The Hunting Party brought season 2 to an end with a main character getting shot — before a surprise last-minute twist.

During the Thursday, May 7, episode of the hit NBC series, Bex (Melissa Roxburgh), Hassani (Patrick Sabongui) and Shane (Josh McKenzie) attempted to take down Lazarus (Kari Matchett) once they realized she was the one who blew up The Pit for her own reasons.

The showdown led to Bex getting shot and Lazarus trying to convince Shane to let her go. Luckily, Bex only got injured in the air and was able to help take Lazarus down. The trio was then left confused about whether they were still on assignment — only for Bex to get offered to be the boss of the operation.

As the potential person in charge of rounding up the inmates still at large, Bex was told that The Pit didn’t just house criminals — they created them.

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All good things must come to an end, even when it comes to TV. Over the years, many television stars have suddenly left their roles — while others have been cut from a series without much notice. Anna Faris announced in September 2020 that she was leaving CBS’ Mom after starring as the lead character […]

The Hunting Party, which premiered in 2025, is a crime procedural about investigators who are assembled to track down and capture the most dangerous killers in the country. The twist? The criminals escaped from a top-secret prison that’s not supposed to exist.

Roxburgh’s character is an ex-FBI agent recruited to the task force due to her reputation as a profiler who caught the world’s most dangerous serial killers. After a past connection with Oliver (Nick Wechsler), who was killed off at the beginning of season 2, viewers have focused all their attention on Bex and Shane.

“As far as the characters go, I am always cheering for the history and the relationships where it’s like they’ve been through so much together,” Roxburgh, 33, previously told Us Weekly in February 2025. “If they do build this love story and love triangle, Shane is safe and he’s very calm and cool waters. We have the bad boy who murdered someone and he had a reason. We have the person who didn’t murder someone. We’ll see.”

More recently, the fictional relationship received the stamp of approval from Roxburgh’s Manifest costar Josh Dallas.

“I do know [about them]. I was on set and I am a huge shipper of this,” Dallas, 47, gushed exclusively to Us in April after his guest appearance on the show. “I so want this to happen and I think it would be great.”

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Dallas urged for the NBC series to lean into the “slow burn” between Bex and Shane. Roxburgh couldn’t help but agree, telling Us that “slow burns are great” when it comes to onscreen love stories.

“What keeps you there episode to episode is the killer and the height of what’s going on and just the craziness of what these killers are doing,” she noted. “But I think what sticks in your brain as you continue through the show is like, ‘But will they or won’t they? What’s going on there? So I think everyone loves a will they or won’t they?’”

The Hunting Party is streaming on Peacock now.

EJ Johnson has the internet in a tizzy after he dropped a very HOT take on this year’s Met Gala looks. The reality star has folks popping OFF and weighing in after he shared his thoughts on Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Kim Kardashian’s looks for fashion biggest night. And let’s just say, he made it real clear that he doesn’t think they brought their A-game at all!

RELATED: Met Gala 2026: See All Of The Best Dressed Stars From Fashion’s Biggest Night (PHOTOS)

EJ Johnson Sparks Debate After Saying Beyoncé, Rihanna & More MISSED The Mark At The Met Gala

Chile, EJ Johnson didn’t spare any feelings when he dropped a video on Instagram reacting to this year’s Met Gala looks. He straight up said this year was full of misses and only one person delivered! “It’s just all of the looks were awful on awful and awful and then a little more awful,” EJ said. He also called the whole event a “graveyard” and said Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Kim Kardashian all “fell short” this year.

“The vibes were not vibing at the Met Gala. It was the graveyard […] and then the real kicker for me was Beyoncé comes in at the end honey like the grim reaper chile dressed like skeletor and was just there to break all the souls and then take everyone down to the underworld,” EJ added.

From there, Johnson said it’s time to show love to the people that are getting it right, even if they’re not household names. He said the big names just aren’t giving what they usually give so it’s time to show some new faces some love.

“We have to look for the girls who are coming in and doing it, even if we’re like who is that? Or like I have to go look up this person because that’s gonna be the next wave of the bomb and cool people of the style people […] the people that are getting it right.” Johnson added. “And not worry about the names because the names are not naming. And we have to let them not name and worry about some new people.” 

