Reviewer Rating: 4/5.0
4
Over the years, we’ve found that procedurals are often comforting television, probably because these heroes team up to restore order.
“The Hunt” has the potential to be as popular as “The Blacklist.” It has a similar premise, as Bex Henderson (Melissa Rothberg) is hired to investigate and find a dangerous serial escapee from “The Pit,” a secret, never-heard-of prison. Killer.
The first episode of Hunting Party Season 1 works well as a pilot because it introduces the conflict and showcases Roxburgh’s acting chops.
The story begins with twists and turns, starting with Bex being asked to profile Richard Harris, a serial killer who was supposed to be executed in 2017.
The Hunt’s pilot proposes focusing on one escapee each week, starting with Richard Harris, who was Bex’s first case and who had a big impact on her.
This allowed them to explore a rich character arc by having Bex portray Richard’s psychopathic tendencies and show her that she didn’t believe he and many other prisoners had escaped from the secret prison.
He is one of the most dangerous serial killers, partly a product of his mother’s vicious childhood abuse, so he chose victims who looked like her. He killed seven women and almost killed an eighth, but they saved her.
Case-of-the-week routines rarely work unless the series attempts to tie the case to the main characters and personalize it.
While saving these women means everything to Bex Henderson, Richard Harris changes the game when he kidnaps a beautiful brunette instead of a blonde who looks like his mother.
The team must figure out his new motivation quickly!
“The Hunting Party” is very well acted and has a great cast. We’ve already praised Roxburgh, Patrick Sabonge (Jacob Hassani), Josh McKenzie (Sean Florence) and Nick Wexler (Oliver O Del) are also important additions.
While the show stars Bex Henderson and catching an escaped serial killer, Shane Florence and Jacob Hassani play An interesting wingman. Jacob tried to tell her as little as possible, except that they had to find Richard Harris before he hurt someone else.
Sean wants to help out as a prison guard since he oversees Richard’s cell, but Jacob is too cautious about who they allow.
Shane: Wait! I’ll go with you.
Jacob: No, that’s not your problem.
Sean: I spent the entire night pulling bodies out of the rubble. I will not stand by and let prisoners go free.
Jacob: I appreciate everything you’re doing in the recovery effort, but we’ll start here.
Sean: Harris is in my cell. I’ve been with him for the past six years. I know you all know his profile, but no one has spent more time with him than I have. No one here knows him better than I do.
Shane won’t back down. I don’t think Jacob is used to it yet, so these missions will be interesting, especially since Shane is often torn by his loyalty.
He seemed to trust Bex and befriend him, but Jacob often chirped in his ear that she was an outsider and couldn’t understand what was going on in the experiment. They were prison secrets and he deserved to know his place.
This is one of Lucas McKenzie’s best emotional pieces, as Sean finally hints to Bex to watch some experiments on the prisoners.
Ultimately, it’s Richard Harris whom he’s come to know best over the past few years, and certain clues, such as his obsession with sunflowers, give them a sizable lead.
Richard Harris never left anything unfinished, so Bex suspected him of attacking Nicole Weston as she escaped.
It seemed strange at first that she would only trust Oliver O’Dell, but she must have suspected that Bex would contact her. Bex knocks down her walls and they bond over falling in love with the wrong man. If only Bex had known what this meant in the first place.
Another of Jacob’s plans backfires – using Nicole as bait to lure out Richard Harris. .
As Bex is forced to pick up the pieces, she has to lie to Nicole about what happened.
I doubt Bex and Sean would ever feel comfortable lying to people, and that’s just coming out of Jacob’s mouth.
Bex unintentionally connects the dots of Sunflower in an amusing way, reminding me of Hannah Swenson, who solves a crime at the worst possible time, only to find herself in danger.
This is a surprising twist. Nicole Weston was the mastermind behind these murders and she was very proud of the man she made Richard Harris into.
I turned him into a monster that the world feared.
— Nicole
Now that she’s a wanted serial killer, what are Jacob’s plans for her?
Bex and Oliver’s relationship is very interesting. It makes more sense that Jacob and the Attorney General are so interested in their past relationship.
In addition to being her sidekick, Oliver O’Dell also turns rogue. We don’t know why, but he blew up the cabin with the suspect inside. However, when these spoiler photos were released, I initially suspected he planted a bomb in the pit, so I prefer this one.
It’s complicated because if he hadn’t, Bex wouldn’t have found the young girl who became her adopted daughter. That in itself was a twist. It was hard because I saw Bex’s first POV. She’s grateful for her daughter, but wishes Oliver could return to put out the fire.
Now that he’s asking her for help finding the escapees, can they work together again? I can’t wait to learn more about them. Anxious relationships are my jam.
That was really suspenseful! Even Oliver suspected the escape was planned. If the warden hadn’t stopped it, something shameful must have happened.
I don’t believe Jacob Hassani. He was hiding so much to get the job done that I was worried someone was going to get hurt. But it makes me even more curious about what they are doing with this pit.
The Hunt leads the way and keeps me guessing every time they introduce a new twist.
This team is already a lot of fun, and I’m excited to see how they interact as they hunt down more fugitives, especially Oliver and Bex’s estranged bond.
We’re also curious to see how Army intelligence officer Jennifer Morales (Sara Garcia) will fit in with the team, since she hasn’t shown up yet.
So, TV Fanatics, what did you think of the Hunting Party premiere? Will you come back too? Are you surprised by all the twists and turns?
Let us know in the comments.
“Hunting Party” will air an encore episode on Monday, February 3 at 10/9c on NBC. Future episodes will air on October 9 on NBC.
Check back tomorrow for our exclusive interview with Nick Wexler, who talks more about Hunting Party.
