Will’s bad day is about to get a whole lot worse…

Following last week’s strong showing, the latest episode in the series, “Best of Your Recollection”, takes the series from strength to strength. The episode finds Will in the thick of it. Under internal investigation and his personal relationships put under pressure, he’s left to ask what went wrong after a supposedly routine warrant issue leads to the death of a young boy.

Told through a series of flashbacks, the start of the episode sets the tone for the stressful nature of the investigation and the chaotic place where Will’s head is. Still in the middle of an adrenaline rush and covered in the victim’s blood, he has very little time to think before the full force of an internal investigation rips through his life like a tornado.

Under scrutiny, the flashbacks reveal the first thing that set Will’s bad day in motion. During a game night, an errand phone call leads Faith to discover that her son Jeremy works as Will’s CI (confidential informant).

An event he’s been avoiding for several episodes, the conflict payoff between them was well worth the wait. Their argument causes a complete collapse of trust in their partnership, leading them to a place they can’t come back from (at least not yet), and sees Faith decide to put in for a new partner.

Returning to the present, it isn’t only Will’s work relationships that are put under pressure but his personal ones as well. Both Marion and Angie come to see Will in his hour of need, leaving him in limbo.

While Marion’s help from a lawyer’s perspective is useful, it’s Angie who ultimately gets through to Will. Having been through this situation herself earlier in the season, she’s best placed to offer him the emotional support he needs. This dredges up fond memories of their time together, causing Will to question whether he made the right decision in ending their relationship, a theme which is emphasised further when Angie helps to find the smoking gun.

Having found the smoking gun, Will is exonerated of all charges at the end of the episode. His trauma, however, won’t go away quite so easily.

Through a series of tragic flashbacks, it is revealed that the young gunshot victim dies in Will’s arms. Inevitably, this has an incredibly profound effect on Will, especially when his exoneration goes against his set principles. Will believes he needs to be punished for his actions, and he can’t square up his guilt when internal affairs views his killing of a child as a justified shooting.

It explains why, throughout the interviews, Will gives half-hearted answers. They are made as an attempt at self-recrimination, an easy way of punishing himself without fully realising his actions. This episode, however, only offers a difficult path for Will to follow, one where he’ll have to live and grow from the consequences of his actions.

A hard-hitting tale of grief and consequences, “Best of Your Recollection” is a Will Trent episode at its strongest. Stripping bare the series’ usual comedic undertone, the story pulls no punches and forces its characters to deal with life-changing decisions with no easy answers. While Will gets the lion’s share of trauma, this is no joyride for anyone, ultimately creating an unforgettable hour of television.

I Give Best of Your Recollection: 10/10