[Heather] Every small town has a secret.
Ours has a game.
The losers stay here where losing is what we do best.
The winners get out.
In Carp, Texas, out is the only place worth going.
That's why players risk their lives to win.
[boy] Victory is yours if you last until dawn.
Judgment is coming.
[panting]
[lighter striking]
[Heather] But the game isn't meant to kill you.
And it won't.
If you follow one rule.
Don't panic.
♪ ♪
[horse neighing]
[Heather] The truth is,
Panic started like a lot of things out here.
Because it was summer,
and there was nothing else to do.
-[rapid thudding] -The games
had always started right after graduation
and lasted throughout the summer.
All graduating seniors are eligible to play.
Sometimes 40 players enter.
Sometimes half that.
But there is only one winner.
[dog barking]
Each year there are new players,
new challenges, new judges.
- [bees buzzing] - [screams]
But the game has ghosts, too.
♪ Your love feels so fake...
We never have to say their names.
They know where to find us.
They know we aren't going anywhere.
[applause]
Not unless we play.
And now, what you've been waiting for...
the graduates.
- Natalie Williams. - [boy] Yeah, go, Nat!
[whooping]
Bishop Moore.
♪ Nowhere to go...
Heather Nill.
♪ They've closed the dance and I've seen the show...
- You're late. - Fuck you.
[Adam] Hey, Ray, check it out.
I got you a graduation present. Just something small.
- [Tyler] Yo, let's go. - What the fuck is this?
It's a "get out of jail free" card.
[laughs] What?
I thought it might come in handy
just in case you want to visit your pops.
- [laughs] - Yeah? Well...
If only it was a free pass on herpes.
Then I can bone Tyler's mom again.
Don't be stupid. Get out of here.
I can't believe you guys are skipping the ceremony.
- Well, we are. - Yahoo!
- [shouts excitedly] - Let's go.
[whooping, cheering]
Let's go!
[whooping]
♪ ♪
- There's my lady. Hey. - Hey, Dad.
[band continues playing]
- Speak to you...? - Yeah.
[photographer] All right. Father/daughter portrait.
Let's go. Get together.
[camera shutter clicking]
[laughs] Heather!
We're here.
Hi. [chuckles]
- Hi, you. - Look. Flowers.
Oh, thank you, Lilybug.
Wow, you made it.
Of course I made it.
I'm proud of you.
Here. I got you something.
- Can you hold these for me? - Sure.
You used to lose your mind over snow globes.
Couldn't get enough of 'em.
- [chuckles] - Yeah, I was, like, seven.
One time at the Walmart, you must have
shook up a hundred of those things.
I thought I was never gonna get you out of that store.
Thank you. It really means a lot.
It's just something little.
You know, mark the occasion or whatever.
- Why are you looking at me weird? - Nothing.
You got 20 bucks?
The car's in the shop again.
Something about the starter.
You know how Bo's truck eats gas, so...
That's all I got.
- Oh, yeah? - Yeah.
What happened to all that back pay
they owe you down at the store?
I can't make them pay me, Mom.
[kisses] Proud of you, kid.
Come on, Lily, let's go.
[Heather] Thank you.
- I'll see you later. - Love you. Bye.
- Giddyup, bitch, we're free. - Oh. Hi.
[laughing]
Perfect.
All right, let's get out of here.
I'm so done with this place.
One... [laughs]
[all] Two, three.
♪ Get ready...
- [cork pops] - [all cheering]
[laughing]
[overlapping chatter]
♪ ♪
- Thank you. - Mm-hmm. Ah.
What are we toasting?
No more gym.
No more gym shorts.
[Ray] Final collection.
Here we go. Give me your money.
Final collection.
- Here it comes. - Thank you very kindly.
Final collection.
Rules are rules.
School's out, okay? I'm-I'm not even playing.
Think of it as insurance.
It's gonna be one hell of a summer.
Yeah, I mean...
Come on, man, I... I'm not gonna play.
- Oh, okay! - We're all playing, fucker.
- [Heather] Ray. - One way or another.
A dollar buys you a prayer.
[Heather] Ray, stop.
You want your money, I'm gonna need my arm back.
