Wasn’t this a creepy case?
I’ll admit it. I haven’t been to a comedy club in years, but generally, part of it used to include ridicule and laughter.
However, insulting someone before they become accustomed to the stage just seemed cruel. Many procedurals have highlighted bullying this season, and it’s become a fine line.
Adding the wooden ventriloquists made The Hunting Party Season 2 Episode 11 creepier as they took on the personae of Dylan Myles (Kevin McHale).
While I connected more to the personal stories this week, his case took things to a new level of comically creepy.
That cliffhanger shocked me, and we must discuss how that reveal will affect Morales moving forward.
I Advocated for Bullying Storylines, But Now Now They’re Becoming Overdone
I used to advocate that we saw more in-depth bullying arcs, but there is still no excuse for killing those who tease you.
It’s a delicate balance because teasing someone often triggers them, but comedy clubs base their jokes on ridiculing people.
Dylan Myles needed time to learn the scene, and should not have used such a hot temper, but yelling for him to get off the stage was out of line.
The Hunting Party follows a formula, so I wasn’t surprised Dylan killed the instigator, only with how violent it was or that he left the bloody body in a pool. That was gory.
But he aimed to humiliate his victims as they shamed him, and scare others in the process.
Dylan Myles Killing Spree Involved Recreating His Ventriloquists
The Pit’s therapy almost always makes these killers worse, even if they meant well. Taking away Dylan’s ventriloquist only made him violent, and he threw and destroyed the new ones the Pit provided.
It took 67 sessions before he had a breakthrough, asked their names, and started to get through to the root of his trauma – being ridiculed.
This therapy resembled empty chair therapy and allowed Dylan to process his feelings, but he lost his new wooden friends when the Pit blew up.
While I didn’t sympathize with him as much as Colette Atkins, their situations were similar. They both lost their safety net and tried to recreate it after the blast.
Dylan wanted new copies of his wooden ventriloquists since they were the only people he could talk to.
When the creator, Nicholas Fletcher, refused, he killed him, destroyed his shop, and hunted for what he needed – a ledger, listing who bought each one and who inspired each one.
Dylan only cared about Debbie and Peter’s inspirations, but that put certain people at risk.
Everything is always connected. We didn’t see Dylan recreate Debbie’s doll, but it was frightening watching him recreate Peter’s since you knew he’d kill him as soon as he finished, and he cared about every detail down to a scar.
What creeped me out the most was that the recreations had such unique personalities like the originals. Debbie seemed encouraging, including encouraging Dylan to kill Jeff, which would help him.
Just what everyone needs, violent wooden puppets as their wingmen.
It Ended Where It Began
Imitation is the type of flattery, except Dylan Myles saw it as the exact opposite since Jeff Miller became famous from ridiculing his routines.
Both men started at a small comedy club in Boulder, CO, but audiences loved Jeff while hating Dylan.
It was understandable that he wanted revenge, and I felt Jeff’s excuse that he thought Dylan was dead was weak.
He wanted to humiliate Jeff like he’d been ridiculed. Payback is hell.
Dead Jeff was the funniest and creepiest ventriloquist, and the former audience even laughed at his jokes this time.
Apparently, killing people is funny unless you’re dead serious.
Luckily, the trip arrived right on schedule, as Dylan smashed the dead Jeff puppet and revealed the bloody human one.
I loved Bex’s appeal this time, as he humiliated Jeff enough by using his puppet against him, and audiences will remember that. Well played, indeed.
Morales Finally Led a Team Again, and Needs to Be Out in the Field More
While I love the trio, I’ve enjoyed getting to know the command center team, and I loved seeing Morales and Ben take a more active role.
Morales has not been out in the field since The Hunting Party Season 1 Episode 9. That’s too long.
I thought it would be fun to see the three of them in action. I loved that Morales took the lead in entering Keith Jones’ house.
It should have been suspicious how easily Peck carried his weapon and checked the area, but I assumed he wanted to impress Morales.
That feeling continued when Dylan Myles scared them, and Peck covered Morales. So heroic and romantic.
All I cared about was that he would survive, and I loved that Ben worked with her to get him to their car. I love having two trios to ship.
I’ve always liked Ben Jones, but I appreciated how he took more responsibility with Morales at the hospital.
He’s become a vital part of the team, and hopefully, if the series is renewed, he can join Morales in the field again.
It was his first time, and he wasn’t overly skilled with a gun, but he was well-versed in finding clues in the house. Let’s have two teams again!
I Was Not Expecting That Cliffhanger
I’ve started to ship Peck and Morales, despite my reservations. I wanted him to be a decent guy since the two of them have sizzling chemistry.
I was relieved that he didn’t die from that gunshot and had hoped that they might have shared an intimate moment when she cared for him.
But this is The Hunting Party, and secrets are lurking around every corner. Peck had a bruise on his chest, and, being drugged, mumbled something about a secret mission.
Morales couldn’t leave that alone, but none of us expected to see what she found. Never snoop unless you can handle the truth.
Peck was the one who took down Noah Cyrus’s convoy, and Hassani and Bex were positive that Lazarus ordered that hit.
Are Peck and Lazarus working together in an unholy alliance, and he’s keeping the evidence so the trio doesn’t find it?
I hope he didn’t use Morales and that he genuinely felt for her, but things will get messy now that she suspects he’s dirty.
I can’t wait to see how this impacts the team in the final two episodes.Over to you, The Hunting Party Fanatics. Were you shocked by that reveal? Do you think Peck and Lazarus are working together? What did you think of “Dylan Myles”?