Performer of the Week: Erika Christensen as Angie Polaski in Will Trent

Erika Christensen in Will Trent has consistently brought depth and complexity to Angie Polaski throughout Will Trent’s run, but Episode 15 takes things to a new level. Angie’s story hits particularly hard this episode and it’s Christensen’s vulnerability on screen that makes it all the more impactful.

In the latest Will Trent episode, Angie is navigating the grief of losing her mother, someone she is not close with to say the least. While Angie has always struggled with addiction and bad choices, her mother’s death reopens those old wounds and forces her to confront issues she would rather not. Christensen captures every shade of Angie’s inner turmoil, from bitterness and guilt to aching sadness and reluctant forgiveness.

Angie’s relationship with her mother was anything but a best friend vibe. Her mother was often abusive and distant. Her mother’s influence shaped much of Angie’s trauma. That’s what makes this episode so powerful, the grief she feels isn’t clean or straightforward. It’s messy, conflicted, and deeply human. Erika Christensen offers this emotional writing with a subtle, relatable performance that doesn’t shy away from the uglier sides of the material.

In one striking scene, Angie visits the hospital room where her mother’s body lies. There’s no over-the-top melodrama, just Erika Christensen, standing in silence, letting the weight of decades of resentment and unresolved love wash over her. 

Angie’s journey in “The Most Beautiful, Fierce, Smart, Powerful Creature in the Whole World” highlights the series' ability to interconnect relatable stories with what we expect from a crime drama. Christensen’s work as Angie has been quietly powerful since the series began, but Episode 15 cements her as a vital emotional anchor of Will Trent. Give her all the Emmys now. 

If you’ve been following Angie’s journey, this episode offers both closure and new beginnings and Erika Christensen makes every moment unforgettable.

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