Will Trent does not often ask its audience to feel everything at once, but the latest episode, titled It Was a Meat Cute, made that demand confidently and pulled it off. The hour split its energy between a genuinely absurd personal adventure and a deeply serious wrongful conviction case, held together not by a single narrative thread but by the emotional range of the people telling the story.
Leading that effort from behind the camera was Iantha Richardson, who plays Faith on the series. Her directorial debut brought a lightness and a sense of play to a show that can lean heavily on its darker instincts. It was a deliberate choice, and it paid off.
On the lighter side, Will found himself pulled into a chaotic overnight mission with Ava, involving the stolen ashes of a beloved figure and a debt that needed settling. Ramón Rodríguez, who plays Will, leaned fully into the comedy, showing a side of the character that rarely gets room to breathe. Richardson had nothing but admiration for what her costar brought to those scenes. His natural comedic instincts made the work feel effortless, and watching him release the tension that typically defines Will was one of the more joyful stretches the show has offered in some time.
Iantha Richardson and the weight of the other story
Running alongside that warmth was something far heavier. Michael Ormewood, racing against an execution deadline, fought to prove that a convicted man may have been innocent all along after a key witness recanted his testimony. Jake McLaughlin, who plays Ormewood, brought a quiet desperation to the role that Richardson highlighted as one of the creative high points of the episode.
She spoke about the importance of letting that emotion live behind the eyes rather than only in the volume of a performance. A scene where Ormewood confronts Amanda in her office became one of the episode’s most charged moments, and Richardson credited both McLaughlin and Sonja Sohn for finding something internal and restrained within what could have easily become a shouting match.
The innocence project storyline resonated with Richardson on a personal level. She saw in it a reflection of realities that feel anything but fictional right now, and the opportunity to tell that story from the director’s chair gave the subject matter an added layer of intention.
Faith’s quiet resilience
Richardson also reflected on where her character stands after a bruising emotional stretch earlier in the season. Faith’s connection with Malcolm ended painfully, and while she appears to have steadied herself, Richardson suggested that recovery is rarely as clean as it looks on the surface. The feelings do not disappear. They settle into something quieter and wait.
What continues to define Faith, across seasons and storylines, is her capacity to show up for others even when carrying her own unresolved weight. Richardson traced that quality back to the combination of who Faith is by nature and what life has required of her. Motherhood shaped her instincts. The task force sharpened them. Together, they made her the person everyone leans on, even when no one is leaning back.
Behind the lens and looking ahead
Richardson’s interest in directing goes back several years and stems from a desire to control the narrative from a wider vantage point. Acting offers one kind of voice. Directing offers another. Getting both within the same production was something she described as a full creative experience, one she hopes to carry forward.
As for what the rest of the season holds, she pointed to stories that mirror real-world tensions, deeper explorations of Will’s inner life, and moments that will swing between genuine joy and genuine heartbreak. The show is clearly not finished challenging itself or its audience.
Will Trent airs Tuesdays on ABC and streams on Hulu.
