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| Is Eve Lazarus Really Dead in ‘The Hunting Party’? Kari Matchett’s Exit Leaves Fans Stunned. (Credits: NBC) |
NBC’s ‘The Hunting Party’ did not exactly believe in subtle endings. The Season 2 finale closed with bullets flying, government secrets collapsing in real time, and Eve Lazarus finally meeting the sort of ending viewers had been expecting since she started treating serial killers like a long-term science project instead of, well, serial killers.
By the end of the episode, the mysterious mastermind behind the Pit’s darkest operations is lying dead on the floor, leaving fans asking the same question all over social media: is Lazarus actually dead, and has Kari Matchett officially left the series for good?
The short answer appears to be yes. Lazarus is very much dead by the end of the finale, and the series does not leave much room for ambiguity unless the writers suddenly decide this universe now includes supernatural healing powers alongside government conspiracies.
After spending the entire season manipulating everyone around her, Lazarus finally runs out of exits during a tense confrontation with Bex and Shane. Ironically, for someone constantly five steps ahead, her downfall arrives because she underestimates the one thing she could never fully control: people refusing to become her.
Season 2 spent a huge amount of time slowly peeling back the layers behind Lazarus’ operation inside the Pit. At first, it looked as though she was simply trying to continue the graduate programme that supposedly rehabilitated serial killers. Turns out “rehabilitation” was doing some extremely generous lifting there.
The programme was never really about curing violent offenders at all. Instead, Lazarus had been teaching them how to blend into society more effectively. Which, to put it mildly, feels like the worst possible use of government funding imaginable.
Bex figures out early that Lazarus is a high-functioning sociopath who performs emotions rather than genuinely feeling them.
It becomes increasingly clear that Lazarus wants to build a controlled network of highly trained killers who can move through society unnoticed. Basically, every warning label imaginable wrapped into one person wearing military authority and excellent posture.
As the walls close in, Lazarus decides to abandon the Pit and escape before the truth fully explodes into public view. Her unfinished “graduates” are considered disposable, because apparently even serial killer mentorship programmes have budget cuts.
Bex and her team manage to disrupt the escape plan, triggering a violent final showdown where Bex is shot in the chest while pursuing Lazarus. Things only become more emotionally chaotic from there.
The finale’s strongest scenes revolve around Lazarus and her son, Shane. Throughout the season, Shane wrestles with fears that he may secretly be more like his mother than he wants to admit. Lazarus knows exactly where to strike emotionally and spends their final confrontation needling every insecurity he has.
She practically dares him to shoot her, insisting that deep down he shares her instincts. It is classic manipulative-parent behaviour taken to deeply terrifying extremes. Family therapy probably stopped being an option years ago.
For a moment, Shane genuinely hesitates. The self-doubt flashes across his face, and the tension becomes unbearable. But ultimately, he refuses to become what Lazarus expects him to be. Instead of killing her, he attempts to arrest her properly.
Unfortunately, Lazarus has absolutely no interest in surrendering peacefully. The second she reaches for her gun again, Bex, barely conscious after being shot, wakes up in time to fire the fatal shot that kills Lazarus instantly.
The death itself feels abrupt, brutal, and oddly fitting. Lazarus spends the entire series believing she can outsmart consequences forever, only to fall because she cannot imagine anyone choosing morality over instinct. In true villain fashion, her biggest weakness turns out to be arrogance mixed with emotional manipulation fatigue.
Still, her death creates a massive problem for the series moving forward. Lazarus was not just another antagonist. She was essentially the living archive of the Pit’s secrets.
As the first graduate of the programme and the first serial killer to give birth inside the facility, she held years of hidden knowledge about the operation, the experiments, and Shane’s own origins. Her death means many of those answers vanish with her, at least for now.
The finale also removes another major figure when Elizabeth Mallory is killed before Lazarus dies herself. By the time the dust settles, the Pit’s leadership structure has completely collapsed.
Which honestly feels overdue considering the place somehow survived years of deeply questionable decision-making while everyone involved acted like ethical concerns were optional office paperwork.
This power vacuum opens the door for Bex to step further into the operation’s inner circle. The government now needs someone capable of handling the Pit’s secrets without exposing everything publicly, and Bex becomes the obvious choice.
Unlike Lazarus, however, Bex is motivated by uncovering the truth rather than controlling it. That shift could completely redefine the direction of Season 3 if NBC moves forward with another chapter.
As for Kari Matchett, her exit will likely leave a huge hole in the series. Lazarus worked because Matchett never played her as a cartoon villain. Even at her coldest, she carried an unsettling calmness that made every conversation feel dangerous.
One minute she sounded like a composed military strategist, the next like someone quietly evaluating whether everyone in the room should disappear. It was genuinely one of television’s more unnerving performances this year.
Fan reactions online have been split straight down the middle. Some viewers praised the finale for finally delivering consequences and giving Bex the moment she deserved after two seasons of manipulation.
Others are frustrated that Lazarus died before revealing more answers about Shane’s father, the Pit’s full history, and the extent of the programme’s reach.
A surprisingly large number of fans also admitted they were angry purely because Matchett was “too good to lose.” Fair point honestly. Television does have a habit of removing its most interesting chaos agents far too early.
There are also theories floating around that Lazarus could somehow return through flashbacks, hidden recordings, or secret contingency plans because viewers simply do not trust this series to let anyone stay uncomplicatedly dead anymore. After two seasons of conspiracies, betrayals, and underground operations, audiences have become professionally suspicious.
What is certain, though, is that Eve Lazarus leaves behind a mess far larger than her own death. The Pit remains full of unanswered questions, damaged people, and secrets dangerous enough to destroy careers and lives if exposed.
Whether Season 3 turns Bex into a reformer, another reluctant gatekeeper, or something much darker remains the real mystery now. And honestly, after that finale, viewers are probably already preparing themselves for at least three more betrayals, two hidden laboratories, and another emotionally catastrophic family reveal.
So what did you think — was killing Lazarus the right move, or did ‘The Hunting Party’ just remove its best character too soon?