[Editor’s note: The following contains major spoilers for the finale of The Hunting Party.]

The NBC crime thriller The Hunting Party follows a dedicated team led by former FBI profiler Bex Henderson ( Melissa Roxburgh ) as they pursue some of the most dangerous serial killers, previously thought to be either imprisoned or deceased. A catastrophic event at the top-secret government prison known as the Pit, where experiments were conducted on these individuals, leads to their release, prompting Bex’s former FBI partner Oliver Odell ( Nick Wechsler ) to recruit her for their capture, forcing them to confront their past issues.

In the episode titled “Jenna Wells,” the team pursues the Killer Chemist, who eliminates her victims through poisoning. The season finale clarified the Pit’s purpose and the activities occurring within, while also introducing new mysteries that could be explored in a second season. Additionally, it placed two team members in peril and resurfaced unresolved emotions.

In an exclusive interview with Collider, Roxburgh discussed Jenna Wells’ menacing nature, Bex’s perception of Colonel Eve Lazarus ( Kari Matchett ), her passion for profiling, the finale’s impact on the team, her interests for a potential second season, and the humorous notion of checking everyone’s feet.

Jenna Wells: A Formidable Adversary in ‘The Hunting Party’ Finale

“Women are sneakier.”

Collider: We’re so conditioned to be aware of our surroundings around men that I thought it was particularly interesting to see how someone like Jenna Wells could slip under the radar of all these unsuspecting victims. Does that make her even scarier than some of the people that have been on the show up until now?

MELISSA ROXBURGH: Yes. She’s equally as frightening, but it’s interesting because we typically perceive women as nurturing and honest. While both genders can be manipulative, I believe women can be sneakier, as illustrated by Eliza Coupe’s character, Jenna. She’s quite deceptive. In that opening scene where we think a girl is being drugged by a man, it turns out to be Jenna. We must be cautious of both genders when raising our kids.

The finale is the first time that Bex really gets to have a chat with Lazarus, who is someone that clearly has had more details than anyone else, up to this point. What do you think Bex actually thinks of her?

ROXBURGH: She partially trusts her. They’ve only had one in-person interaction, and Bex is perceptive enough to remain cautious. However, I sense there are darker aspects to Lazarus.

“We’re Both Fascinated With Serial Killers”: ‘The Hunting Party’ Co-Showrunners Dissect the Birth of the Procedural

JJ Bailey and Jake Coburn discuss the creation of ‘The Hunting Party.’

When this series came your way, what was the thing that originally hooked you and made you want to be a part of telling this story?

ROXBURGH: I’ve always been fascinated by profiling. As a teenager, I was curious about body language and the motivations behind people’s actions. I even took some university courses in psychology, which I found intriguing. I thought understanding the minds of the world’s most notorious serial killers would be an exciting endeavor.

Melissa Roxburgh Compares ‘The Hunting Party’ to ‘Severance’

“It feels like they’re all doing this job, but at some point, they start questioning why.”

How much did you actually know about the bigger picture of this series? What did you know at the start of shooting this season and how much more do you feel you know now?

ROXBURGH: I entered this project with limited knowledge, primarily that Bex would profile serial killers and there was a secret government Pit. However, the writers expanded the Pit storyline in such an exciting way. The conclusion reveals that it’s much larger and more complex than initially perceived, raising questions about the true nature of the characters involved. It feels very Severance-y to me. The characters are doing their jobs but begin to question the purpose behind their actions.

Because protecting Sam is such a big part of it for Bex, would you also like to see more of Bex as a mom?

ROXBURGH: Absolutely. She hopes Sam is safe at college, but I suspect that won’t be easy in Season 2. I’d love to see more interactions between them. Bex’s nurturing side and her role as a mother significantly influence her effectiveness in her job, and it’s vital to explore that dynamic.

There’s something familiar about a very rich man like James Whitmore, who creates something that he can then use to manipulate to get what he wants. How does Bex feel about the fact that these prisoners were experimented on in this way? These are horrible people, but should they have been treated in that way?

ROXBURGH: Each character on the team has a role within the system, and the show challenges them to reflect on their positions. Even Jacob Hassani struggles with following orders, and Shane, the soldier, also questions his actions. Bex serves as the show’s moral compass. Her ability to empathize with the individuals they capture is what makes her exceptional at her job. The realization of how much these individuals have suffered due to experimentation deeply disturbs her. While she may not be able to stop the operations, it drives her to uncover the truth behind them.

“There’s No Aliens”: Melissa Roxburgh Compares ‘The Hunting Party’ to ‘Manifest’

‘The Hunting Party’ airs on NBC on Mondays.

You weren’t in the scene when the room full of people fall to the ground, but you guys come into that. Was it just a room full of background actors lying on the floor? What was it like to shoot that?

ROXBURGH: That was a night shoot. We arrived late, and everyone was lying on the floor in awkward positions. I thought, “Bless you guys. That must be uncomfortable.” But they were great sports about it. It was a significant scene that we hadn’t done before, and entering that space was quite shocking.

Because this is such a high-stakes situation every week and you’re trying to capture these really bad people, I wasn’t surprised that one of the team gets taken down in some way. What was it like to learn that it would be Hassani and how hard was that for Bex?

ROXBURGH: It wasn’t just Hassani; Odell was also in jeopardy. This was the first instance where we see Bex’s genuine emotions. She expresses her feelings for Odell, but it’s unclear if it’s sincere or a tactic to extract information. This moment reveals her true concern for Hassani, showing how their relationship has evolved from mistrust to genuine care. Seeing Patrick [Sabongui] hurt was heartbreaking, and the uncertainty surrounding Odell’s fate by the episode’s end adds to the tension.

’The Hunting Party’s Melissa Roxburgh Says Bex Hasn’t Even Had Time to Let Everything Sink In

“There’s just a vast sense overwhelm.”

In that moment, she’s confronted with her own feelings. What was it like for her to face that moment?

ROXBURGH: Filming that scene was chaotic. By the time we reached it, we were 15 hours into the shoot, mirroring the characters’ frantic state. Bex was overwhelmed, barely able to process Jenna’s actions at the command center. The rapid unfolding of events left her confused, reflecting how difficult it is to grasp the gravity of a situation when it happens so quickly.

“He Lost the Girl That He Probably Would Have Had This Beautiful Romance With”: ‘The Hunting Party’s Nick Wechsler on Crossing the Line

Wechsler also says that, while you will have some answers by the end of the season, there will be new questions that arise.

By the end of the finale, the characters all have little bit of information, but they don’t each know the bigger picture. Bex knows that Hassani’s wife has been dead for two years, the doctor knows that Shane’s mother was a graduate of the Pit, and Morales knows that Lazarus is Shane’s mother. What big questions are you most interested in learning the answers to in a possible second season?

ROXBURGH: I want to know how many Lazarus’ are out there. If she graduated from the Pit, who else has? Are they working for the government or living normal lives? We’ve been capturing those still being trained or experimented on, but Lazarus completed the program and now has a job, which is unprecedented. I’m eager to see where that leads.

Do you have to check everyone’s feet for barcodes now?

ROXBURGH: She might just go to the beach where everyone’s wearing flip-flops and do a quick scan.

The Hunting Party airs on NBC and is available to stream on Peacock. Check out the trailer:

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