Will Trent has been on a creative hot streak, and “Call Paul” keeps the momentum going with an episode that’s equal parts horror film, psychological thriller, and chaotic family reunion. It’s a paradox of an hour—brutal and atmospheric on one side, breezy and comedic on the other—and somehow it works.
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The Return of the Boys: Ulster & Campano
This week delivered a ‘two-fer’ with the return of Greg Germann as James Ulster—Will’s personal demon—and Mark Paul Gosselaar as Paul Campano, Will’s foster brother and lifelong rival. Their presence immediately elevates the episode.
The GBI case leans hard into horror aesthetics: disorienting camera angles, sudden lighting shifts, and blood spray that feels almost operatic. The show’s crew deserves real credit for crafting something that looks and feels different from the usual procedural palette. And threading through all of it is Ulster, whispering in Will’s ear like a devil on the shoulder, nudging him toward the “dark side” while helping him profile the killer. It’s chilling, effective, and a reminder that Germann is one of the show’s best recurring players.
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Then there’s Gosselaar, who strolls in with pure Zack Morris energy and steals every scene he touches. His “5 Bs” suspect sketch—big, bearded, burly, bag, brunette—is already a classic, but the real kicker is his shameless confession about hooking up with his married neighbor simply because he could. Delivered with that trademark smirk, it’s the kind of comedic beat that gives the episode oxygen between the horror. Honestly, the showrunners should consider making Gosselaar a regular now that he’s no longer on NBC’s Found.
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The APD Case: Gruesome but Goofy
The APD storyline is visually gnarly but narratively feather light, and cliché. The crime: Delphine “Skunk Mother” Bell (Rachel Waters) pepper sprays the driver who ran over her beloved skunk, Pernie. The driver later dies—not from the spray, but from a crushed windpipe courtesy of his jealous girlfriend, Luna (Amanda Perez) who’s furious he was leaving her for a stripper. It’s a tidy little chain of chaos, but the emotional investment is minimal by design.
What gives the subplot its charm is the character work. Michael Ormewood (Jake McLauglin) casually eating the Skunk Mother’s black and white cookies (get it?)—while she’s standing there holding a fully loaded skunk—is peak Ormewood, the kind of unbothered, slightly feral energy that makes even the thinnest case entertaining. And the running bit of Ormewood and Franklin (Kevin Daniels) trying to recruit a shortstop to replace Angie Polaski (Erika Christensen) comes with a steady stream of maternity jokes that aren’t exactly cutting edge. But that’s also why they land: the banter feels like the kind of mildly inappropriate, eye roll inducing chatter real coworkers fall into when they’re killing time between actual crises. I’m not mad at the approach. Are you?
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| “Call Paul” – WILL TRENT. Pictured: Kevin Daniels Franklin, Erika Christensen as Angie Polaski. Photo: Disney/ Daniel Delgado Jr. © 2026 Disney. All rights reserved. |
Compared to the GBI’s psychological labyrinth, the APD case plays like a palate cleanser—messy, predictable, and intentionally lightweight.
The GBI Case: Monsters, Mirrors, and Shared Histories
Where the episode truly shines is in the GBI’s unraveling of a serial pattern tied to the Anulie Springs Water Company. With Faith’s (Iantha Richardson) sharp detective work and Will’s increasingly unsettling ability to inhabit the killers’ minds, the team identifies the duo responsible: Clay Hanson (Alex Solowitz), the water company employee who gained access to homes, and Travis Nash (Alex Morf), the crime scene investigator who cleaned up afterward.
But the case is almost secondary to what it reveals about Will.
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The impromptu reunion between Angie, Paul, and Will is unexpectedly tender. These three share a traumatic origin story, and the shorthand between them—right down to the synchronized handkerchief moment—speaks volumes. Paul’s line about people like them having a ‘monster inside’ arrives with a clarity that lingers, especially as Will continues to fear how easily he slips into the psychology of violence.
Paul, in a rare moment of emotional clarity, reframes it: Will’s monster is working for good. The job is to get up every day and keep choosing the right thing, even when the ending is uncertain. It’s the kind of grounded, brotherly advice Will desperately needs—and the kind that only someone who survived the same childhood could give.
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Final Thoughts
“Call Paul” is a strong, atmospheric episode anchored by stellar guest performances and a deepening exploration of Will’s internal battle. The APD case may be fluff, but the GBI storyline more than compensates, offering tension, character insight, and a few genuinely unsettling moments.>>
And now the real question:
Should we be worried about our man, Will?
Drop your thoughts in the comments—because if this episode proved anything, it’s that the line between hunter and hunted is getting thinner for him every week.
Over Rating: 8 out of 10
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