EJ Crowns Emma Chamberlain As Best Dressed

Although EJ admitted that he felt like this year’s Met Gala wasn’t it, he did say Emma Chamberlain was the only one “who came to work.” He said Emma really brought the energy and stood out as the only one who truly understood the assignment and theme. “It was just a win and it was a landslide win because no one else was even trying.” 

Emma was one of the first celebs to grace the steps at the Met. She came through on a mission to shut things down and did just that arriving in a vintage Mugler gown that was seemingly hand painted on her body and included a dramatic ruffled train.

Social Media Pops OF After EJ Drags This Year’s Met Gala Looks

Instagram user @mslogan1981 wrote, “I agree with EJ for once.” 

While Instagram user @jadoresiwoh wrote, “He’s not lying though.” 

Then Instagram user @thattrendyguy wrote, “How you Hating From outside of the Club?! You can’t even get in 🤷🏾‍♂️” 

Instagram user @thenotoriousjaz wrote, “Who died and made him JOAN RIVERS!?” 

Another Instagram user @denojustdeno wrote, “Y’all don’t like him but he ain’t wrong 🤷🏾‍♂️😂” 

Instagram user @theblkguynextdoor wrote, “You may not like EJ, but EJ is absolutely right—about this.” 

Then another Instagram user @rih_love1 wrote, “Saying all this while you weren’t even invited is crazy! 😂” 

Instagram user @chanelallvre wrote, “It’s true tho . lol y’all just hate the messenger.” 

While another Instagram user @stephanieslikes wrote, “at this point he’s just rage baiting us.” 

Finally, Instagram user @beanblackjelly wrote, “Ehhhh he’s kinda right 😭” 

RELATED: Red Carpet Romance! All Of The Lovebirds Who Showed Out At The 2026 Met Gala (PHOTOS)

The trailer for the new post-apocalyptic movie The Dog Stars is a clear indicator that director Ridley Scott still hasn’t lost his keen sense for visual storytelling — and it’s fitting that one of his favorite films trades an epic journey at the end of the world for one that takes place at the dawn of time. While on the red carpet for Alien: Romulus, he told Letterboxd what his top four favorite films are, and while he gave some predictable picks like 2001: A Space Odyssey, he threw one major curveball with Quest for Fire. A cult-classic caveman film by Jean-Jacques Annaud, Scott praised the work and it’s easy to see why, given its courage to remain a largely silent movie. Scott said, “A film that people don’t know is so clever and so brilliant — it’s fantastic.”

What Is ‘Quest for Fire’ About?

80,000 years ago, in the prehistoric age, the Ulam tribe is figuring out how to survive. Spending their days fighting off rival tribes and scrounging for food, things seem stable until their measly supply of fire goes out. No one in the tribe knows how to make fire, thinking it’s a finite resource, so the leader sends Naoh (Everett McGill), Amoukar (Ron Perlman), and Gaw (Nicholas Kadi) to explore the land to find fire.

Image via 20th Century Studios

Most of their journey consists of episodes of routine trials and tribulations until they encounter Ika (Rae Dawn Chong) — who they rescue from being kidnapped by another tribe — and she may be the key to finding the fire they desperately need. Quest for Fire exists somewhere in the middle of a series of cross-sections: it’s a story with barely any plot, a cast of characters we observe more than actually “learn” anything about, and a travelogue without the dryness of a nature documentary. It’s a record that relies entirely on empathy, asking you to look past the simplicity and witness what must have been true high drama for our ancient ancestors.

‘Quest for Fire’ Taps Into the Primal Need To Survive

It’s impossible not to immediately take note of how gorgeous the film is in its unvarnished capturing of so many wondrous natural landscapes. Filmed primarily in areas across Kenya and the Scottish Highlands, every location buries you in the harshness with which they crush our hairy protagonists, despite how vast each area is. The journey covers various types of terrain, from quicksand-filled bogs to snow-capped mountain ranges to overgrown savannahs, with the camera often pulled way up into the sky to emphasize how scrawny these individuals seem in the grand scheme of the dog-eat-dog world.