I'm just fucking with you. [laughs]
Oh, Bishop.
Hey. A new toast.
To global amnesia.
Nah. Selective.
There's a few things I want to remember.
[Natalie] Ooh, what did I miss?
Oh, we're-we're toasting to a future free of Ray Hall.
- Yeah. - Ugh. That guy sucks.
- Yeah. - You remember?
Remember when you puked on the eighth grade field trip?
- Oh. - Ugh.
- And he spread a rumor Heather was pregnant. - Yeah.
And then you told everyone that he had chlamydia.
- No one messes with my girl. - Oh...
- To revenge. - Oh, to chlamydia.
- Oh, no, I'm not toasting that. - What?
- [Heather chuckles] - Okay, okay, I got one.
Ready? [laughs]
You-you brought your diploma.
- [Natalie] Of course. - [Heather] Weird move.
- Ta-da. - Yeah.
- Oh... - [Natalie laughs]
- [Heather] What are you doing? - [Natalie] See? It's toast.
Natalie...
[Natalie] What? It doesn't matter because...
♪ I'm gonna win Panic ♪♪
Oh, I love this song. Come on, come on.
- Get up, Heather. - No. Maybe later.
- [Natalie] No, now. - [Bishop] No, no, no, no, no.
- Come on, come on. - Hey, guys...
- It's later now. - I don't...
I'm not going. Bishop!
We're going, we're going.
What? I can't hear you.
♪ Is this trouble again? ♪
♪ I never had this rush in my body ♪
♪ I never thought I'd feel something new ♪
♪ I never felt this close with somebody ♪
♪ Somebody ♪
♪ Somebody but you ♪
♪ I never felt like this with somebody ♪
♪ I never thought I'd feel like I do ♪
♪ I never felt this close with somebody ♪
- [firecrackers explode] - [screaming]
[Diggins] Jesus, what the hell, dude?!
I'm sorry, man, my hand slipped.
- Yeah, onto a lighter. - My hand slipped.
- But, like, you know... - The thing is, uh, Dick-ins,
everybody gets a little jumpy before judgment.
Diggin... Diggins.
Diggins. Diggins. That's what, that's what I said.
Any word from the judges?
No, I'm just the emcee, okay.
- I'm waiting for the signal like everybody else. - Oh.
Well, I better hope it comes soon.
You know what they say about idle hands.
[whispers] It's the devil's workshop.
- [explosion] - [laughter]
[Ray] Yeah, baby, get in there, baby...
[door creaks]
[Lily giggles]
It's late, Lilybug. You should be sleeping.
Why? You're up.
You're stalling.
[sighs] I finished my library book yesterday.
Mm. Do you want me to make up a story?
[grunts]
Once upon a time, there was a town, kind of like ours,
except all of the people were made of stone.
- Like statues. - Exactly. Like statues.
And they spoke with stone tongues
and they waved with stone arms.
Even their hearts were made of stone.
But one girl was different.
She was made of dirt.
"You're nothing," everyone told her.
"Nothing."
Gosh.
And they locked her away in a high tower,
with no doors, and only a single window.
Was she lonely? Was it dark in there?
Yeah.
Yeah, sometimes.
Sometimes she would talk to the wind to keep her company.
So, how does she escape out of the high tower?
I don't know. I haven't gotten that far yet.
Well...
Maybe she makes friends with a firefly.
Hmm.
You know, maybe it helps her at night
so she isn't too afraid of the dark.
You know what? I think that that's the ending.
I think that's exactly what happens.
[laughs softly]
Good night. Love you.
- Mwah. - [chuckles]
- Good night. - Night.
[exhales]
[dog barking in distance]
♪ ♪
Heather, it's 8:00!
- You're gonna be late for work. - Okay.
♪ ♪
[Danny] I know you've been with us for a long time,
but I don't have enough spots on the schedule.
But you know I'm, like, I'm the only one
who does anything around here, really, and...
And I-I've technically been here longer than you.
Look, a smart girl like you, you're gonna have no trouble
- finding another gig. - Please, Danny, I r...
I really, really need this job.
I'm sorry, Heather.
Starting when?
