2 minutes ago, akg said:

Based on what I've seen in the real world, this seemed pretty realistic. I haven't heard of many police officers willing to admit there are bad cops in their ranks.

Yea, it's realistic, but it makes me dislike all of them. I guess maybe we're supposed to think they're wrong/bad for it though.

[akg]

14 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Yea, it's realistic, but it makes me dislike all of them. I guess maybe we're supposed to think they're wrong/bad for it though.

Me too (the dislike). And I really hope the show wants us to be on Will's side and that the cops are in the wrong. With Faith's mom being involved though, I'm afraid we'll find out Will was wrong about something.

[possibilities]

Which one is Betty?

[shapeshifter]

12 hours ago, possibilities said:

Which one is Betty?

[Will explains about the dog that "My neighbor died three days ago. This dog was tied up in her backyard."]
the dog from the crime scene who Will couldn't bear to leave at the only "mostly" no-kill shelter

Edited January 13, 2023 by shapeshifter
dog not from crime scene

[statsgirl]

14 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Which one is Betty?

Betty is the dog that he tried to leave at the shelter, saying that she had been abandoned by his neighbours three days ago.  I like that she's a small dog rather than the German Shepherd or retriever that most shows have, but I kept thinking "aren't they going to let her out to do her business?

I wasn't expecting much but I really like it. It's different and quirky but not in an annoying way. I also like Angie who appears tough and smart, and that the relationship with her is already established. I hate the will they/won't they that has ruined too many TV shows for me.

Kudos to them for getting the dyslexia right with colour coding and at the end of the episode the ruler with the blue line.

I admire Will for not caring what other think of him. I hope that continues.

[Starchild]

10 hours ago, statsgirl said:

Betty is the dog that he tried to leave at the shelter, saying that she had been abandoned by his neighbours three days ago.

Oh I thought he told them his neighbour had died. Did I mishear?

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, Starchild said:

Oh I thought he told them his neighbour had died. Did I mishear?

That's what I thought too.

[shapeshifter]

I corrected my post above about Betty the dog's origins. 

Will simply explains about the dog that "My neighbor died three days ago. This dog was tied up in her backyard."

[Simba122504]

I like RR as the title character. 

[Raja]

On 1/11/2023 at 8:21 AM, pasdetrois said:

I'm glad to see Sonja Sohn again (The Wire)

Same here the last I remember after a few short stints like on Cold Case was her being arrested on a drug charge. I'm glad she has made it back.

 

On 1/11/2023 at 11:26 AM, AnimeMania said:

His partner's mother was one of the cops that Trent brought down.

That part seemed to go to fast with the GBI boss as the detective's what auntie, godmother, just a friend and mentor? While still irritated with Agent  Trent she is already all in, beyond looking for a kidnapped girl. That the other Atlanta detectives just wanted to blow her off instead of a "critical missing" that this century's cop shows from The Closer/Major Crimes or SVU would go to seemed anachronistic.

I don't know anything about the character and am only taking a break from finishing part 2 of the story to read feedback and post. Now if I can get my partner to give up The FBIs I might start watching it live after catching up. It is my most promising start of a  new cop show of this season.

[EtheltoTillie]

On 1/16/2023 at 8:09 PM, Raja said:

.

I don't know anything about the character and am only taking a break from finishing part 2 of the story to read feedback and post. Now if I can get my partner to give up The FBIs I might start watching it live after catching up. It is my most promising start of a  new cop show of this season.

This is much better than the Fibbies!  

[chediavolo]

Not sure about this. But I did get to episode 4! Love the dog. 
How did Will take the necessary tests to become a detective if he can’t read? Didn’t  he say no one knows? Or am I not remembering correctly? 
also what is up with Erica Christiansens hair?! It’s a rats nest. Looks like she hadn’t washed or brushed it in days? Cheap wig? Why? Looking thru other pics of her,  It looks like female pattern hair loss, which is usually disguised much better. Although  not a bad thing for Hollywood to show real women issues. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by chediavolo