The Hunting Party Season 1, Episode 10, ‘Jenna Wells‘ had us staring blankly at the wall, questioning our every life decision. Our emotions are still trying to recover. To begin with, the reveal of Shane’s biological mother being Lazarus was a shocking one. She was Oliver’s military contact! But it makes sense in a way. Shane and Lazarus had never met. So, we never would’ve suspected it. We certainly didn’t see it coming.
Jenna Wells succeeded in killing James Whitmore, and it was an act we applauded, even if it was for a second. Her final take down was striking and intense for what she made Oliver and Bex confess to the other.
We’re still trying to put together words for the last ten minutes of the episode because it was everything great about procedural television. We had worried over Hassani getting injured and wondered how the unpredictable Jenna Wells would endanger our favorite characters. It was an emotional rollercoaster to realize that every second truly counted. And we were right in believing this finale would leave us wanting more.
This season’s conclusion was heartbreaking for Bex and Oliver. And we can’t stop thinking about them. To hear Bex confess that she still thinks of her, Oliver, and her daughter Sam as a family left us an emotional mess. It felt like a punch to the gut. Because, of course, their timing is never perfect. Bex had confessed how strong her feelings were to a dying Oliver in her arms.
“We’re good friends? That’s nice.”
The showdown between the trio of Bex, Hassani, and Shane and James Whitmore reminded us of how close they’ve become. We had seen Hassani stay behind with Shane to disarm the bomb in The Hunting Party Season 1, Episode 8, ‘Denise Glenn’. In this episode, we saw how fast all of their protective instincts kicked in for each other. Especially when Jenna Wells killed Whitmore. Because one of his bodyguards shot Hassani in retaliation.
Shane looked like he couldn’t believe his eyes when he heard the shot fire and hit Hassani in the chest. He didn’t hesitate in shooting the man who had fired on his friend. Once reality set in for Bex that Hassani got hurt, she didn’t hold back from firing at Whitmore’s guys, either. Nobody would shoot their team member and get away from the situation unharmed.
It was a sweet moment despite the threat of danger. And felt like a moment to breathe because Whitmore believed Jenna Wells was his property. He wanted her to belong to him because she was his most successful experiment. She was proof that the empathy drug ruined people’s ability to feel emotions.
But Jenna would get her revenge and poison Whitmore without a second thought. While we were glad to see such evil die, we had to worry about our team getting hurt. It’s a sucky feeling to have because we don’t want to see anyone that we care about get hurt. Which unfortunately means we’re growing attached to everyone but Lazarus and the attorney general.
Bex reasoned with one of the guards to stop shooting because they needed to get Hassani to the hospital. We’re glad they had a heart. She wasn’t going to watch him die because she cared about him as a good friend. While half-conscious, Hassani was able to share his thoughts about the sentiment. He agreed with Bex in the end. It made us feel all warm inside to see their growth from The Hunting Party Season 1, Episode 1, ‘Richard Harris‘.
MORE: Read our review of the previous episode: The Hunting Party Season 1, Episode 9 ‘Tom Beecher‘.
“I’m not doing anything until you tell me what you did to her.”
Jenna Wells was scarily intelligent, sneaky, and observant. Just like Denise Glenn, who was able to dissect Bex and Oliver’s relationship dynamic within a few minutes and no prior knowledge. They were able to see history between them written in longing stares and soft expressions. Oliver had only listened to Wells’s commands to delete her files because he was afraid that she had drugged Bex to steal her identity. She noticed his worry over her immediately. Which is why she held him as a human shield when Bex confronted them. If Bex wanted her dead, she’d have to risk killing Oliver.
Therefore, Wells tries to provoke Bex by spewing their problems and his mistakes in Oliver’s face. He understood why she was using it as a tactic to anger Bex. Wells was right in saying he had hurt her. And he would’ve taken the bullet if it came from Bex’s gun. He would’ve taken the weight of the pain he burdened her with. If her retaliation came from killing him or letting him get killed, he would’ve accepted it. The love they share for each other is powerful and runs deep between them.
