Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Hunting Party season 1, episode 3.The Hunting Party season 1, episode 3 aired on Monday, February 17, and centered around a female serial killer. The installment first leads viewers to believe that Bex (Melissa Roxburgh) and her team are hunting a male escapee, making the reveal more surprising. On top of that, the reason behind the murders is said to be an effort to save the environment and animals.

The series follows Bex as she works to recapture escaped prisoners. They have broken free from a place called The Pit, which was running experiments on the inmates in an attempt to prevent people from becoming killers. Sara Garcia plays Jennifer Morales, who works day in and day out with Oliver Odell (Nick Wechsler). The final moments of Episode 3 find Odell at the center of a controversy, leading viewers to believe that he just might be in on the escape.

The Hunting Party - Poster
The Hunting Party
Release Date
February 3, 2025

The Hunting Party is a crime procedural series released in 2025, centering on a specialized team of investigators tasked with apprehending notorious killers who have escaped from a secretive and non-existent prison facility.

Network
NBC
Cast
Melissa Roxburgh, Patrick Sabongui, Sara Alicia Garcia, Josh McKenzie, Nick Wechsler
Directors
Thor Freudenthal
Main Genre
Crime
Creator(s)
JJ Bailey
Seasons
1

ScreenRant spoke with Sara Garcia to discuss the events of the latest episode. She shares how interesting it is to see a female serial killer featured in the show, and why the characters' tragic backstories allow a sense of empathy. Garcia explains what she thinks sets The Hunting Party apart from other series and teases the ripple effects of the episode throughout the season.

Garcia Explains Why Episode 3's Serial Killer Offers An Interesting Take

"I Thought That There Were A Lot More Moments For Empathy"

Sara Garcia as Jennifer Morales in The Hunting Party season 1, episode 3

The Hunting Party season 1, episode 3's serial killer is female and her reason for murdering people is an effort to save the environment. She's obsessed with wolves and has purchased a parcel of land that she can protect. Garcia its, "I actually found myself being like, you know what? I get it. Environment. It was a really interesting take on the traditional serial killer." When it comes to the killer being female, she was surprised because "that's not normally what happens."

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Garcia feels that the reasoning behind what she has done and the fact that The Pit was lying to her adds "a lot more moments for empathy." She goes on to say, "Truth be told, not that I'm excusing any serial killing behavior, but I think that when you look at backstories you realize how the monsters are made." The characters have become murderers because of the things that happened to them, and Garcia shares that "those stories can often be very tragic."

The empath in me is always like, if only we could have intervened and shown them love early on in life, maybe they wouldn't be doing this later on. I think that there's always room to empathize with another human being, and their story, even if it's dark.

What Sets The Hunting Place Apart From Other Serial Killer Shows For Garcia

"They Went To Some Dark And Twisted Places, These Killers"

When asked what sets The Hunting Party apart from other series featuring serial killers, Garcia says, "The mystery of the pit is a through line that keeps us on the edge of our seats. As we watch, we really do want to know what's going on there. Why were they holding these serial killers in secret? What were the experiments all about?" She explains that "the biggest thing that sets the show apart is that mystery, and wanting to get to the bottom of that and really sink our teeth into that."

Garcia goes on to reveal that this is not just something that keeps audiences engaged, but something that is driving Bex the whole time. "And also, they really went to some dark and twisted places, some of these killers," she explains. "One of the biggest things is that the killers evolve, and so they don't really match their original MOs, so that's part of the difficulty in tracking them down, because they become a little bit more sinister."

Ethically, I don't know if I personally agree with it. It does make for some really interesting TV.

The prisoners have likely evolved because of the experiments conducted in The Pit under the guise that it helps stop potential murderers. But can someone be guilty of a crime they didn't commit? This offers a lot to think about, something Garcia agrees with. "Ethically, I don't know if I personally agree with it. It does make for some really interesting TV," she its. "I think the through line of not knowing who to trust, and the people you think are good might not actually be as good as you think, is just an intriguing concept for me."

Sara Garcia Discusses The Dynamic Between Morales & Odell

"I Like To Consider It An Older Brother And Younger Sister Relationship"

Sara Garcia as Jennifer Morales and Nick Wechsler as Oliver Odell in The Hunting Party season 1, episode 2

The final moments of The Hunting Party episode 3 reveal that Odell might have something to do with the prisoners escaping The Pit. He s something onto a thumb drive and hurries out of the room suspiciously. ScreenRant asked Garcia what that might mean for the relationship between her character and Odell. She thinks Morales would "be shocked" because of how close they are.

From Morales' perspective, she gets to be with Odell on an everyday basis, working closely with him, and I think it's interesting that Morales is seeing the man underneath all the mystery and it does form a bond there. I like to consider it an older brother and younger sister relationship. I think for Morales, she is seeing Odell on a day-to-day basis, and she's sort of getting a glimpse of him that the other teammates are not.

Because of this, the two of them are very close, but in the show as a whole, she feels there is a "through line of distrust. Who can I trust? Who's the good guy, who's the bad guy? And Bex is really trying to figure that out, and she's been conflicted when it comes to Odell."

Check out our round table interview with The Hunting Party cast, as well.

The Hunting Party season 1 airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.