The Hunting Party Season 2, Episode 11 Review: Chilling Puppet Horror and Morales Takes Charge in the Field kn01

The Hunting Party Season 2, Episode 11 ‘Dylan Miles’ had Glee star Kevin McHale and comedy legend Jeff Dunham guest star as a killer and victim. However, as much as we enjoyed their final creepy stand-off, the hour felt tame in comparison to others this season.

That’s not to say there wasn’t any key moments worth remembering for us. As we got to see Morales back in the field with her right-hand men from the center. And more of the team wondering how to take down Lazarus by searching her apartment. We also got to see more of Bex and Morales’s friendship which made us greedy for more moments between them. While also learning about Jonathan Peck’s ties to Lazarus as he gets closer to Morales. In the end, the relationship dynamics in The Hunting Party Season 2, Episode 11 ‘Dylan Miles’ are worth discussing as loyalty within the team strengthens and gets tested.

Dylan vs. A New Trio

In ‘Dylan Miles,’ the team raced to find a killer who once targeted bullies that teased him as a struggling ventriloquist comedian. Now escaped from The Pit, McHale’s Dylan was after a puppet ventriloquist (Dunham) who used his face to get famous. But that wasn’t his only goal. He also had his sights on the models whose faces were used to create the puppets he used while in prison.

With many potential victims to warn, Morales, Peck, and Ben came together to find out where Dylan was keeping his second hostage. They needed to act fast when they succeeded because they were closest in distance to the hostage’s house. We haven’t seen this particular trio on the front lines since Season 2, Episode 5 ‘Noah Cyrus’. So, it was nice to see them rely on one another yet again to try and take Dylan down. Truthfully, they aren’t on the field often. But they know the risks of dealing with an unstable killer and going into a house without knowing the layout.

This hour gave Morales the screentime she deserved and we’re grateful for it. We think ‘Dylan Miles,’ delivered on making us feel for her. As she would struggle in the aftermath of a confrontation with Dylan where Peck took a bullet for her.

We Love Bex and Morales’s Friendship (And Need More Of It)

Following protocols doesn’t always guarantee safety and ‘Dylan Miles’ was proof of what happens when things going wrong. Which is unfortunate as the trio did everything right in searching the house, finding the hostage, then searching for Dylan. They felt comfortable letting their guard down when it looked like they were alone. It was this vulnerability that allowed Dylan to ambush them in the kitchen. Which led to Peck rushing to take a bullet meant for Morales. Not because he had to, but because he cared about her.

Consequently, it was the moment that haunted Morales for most of the episode because she felt guilty. She felt like his injury was her fault because she wasn’t paying enough attention to her surroundings. Such negative talk about her ability to work in the field had rocked Bex when she called to check-in on her. Because Morales was her friend and she didn’t like that Morales was blaming herself for things out of her control.

These women were chosen to lead the operation to find inmates from The Pit because they were the best at what they do. For Bex, it’s profiling and tracking for Morales. They both deserve to be here doing this difficult and demanding job together. And we deserve as viewers to see them lean on each other when they need to. We can tell they’ve grown close just because of how much time they spend together on the job. But it’s always nice to see their bond and friendship on screen. Where both women loudly support and advocate for the other in front of people.

While Morales may not have a ton of experience chasing after murderers, none of what happened to Peck was her fault. Because there wasn’t a problem with how Morales handled the confrontation. She confirmed the hostage’s death and put pressure on Peck’s wound to save his life once he was shot. She didn’t fail at anything.

Overall, Morales wasn’t responsible for someone else’s choice to protect her. And we’re glad Bex was the one to remind her to let go of the guilt. Because we know Morales looks up to her as a mentor with more experience in the field. Bex reassured her that she did a good job and was allowed the anxiety-free moment of sitting with Peck in the hospital. Moments like these make us want to see more of the two women interacting on screen. We want to see more of these two badass women take down evil and support each other when they stumble, please!

Shane is All In

We weren’t surprised to see Shane proposing that he invite Lazarus to dinner again so Bex and Hassani could search her apartment in ‘Dylan Miles.’ It may sound cold, but we expected to see this side of him. As he’s now ready to do whatever it takes to bring her down. He knows she’s a liar and treats innocent people as if they’re easy to be disregarded and thrown away.

While we didn’t see the second attempt at dinner between mother and son on-screen, we know it had to have gone well. First, Bex and Hassani didn’t get caught as they looked around her apartment. Then, Shane didn’t call to give them any bad updates. We’ve said before that Shane needed to think of Lazarus as his boss and not his mother. Because otherwise, he would get hurt by someone who doesn’t care for him like he does for them.

Now that he knows how she treats people with his own eyes, Shane made his choice. He would only see Lazarus as his mother to benefit the team’s search for answers. And that’s a development worth applauding because Shane is beautifully stubborn. He’s loyal to his friends who remind him daily that he’s always been a good person with a good heart. Those are people worth lying to his horrible mother about. Those are people he’s willing to be put in danger for without turning his head.

Morales And Peck

Admittingly, we’ve been wary of Jonathan Peck since we met him at the beginning of Season 2. It was just impossible not to be since he joined the team at the same time as Lazarus. Sure, he’s smart and trusts Morales with making decisions which makes him likeable. Because we love it when men don’t doubt smart and capable women. Also, he cares about saving innocent lives if he was impulsive to chase after Dylan without telling Bex or Lazarus first. To add on, he’s a shy flirt around Morales and that makes us smile.

Peck has enough charismatic traits to make him a character we could love down the line but Lazarus’s shadow looms over him. We knew something was up about him. So now that the hypothetical shoe has dropped, there’s a lot to digest.

While Peck and Morales’s first kiss could’ve been a sweet moment, we’re glad it didn’t happen yet. He’s a man with dark secrets, tattoos, and bruises he won’t come clean about. After digging through his computer, Morales found out that Peck was the one who killed Noah Cyrus. So, now it’s confirmed that he’s loyal to Lazarus and doing her dirty work.

Two things can be true at the same time about Peck who has a complicated morality. He’s not an innocent man whose only task of being on the team was to help the search for inmates from The Pit. But his admiration and crush on Morales are real and genuine enough to have him risk his life to save hers. Which makes him someone we’re hesitating to let ourselves care about.

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