‘Found’: Arlen Escarpeta and Gabrielle Walsh on Navigating Zeke and Lacey’s ‘Complex Relationship’ Following Big Dynamic Shift (Exclusive)

Tonight’s new episode of Found saw Zeke and Lacey taking things to a new level, and Arlen Escarpeta and Gabrielle Walsh spoke to PopCulture.com about what’s next.

In “Missing While Seeking Asylum,” the duo had been getting closer, with Lacey staying at Zeke’s house following her encounter with Sir. Lacey, however, told Zeke she thought it was time to leave since Sir was in prison, her concussion had healed, and her mother found her a new place.

At the same time, Zeke’s feelings for Lacey were getting bigger. At one point, he has a very open conversation about the ordeal with Dahn, who was giving him advice about what to do. Escarpeta told PopCulture he thinks the talk “meant everything to him to hear from his big brother.” He continued, “‘You gotta speak on it, man. You gotta tell her how you feel. You can’t let this thing that you’re feeling slip away. This is important to you, and you can’t act like it’s not.’”

“Those are the things that Zeke knew, but he needs to hear from someone that also knows the other person,” Escarpeta said. “I think Dahn is a great conduit for both Lacey and Zeke’s relationship because he sees them both exactly as they are. And as rough around the edges as he is, he loves us both equally, and he definitely wants the best for us. And he’s probably been joking and teasing at them having something for quite some time now.”

Dahn’s advice turned out to be a good thing, because by the episode’s end, Zeke and Lacey share an intimate moment together where they kissed. It’s a big shift for them, going from friends and coworkers to possibly something else. So, where do they go from here?

“The threshold is the limit. No. I’m just kidding,” Walsh joked. “I think what you can look forward to seeing is navigating these new feelings and the complicated, complex relationship they have with themselves and the things that they have to get over and get through. And what is it gonna look like if this person who has been my safe space, has been my friend, is something more? What is that? I don’t think that Zeke and Lacey have had that many relationships in their life. They’ve been pretty busy dealing with their own stuff. So, how do they deal with their own stuff in a new dynamic? And can they make that work with everything that’s going on with M&A in life and themselves?”

It should be interesting to see how things change between them, not just personally but professionally as well. Additionally, Escarpeta posed an intriguing scenario that the writers should definitely get on because it would only heighten things between them and maybe even change the show moving forward.

“You know what I thought about that’s so interesting, Gabrielle? With Zeke and Lacey, I think Lacey’s making Zeke braver than he has been,” Escarpeta shared in response to Walsh’s previous answer. “I wonder if what they’re building can make him brave enough to step outside all the way? I don’t know. I just thought about that. It just popped in my head. I was like, ‘Oh, man. Like, she’s helping him turn a corner.’ I just thought about that.”

There will be a lot more to look forward to as Season 2 of Found continues, and not just with Zeke and Lacey. Escarpeta said there are “some amazing cases. Finding, making sure that people matter. Our storylines. Oh my gosh. I think, Gabrielle, you said earlier, there’s the Trent and Sir situation happening. There’s a Zeke and Lacey situation happening.”

“Jamie and Margaret,” Walsh added. “Like, what’s going on with that? What is up with that? Who is this guy? Is he a part of the family, or is he an imposter? What does Sir have up his sleeve? Who’s his son? How is he still operating from prison? And all these beautiful dynamic cases about people who go under the radar, who deserve to be found, and all the families and the people who care about them and highlighting that.

“And the wild ways that these writers connect all of these stories and get to unexpected twists and turns that leave you on the edge of your seat,” she continued. “It’s gonna be a wild ride, and I think the finale is definitely gonna be something that you wouldn’t think of. I know I was like, what? In a big way. But we won’t go all the way there.”

Found is unpredictable, and with all of these storylines happening at once, there is no telling what will happen. Fans will want to continue to tune in on Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC to see how it all turns out and what happens next with Zeke and Lacey.