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Found Star Arlen Escarpeta Reveals What's Next for Zeke & the "No Longer Sacred" M&A Team
New episodes of Found air on NBC every Thursday at 10 p.m. ET.
**SPOILER WARNING! The following contains major spoilers for the Season 2 premiere of Found!**
Most people can't immediately snap back into work mode after being poisoned, but Zeke Wallace isn't "most people." The agoraphobic and tech-savvy character played by actor Arlen Escarpeta on NBC's Found starts off the second season in a bad way, as Sir (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) mercilessly targets the core members of Mosely & Associates.
Zeke and Lacey (Gabrielle Walsh) in particular feel the brunt of Sir's nigh-unstoppable wrath, which lands the former in the hospital for an immediate stomach pumping. His stay ends up being rather short once he wakes up and learns he is no longer in the comfort of his own home, a realization that triggers a severe panic attack. Defying the doctor's opinion that he remain under professional supervision for the time being, Zeke returns to his apartment and insists on helping to search for Lacey.
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"It’s what you want as an actor," Escarpeta tells NBC Insider about getting to play such a physically and emotionally demanding role. "You get to dive into the mindset and the real feelings of someone's trauma. It’s not something I take lightly. It allows me a very deep empathy for anyone dealing with any kind of trauma, one that manifests itself from a mental space to an emotional space, then to a physical space. It's taxing and it really does lend your ear and your heart to say, ‘Be polite. Be kind when you can. Do not live in your own bubble. Be aware that when you're speaking to someone, you have no idea what they're dealing with. You have no idea.'"
Found actor Arlen Escarpeta teases Zeke Wallace's Season 2 journey
In addition to fighting off the toxins still coursing through his bloodstream, Zeke must also contend with the proverbial poison of Gabi Mosely's (Shanola Hampton) secret: the fact that she kept Sir locked up in her basement for close to a year. Such a profound betrayal prompted Zeke to start writing a resignation letter, one in which he threatens to cut off financial support to M&A after a period of six months.
"Zeke's journey is really going to be one of self-awareness and self-development with the splintering of Mosley & Associates, with Gabi’s secret being out," Escarpeta teases. "It's gonna be a test, and Zeke's [realizing] a place he has created [and thought was] safe is no longer safe. It's no longer sacred. There are lies, there's deceit, and I'm curious to see how he bounces back from that. Is he still able to do his job to the best of his ability? Does he still see everyone else as family? Who does he push away and who does he bring close?"
Is there anything Gabi can do or say to gain back the trust of her teammates? Escarpeta isn't so sure. Finding out your boss, mentor, and friend committed a felony isn't exactly something you can come back from. And to add insult to injury, Gabi committed the very type of sin her firm tirelessly combats on a regular basis.
RELATED: Mark-Paul Gosselaar's Sir "Wreaking Havoc" in Found Season 2: "Gabi is Going to Struggle..."
"I don't know if there's anything that Gabi can actually say or do at this point," he says. "I think there’s a conversation that needs to be had, and I don't think it's one conversation. I think it may be multiple conversations. It may be a whole arc of them trying to stitch this thing together. What does this new family look like? What does it feel like? How do we keep this going? Are we getting a divorce or are we going to try to make this work? That's where we are in Season 2. We don't know what happens next."
He continues: "All of our characters have obviously been in some kind of therapy and so, I think they're all equipped with the tools to solve and figure things out. But saying what we should do and doing what we should do are two different things. Things are obviously easier said than done. We'll have to go through the journey and see what happens."
Will Zeke Wallace ever conquer his agoraphobia on Found?
While it's still early days for the character (the man just got out of the hospital for Pete's sake!), Escarpeta doesn't rule out the possibility that Zeke may one day find the strength to overcome his phobia and step out into the world. How and when that might happen remains to be seen.
"I'm excited for when that happens for Zeke," the actor concludes. "I'm very curious to find out what the catalyst is that gets him to that point. Is it a combination of things? Is it a person? Is it a moment? Is it a case? All of those things will be interesting to find out. Then I'm also a little bit afraid of what the world looks like on the other side for Zeke. It's going to be a brave new world for him when that does happen and I'm looking forward to peeling back those layers ... I think once we get to that point, he should be a different person. There should be different strength, there should be different tools, and so forth. We'll have to see."
How can you watch Found Season 2?
New episodes of Found premiere on NBC every Thursday at 10:00 p.m. ET before making their way to Peacock the following day. The complete first season — comprised of 13 episodes — is now available to stream on the NBCUniversal platform.
The service offers two monthly subscription plans: Premium ($7.99 a month with ads) and Premium Plus ($13.99 a month with no ads and download access for certain titles). If you're a student, you can enjoy the Premium plan for just $1.99 for an entire year!
