The fourth episode of "The Hunting Party" kicks off with a flashback to 2010, setting the scene on Death Row at the Menard Correctional Facility. As an inmate savors his final meal before facing execution, we meet Dr. Ezekiel Malak, a former hospital psychologist turned maniacal killer. On the brink of lethal injection, he utters a defiant retort, "Great men are misunderstood," but his story is far from over.
Miraculously, Ezekiel is resuscitated twelve hours later and whisked away to the Pit for experimentation. Enter Dr. Dulles, who peppers him with enigmatic inquiries to which he offers no responses.
Shifting back to the present, Bex feels uneasy when Oliver presents her with a cupcake on her birthday. He justifies it as a professional gesture, but she chuckles, recognizing it as his attempt to charm her. This crosses a boundary she's not willing to tolerate, and she swiftly puts a stop to it.
Their conversation is abruptly interrupted by a lead on Dr. Malak, alias "Dr. Darkness," the latest case they must pursue. Known for his lethal injection of digoxin, he's a brilliant, perilous sociopath. The team receives a hit at Zion Memorial Hospital downtown, and Dr. Malak proceeds to abduct Father O'Brien, a chaplain. He takes the priest to his church and brutally slays him in his office. Upon arrival, Bex and her colleagues realize that Ezekiel's murders are escalating, suggesting he's relishing each kill – a harrowing omen for any future victims.
Elsewhere, the narrative delves deeper into the explosion that initially facilitated the inmates' escape. The original call originated within the Attorney General's office, shrouded in military-grade encryption, rendering Hassani's attempts to trace it futile. The only conclusive way to ascertain Odell's involvement is for Bex to hack into his phone, using a gadget for a mere five seconds to extract GPS data. A perilous maneuver, indeed, but it could definitively reveal whether he's entangled in this web of deceit.
The gang proceeds to the Chicago Medical Examiner next, where they uncover disturbing news: Father O'Brien had endured torturous agony before being injected with an unknown substance – yet he was merely one of Malak's victims. Considering the proximity of the victims to each other, it appears that Malak is lurking nearby. Seeking respite, the gang settles into a hotel, determined to strike before Malak claims another life.
Why, then, is Malak haunting the library? It seems his modus operandi has shifted; he is now targeting anyone who has borrowed a particular book from the library – his book. A narcissist to the core, Malak's trail leads them to Ms. Fulmer, who, though injected, was rescued just in time by the gang, narrowly escaping Malak's clutches. Rushed to the hospital, Ms. Fulmer is visited by Bex, while Ezekiel mysteriously vanishes once more.
Ms. Fulmer reveals that Malak compelled her to recount his murders each time she was "killed," reliving the trauma that sends her into a tailspin. Bex grasps a startling truth – Dr. Ezekiel Malak is repeatedly reviving his victims using a defibrillator, initially stopping their hearts with digoxin to simulate near-death experiences. This mirrors his own ordeal in the Pit, illuminating his motive for his ruthless spree.
Tragically, Bex finds herself captured by Dr. Malak at the hospital when the gang splits up. Malak promptly injects her, and time is of the utmost urgency to locate her. Miraculously, Malak revives her once, using the opportunity to sermonize about burying truths within oneself and how near-death moments uncover one's true essence.
Meanwhile, Hassani and Florence frantically search for Bex, eventually realizing that Malak is hiding in their hotel room. Recalling that all previous victims were taken to their homes, they surmise that the hotel room serves as the next logical choice for Malak's grim ritual.
Bex cleverly buys time, eventually probing Malak about his visions. He dismissively waves off her inquiries, only to denounce Dr. Dulles as a hopeless fool who never "acknowledged Malak's unique talent" – his words, not hers. It transpires that Malak saw none other than his own father in his vision. In real life, his father had never uttered a word of kindness to him, but in that ethereal moment, he conveyed to Dr. Dulles his immense pride and belief in Malak's potential for greatness. Malak declares this a moment of profound emotional release, but Bex's sudden laughter gives away her own strategy of stalling. She breaks free from her bonds with adept precision and successfully overpowers Dr. Malak.
Realizing the game is up, Malak retreats to the bathroom, armed with digoxin, intending to end his life. Bex, however, refuses to let him depart in such a manner. She swiftly employs a defibrillator to revive him.
With Dr. Malak incapacitated, Florence arrives at the care home to visit Dr. Dulles, revealing an astonishing twist: he is actually Malak's father! Meanwhile, Bex and Hassani delve into Odell's phone, tracing a lead to a storage facility outside of town. Upon arriving, they uncover satellite coordinates pointing to the Pit, along with five additional, mystifying marks. What could these marks signify?
