Who is Pastor Pete in The Hunting Wives? Character explored in depth

The Hunting Wives
Pastor Pete hiding his true self (Image via Netflix)

Netflix’s The Hunting Wives leads viewers deep inside a small Texas town, where the bright surfaces gloss over dangerous secrets. Based on May Cobb’s novel, this thriller revolves around Sophie O’Neil, a woman who moves to Maple Brook looking for peace, but instead finds temptation.

She is drawn in by the seductive Margo Banks and her wild, inner circle of friends, and things go south fast. The thrill becomes a web of lies, obsession, and eventually, murder. Once we discover the body of a teenage girl, the film shifts into an intense whodunit. With nearly everyone in Maple Brook having something to hide, the sludge gets darker with each episode.

From twisted friendships to deadly betrayals, nothing is as it seems. Among the many questionable figures in the town, one name quietly sends chills: Pastor Pete. Unlike the flashy Hunting Wives, Pete doesn’t seek attention.

At first glance, Pastor Pete in The Hunting Wives seems mild-mannered and low-key, the sort of person who is easy to overlook as a fixture of moral authority.

But behind his calm presence is something deeply unsettling. His storyline unfolds quietly until it explodes. So who exactly is Pastor Pete, and what role does he play in the show’s darkest moments?

Let’s take a closer look at the man behind the pulpit and the secrets he’s been hiding in The Hunting Wives TV series.


Pastor Pete’s double life in The Hunting Wives: From trusted leader to dangerous manipulator

In his role as youth pastor of Holy Horizon, Pete is someone whom parents trust to look after their teenagers, such as Abby and Nina.

The appearance is of a gentle man of God: always smiling, rarely raising his voice, and so passive that he does not seem like a threat. However, as the series continues, that same quietness becomes disturbing, masking something darker and more dangerous.

What The Hunting Wives does well is gradually tear away that mask. It does not show us the darkness of Pastor Pete in one swell foop, providing hints along the way as he sidesteps questions, the vague responses regarding Abby, and the coincidence of his being present at any time something weird happens.

Eventually, viewers learn that Pastor Pete was far from the innocent church figure he pretended to be. His disturbing relationship with Abby, which may have involved grooming and control, is just one layer.

The fact that he had built a hidden world involving vulnerable young girls, while maintaining the image of a harmless preacher, shows how The Hunting Wives uses his character to comment on real-life abuses of trust and power.

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What really happened to Pastor Pete in The Hunting Wives? His shocking fate explained

Pastor Pete met a tragic end (Image via Netflix)
Pastor Pete met a tragic end (Image via Netflix)

Pastor Pete's web of lies has begun to unravel by the time the finale of The Hunting Wives has aired. Detective Salazar seems to be putting everything together, making links between Pete's odd behavior, the missing girls, and his connection to Abby.

Nina's suspicions have also reached a peak, and the evidence ultimately points to Pete when Kaycee goes missing. The Hunting Wives gradually confirmed that Pete had a nefarious plan all along when it was revealed at the climax that he had taken both Nina and Kaycee.

When he rushes to escape into the woods with them, a terrifying confrontation ensues. What makes Pastor Pete's ending horrifying is how quickly it happens. When it seems he is going to escape, Nina stands up to him, attempting to save Kaycee, and the struggle ensues.

In the chaos, Pete is confronted by Detective Salazar and other officers outside of Maple Brook while attempting to escape. Realizing he’s been found out and with nowhere left to run, Pete takes his own life by shooting himself before the police can arrest or question him.

The Hunting Wives doesn’t glorify his downfall. Instead, it focuses on the trauma he caused and the strength of the girls who finally stopped him.


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Edited by Alisha Khan