One particular question that the true crime uninitiated ask often when it comes to the world’s obsession with serial killers, crime stories, and the various cases of crime that many podcasts and outlets explore… is why? Because it just doesn’t make sense to them why people would want to look into such matters. For death in that manner is dark, and horrible things happen to the people who encounter such monsters. But the answers to that question are simple in nature. For starters, it is just as confusing and outlandish to those poking about those stories. Because so few of us are capable of murder, much less killing multiple people and doing God knows what to their bodies. So, we wish to understand how a person gets there.
But we also dive into these stories to help us to cope. Because while we do wish to find some root cause cures for these monsters and potentially eradicate them from the face of the Earth, the right way, through care and counseling… there’s part of us that understands that won’t be possible for a very long time. Not until the world is a place where cruelty, ego, and selfishness have gone the way of the dinosaurs. Because those are elements that we cannot control, and they truly help to give rise to monsters by ostracizing and tearing into people who cannot get help. Who are lost to the cracks of society and become the next true crime podcast. So, seeing justice and hearing about it helps us to not to have to face that cold reality of the world.
Which is why this week’s episode of The Hunting Party on NBC is so significant. Simply because ‘Dylan Myles’ did not offer catharsis. Instead, it put that reality on display, courtesy of a harrowing case involving a deeply broken man. For Dylan had a hard upbringing, complete with some speech issues and some anxieties, and only found solace and his voice through dolls. Which gave him a love of ventriloquism that he wanted to share with the world. To connect through laughter. But some audience members laughed at him and not at his jokes, so he went on a massive killing spree that humiliated his victims, and of course, he was caught and put into the Pit. Where more ridiculous therapies, involving dummies, helped him to cope, and once he was out, he executed a hideous plan for revenge.
One that saw him tear through his former industry’s best mind when it came to ventriloquist dummies and the folks who were the inspiration for their looks. So, he could have a ‘family’ of sorts before coming after the biggest prize of all. A wildly popular ventriloquist named Jeff Miller, who mocked Dylan with his act after Dylan went to the Pit, and he truly felt that the only way he would know peace was by humiliating and killing Jeff. Which led to a harrowing chase from the team. One that took them through several states and required Morales and Peck to join in. Which led to Peck taking a bullet and a hideous and sorrowful standoff where Dylan’s spiral began, all to bring him to justice at last, with major damage done. Since he beat Jeff within an inch of his life and left so much devastation in his wake. All of which brought forth a tragic tale. One that lets make clear now, should not inspire pity for Dylan. He made a choice here, to kill and kill with impunity, and as we saw here, he took great pleasure in such evil. No, instead, the tragic aspect of this story relates to what broke Dylan. Because he was bullied and mocked by hecklers, and obviously, as a kid, he had it rough. Which just wore him down and shattered his psyche to the point where he believed murder was his only option for peace. Which reflects the reality of the world. Because we can be so cruel to others, and we sometimes just feel the need to ostracize others for their differences, and in doing so, yes, we can break people to commit murder, but more so, we just break them. We just tear people down and transform them, and that’s hard to reconcile, since it means we are all capable of a touch of darkness, and it means it is a standard in the world.
Which is what we try to escape in these stories, by seeing good somehow overcome evil, by seeing a black and white choice for these criminals, one that we think can be easily rectified and corrected. But it will take fundamental change to our world to really eradicate evil and the darkness that makes us so very uncomfortable, and kudos to the writer’s room for going philosophical with this matter, while not making Dylan a sympathy case. Not to mention, a round of applause is in order for Kevin McHale and Jeff Dunham, this week’s guest stars, who played Dylan and Jeff Miller, respectively. Because they sold their roles perfectly and showcased their range in roles, we’ve never seen them take on before. Yet, while those elements would have been enough to carry this story, it offered so much more.
Because it added some new twists to the whole Lazarus mess. In a shocking manner, no less. Because Shane opted to take his mom out for dinner in this story, to give Bex and Jacob a chance to search her place and find clues and evidence to tie her to the Noah Cyrus murder. But she was well-prepared and maintained a clue-free apartment. But answers did come forth, through Peck no less. Since Morales stayed with him, and got him home to heal, where she discovered an odd bruise that he spoke cryptically about under the influence of painkillers. Which was enough for her to check his gear out, and what she discovered will change so much for her and the team. Because Peck was involved in the shooting, in fact, he shot Noah himself, and that revealed… he’s not the neutral middleman we hoped he would be. He’s a disciple of Lazarus, and that’s dangerous.
In fact, the team can no longer trust him, and likely won’t be going forward, and that’s going to make life weird at the office, as will that footage. Because it will indeed expose illegal actions and hopefully bring a monster to account. But before we think further on that, we can celebrate one amazing episode. Because this really was a different kind of serial killer story. One that used a wild concept to really look at the bleakness of the world and how it’s up each and every one of us to change it. By choosing not to contribute to the ugly stuff, and that was genius to experience, and once again reminded us why we love this show so much. Because every single week, it brings something unique to the table, and it will be interesting to see what other storytelling surprises await us as we inch toward the conclusion of season two. Until next time.