Did Will Trent Jump the Shark by Killing Off Amanda Wagner?

I’m still shocked, angry, and bawling my eyes out. Killing Amanda Wagner was a step too far.

I already thought Will Trent had danced a little too much with darkness this season, but killing off the series’s matriarch was the last straw.

Will has lost way too many people he loves, and Amanda was the closest thing he had to a mother. They’ve balanced each other out throughout the series, and their relationship was one of the show’s highlights.

I’m just as angry and devastated that we lost Amanda on Will Trent as I am concerned about how Will will handle his grief.

This could send him spiraling even more, and now he won’t even have Amanda as his boss to back him up.

Unlike the EPs, I don’t find this development an exciting or creative decision. It was a bold move, but it could cost Will Trent some viewers.

Amanda Was Integral to Everyone, and She’ll be Missed

Amanda bridged the gap between the GBI and the APD by connecting with everyone.

She was the closest to Will and Faith. She’d known Faith since she was born, since she was best friends with Evelyn Mitchell.

It made sense why she paired them up, so she could watch them blossom even more.

I loved watching the three of them banter since Amanda could interfere when she thought either of them was about to do something stupid. She was the queen of tough love and will be missed.

Amanda had different relationships with Angie and Ormewood, but she’s grown fond of both throughout the years.

She’s seen them both grow into more productive people and has grown proud of both.

It meant a lot that Angie tried to save Amanda from that terrorist. And now many fans are wondering if Angie will name her daughter after Amanda.

Recently, Amanda and Ormewood shared some moments as he helped her cope with her PTSD, and then she helped him with a cold case.

He’s always respected her, but this may hit him harder now.

Amanda and Will’s Bond Was Special and Deserved Even More Attention

Amanda and Will’s relationship has always been central to Will Trent. It’s one of the most complex, since she loves him as a son, but she couldn’t keep him as a baby.

Like Caleb, she’s filled with regret for what Will went through as a child. That was the main reason she bailed him out of jail as a young adult and brought him into the GBI.

She’s tried to shield him when he did things differently, especially lately with his high emotions, and he looked out for her.

Their bond was solid, but Will never revealed how much he appreciated her until the last time she was shot on the Will Trent Season 3 finale.

This will kill him emotionally and affect him professionally, since, unless one of them is promoted, there will be no one to protect him at work. We don’t want Bill Appleyard.

I feel like Will Trent Season 4 has focused more on Will and his “fathers.” While I want to delve more into Will’s bond with Caleb, we didn’t need so much attention to James Ulster.

I now understand why the series did, since his daughter killed Amanda, and that just angers me more.

There were more nuances the series could have explored in Will and Amanda’s relationship this season, rather than backburning her.

Now, Will will feel even more guilt about not protecting her and never really expressing his affection.

Those two loved each other deeply, but they never really expressed it. That could haunt Will, especially since he just voiced that he couldn’t lose anyone else he loved.

They’d better bring Sonja Sohn back as a guest star as a ghostly Amanda. We’ve had that way too much with Ulster. Let Will have comfort from his “mother.”

The Series Better Treat Amanda’s Memorial With Returns and Respect

I’d love to believe that Amanda’s death was a fake-out since we saw the team chasing an ambulance in this coming week’s promo.

However, I’m fairly sure that with all the buzz, it’s true, and if so, they must treat it with respect. It’s not a random death. It’s the series matriarch.

While everyone will be crushed, Amanda had close ties with Will and Faith. They were her family, and she would have sacrificed anything for them.

I need to see an eulogy from one or both of them, with the entire GBI and APD sharing stories about her life.

Evelyn and Jeremy Mitchell had better return for this episode. Evelyn has been Amanda’s closest friend since the 1980s, and because of her, Amanda grew to care for Faith and Jeremy.

Amanda touched so many lives, and she’ll be remembered forever. Hopefully, Will Trent will showcase that.

It’s Your Turn…Will You Still Watch Will Trent After Amanda’s Death?

We know ABC is infamous for killing off beloved characters. Grey’s Anatomy has killed off more than I can count, and Bobby Nash on 9-1-1 is still a death that has people reeling. That’s only in recent times.

Some of those were hinted at, but Amanda’s death was in the middle of the season. Most of us never guessed that Sonja Sohn was leaving the show, except that her airtime was a bit lighter this year.

I’d hoped that was merely budget reasons, and nothing story-related.

I was not prepared to see Amanda lying in a pool of blood, especially since she’d already almost died in the Will Trent Season 3 finale.

This one cut deep, and it will take the viewers as much time to heal as it will the characters and the actors.

While I’ll continue to watch and cover Will Trent, it’s lost some of its magic since one of the early family members died.

Whose going to continue on this journey with me? Who feels so devastated that they have chosen to stop watching?

Let us know in the comments.

It’s like yelling into the void sometimes — so if you’re out there, holler back.
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