Panic Review: Pointless Rather Than Entertaining!

Panic is a new YA series produced by Amazon Prime starring Olivia Welch as Heather Nill. A teenage girl stuck in her small rural town of Carp, Texas, where everyone knows everyone and life is just one big dead end for most of its residents.

Also Read: ‘Ragnarok Season 2’ on Netflix Review

As a means of escapism (boredom), the high school seniors all play a game every year called Panic, where the winner receives some hefty life-changing prize money. The game is highly dangerous, even resulting in death for a few, and as they play, the kids realize there maybe something even more sinister afoot.

I’m just going to come right out and say it. I was expecting some sci-fi-fueled, selection process type thing, similar maybe to 3% (a Brazilian show I highly recommend), or at least something larger at play. Panic is not that, and to say I was disappointed, would be an understatement.

Panic kind of drags on a bit after the first episode, adding a bit too many unnecessary plot points. It does a lackluster job of holding your attention, to be honest. They kept introducing new characters who seemingly had nothing to do with the plot. However, the relationship-building between the children and adults was good. It gives us a bit more insight into the kids and why they’d even choose to play this (ridiculous) game.

The acting was decent, and the standout character is definitely Ray Hall, played by Ray Nicholson (Jack Nicholson’s son). He and his gang were the most entertaining characters. Mike Faist seems a bit miscast as Dodge Mason, and most of the other characters seem really bland, to be honest.

They manage not to make the teen romance as cringe as I was expecting, thank God, but it seems like these kids are always pairing off to fool around. By the end of the season, a few things are still left unresolved that I suppose they’ll address next season, and the purpose of the game still largely remains unclear. Much like the point of this show.

In the end, the story seemed more convoluted and pointless than entertaining. I thought this was going to be a sci-fi thriller, but it’s basically just another teen soap opera. I really don’t see where this show can go from here… it doesn’t really need a second season. Watch ‘Panic S1’ on Prime Video here.

‘Panic’ Rating – 1.5/5

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