I can get you all squared up for last week.
♪ ♪
Thank you.
He said that they couldn't afford to keep me.
But you're the only one who ever actually does anything.
That's what I said.
I'm sorry, Heather.
You'll find something else.
I need $6,000 to enroll in the accounting course
- at Longhorn State. - Jesus. $6,000?
Why do you think I've been working there
- since freshman year? - I thought you liked,
you know, unplugging things and plugging things back in...
[stammers] This is serious.
I was on track to have the money by orientation.
I only need, like, $500, but...
$500? I-I can spot you that.
I'm not taking your money.
I still have till August to make the final payment.
I'll figure something out, right?
- Yeah. Yeah. - Yeah.
[Bishop] Hey.
- Two minutes. Mm-hmm. - Thank you.
- All right. - Thank you.
Hey, so, are you sure about this whole accounting thing?
Uh, yeah. When I get my associate's,
I can start clerking at double what my mom makes hourly.
Heather, you don't even like math.
Accounting isn't only math.
True, it's also boring paperwork.
O-Okay, fine.
[stammers]
You're a great writer, Heather.
I mean, you should at least apply for a scholarship.
[sighs] Yeah, well, they don't really give out scholarships
for knowing how to make shit up.
Hey, y'all. I got a break.
- [chuckles] - She's got a break.
Let's do it.
He fired you? But you're the only one who...
[both] Whoever actually does anything!
- All right. - Yes, yes, yes, yes.
I'm sorry, Heather.
- Want me to poison him? - You know, as much
as that idea excites me, I do not know how we'd pull that off.
Well, I do refill his prescriptions.
That's kind of dark.
[cashier] That'll be $4.50.
Well, when I win Panic,
- we don't have to worry about jobs. - [Heather sighs]
What did I tell you, right? She's serious.
You guys should be rooting for me.
People died last year, Natalie.
I mean, people die in bathtubs, and in car accidents.
Yeah, especially when they're walking blindfolded
across the freeway.
I can't lose you, Natalie.
Hey, you couldn't get rid of me if you tried.
[laughs] You know, besides,
who is going to keep me grounded
when I'm a rich and famous actress?
Oh, I can think of two people.
All right, so let's recap.
You are moving to Hollywood and you are going to college
and I am just gonna live here forever.
Are you saying that you're gonna miss us?
- Is that what this is? - What I'm saying
is that you two losers are abandoning me.
Mm.
♪ ♪
Menu?
Um, a Coke, please.
Thanks.
You're, um, Heather, right?
Dodge.
Um, yeah, I know who you are.
You're the new guy.
Well, it's been a year.
[laughs softly]
Everyone here has known each other from diapers,
so the new guy is pretty big news.
- Right. - When nothing happens around here.
Right.
In fact, Carp is actually the capital of nothing.
Nothing happening, nothing changing,
nothing you want to see or do.
What about Panic?
There is no such thing.
Then how'd those two kids die
- last summer? - Whoa. Keep your voice down,
- for fuck's sake. - Oh, so it is real.
You know, I thought Ray was just shaking me down at first.
"A dollar a day, every day that school is in session."
But then when I saw that everyone else
had to pay in...
So, how does it work? When does it start?
You wait for the judges to send out a signal.
- It's different every year. - Hmm, and what,
we're just supposed to wait until then?
[chuckles] Yeah. I mean, we're really...
supposed to kind of forget about it.
- Why? - We're not supposed to talk about it.
The cops know about the game now
and they know that Jimmy and Abby were competing.
You could get in trouble for just watching.
I don't want to watch. I want to play.
- So what happens next? - [door bell jingles]
[sighs]
[door closes]
[Dodge] Hey.
Hey.
- Miss Nill. - Sheriff.
Dodge.
May I, uh, sit with the cool kids?
Go for it.
[stool scrapes]
[sighs]
[Cortez] Where's your mom, Dodge?
She's working the night shift.
Can I get you something?
Let me get a root beer.
- What the hell? - Yeah.
[soft laughter]
Huh.
You job hunting, huh?
Begging.
You know, I'll bet your luck's gonna change
when they finish the warehouse.
