AlthoughWill Trentis adapted from author Karin Slaughter’s crime novel series of the same name, the ABC procedural’s Ormewood cliffhanger from season 3 proves the show can stray far from the source material. Karin Slaughter’s novels have sold more than 40 million copies, but this doesn’t mean that the author’s writing is suited to the world of network television.
It is tough to imagineSlaughter’s biggest bookPretty Girlsbecoming a TV show thanks to its intense subject matter and potentially triggering content. Similarly,Will Trentseason 3 had to tone downthe source material’s darker content to work as a network TV show. However, this wasn’t the first time the show diverged from Slaughter’s novels.
Ormewood Is A Full-Blown Villain In Karin Slaughter’s Will Trent Novels
The ABC Procedural Made Ormewood A More Complicated Character
Will Trenthas changed many details of Slaughter’s novels during their journey to the big screen, from the title character’s physical description to his father’s identity. However, one of the biggest changes from page to screen comes in the characterization of Jake McLaughlin’s Michael Ormewood. Although he is undeniably flawed and problematic,Will Trent’s version of Ormewood is not a villain.
From misgendering suspects to physically intimidating them, Ormewood is certainly a deeply morally questionable character. However,Will Trentseason 3’s darker momentsaw Will himself shoot and kill an innocent child, so Ormewood isn’t uniquely irredeemable. This represents a major change from the source novels where, as Slaughter noted toTVGuide, Ormewood is a straightforward villain.
Ormewood’s brain tumor diagnosis was a horrifying shock that forced him to reconsider everything, and season 3’s finale made matters worse when he collapsed without explanation.
While Ormewood still has a lot of troubling character details, he has become something of a comedic relief and an unexpectedly sympathetic figure in recent seasons. His brain tumor diagnosis was a horrifying shock that forced him to reconsider everything, and season 3’s finale made matters worse when he collapsed without explanation after heroically intervening to save teenage archers from domestic terrorists.
Ormewood’s Mysterious Season 3 Finale Fate Proves He Is No Villain
Viewers Are Desperate To Find Out If Ormewood Is Okay
Not only did Oremwood’s intervention in the group’s fate prove that he had the potential to be a true hero, but his collapse simultaneously showed that his brain tumor could be even more dire than viewers might have assumed. This proves just how much Ormewood has diverged from his villainous depiction in the source novels.
Yul Vazquez
Sheriff Caleb Roussard
AsTVInsidernoted, Ormewood’s fate is one of season 3’s biggest cliffhangers. This was never the case inSlaughter’sWill Trentbooks, where he was depicted as an odious villain who readers couldn’t wait to see brought to justice. Thus, the character underlines the major difference between the ABC series and the books from whichWill Trentwas adapted.