Since the film forgoes any semblance of “backstory” or complicated motivation, it leans more into the unforgiving harshness of the land and the improvised hardscrabble grit of the group, so that the audience will relate through the inherent drive to persevere against the cruelties of nature. Add in sprinkles of prehistoric-flavored action setpieces, like trying to evade sabertoothed tigers and appeasing wooly mammoths so that they stampede an enemy tribe, and it makes Quest for Fire function as high-class adventure silent cinema, thanks to its engaging cast.

‘Quest for Fire’s Cast Brilliantly Shows Evolving Social Skills

If the gnarly eye candy on display isn’t appealing enough for you, then the sociological inquisitiveness embodied by the actors provides the meat on the bone. The film spends a lot of its downtime simply watching these cave people as they communicate in their own language (created by A Clockwork Orange‘s author, Anthony Burgess), pick each other clean, combine verbalization with physical gestures in ways that make their way of life clear to us. It never cheats by giving us subtitles as to what the characters are actually saying, which encourages us to lean forward and pick up on the nuances of their physical behavior to decipher the social dynamics.

The film fulfills the need for a conventional story arc by showing how our protagonists gradually learn how to engage in more sophisticated interpersonal behavior that we modern day humans take for granted. For instance, our characters learn the hilarity of getting bonked on the head, the proper way to have missionary sex, and the wisdom of not carrying fire into a body of water — all making incremental steps toward a better functioning way of life.

In that vein, the cast should be commended for how they can effectively communicate a cohesive theme through their collective action. Even if they don’t have fully developed “personalities,” each character has enough distinct habits and tics that you find enjoyment in how their mentalities bump against each other. It’s fun to watch the main trio all be such “knuckle-draggers” in the beginning, and then gratifying to see how their intelligence has improved thanks to their experiences with the more advanced Ika and how their sense of social nicety improves.

The actors don’t so much give “performances” as they embody an entire sub-concept of humanity that is in flux in response to a world that demands that they not remain stagnant. That combination of grand visuals, anthropological examination of the limits of human intelligence, and marveling at the dangers of the wide world make it obvious why Ridley Scott would consider it such an important film to his cinematic sensibilities, and therefore why it must be seen in order to gain insight on Scott’s vision.

The White Lotus has faced a surprising amount of behind-the-scenes drama ranging from feuds to characters being recast.

The White Lotus, which premiered in 2021, focuses on the guests and employees at a fictional resort as they experience a slew of personal ups and downs while on vacation. The anthology series is also known for featuring a mysterious murder — or two — that is eventually revealed. Each season films at a new location, with the first taping in Hawaii, before venturing to Sicily and Thailand. Season 4 is currently being taped in France.

While many tune in for the star-studded cast, others are invested in the plot payoff. Creator Mike White has previously stood by his vision for the show regardless of the offscreen reaction.

“It definitely gets under their skin. There was complaining about how there’s no plot,” he said on an April 2025 episode of the official White Lotus podcast. “That part I find weird. It never did. Part of me is just like ‘Bro, this is the vibe. I’m world-building.’”

White was confused by fans who didn’t like his writing style three seasons in.

“If you don’t want to go to bed with me, then get out of my bed. I’m edging you! Enjoy the edging,” he quipped. “If you don’t want to be edged, then get out of my bed. Do you know what I mean? Don’t be a bossy bottom.”

White continued: “Get the f**k out of my bed. Don’t come home with me. Don’t get naked in my bed. Get the f**k out of my bed. Obviously, something is going to happen.”

In addition to conversations about what is taking place on screen, the show faced a surprising amount of drama off screen. Keep scrolling for a full breakdown:

Mike White Vs. White Lotus Music Composer

In April 2025, composer Cristóbal Tapia de Veer candidly addressed his decision not to return for season 4 after multiple creative differences with White. Tapia de Veer told The New York Times that arguments over the season 3 theme music — especially backlash over the lack of iconic “ooh-loo-loo-loos” in the intro — led to his departure.

“I texted the producer and I told him that it would be great to, at some point, give [the fans] the longer version with the ooh-loo-loo-loos, because people will explode if they realize that it was going there anyway,” Tapia de Veer told the outlet. “He thought it was a good idea. But then Mike cut that — he wasn’t happy about that.”

