Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for the Found season 1 finale.

Returning to NBC on October 3, Found season 2 picks up after Sir escapes from Gabi's basement to torment her in the worst way possible. The finale saw Gabi conclude that her abductor-turned-abductee would remain a permanent fixture in her life unless she ended things for good. However, the realization came too late, as Sir poisoned Lacey's dog before taking Lacey herself.

Star Mosely & Associates team, leading them to think that the kidnapper is still at large. Hampton reveals that, despite the confession, her friends are willing to work together and pursue their shared goal.

Screen Rant interviewed Hampton about Gabi's imposter syndrome, her determination to save Lacey, and what fans can expect in Found season 2.

Found Season 2 Will See Gabi Question Her Ability To Solve Cases Without Sir

"It's been nine months of going to Sir with the case, and him being able to look right at the thing and making it happen, so of course that imposter syndrome is there."

Screen Rant: Did you know how season 1 was going to end in advance?

Shanola Hampton: I don't get those scripts way ahead of time, and as a general rule, I don't even read the next script until I'm done with the other one because there's too much. But NK does a really good job of giving us an outline of the season and where it's going to go. So I did know that he would get out of jail, and I was floored. I said, "Oh, we're doing that in season 1? We don't want to hold him a little bit longer?" But she and her genius is like, "Nope! He's going to escape at the end of the season." So I did know.

What did it mean for her to be able to save Dasheka without Sir, only to find out that he was the one who sent the tip?

Shanola Hampton: It's crazy because Gabi Mosely is very capable of solving these cases without Sir. The idea of Sir is, "What does a sociopath think at 48 hours?" Those are the most crucial. Ask a psycho about a psycho to get them done fast. But then she would question that, as anyone would, because they've been working together for so long to solve the cases.

"Can I do this? Am I capable?" Then to say, "I am capable," and then to realize, "Oh, he was there looming again," that messes with her as well and that complex that we all have where it's like, "Am I as good as I seem to be to other people?" The whole first half of the season, Gabi is going through so much mental anguish.

Would you say that she's struggling with a bit of imposter syndrome in season 2?

Shanola Hampton: Of course. I think that anyone would, especially now that the safety net of Sir has been taken away. Knowing that she is smart and savvy and all those things, but the questions have to be there. How could they not be looming? It's been nine months of going to Sir with the case, and him being able to look right at the thing and making it happen, so of course that imposter syndrome is there.

Now that everyone knows about Sir, how will this affect the team dynamic and their perception of her?

Shanola Hampton: It does what you would imagine if you go tell your group of friends, "Hey, by the way, you thought I was super, super, super great—I had a man in the basement that I kidnapped, and I fed him really bad food." So whatever that effect would have on your friends, it's kind of what Gabi Mosely is going through. I think it's also a relief, in a sense, to not have to hold onto that secret. That's the good part for Gabi because she wants to have penance and pay for what she's done.

Everything that everyone feels toward her, she feels like it's justified, and she wants to take the punches. You can't hurt Gabi or make her feel worse about herself than she already mentally does over the decision that she made. However, we have people that we have to find, so they all come together for the common good. And that is the through line of the first few episodes is, "I'm mad at you, but our purpose is still our purpose. And that is to find those in underserved communities."

Gabi Will Be In The "Darkest Place That She's Ever Been" Following Lacey's Abduction

"She feels completely responsible. She is, in many ways."

What toll is it going to take on Gabi, with Lacey not just being taken, but knowing that she’s going through it alone this time?

Shanola Hampton: It's mentally, physically such a mine screw for Gabi Mosely. She's in probably the darkest place that she's ever been in and would swap her life for Lacey in a minute to not have her in the position. She feels completely responsible. She is, in many ways. Gabi has a hard road for a good little bit, dealing with the anguish of Lacey being gone.

Is Gabi thinking, "Hey, if I ended this, then Lacey wouldn't be in danger right now"?