I keep hearing they're gonna break ground any day, so...
[chuckles]
They've been "breaking ground any day"
since I was in eighth grade.
[chuckles] Yeah.
Well, good luck.
Okay. Better get back to it.
♪ ♪
- [laughter] - [Tyler] What the fuck?
- We should build a houseboat. - Dipshit.
That way we could live wherever we want.
Wouldn't be a very long life,
if I was stuck on a boat with you dumb shits.
[Adam] You know, Ray, that hurts my feelings.
- Honestly. - Oh, Jesus. Really?
You want a tissue?
[Tyler] Y-Y'all know there's places
on the ocean where murder's legal?
- What? - [laughter]
[Tyler] Why is that funny? It's international waters,
- bro. - [Ray] Buddy,
for a drug dealer, uh,
you're pretty terrible at handling drugs.
Yeah, Tyler, you trying to roll that thing or make it
- your girlfriend? - Mm, I don't know. Aren't you the expert?
[Adam and Ray oohing]
[laughter]
Whoa. Look at this.
White trash.
[Tyler] Could be your mom.
[Tyler laughs]
[Sarah] What? What is it?
It's starting.
♪ ♪
[distant explosion]
[fireworks popping]
[lock clicks]
♪ ♪
[fireworks continue popping]
[woman on TV] That's right. They are absolutely gorgeous.
Look at those.
- What's wrong with the door? - Summertime bloat.
You gotta muscle it.
How'd it go?
Absolutely amazing.
That bad, huh?
[woman on TV] This is unlike anything I have ever...
Yeah, I tried everywhere on Main.
No one's even really hiring.
Yeah, well, that's real life, baby.
Just kicks you in the ass.
[phone ringing]
Phone's ringing.
[woman on TV] What do we have left here?
Seventy... five. Is that right?
[woman 2] That's right, Sharon, only 75 minutes left,
so get yours...
- Nat, what's up? - It's on.
What is?
What do you think?
Opening ceremonies at Pilot's Point.
Damn, and here I thought Fourth of July came early this year.
- Are you really not coming? - I can't, Nat.
I would have a heart attack just watching.
Oh, God, you might be the first person ever
too afraid to even watch Panic.
You want me to win, right?
Always.
I just don't want you to play.
[siren wailing]
[Cortez] All right, Langley, Williams,
the fireworks show is back.
Only this time, coming in from the north.
[Langley] I don't see them at the west fields.
[Cortez] Let's meet at the boatyard, all right?
All right, I'll meet you there.
[tires screeching]
[siren wailing]
I'm on my way.
Actually, scratch the boatyard.
All right, now they're coming in from the south.
What the fuck is going on?
[Williams] Hey, Langley, I'm over at
the Calhoun Preservation. Nothin' doin'.
Hey, y'all, I can't get a read on 'em, they're everywhere.
[tires screech]
[siren wailing]
[fireworks continue popping]
Last time I saw any fireworks was right by Siskiyou Falls,
so... let's just meet at the turnoff.
♪ ♪
[excited chatter]
♪ You can holler, you can wail, you can swing, you can flail ♪
♪ You can fuck like a broken sail...
[Summer] Phones.
Phones.
You got a phone? Thank you.
All right. Don't take this off.
Phone. Thanks.
All right.
Thank you.
♪ ♪
[indistinct chatter]
I'm not letting you jump off that ledge
looking like a giant condom.
You're not on the swim team anymore, Toto.
♪ I could never get back up ♪
♪ When the future starts so slow ♪
♪ You can swing, you can flail ♪
♪ You can blow what's left of my right mind ♪
♪ I don't mind ♪
♪ You can blow what's left of my right mind ♪
Hey.
♪ You can blow what's left of my right mind...
[Diggins over bullhorn] May I have your attention?
Welcome to Panic.
[all cheering]
My name is Diggins,
and this summer I will be your host with the most.
This year, the winner of Panic is gonna take home
the grand prize of $50,000.
[all cheering]
Holy shit. Holy shit.
That's the biggest pot ever. Last year was only 30.
You all know the rules.
What happens at a challenge stays at a challenge,
so I don't want to see any posting,
tweeting or gramming about it, no exceptions.