Bex has previously hesitated to confess that there could still be something between them. But she looked troubled when Oliver reassured her that it was okay that she only came to save him because he needed her. The truth was that she didn’t know how to handle such intense feelings. It was clear on her face. There was a tug at our hearts when we saw Oliver accept that their time to be something more had passed. If Bex never argued with him to tell him he was wrong, then he had to believe it. So, it hurt us even more when Bex’s lack of an answer told the audience one thing. Bex was fighting herself because she didn’t want the door shut on their possible romance either.
MORE: Read our interview with Melissa Roxburgh and Patrick Sabongui about what makes Bex and Hassani’s partnership work so well!
“I lied. I think about you and Sam.”
Our hearts dropped when Bex noticed Oliver’s nose was bleeding. We knew instantly that Jenna had poisoned him while she held him in defense from Bex. Admittingly, we hadn’t thought of Oliver getting poisoned because we knew Bex and Shane were going to rescue him. As soon as we realized he was dying, we held our breath and hoped it wasn’t true. But it was. And we had to handle the pain of watching a character we had grown to like and accept as a good man get hurt.
Things happened quickly after Oliver fell to the ground because it was the first sign of Jenna’s poison working. Death can be quick, but it can also be agonizingly slow. Oliver was dying, but you could tell that he was trying to hold on as long as possible. We’d like to applaud Melissa Roxburgh and Nick Wechsler here. Whether it was their actor’s choice or not, their emotions felt real, and it had us ruined.
Oliver’s eyes met Bex when he fell to the floor. He had his hand clenched into a fist as he gritted his teeth. To us, it looked as if he was cursing the universe over not being given enough time to spend with Bex. He was going to die when he got the woman that he loved back into his life. It was a realization just as painful as the poison killing him.
Bex’s confession to him was a long time coming at the worst yet horribly romantic moment. They had been avoiding a direct answer to whether they still held romantic feelings for each other since the beginning of the season. Both of them did a great job in talking about their feelings in the past and how they couldn’t translate to the future. Yet neither spoke of the present until that moment when Oliver was dying in Bex’s arms. She was finally honest about what she saw in the moments before Ezekiel Malak stopped her heart. A scene we saw in The Hunting Party Season 1, Episode 4, ‘Doctor Ezekiel Malak’ ‘.
“It’s Okay.”
Her confession was accompanied by tears and visible regret of keeping this secret to herself. Bex thought of him and Sam as her family and the two most important people in her life. He was the last thing she saw before she died. Bex still loves him despite the fact that he hurt her by being reckless. They were finally getting to a good place again where she could trust and allow herself to feel these strong feelings for him.
This was as close as a love confession that Oliver was going to get from her. And he took it with a pained smile as he caressed her cheek. She had told him that she lied about not thinking about him, and he assured her that it was okay. He knew deep down that she had always and still cared for him. If he had to be the one to cause her pain, then he wouldn’t want her to beat herself up over his absence in her life. Not for a second time and especially if it was out of his control.
We’d like to have hope that Oliver survives this poison attack. Because their second chance needs to be explored. Sure, sometimes they fail because someone meets someone assumingly better for them in all categories. (Shane, we’re looking directly at you.) Or it’s an opportunity to fix past mistakes and grow with someone who loves every part of you. Both good and bad. We deserve to see Bex and Oliver trying to have a romantic relationship. At the very least.
The Hunting Party Season 1, Episode 10, ‘Jenna Wells,’ was better than okay. It was great in storytelling, evoking emotions, and making us feel like we’ve connected to everyone on Bex’s team. The cliffhanger left us eagerly wanting more for each storyline, and we can’t wait to see what could happen next.
What did you think about The Hunting Party Season 1, Episode 10 ‘Jenna Wells’? If you have any thoughts about the show, leave your own review/rating in our The Hunting Party hub!
All episodes of NBC‘s The Hunting Party Season 1 are available to stream on Peacock.
