The Hunting Party Season 1, Episode 8 ‘Denise Glenn‘ showed us the growth of the team’s bond together. They finally looked like a group of people who actually learned to care for each other. And we loved every second of those interactions. It also provided us with more backstory on Shane’s past and childhood. If we’re honest, we thought his explanation would’ve been darker than what it was in reality. Only because this is a show about serial killers. But we’re relieved to be wrong.
We felt for him when he said he wanted to find his biological family. There was also further development in Oliver’s character, which we appreciated. He showed genuine care and admiration for the other members of the team. Hassani included. Which shocked us. However, once again, we’re glad to see him lose the tough exterior for people other than Bex.
The hunt for Craig Marvin was anxiety-inducing at times. But he wasn’t the best part of The Hunting Party Season 1, Episode 8 ‘Denise Glenn. ‘ Our favorite moments were found in what he and Denise Glenn were able to evoke emotionally out of the team. For us as viewers, Glenn was the catalyst in showing the audience that Hassani, Bex, Oliver, Shane, and Morales have succeeded in forming meaningful connections. The team worked together smoothly. They showed a willingness to lean on each other in hard times. And shared an unapologetic worry that shakes them to their core when one of their own is in trouble.
MORE: Read our interview with Melissa Roxburgh and Patrick Sabongui about what makes Bex and Hassani’s partnership work so well!
A Wall Made Of Glass
A few of the moments where you’d see how meaningful these relationships are within the team are small yet impactful. You’re able to sense the tension and weight of words when Oliver and Bex interrogate Denise Glenn. We can’t disagree with Glenn when she so happened to read the pair for filth. Arguably, it would be unprofessional to deny claims said to them by a serial killer. They need to do their jobs, and participating in exchanging gossip is wrong. Even if what she told them was true.
She saw through Bex and Oliver as if she were looking through a mirror. It was that easy for Glenn, at least in her eyes, to rattle them. Neither Bex nor Oliver had told Glenn any piece of information about their history before walking into the room. And yet, the woman was able to piece together that they shared an extreme loyalty and care for one another. Something we know is true. Because we remember episodes like The Hunting Party Season 1, Episode 4 ‘Doctor Ezekiel Malak’ or ‘Arlo Brandt‘. Shockingly enough, this was the first time Bex and Oliver interrogated a suspect together since rebuilding their second-chance partnership. It was sweet to watch Bex ask if Oliver had her back and for him to reply, gentle only ever for her, “Always”.
They’ve only begun to let the weight of their connection settle back into place. Bex and Oliver didn’t let her words get to them because, to them, their care for each other wasn’t a weakness. It wasn’t brought up again once they left the room. That’s how fast they brushed her accusations off. There was a feeling of peace between them in knowing Glenn was right and being unmoved by it.
We’re wondering if Glenn’s assumption that Bex and Oliver have unconsciously resurfaced their mentor/apprentice dynamic, which was toxic in the past because Oliver took advantage of his superiority by locking her out of an interrogation without them noticing, is true. It’s still a little difficult for us to fully support a possible and very real romance between them. We feel like we need to take their partnership progression one day at a time.
The Team Cares About Each Other
Bex and Oliver have had plenty of moments to shine throughout the season, but there was another pair that made us feel all the emotions in The Hunting Party Season 1, Episode 8 ‘Denise Glenn. ‘ The pair being Hassani and Shane. Don’t get us wrong, they’ve also had their moments where we’ve seen them have each other’s backs on the field. Along with Bex, this particular trio has grown the closest. It makes sense because they spend the most time together in the private jet while traveling and chasing the killers on foot.
Therefore, it’s really no surprise that Hassani and Shane would work so well together in high-stakes situations. They both have past military experience, so their differing expertise in tracking and quick thinking helps them when confronting a suspect. We know Shane could handle his own weight as the person who usually tackles people to the ground to disarm them. In those cases, Hassani is the one to get answers and be his cover after Shane puts them down. We saw how efficiently this worked for them in not only this episode but in ‘Lowe‘.
And yet, we were still taken aback by Hassani’s decision to stay behind in a building rigged to explode to help Shane disarm the C4 in Melvin’s backpack. Shane looked to have prior experience with disarming explosives. In actuality, he would’ve succeeded in doing so even if Hassani had left him. He knew exactly what to do. And yet, Hassani stayed with him. The audience learned in The Hunting Party Season 1, Episode 7 ‘Mark Marsden’ that it had only been two weeks since the blast in The Pit. This means Hassani was willing to leave his family behind to risk his life and help diffuse the bomb with Shane. A man whom he’d only known for two weeks.
Which goes to show how close they’ve gotten. How much it would’ve hurt to leave Shane behind to die. Once the realization sunk in for us, we couldn’t help but feel all warm inside.
MORE: Read our review of The Hunting Party Season 1, Episode 2 ‘Clayton Jessup’ if you missed it!
Oliver’s Growth
From throwing darts and leading a group salute with a beer in hand after a long day, Oliver Odell has begun to show his softer side to the team. He saved the kind gestures and sharing information about himself or his time as the Warden for Bex. On the rare occasions where he’s left alone with Morales, we’ve seen him tell her how competitive he is in petty games and how he did theater in high school. And if he’s telling the truth in this episode, Oliver opened up to both Bex and Hassani about everything he knows about Silo 12 and the night of the blast. He’s letting these people into his life.
We’re starting to believe he’s mostly, if not completely, innocent in his whereabouts on the night the Pit exploded. He’s been honest in his answers to questions the team has asked him. And we don’t think he’ll be willing to betray Bex for a second time after being let back into her life. Oliver would have a difficult time turning his back on the team after what we saw in this episode. We saw how nervous and torn he was over Hassani and Shane being in danger. He cares about the people he’s working with to find the escaped killers. No matter if their relationship with him is rocky or not.
It’s his military connection that we should be afraid of. It was a haunting scene to watch the woman blindside Glenn and kill her while leaving the base. Glenn knew who was talking to her and looked visibly rattled. She looked terrified to be in the same car as her. It was unsettling to watch a serial killer, someone who is seen as evil, look so frightened by a woman who is supposed to embody the fight for good and justice.
The Hunting Party airs on Mondays at 10 pm ET on NBC.
