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Will Trent co-showrunner Liz Heldens offers a detailed explanation of the season 2 finale reveal. Emerging as a solid hit for ABC, and based on the novels by Karin Slaughter, the crime drama stars Ramón Rodríguez in the titular role of a highly observant Special Agent who makes connections that no one does. But that causes trouble with the rest of the characters at times, including a devastating twist for Angie Polaski (Erika Christensen) in the season 2 closer. Despite the shocking finale, Will Trent has been renewed for season 3.

In an interview with  TV Insider, co-showrunner Liz Heldens spoke in depth about what Crystal (Chapel Elizabeth Oaks) brought to the story and how the character complicated Angie and Will’s relationship. Heldens, who created the ABC show and serves as co-showrunner with Daniel T. Thomsen, also directed and co-wrote the finale. Read Heldens’ comments below:

I think the idea of Crystal came last year when we came back for Season 2, and we were trying to sort of pitch a shape to the network. One of our writers, Kath Ligenfelter, who co-wrote the finale, said, “Oh, she should come back and be a serial killer.” And then we were all like, “Shut up. That’s crazy.” As so often happens, no one had a better idea. But we really liked that Angie did something last year that she really thought was for the best, and she really thought she was not allowing her former foster father to claim another victim’s life and to ruin another person’s life, and she thought by taking the blame for killing Lenny last year that she was righting a wrong, and that came back to haunt her. Because I think what’s so nice about the way it ended up is you can really understand everybody’s point of view in the story. I think anybody would understand why Angie did what she did, and people can understand why Will has to do what he does. And so it just seemed like a really great long arc to pay off for us.

[On Will hesitating about his decision] Yeah, I think he absolutely did. I think he walked down the hall and into the elevator, and I think he didn’t know what he was going to do. When he says to young Angie in his office — like, “I don’t know if I can do that” — he really doesn’t know if he can do that. And I think for a moment he contemplates the whole future with her if he could just let this go.

There’s No Happy Ending For Anyone In Season 2.

But it leaves a bigger unanswered question: whether that vision featured in the polarizing Will Trent finale can ever come true after this very personal setback between Polaski and Trent.

The Will Trent season 2 finale is titled “Do You See the Vision?” It could easily refer to the main character’s vision of the life that he might have shared with Angie, and it’s a fairly happy one — except for the fact that Will decided to turn her in for her crimes. The episode lingers on the fact that Angie tampered with evidence and made false statements that helped lead the way for Crystal to go on a killing spree.

The case itself isn’t easy, with a serial killer on the loose and targeting sex offenders. At one point, it looked like Angie had killed her former abuser and was potentially targeting others, exaggerating her injuries to do so. However, the finale reveals that it’s Crystal who was behind these murders. To make matters worse, the young Crystal cracks her head on a rock while attempting to make a run for it and she dies. There is no happy ending for anyone involved, especially not for Angie and Will, as he places her under arrest by the episode’s end.

The episode does a lot to wrap up the whole season, considering how Angie helped Crystal cover up a murder. But it leaves a bigger unanswered question: whether that vision featured in the polarizing Will Trent finale can ever come true after this very personal setback between Polaski and Trent. At the very least, it’s a long way from being a reality.