NBC has just announced the season two renewal of The Hunting Party and we’re super excited about it. The network promised an 18–22-episode second season for the procedural. We’ll now have double the number of episodes to look forward to in the fall. Now that we have news of the incoming season, we’re going to allow ourselves the luxury of letting our hopes and desires for what comes next for these characters run wild.
There’s a potential love triangle brewing between Oliver, Shane, and Bex that’s piqued our interest. It’s something we can see beginning to build momentum on screen. Especially on the boys’ side of the story. While Shane quickly inched his way into Bex’s heart with his comforting words and warm embrace, Oliver has been kept at a physical and emotional distance for most of the season. Everything changed in Season 1, Episode 10 ‘Jenna Wells‘. Bex confessed her unshakeable feelings to a dying Oliver in her arms in a cliffhanger we’re still thinking about. We want them to be together in Season 2. There, we said it.
We also hope to find out more about Shane Florence as the son of military sergeant Lazarus. And how his time with the immoral and awful Doctor Dulles shaped his childhood. We can’t help but wonder if he has a lingering evil within him as the child of a killer.
There are a lot of storylines we want to see explored in a longer second season of The Hunting Party. The show should utilize this longer season to truly make us care for these characters by giving them the time to build personalities and grow bonds. They have the episode count to do so. If they give us more personal insight into these characters, then we believe Season 2 can be great.
MORE: Now’s the time to rewatch Season 1 of ‘The Hunting Party’ so re-read our Season 1, Episode 1 ‘Richard Harris’ review!
Oliver and Bex Romance
Don’t get us wrong, we actually really enjoy both Bex/Oliver and Bex/Shane pairings on the show. We aren’t going to fight over which ship deserves to be canon over the other. At least not yet. Because we’ve already made up our minds on who we’d root for if the show wants to dive into romance next season.
Rooting for a love triangle to bring drama and a bit of mess in these characters’ personal lives is an easy decision for us. We’d want to see it happen, but in future seasons. Not now. There’s a clear division of personality between Oliver and Shane. Although they both hold a soft spot for Bex, it’s different for Oliver. He has a longer and more complicated history with her. They were in love once before.
Their strong connection has just begun to repair. That’s the difference between him and Shane right now. Oliver knows he’s in love with her. Bex still thinks of him as family. Even if she didn’t say it aloud, her love for him is woven into that confession. And if given another chance, if he survives his poisoning, he deserves to be with Bex.
Don’t give us the mess of a love triangle yet. These two got their first chance at a relationship ripped away from them due to Oliver’s impulsiveness, and it hurt them both deeply when dealing with the aftermath. Now that they’ve reconciled and begun to heal, they deserve to act on their feelings. Oliver has apologized for his mistakes and acknowledged that what he did to Bex was wrong. He never stopped showing how much he cared about her, even when she turned him away at every corner. Now that we know that she still has feelings for him, they deserve the chance to explore a possible romance.
Shane is cute, charming, and easy to root for as someone who hasn’t hurt Bex like Oliver has. We know that and do see a future romance there between them. But we’d like to leave Bex/Shane on the back burner for now. We want to see what Oliver and Bex look like when they’re in love in Season 2 of The Hunting Party. Let them be cute together for a little bit.
Exploring Shane’s Connection To Evil
We now know that Lazarus, Oliver’s military connection, who knew everything about The Pit and who led the team to Whitmore, is Shane’s mother. It was one of the biggest discoveries in the finale as Shane’s individual storyline surrounding his desire to uncover his origins as an adopted child was an important B-plot in the first season.
If Lazarus was the first successful trial of Whitmore’s empathy erasure drug, then it means she was an inmate in The Pit. Shane doesn’t know her identity yet. We’d like to see the anticipation build for longer if we’re honest. Mainly because we still have to uncover everything that was on his childhood therapy tapes with Doctor Dulles. Her lack of empathy can make her snap at any time now that she’s regularly out of the field. Lazarus’s violent tendencies could’ve passed onto Shane through their genetics. It’s something the show can explore.
We wouldn’t want Shane to turn into an antagonist or become trapped by his mother in the future. Instead, we would like to see him debate his morality once he finds out who his mother is. Have him go on a path of recognizing that he doesn’t need to be evil like her. He could be the good guy if his mother tries to entice him down the line to work alongside her to corrupt things. Even if he’s tempted to fall down the wrong path to be closer to her. Shane should realize he doesn’t need to please her. Their future confrontations with the other could be really powerful for his character development.
Watching Shane search for belonging, fight his mother, and eventually realize that his family has become the team around him would be an incredible way to bring us closer to him as a character.
MORE: Read our Season 1, Episode 7 ‘Mark Marsden’ review to know our thoughts about Shane’s secret being uncovered!
Potential Conflicts We Could Face
There are a lot of potential conflicts the show can draw on now that the hunt for the escaped killers from The Pit has ended. Where could we go from here? If we think about possible storylines that could involve Bex, there are a few that could work. Yet, one storyline sticks out the most.
The first ever serial killer she put behind bars, who killed her childhood best friend, made an appearance in Season 1, Episode 2 ‘Clayton Jessup’. We listened to him blame Bex for having to kill his own daughter in response to Bex figuring out his identity. If he ever escaped from prison, we think he’d go straight for her to get his revenge. In hurting Bex or going further and finding her daughter, Samantha, he could do real damage here in bringing our team closer together.
However, Lazarus looks to have a more lasting presence for the upcoming season. We can’t help but wonder if she’d want to rebuild The Pit. If the drug worked for her, would she want others to experience the manipulation of emotions? This would mean she would have to find and organize new killers under her authority. If this ends up ringing true, the search to uncover new secrets and dangerous threats has just begun again.
All episodes of NBC‘s The Hunting Party Season 1 are available to stream on Peacock. If you have any thoughts about the show, leave your own review/rating in our The Hunting Party hub!