Shanola Hampton: Of course, of course. Really, you even see as the audience who we are and where our moral lines are. A lot of people are like, "Why didn't you just shoot him? You could have just killed him, and then you would've avoided all of this." And that runs through her mind. But then also, "I'm not a murderer."

But then she also wasn't a kidnapper. And also, now I do want to kill him. Now you have Lacey. So all of those thoughts, all of the scenarios played out in her head as it would with any human being who's gotten themselves in this cycle of bad that they can't seem to get out of, and this man just won't go away.

Do you think Gabi could really kill Sir if it came down to it?

Shanola Hampton: I don't think so. I really don't think so for a lot of reasons. I think that anytime that someone has had that influence, whether good or bad in your life, or if you're not in a fit of rage, real rage where it blinds you—that's the only scenario that I could see where she could actually pull the trigger. Could that happen now that he took Lacey, that rage that she feels?

Yeah, because most people will do stuff for other people before themselves. I won't do it for me, but now that you've done something to my sister, now you've gotten a whole other side of me. It's the fear. It's that, "I won't let you do this to anyone else" thing. I go back and forth. Now I say it depends on her mood.

Trent Will Battle With His Feelings For Gabi In Found Season 2

"Gabi has done something that is morally corrupt. She has. And Trent, out of everyone on the show really toes that line."

As Gabi said, Trent is already compromised. They almost had a moment in the finale, but what does it mean now that he knows about Sir?

Shanola Hampton: I think it's interesting with Gabi and Trent because, at the end of the day, Gabi has done something that's morally corrupt. She has. And Trent, out of everyone on the show really toes that line. He's a walk the line kind of guy. It really puts him in an unfair position because his heart wants what the heart wants, but the logic behind it is it doesn't make sense. So they are definitely going to battle, and I think he will battle with his feelings for Gabi.

At the end of the day, I think that it would be so unfair for Gabi's baggage to bring that into a relationship with Trent. It's almost one of those, "I guess I'll see you next lifetime," kind of things because so many things have happened, and she really just needs to heal on her own. And that's what I love about our show is that we don't always have to go to a relationship to find some sort of peace. Heal first, bring your healed self to a relationship. So I think that the history of what she has done will be a lot. She knows that it would be unfair to bring that to Trent.

We really saw Gabi break in a way that we haven’t before, and this was before Lacey went missing. Are we going to continue to see this more vulnerable side of her in season 2?

Shanola Hampton: Yes. And I say this sadly. At the end of the day, Gabi Mosely with all her nice clothes and her contour and her heels, is still such a child that is broken and that had this horrible thing that happened to her. So she's at her most fragile now that Lacey's missing. She's exposed, she's battling. There's so much fragility and brokenness that you'll get to go through with her. Some people will cry, just so you feel sorry for [them], so you're not mad anymore. It's not that. There is no other outlet but to break for her.

What season 2 episode are you most excited for fans to see?

Shanola Hampton: Episode 12, written by Sonay Hoffman, who is our co-showrunner. That episode, to me, is just dynamic. I'm so excited for the audience to experience it, and it was hands down my favorite episode to shoot. It was so fulfilling, and I think the audience is going to be so fulfilled. So I'm excited. There are so many great ones in there, but if you're asking me to pick one, it's 2x12.

About NBC's Drama Series Found

Created by Nkechi Okoro Carroll

In any given year, more than 600,000 people are reported missing in the U.S. More than half that number are people of color that the country seems to forget about. Public relations specialist Gabi Mosely (series star and producer Shanola Hampton), who was once herself one of those forgotten ones, and her crisis management team make sure there is always someone looking out for the missing.

Gabi, however, has a chilling secret: In the midst of grief, she imprisoned her childhood kidnapper, Sir (Mark-Paul Gosselaar). Now Sir has escaped and is on the loose, and her biggest secret is now her biggest threat.

Check out our other interviews with the Found cast:

• Arlen Escarpeta
• Brett Dalton
• Gabrielle Walsh
• Karan Oberoi
• Kelli Williams

Found season 2 premieres October 3 on NBC at 10 p.m. ET/PT.