White who didn’t offer a statement to The New York Times about the situation, allegedly wanted the soundtrack to be more background music. “A song that is more like something you would listen to in Ibiza, in some clubby place with a chill, sexy vibe,” Tapia de Veer claimed. “I mean, at that point, we already had our last fight forever, I think. So he was just saying no to anything.”

Tapia de Veer told The White Lotus team months in advance that he wasn’t coming back.

“I didn’t tell Mike for various reasons; I wanted to tell him just at the end for the shock and whatever,” he continued. “Except I told the whole editorial team and music editor and producer and all that, but I didn’t think that they were going to tell him. At some point he heard about that.”

White replied when he told The Hollywood Reporter that he didn’t think Tapia de Veer “respected” him, while slamming the “PR campaign about him leaving the show.” White claimed de Veer just “wants people to know that he’s edgy and dark.”

“He says we feuded. I don’t think I ever had a fight with him — except for maybe some emails,” White continued. “It was basically me giving him notes. I don’t think he liked to go through the process of getting notes from me, or wanting revisions, because he didn’t respect me. I knew he wasn’t a team player and that he wanted to do it his way.”

White referred to the composer’s tell-all interview by calling it a “bitch move.”

Falling Outs in Season 3

Jason Isaacs made headlines when he teased how friendships “were lost” between cast members.

“It was like a cross between summer camp and Lord of the Flies but in a gilded cage,” Isaacs shared in an interview with Vulture in March 2025. “It wasn’t a holiday. Some people got very close, there were friendships that were made and friendships that were lost.”

The actor didn’t name who was no longer on good terms.

“All the things you would imagine with a group of people unanchored from their home lives on the other side of the world, in the intense pressure cooker of the working environment with eye-melting heat and insects and late nights,” he shared. “They say in the show, ‘What happens in Thailand stays in Thailand.’ But there’s an off screen White Lotus as well, with fewer deaths but just as much drama.”

The outlet offered Isaacs the chance to elaborate, which he laughed off, adding, “Absolutely not. I became very close to some people and less close to others, but we still all had that experience together and there’s a certain level of discretion required.”

Isaacs later walked back his statements but it was too late as fans speculated wildly.

Rumors About Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood

Following Isaacs’ claims of behind-the-scenes drama, speculation spread that Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood were at odds off screen. Viewers specifically noticed that Goggins and Wood were no longer following each other on social media but they ultimately broke their silence in a joint interview.

“There is no feud. I adore, I love this woman madly, and she is so important to me,” Goggins told Variety in June 2025, where he got “choked up” about Wood. “This is Goldie Hawn. This is Meg Ryan. She can do anything, and she will. You watch what the next 20 years of her experience will be. I’ll be on an island, I think Greece. But she’s special. There is no feud. She is love and I know that I am that to her. We care about each other very deeply.”

Goggins made it clear that he and Wood “will be friends for f***ing ever.” Elsewhere in the interview, the outlet noted that Goggins began to cry while discussing his character Rick’s journey with Chelsea, played by Wood.

“My catharsis in this experience was different than other people’s, because of my history in this place. I knew what we had gone through, and I knew how close that we had gotten, and I needed to begin to process saying goodbye to Rick and Chelsea,” he recalled. “And I knew that that was going to take a while for me, so I let her know, this is what I’ve gotta do. And she was extremely supportive about that.”

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Goggins admitted he “needed to just back away from everyone” after filming wrapping, adding, “I haven’t spoken to anyone. I couldn’t handle it. Judge me or don’t. I don’t give a f*** what you think. This is my process. Rick means everything to me, and Chelsea means everything to me. And so that’s what I needed to do for me to process all of this.”

Helena Bonham Carter’s Departure

Helena Bonham Carter’s early exit from The White Lotus made headlines one week into filming for season 4. News broke in April 2026 that Bonham Carter’s character would be scrapped amid reported creative differences with White. Laura Dern then joined the hit HBO series in a new role developed specifically for her.

“HBO, the producers and Mike White are saddened that they won’t get to work with [Helena Bonham Carter], but remain ardent fans and very much hope to work with the legendary actress on another project soon,” a statement from HBO read. “It had become apparent that the character which Mike White created for Helena Bonham Carter did not align.”