The hunt is on for a cop conspiracy within the APD, but can Will Trent’s latest episode match the heat brought by its season 3 premiere?

Heading straight back into the heart of the action, “Sunny-Side Up” picks up where the season 3 premiere left off. Having unveiled a potential network of dirty cops within the APD, the GBI and Will come under pressure to rescue a child they’ve kidnapped.

The second episode in the series moves a mile a minute. With a conspiracy and a kidnapping to deal with, the story is understandably fast-paced and action-heavy. Pairing nicely with the build-up from episode one, this episode sees the revelations and answers come in thick and fast as the team investigates one of their own. Action and answers have a cost, and, as a result, the cast doesn’t get as much time to ruminate.

Character moments in this episode are all about quality over quantity. They come in small, bite-sized segments, with Will getting the vast majority. This episode lays the groundwork for Will to put his escape in the rearview mirror. It shows him firing on all cylinders, solving clues with a level of panache not seen since season two’s opener.

This groundwork is also shown through Will’s road to forgiveness. His first big step towards this is an apology to Faith. It’s a mature moment as the two recognise that their shaky partnership needs to be placed on more solid ground.

One character that Will is on solid ground with is ADA Marion Alba (Gina Rodriguez), who also gets a strong focus in this episode. Although introduced in the premiere, she gets more material to work with here.

“Strategise? Come on, we’re gonna improvise. Freestyle.”

ADA Marion Alba

She very quickly proves herself to be a good ally for Will. Her first scenes in the story serve to shake up the status quo and cause chaos between the government departments that have been at each other’s throats since the start of the investigation. The new ADA also melds well with the established GBI team, as her confidence and willingness to improvise earn her a whole load of new fans.

Finally, the last character segments focus on events for the near future. Episode two sees the start of Amanda’s journey through the third season. Helping to look after the kidnap victim, Sunny, their blossoming journey together will raise plenty of questions about how Amanda’s outlook will change.

For Polaski, meanwhile, her journey out into the cold might be coming to an end. However, it’ll all hinge on whether she’s ready to stop punishing herself and whether she’s ready to face her actions and move forward.

Fast-paced and with revelations at the ready, “Sunny-Side Up” is a suitable conclusion to season three’s premiere. While character development takes a back seat to the action in this episode, what we do get is quality. Marion’s introduction is strong, and the realisations that each of the cast makes during this episode set up a host of new material for the future.

I Give Sunny-Side Up: 7.5/10