Anyone found in violation
risks losing game privileges.
The first challenge is the Jump.
[cheering, whooping]
Remember, kids,
you want to go out and down into the swimming hole.
You miss it, and it's gonna be the rocks that break your fall.
Take the leap from the Lookout
and grab yourself 100 points,
courtesy of this year's friendly judges,
whoever they may be.
Let the games begin!
[all cheering]
That's my cue.
♪ ♪
You know, I have the same suit.
- Wish me luck. - I wish you wouldn't.
[Summer] Who needs a number, everyone?
You playing tonight? You need a number.
Jumping off a cliff? You need a number.
- Hey, what's up? - Mimi.
Mimi, that's right. Mimi, number six.
Best of luck. Take a flare. Hey, what's up?
Okay, you are number seven.
You are number eight, Matt. Take a flare.
[♪ The Black Angels: "Black Grease"]
♪ You're a storm, so emotional...
- Sorry, go ahead. - Thanks.
Hit me.
Okay, Natalie, you're number 11.
Take a flare.
Good luck.
♪ You're all right ♪
♪ You come to me in times...
- [Summer] Dodge, right? - Yep.
You're number 12.
♪ I'm not the kindest guy ♪
♪ But I give, give, give, give...
[shouts, grunts]
[all cheering]
Contestant number one, announce yourself.
You know my name, Diggins!
Your mom screams it every night!
[laughter, jeering]
Fuck yeah, that's my boy!
Okay, Ray Hall for the win!
Whoo-hoo!
[all cheering]
Whoo! Yeah!
[Ray] Yeah, baby!
[cheering continues]
Ray Hall for the fucking win, baby!
Yeah!
Yeah, that wasn't bad.
[laughter, cheering]
[Diggins] He said it, so I don't have to,
but I will anyway; the one and only Ray Hall is in!
[all cheering]
♪ ♪
[TV playing indistinctly]
Mom, have you seen all my stuff for Longhorn State?
What stuff?
Everything.
Information packets, the course offerings,
- the payment forms. - Payment forms? [laughs]
Ain't accountants supposed to teach you how to save money?
[Sherri laughs]
[Heather sighs]
-It was all right here on the counter. -I don't know,
your sister was making a mess of drawings up there
the other day; maybe it got put away with her stuff.
[woman on TV] ...wear these pink diamond earrings.
Oh, my goodness.
[continues indistinctly]
[TV playing indistinctly]
♪ ♪
What the fuck?
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
[women laughing on TV]
[indistinct chatter on TV]
You find it?
You stole my money.
Yeah, it turns out my car needed a new transmission.
I swear to God,
if I ever find that piece of shit who sold it to me...
Mom, that money was for school.
- Yeah, well, I need my car for work, so... - I don't, I don't give a fuck.
I have been saving for years, Mom.
Good for you.
Between paying bills and keeping a damn roof over our heads,
I never seem to have a dollar to spare.
100%. Except on, like, beer and lottery tickets
and cigarettes and drugs
- and... - Watch yourself.
- You had no right... - You are living in my house.
- That money was mine. - You are wearing the clothes I bought you!
- You had no right. - You are eating the food I paid for!
What fucking food?
I'm doing my best here, Heather.
It may not look like it, but...
You think you can do better,
you can just walk right out that door
and find out for yourself just how easy it is.
♪ ♪
Back with my apology?
Where you going?
- Hey, that's my car. - Yeah?
Well, it's got my transmission in it.
[door closes]
♪ ♪
[cheering in distance]
[Diggins] Contestant number 11, state your name!
Look, you're gonna have to jump
or get down because we got people who've got
- to get up there. - For fuck's sake, Diggins,
just give me a minute, okay?!
That's Natalie Williams, ray of sunshine.
- Go, Natalie! Just go for it! - Natalie, go!
[boy] Come on, Nat!
[cheering]
[Diggins] Ladies and gentlemen, we have another one.
Ooh. Hot damn.
Looks like we got a player trying for the High Point.
- [boy] Yeah! - [whooping]
- Ooh. - Who the hell is that?
