While not a flawless 45 minutes of television, “Listening to a Heartbeat” was a perfect execution of everything that makes Will Trent a standout. Balancing broad humor, heartfelt reconciliation, and high-concept action, the season finale delivered cinematic, Michael Bay-Esque thrills in spectacular fashion. Let’s review.

“Listening to a Heartbeat” – WILL TRENT, Pictured (l-r): Sonja Sohn as Amanda Wagner. Photo: Zak Popik/Disney © 2025 Disney. All rights reserved.

Picking up last week’s domestic terror plot, chaos erupted inside police headquarters. The Founder Front took GBI Deputy Director Amanda Wagner (Sonja Sohn) hostage in exchange for their leader, Vince Korda (Kevin Dunn). What followed was a tense, strategic showdown orchestrated by Detective Angie Polaski (Erika Christensen), who—while fearing a miscarriage—risked everything to eliminate the five hostage takers.

Angie cleverly uses her happy-face pointer to secretly communicate with Amanda, who responded via a coded message directing her to a gun hidden in an office. Angie skulked through air vents, covertly texting Captain Heller (Todd Allen Durkin), adding layers of suspense. Heller positioned his police snipers on the roof opposite Amanda’s office to assist with the eventual takedown.

Meanwhile, Captain Heller convinced Special Agent Will Trent (Ramon Rodriguez) to stand down rather than storm in to rescue Amanda. Heller knew that stalling increased her chances of survival. Unwilling to wait, Will and Sheriff Caleb Roussard (Yul Vazquez) investigated the tent of a victim affected by the biological agent.

Their search led them to a plastic container holding a dead rat, revealing how the Clostridium botulinum toxin was being dispensed. Alarmingly, the APD officers had unknowingly consumed breakfast burritos delivered in the same tainted containers. Franklin (Kevin Daniels) gently chided Angie for skipping breakfast, which she, thankfully, declined because of her delicate condition.

Beloved characters like Nico (Cor Lu Tran) are suffering from poisoning. Amanda hosts a press conference announcing that the governor declared a statewide emergency and that the CDC has an antidote. Hurray!

“Listening to a Heartbeat” – WILL TRENT, Pictured (l-r): Ramon Rodriguez as Special Agent Will Trent, Iantha Richardson as Special Agent Faith Mitchell. Photo: Zak Popik/Disney © 2025 Disney. All rights reserved.

However, a crisis erupts when Atlanta police detectives Michael Ormewood (Jake McLaughlin) and Franklin (Kevin Daniels), along with Special Agent Faith Mitchell (Iantha Richardson), agree to escort the life-saving treatment to the hospital. Angie would have gone, but Faith—aware of her possible miscarriage drama—encouraged her to stay back, explaining to the men that Angie’s back was bothering her.

Michael Ormewood took the wheel of the armored truck—driving straight into an ambush set by Founder Front officer Raki (C.J. Padeva). Radio and cell signals were jammed, severing police communication. Vehicles were upended, and the police came under heavy fire from the domestic terrorists. Just when all seemed lost, a van full of champion archer schoolgirls found themselves in the crossfire—and yes, their expert aim helped save the day…Almost.

Michael, Faith, Franklin, and the girls ‘circled the wagons,’ and moved the cars to form a defensive barricade. Will and Caleb uncovered the bio-terrorism lab’s location. Their interrogation of Rosie (Alicia Kelley), the wife of a Founder Front member, led to the momentary tricking of her husband, Ben (Travis West), into divulging details about the terrorists’ phase-two plot.

“Listening to a Heartbeat” – WILL TRENT, Pictured (l-r): Iantha Richardson Special Agent Faith Mitchell, Yul Vazquez as Sheriff Caleb Roussard. Photo: Zak Popik/Disney © 2025 Disney. All rights reserved.

As they barred the other terrorists at the lab from attacking, Will and Caleb, his newfound dad, talked. Caleb confessed that he had cared for Will’s mother. When he met her in Savannah, “it was love at first sight…Nothing sordid,” Caleb confessed. He assured Will that he would have married his mother had he heard from her again.

Will hadn’t known that. Caleb expressed his desire to build a relationship, inviting Will to dinner to meet his wife and kids. Will agreed. Then, he turned to Ben and demanded answers about where the phase II ambush was taking place.

Although the archers managed to blow up a truck’s gas tank, a roaming sniper remained. In one of the episode’s most heroic moments, Michael hatched a plan to draw the sniper’s gunfire, referencing his brain tumor—”Tina Tumor.” Franklin and Faith joked about potential names: Justine Tumorlike, Tumor Willis—and Franklin concluded, “I’ll think of something, tumor or later.”

This moment balanced humor and dread, foreshadowing Michael’s brave next move.
Michael scaled a car and sprinted into danger. The sniper emerged from the woods, but Faith and Franklin were out of ammunition. He zigged and zagged, miraculously avoiding gunfire. When the shooter stopped to reload, Michael lunged for a discarded weapon. Their eyes locked—the sniper smiled slyly, thinking he’d won—only for Will to arrive and run him over. Hurray!

“Listening to a Heartbeat” – WILL TRENT, Pictured: Ramon Rodriguez as Special Agent. Photo: Zak Popik /Disney © 2025 Disney. All rights reserved.

Back at police headquarters, Angie prepared to rescue Amanda, whispering to herself and her baby that her plan was going to “work like gangbusters.” She slid her phone into the hall playing Will’s ringtone—Taylor Swift’s We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.

Two hostage takers came to investigate, stepping into the police snipers’ field of vision. They had a clear shot, and they took it. The hostage ringleader (Kerry Malloy) then grabs Amanda. But Detective Angie Polaski—”the most beautiful, powerful creature in the world”— delivered a kill shot straight to the man’s forehead. That’s three down, two to go.

The last two attackers come running, firing their guns wildly. Angie and Amanda somersault into an office. Amanda screams for Angie to duck and shoots a man. Unfortunately, she couldn’t escape being severely injured by the last terrorist before Angie took him out.

As the dust settled, the day was saved—at least for now. Lingering dangers remained, including Amanda’s fate, as she suffered grave injuries. The moving subplot, centering on Angie’s pregnancy, saw her decide to keep her baby and reunite with Dr. Seth McDale (Scott Foley)—but not before she told Will she was pregnant.

During her ultrasound, the technician (Melani Kiran) confirmed the baby was fine. Angie and Will reflected on how surreal it was to listen to a heartbeat that wasn’t their own child’s. This was a bittersweet and heartbreaking moment given the two had a pregnancy scare in Season 2.

Angie and Seth declared their love and kissed. Will quietly collected Betty and slipped away from Angie’s room to visit Amanda. He begged her to wake up, likening her to his “suspension system” — his source of stability and control. Amanda is Will’s family.

“Listening to a Heartbeat” – WILL TRENT, Pictured (l-r): Ramon Rodriguez as Special Agent Will Trent, Sonja Sohn as Amanda Wagner. Photo: Zak Popik /Disney © 2025 Disney. All rights reserved.

The episode ended with a tragic twist. Michael Ormewood suffered a tumor-related seizure. His fate, like Amanda’s, remains uncertain until next season. With high-octane action, heartfelt character moments, and an impressive balancing act between humor and intensity, this season finale was nothing short of exhilarating. I give this episode A++ for staying on mission and doing its job!

Will told his father that Angie was “his person,” so, is a romantic partnership still possible for Will and Angie? Does Amanda come back? Does Michael? Let me know what you’re looking forward to in Season 4 in the comments. 

Overall Rating:

10:10

Lynette Jones