Amazon released its new young adult drama, Panic, over the weekend, but is it worth rushing to watch?
Panic, set in the small Texas town of Carp, follows a group of graduating seniors who take part in a yearly tradition of terrifying dares, like crossing a highway blind and being buried alive in a coffin, all for a cash prize of $50,0000.
This brings us into the world of Heather (Olivia Welch), who lives in a trailer park with her single mum, Sherri (Rachel Bay Jones), and vulnerable little sister Lily (Kariana Karhu). Life seems to be going well until her mother steals the money that she had been saving for college and she loses her job.
Heather’s got no choice by to compete again her classmates, including her own best friend with Hollywood aspirations, Natalie (Jessica Sula); newbie Dodge (Mike Faist), who is hiding a secret; bad boy Ray (Ray Nicholson), who’s motives are strangely flirtatious with Heather. But who will make it to the end without panicking? Bishop (Camron Jones), another of Heather’s best friends offers support.
Meanwhile the town’s cops, Sheriff Cortez (Enrique Murciano), Capt. John Williams (Todd Williams), and Sgt. Christina Langlley (Lee Eddy), investigate who’s behind Panic, following the death of competitors last year.
The fresh-faced cast is compelling as they traverse all your typical YA plots. Creator Lauren Oliver, who adapts her own 2014 novel of the same name, delivers a story with an interesting premise. The most compelling aspect is definitely episodes that delve into reasons behind why Heather is playing the game, and the tasks involved in Panic.
With ten 40-minute episodes, Panic is an easy weekend binge, so definitely start playing the game…
4 Stars
Panic is now streaming on Amazon Prime
