Critic’s Rating: 4 / 5.0
4
Each week, The Hunting Party has showcased violent serial killers, and Bex must learn their triggers.
While these killers have been disturbing, it’s even horrifying to learn that the Pit may have contributed to some of their killing sprees.
Bex and her team couldn’t get honest answers from anyone. Still, her suspicions grew on The Hunting Party Season 1 Episode 3 after encountering Lowe, a violent criminal obsessed with protecting her land and wolves.
(David Astorga/NBC)
Besides chasing another brutal serial killer, Bex dealt with feeling torn between Oliver and Jacob as the men hurled accusations about who caused the explosion at the Pit.
This tested team dynamics since Bex still didn’t know who to trust.
When A Cold Open Actually Works
Initially, I thought this episode’s cold opening was too long and that it was another tired trope of a man hitting on a woman in the park.
Imagine my surprise when the woman stabbed him, and Oliver announced Brenda Lowe was one of the most prolific and violent killers.
(David Astorga/NBC)
She was fascinating in her views that if hunters could kill, why couldn’t wolves hunt and kill hunters?
I’m sure many animal activists feel similarly, but something about Brenda seemed extreme. She believed humanity was like a cancer that needed to be eliminated.
In the past, Brenda only attacked hunters who trespassed on her land or harmed her wolves. She escalated when she attacked Earl Hicks, the man she hitched a ride with.
Shane’s Skills Helped the Team Locate Brenda Lowe
This was finally Shane Florence’s (Josh McKenzie) turn to shine. Since Shane did some tracking in Afghanistan, he knew more about her footprints.
Besides knowing which direction Brenda went, Shane knew she was calm after murdering Earl.
(David Astorga/NBC)
It was entertaining to realize that Shane loved football and knew who Ron Goodman was. He knew the correct questions to ask to learn that Brenda meant to call the person who used to have that phone number.
While Bex figured out Brenda would return to Montana to her land, Shane studied the scene and tracked Brenda.
He realized she killed a ranger but moved the body in the open so she could confront them better.
Was The Pit Partly Responsible For Brenda Lowe’s Killing Spree?
While these crimes have been horrific, they have begun to worsen with the experiments from the Pit.
On The Hunting Party Season 1 Episode 2, Clayton Jessup thought of killing the happy family after viewing those educational videos since no one dealt with him at the Pit.
When he started to improve, they cut off contact with Dr. Lansing. Things were even worse for Brenda Lowe.
(David Astorga/NBC)
She believed that her lawyer had written her, promising that her wilderness land and wolves were safe, the only thing that mattered to her.
Brenda Lowe had been part of a regimented behavioral dynamics study at the Pit, where they satisfied patients’ deep psychological desires and created their ideal world.
Naturally, Bex was horrified that the Attorney General and Oliver had led Brenda on since this had caused her to break down, but the Attorney General only threatened Bex’s job.
There was more than enough blame to share. Brenda never should have trained her wolves to hunt for fun, which was ultimately what killed them.
However, lying to her and never telling her that her land was converted into mansions was a dangerous decision.
(David Astorga/NBC)
The Race To Find Brenda Lowe Before The Marshalls Enacted Vigilante Justice
When two types of law enforcement hunt for the same killer, things get messy, especially when the killer murders one of their own.
The Marshalls were more agreeable when Brenda only attacked a random hunter.
Still, things became heated when she murdered another ranger after finding her wolves buried and her land destroyed.
While Shane could track her, these were Brenda’s woods, meaning she had the upper hand.
I love Bex, but she needed a backup when confronting Brenda. She has confronted violent killers alone before, and making deals with them is dangerous.
(David Astorga/NBC)
It’s even more dangerous when she’s psychoanalyzing them after giving up her gun.
Bex: You wanted to kill and feel powerful and your wolves. They were a tool to help you get there.
Bex Didn’t Know Who To Trust About The Pit’s Explosion
While the series has not expanded on the love triangle between Oliver, Bex, and Shane, Bex found herself torn between Oliver and Jacob in a work-related triangle.
Jacob was convinced that Oliver had been involved in the Pit’s explosion, but Bex had difficulty believing that.
Oliver acted no better and seemed jealous that Bex and Jacob worked closely together.
(David Astorga/NBC)
Perhaps he was concerned that Jacob planted ideas in her head, and Oliver wanted her to be cautious.
Bex: Look Oliver, you need to tell me everything you know about the blast, the experiments and the blasts. I can’t help you if I don’t know what happened down there.
Oliver: I’ve already said all I can.
There was nothing Bex hated more than secrets. She knew there was more to the story when Oliver refused to speak to her unless they were alone. He didn’t trust Jacob at all.
Even though she had her suspicions, Bex maintained that Oliver wouldn’t cause a blast, killing more people. She had seen what killing that suspect had done to him years ago.
We had hoped she was right, but Jacob had footage of Oliver turning off a firewall and transferring thousands of files to a flash drive. What was he hiding?
(David Astorga/NBC)
That was some cliffhanger. While Oliver may not have been the mastermind, his meeting hinted he was involved in the prison break.
Over to you, The Hunting Party Fanatics.
Do you think the Pit was partly responsible for Lowe’s killing spree?
Who is the blonde behind the Pit’s demise?
Did you enjoy learning more about Shane?
We would love to hear your thoughts, so please share them with us in the comments below.
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