Will Trent – Season 1 Episode 4 “My Stupid Detective Brain” Recap & Review

My Stupid Detective Brain

Episode 4 of Will Trent season 1 starts with two podcast hosts recording at Stone Mountain Park, investigating the local legend of the “howling man.” According to their podcast, the man has been heard howling like a wolf in the forest and is said to be trapped between the living and the dead.

Just as one host denies the other’s claim that their cousin saw the howling man, they hear gunshots and a car crash. Rushing towards the noise, they find a car that has collided with a tree, and the survivors, Judith and Henry, recount what occurred. As the elderly couple was driving, a shirtless man suddenly bolted out of the forest and was hit by the car before it could stop.

They’re shocked to find that the man’s eyes are white, indicating he’s blind. They contact the authorities and the man is taken to the hospital. The two podcasters think that this is the howling man they were searching for.

Amanda informs Will of the incident and the Park police’s request for help in solving a possible kidnapping. Will and Faith were already at the hospital because Faith fainted. The doctors ask to run more tests. Will heads to the emergency room where he finds Angie and notices the victim has been tortured and held captive for days. The man passes away but he manages to tell Angie one name, Timothy.

Ormewood questions the elderly couple, but their son Tom arrives and takes them away for rest after the stress of the accident.  Ormewood is not happy to see Will and calls him a vulture that takes everyone’s case. Angie calms him down and tells him Will was requested by the Park Police.

The detectives investigate the crime scene, including speaking with the podcasters and obtaining their recordings. Will makes a new discovery at the scene: a bloodied rope, a license belonging to Phineas Lathrop, and a hanging body with gunshot wounds. The body is identified as Phineas Lathrop. Will deduces that both victims, Arthur Tealy and Phineas Lathrop, were held captive and likely escaped before being killed by the perpetrator.

During their attempt to flee, Arthur met his demise in the car accident. Meanwhile, the perpetrator located Phineas and shot him dead. Both men were visually impaired and, as the medical examiner uncovered, were intentionally poisoned by an unknown individual. Jequirity seeds, a toxic plant, were rubbed into their eyes and found in their bodies.

This indicates that the captor used the poison to manage the hostages, however, the reason behind the blinding continues to be unclear to Will.

The following day, the four return to the woods to search for the location where the hostages were possibly held. They eventually come across a hidden underground room, which had been created by the murderer. It was covered with foliage and shrubs, and Ormewood stumbles into it, injuring his ankle in the process.

After examining the room, the detectives found signs of biblical punishment being inflicted on the victims. They discover a diary with the same verse from the Bible written repeatedly in various handwriting, indicating that there were several previous victims. The detectives also find a kneeler with jagged shards of glass, which was intended to harm anyone who used it. The label on the kneeler led Will and Faith to a nearby church, where the tool was allegedly stolen.

While Will requests a list of volunteers from the church, Faith comes across an advertisement offering jobs to men looking to change their lives. The ad contains a verse from the Bible, 1 Timothy 3:8, making it clear to the detectives that the perpetrator was using it to lure his victims.

Simultaneously, Angie and Ormewood discover the potential next victim, Duke, who has been missing after going to meet someone about a job opportunity. The police track Duke’s last known location through the GPS of his motorcycle, and Will and Faith head there.

Although there is no noticeable evidence at the location, Will uses his expertise to uncover tiny AFID discs. These discs, which are released whenever a taser gun is fired, are used to prevent unlawful use of the gun and to keep a record of the owner. Will and Faith trace the owner of the taser gun, which leads them back to the local church’s pastor. The pastor admits to owning the taser gun for the safety of the church but refused to provide any further information.

The two podcasters, the only eyewitnesses to the accident, inform the detectives about a second green pickup truck that fled the scene shortly after the accident. While Will continues his investigation, Ormewood believes that they should focus on finding the green pickup truck.

Ormewood, already frustrated with the GBI’s involvement in the case, decides to look into it on his own. During an interrogation of Paul’s partner, who went missing in similar fashion years prior, Ormewood learns of a young man who frequently warned Paul about God’s punishment.

The APD detective quickly starts tracking down this young man and is led to an inactive dairy farm, where he discovers the green pickup truck and a rosary found in the underground room. However, the perpetrator tases Ormewood and took him, hostage.

Meanwhile, Will and Faith speak with the pastor and force him to confess that he knew Judith, one of the witnesses. Prior to marrying Henry, Judith was in an abusive relationship with a man who would frequently drink and physically harm her.

The common link between the victims, including Arthur, Phineas, and Duke, is their history of alcohol abuse and harm to their families. Will soon realizes that Judith and Henry have been abducting and poisoning these men for some time, forcing them to go blind before killing them cruelly. Tom, Judith’s son, was also involved in the crime, seeking revenge against his abusive father.

Tom participated in the deaths by poisoning and shooting the victims, while Judith and Henry killed Arthur through a hit-and-run. The pastor’s involvement is unclear, but it’s evident that he had his suspicions.

After kidnapping Ormewood and Duke, Tom subjects them to torture. However, Ormewood manages to outmanoeuvre Tom and, using his strong physique, overcomes the captor despite being bound. He frees himself and Duke and tries to get out of the farm.

Meanwhile, Will, Faith, and Amanda accompanied by law enforcement, hurry to the scene and search for the APD detective. A game of cat and mouse ensues as everyone, including Tom with a firearm, tries to locate each other. Eventually, Will, Faith, and Amanda successfully corner Tom and he is taken into custody by the authorities. Despite his disagreements with Ormewood, Will comes to his aid in a life-threatening situation and rescues him.

After solving the case, Faith updates Will about getting the results of her tests and without divulging the problem, she tells him she is dealing with it.  She questions why Will keeps his dyslexia a secret and he tells her that before he was diagnosed people called him slow and stupid. He never wants to be addressed like that again and taught himself how to navigate the world without words.

The Episode Review

Ormewood seems to be carrying a lot of anger, I wonder what gave him all that pent-up aggression? I am looking forward to seeing his other layers.

It is nice to see that Will is opening up to Faith, Her advice about Angie is spot on, Will is scared of being hurt again when it comes to being in a relationship but when it comes to love there is little one can do to protect their heart. As Selena Gomez sings, “the heart wants what it wants.”

It is sad what Will has been through, who can blame him for not wanting to be seen as weak? I think he is strong to still be standing and doing everything he can to be a better man every day. I hope he can look back and be proud of himself.