Episode 8 of "The Hunting Party" kicks off with a harrowing new crime scene: a ballerina, suspended from the ceiling in a painstakingly contorted dancer's pose, her body a canvas splattered with blood, while the word "terpsichore" is eerily inscribed on the floor—a masterpiece of macabre artistry by Denise Glenn, an artist hellbent on achieving immortality through her gruesome, twisted murders. These events unfolded in 2005, yet the present tense brings forth another chilling spectacle, or does it? A hooded figure dumps a new victim—a man, murderously entwined in barbed wire on a bench, clutching a violin—raising the question: Is this Denise's resurrection of terror, or someone else's grim symphony?
In the serene landscapes of Wyoming, Shane sits in quiet contemplation with Dulles' daughter, imploring her that Dr. Dulles holds the key to unlocking the mystery of his biological origins. His weekly therapy sessions with Dulles, since his ordeal in the Pit, have fueled his desperate hope for answers. The daughter ponders his plea, leaving us in suspense about her decision.
Elsewhere, Bex, Odell, and Hassani delve into their boardroom discoveries. Odell steadfastly denies recognizing the names of those who convened there, but he is well-versed in its function: a stage where scientists presented their groundbreaking research to investors, big pharma, and other stakeholders. While this revelation doesn't zero in on the mastermind, Odell's phone call just before the explosion could hold the crucial piece of the puzzle. Hassani brings this to light, yet Odell dismisses the accusations with a nonchalant shrug, insisting it was merely part of his duty to safeguard data in case of a breach.
The team gets a lead on the potential Denise Glenn case, but a wrinkle emerges: the actual Denise Glenn was discovered amidst the rubble mere hours post-explosion and is now back behind bars. If not Denise, then who is perpetuating her sinister legacy? Suspicion falls on another inmate from the Pit, perhaps someone else adopting her modus operandi. Though Denise had no inmate contact during her incarceration, she might still possess vital information that could illuminate their path.
At the tender age of 35, Denise has already secured an impressive position as a tenured art history professor at St. Louis University. Despite her professional accomplishments, her personal life remains relatively unremarkable and unexciting. However, her victims, each a high-achieving luminary in their respective fields, paint a different picture. Their brutal deaths bear an eerie resemblance to tributes paid to the Greek muses, suggesting a sinister homage. It seems that Denise, having embarked on an ambitious project inspired by the nine muses, never saw it through to completion. Now, a copycat killer appears to be stepping into her shoes, determined to finish what she started and pay homage to her twisted vision through these grizzly offerings.
The potential key to unraveling this mystery lies in a sketchbook, believed to detail Denise's macabre methodologies. Someone, somewhere, is using this book as a blueprint to continue Denise's grim work. Determined to uncover the truth, Bex and Odell confront Denise at "The Pit," a place steeped in her creative endeavors. But instead of yielding information, Denise deftly diverts their attention by probing into their past connections, attempting to rattle them. Their resolve remains unbroken, however.
Denise eventually admits to having an apprentice but steadfastly refuses to divulge their identity. Hope is not lost, however. Surveillance footage from within The Pit, capturing Denise at work in her element, may hold the crucial clue they seek. It transpires that Denise's therapist once organized sessions where patients observed her sculpting. An examination of the treatment logs reveals a striking pattern: 12 inmates were on rotation, with six having escaped and six now deceased. Bex devises a clever ruse, swapping the statuses of the escaped and deceased inmates in the logs, hoping to provoke a reaction from Denise and perhaps crack open the door to her dark secrets.
It appears to be functioning as intended, with Denise displaying an alarming lack of poker face. Her smile twists into a frown when a particular name - Craig Martin - is mentioned. Thanks to Bex's clever psychological manipulations, tapping into Denise's deep-seated desire to be remembered, she eventually breaks her silence.
It transpires that Craig's true target is Denise's senior lecturer at the university. This individual serves as the muse of mimicry and represents the final crucial piece of the puzzle. If they fail to seize this moment, they may never catch him. Denise had a brief encounter with Craig when the Pit was crumbling down, and he has been fixated on her ever since. In fact, he's become so obsessed that he vows to honor her memory in his own twisted way.
The plan involves blowing up the lecture hall, with the bomb cunningly concealed inside a backpack somewhere within the room. Shane and Hassani conduct a thorough search and locate the bomb just in time, but they only have 40 seconds to prevent the entire place from being obliterated. Through quick thinking and coordination, Shane and Hassani successfully defuse the bomb, averting the disaster.
Back at their base, Hassani reveals that he's been in touch with his contacts and uncovered the name of the biotech firm behind the IV bag: Whitmore Sciences, headed by James Whitmore. AG Mallory's involvement with them, however, suggests a deeper conspiracy, explaining her urgency to keep matters under wraps.
That night, Shane visits Dulles' daughter, who presents him with a box filled with tapes labeled with his name. These tapes contain recordings of all his therapy sessions and could potentially hold the key to unraveling his family's mysteries.
As for Denise, she's whisked away from the Pit and thrown into an SUV, where her life is brutally extinguished.