[Diggins] For all you virgins out there,
a quick reminder: a jump from the High Point
will get you a 25-point bonus.
How about a jump from Devil's Drop?
And for anyone, uh, dumb or drunk enough
for some questionable life choices,
there's always Devil's Drop.
A jump from the Drop will get you an extra 50 points,
and immunity in a challenge of your choice.
Contestant number 12, state your name!
- State your... - Dodge Mason.
[cheering]
[Diggins] That's player 12,
making it look easy from the high jump.
Way to raise the stakes, Dodge.
♪ ♪
Oh, shit.
What the fuck was that?
♪ So we party when the sun goes low ♪
♪ Imminent annihilation sounds so dope ♪
♪ I'm not shy but I refuse to speak ♪
♪ Because I don't trust you to understand me ♪
♪ You know me as the girl who plays with fire ♪
♪ But this is the song I wrote you in the dark ♪
♪ I hear they're calling my name ♪
♪ I'm not gonna sleep anymore...
[excited chatter]
[Diggins] Contestant 22, you're up.
[Natalie] You went for the high jump.
- Yeah. - Were you scared?
To jump? No.
It's the landing that gets you in trouble.
- [chuckles] Yeah. - Yeah.
- You want a...? - No, I'm...
Heather?
What are you doing here?
[Heather] I tried to call you.
Why are you in a bathing suit?
I guess I didn't want to be left out of the fun.
You're gonna play?
After all the times you told me
the game was a trap, that it was a con...
- It is. - Then why are you here?
'Cause maybe it's my only option.
What the hell does that even mean?
Look, you're the one that said that best friends
are supposed to support each other.
Supposed to support, not compete with.
Okay, we can play together.
There is no together in Panic.
It's you or me, remember? One winner only?
I mean, God, you can't be serious.
Y-You're scared of everything.
I mean, you won't even get high with me.
You can't even sneak into a movie theater. I mean...
Come on. You can't really think you're gonna win.
No one is that dumb.
- No, of course not. - [Diggins] Last call for contestants!
But I've got nothing to lose.
[Heather] Once upon a time, there was a girl made of dirt.
[Natalie] Heather!
Heather, come back!
[Heather] She lived in a town full of stone people.
"You're nothing," they all said to the girl made of dirt.
- "Nothing." - [cheering]
- Hey. - Jesus.
- Where the hell have you been? - I-I had to pee, okay?
- Calm down. - Calm down? Heather!
[Heather] Every night, the girl made of dirt
would talk to the wind...
and the wind would only sigh.
The girl was lonely.
[Diggins] Contestant 23.
State your name.
- Who is that? - That's, uh, Heather Nill.
She lives in Two Pines, across from Ruby Anne's sister.
Hey, look, all you have to do is throw in some food stamps
- and that'll get her moving. - Shut the fuck up.
[laughter]
[Sofia] Seriously, how long are we supposed to wait for?
- Heather, come down! - Heather.
Come on, Heather.
- [cheering, clapping] - [girl] Fucking go.
- Come on, Heather! - She's not gonna do it. She's not gonna do it.
♪ ♪
Oh, my God. Drew.
What is she doing?
She's playing.
[Heather] Then one day, there was a storm.
It rained for days and days.
The water climbed and climbed, higher and higher.
♪ ♪
[girl] Don't do it!
Oh, my God. She's going to Devil's Drop.
[Heather] Soon, the stone people were trapped,
begging the wind to take them to safety.
[Diggins] Are you sure you want to do this, Heather?
No harm in turning back.
Uh, you know, you've al...
you've already made a real statement.
[Heather] But the stone people were too heavy to carry.
[wind gusting]
Then the wind spotted the girl made of dirt.
She would be no problem to carry.
[boy] Come down, Heather!
[overlapping shouting]
- [girl] Don't be stupid! - Will somebody get her down?
[overlapping shouting continues]
[boy] Come on, Heather!
[boy 2] What do you got to prove? Come on!
Contestant 23, s-state your name.
Heather...
Nill.
Heather Nill.
So the wind opened its arms.
And the girl made of dirt turned to air...
♪ ♪
...and flew.
♪ ♪