The Hunting Party Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Amanda Weiss
The Hunting Party Season 2 Episode 4, “Amanda Weiss,” has Bex ramping up the tension through her deception.
“Amanda Weiss” is one of this season’s tightest episodes so far, offering interesting character developments that thematically fit with the main story.
The killer of the week, Amanda Weiss, played by Elizabeth Gillies, is a former masseuse who went on a killing spree after the death of her sister.
Amanda is unique due to her tragic motive. Regardless, Amanda is still evil, even if she is one of the more sympathetic killers we’ve seen thus far.
Gillies’ performance is a highlight of the episode. She brings the character to life, making her simultaneously unsettling and strangely gentle.
Watching Bex pose as her “friend” Alice is deeply suspenseful, and this is in no small part thanks to Gillies. Every interaction Bex has with her feels like watching someone navigating a minefield.
It is sickeningly tense watching Bex try to convince Amanda she is who she says she is. When she finally does manage to convince her, you still feel like the lie could fall apart at any second.
It makes the moment where Bex reveals herself feel like a massive relief.
Amanda Weiss is one of the more tragic killers we’ve seen, so it makes the information we learn about the Pit feel all the more twisted.
When Amanda didn’t respond to treatment, her therapist, Dr. Celia Erikson, walked out only to try a different strategy. Erikson poses as another inmate named Alice and usesthis character to get Amanda to open up.
This is wildly unethical and one of the better showings of the pit’s corrupt methods. Erikson’s justification of “she wasn’t supposed to escape” seems to be the go-to response to absolve the pit doctors of responsibility.
One thing The Hunting Party does that’s compelling is showing these inmates grow worse by giving them clarity without offering alternatives. They could have easily written the pit blatantly cruel, but instead opted for a more subtle approach.
The Colonel Lazarus reveal is slowly starting to carry more weight. However, even though Bex knows who she is, she chooses to keep it a secret.
This episode parallels Bex’s behavior during the hunt for Amanda with her keeping information from Shane. Shane opens up at the very end of the episode and tells Bex he came to the Pit looking for his mom.
Revealing his motivation is a show of trust on Shane’s part, but Bex does not reciprocate by telling him what she learned about Lazarus.
Her deception is an asset in her job, but nevertheless, her willingness to lie to those close to her may prove to be a fatal flaw.
What did you think of this episode of The Hunting Party? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!
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The Hunting Party airs Thursdays at 10/9c on NBC.
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Olivia Thomas
Olivia Thomas is a passionate creative writer with a love of TV and movies, spanning from animation, comedy, and even horror. She is a graduate of Sacramento State University with a degree in English and a certificate in screenwriting. She has a year of prior experience writing for CBR.