This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
'Panic' (TV Series, Amazon Prime, 2021) does something 'The Hunger Games' (Film Trilogy, 2012-2015) and 'Nerve' (Film, 2016) fail to do: bring the audience in to the intimacy that comes with living in a small town. We see insights into the lives of all the characters, not just the main ones. We see their relationships with their parents and with each other. After a year of isolation, we are drawn into a close-knit community affected by a crazy secret: every year, the graduating class of high-school seniors participate in a death-defying series of challenges for a cash prize and certain escape from the hum-drum existence in Carp (Dead End/Going Nowhere/Abandon All Hope Town), Texas. This game is not broadcast to a global audience, like in 'Nerve' and 'The Hunger Games' where everything was shown online or on television. Panic belongs to the high schoolers who donate $1 for every day of school towards the winnings, the players, and the watchers. This sense of secrecy surrounding the game heightens the tension and drama of this show, as we see the daily lives of these kids versus the horrifying challenges they are set and how they react to them. As there can only be one winner of the game, and previous contestants have lost their lives playing Panic, we see just how far the players are willing to go in order to win, even if it means sabotage or cheating.
Every player has their own unique reason for playing Panic. Dodge Mason (Mike Faist) wants revenge for a crime committed before his move to Carp one year prior. Ray Hall (Ray Nicholson) has a legacy to uphold and a reputation as Carp's resident bad boy to maintain. Natalie Williams (Jessica Sula) wishes to use the prize money to escape Carp and become an LA actress. Heather Nill (Olivia Welch) has nothing to lose and a younger sister to support. Bishop Moore (Camron Jones) does not participate in Panic, as he already comes from a wealthy background and has a free ride to college. However, these five main characters, and the supporting characters, all bring their own secret fears to the game, while tackling fears of heights, being caught breaking-and-entering, getting lost and trapped, bats, snakes, rats, spiders, small enclosed spaces, loved ones in danger, side effects of drugs, and ultimately the truth. Each player is lonely and scared, facing their first existential crisis and the idea that the rest of their life is going to look exactly the same as it has up until now. No wonder they want out.
There is a clear class divide between the citizens of Carp and this is best shown between the friend group of Bishop Moore, Natalie Williams, and Heather Nill. Bishop, son of a judge, and Natalie, daughter of a police captain, both have clear exit plans. Heather, on the other hand, has never had it easy like her friends; she lives in a trailer park and has worked constantly since eighth grade to save up for college and to support her sister. Thus, what was previously a close trio, with a will-they-won't-they vibe between Bishop and Heather, becomes disparate. The only person who understands Heather's struggle is Ray Hall, whose bad-boy reputation compared with her good-girl reputation leads to some steamy YA romance scenes and one incredible monologue in Episode 4. I really liked the depiction of Heather and Ray's homes and struggles with how the rest of Carp views them; both think that as long as they stay in Carp, their hopes of good things to come get weaker and weaker. This reminded me quite a bit of 'Shameless' (TV Series, 2011-2021), where the younger people from broken families, who have witnessed first-hand the misfortune of older family members, fight back and plan to do better for themselves.
Thus, attitudes, prejudices, and misconceptions are a strong theme in 'Panic'. Everyone is not entirely what they seem. Every town has its secrets, and surrounding this secret game is a deadly one. Panic is a very stupid game, but what happens when someone else decides to control it? Panic has been in Carp for years. No one really knows who started it, but the players and watchers are not the only ones involved; people are betting on the outcome. High stakes are put against who will be the ultimate winner. Furthermore, the challenges are organised by two anonymous judges, who are supposed to decide which players proceed, but also participate in the game themselves. So, who is truly writing the rules of this game?
Based on the 2014 novel by Lauren Oliver, who also created and produced this ten-episode series, 'Panic' is an easily bingeable, welcome distraction from reality, with a brilliant cast. There is a good mixture of genres in play; adventure, horror, drama, romance, and suspense all play out within the YA genre. The challenges are ridiculous, the plot twists are crazy, and the show leaves me with many questions about the mysterious symbols related to the game and its origins, but I love watching it on repeat and cannot wait for new of Season 2.… Expand
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