[Heather] Everyone has a reason for playing Panic.
But we all have the same fear.
That we're heading nowhere but a dead end.
That's why Panic ends on the road.
That's why the final challenge is Joust.
♪ ♪
Two players face off at the Phantom Hill straightaway.
One road, a single lane,
and half a mile each to get nervous.
- One of them will have to swerve. - [engine revving]
Or both of them will lose more than the game.
The challenge:
to make sure you're not the one who turns the wheel.
♪ ♪
[monitor beeping steadily]
[footsteps approach]
[Heather] Why didn't you tell me
Cortez was involved in the betting ring?
I thought you had your mind made up about me.
[indistinct P.A. announcement]
Plus, I wasn't 100% sure.
Luke kept me out of his business.
He said it was all he could do.
Cortez was blackmailing him?
Yeah. Said he was working a sting.
So he could help him get out of trouble
he got into three years ago.
But he didn't hit Dodge's sister.
No, he couldn't have.
But around the same time, Luke got busted
boosting a car.
Found a dead girl in the trunk.
Cortez said he could be on the hook for murder.
I don't think this was ever about a sting.
I think that he always just wanted the money.
The other day, when I was on Luke's boat,
I found some betting slips when I came looking for you.
And I just found out today that it was Cortez that was betting.
He was bettin' on Dodge?
Mm-hmm.
So Luke took another beating for me, huh?
What do you mean?
There's no way Luke would help Dodge win over me.
This was punishment.
He's the only one that ever gave a shit about me.
Mm, that's not true.
You're not going to let Cortez win, are you?
Guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?
Ray's going to throw the game tomorrow.
- What? - He said that
what happened to Luke is a warning
and that he doesn't want anyone else to get hurt.
Okay.
That means Cortez will do anything
to make sure his bets pay off.
And without proof...
But we have proof.
We have the betting slips
and we know that he lied to Dodge.
He'll just say that we're lying.
That the betting slip was fake.
So let's talk to your dad.
That's my dad's word against the sheriff's.
I don't like that.
- So we should just let him win? - No, Heather,
we shouldn't just let him win, we have to.
He outplayed us.
That's what happens when you get to write the rules.
[line ringing]
[woman] Auto Trader, how can I help you?
Hi. Yeah, uh, I'm interested in selling my car.
I-I was wondering if you could give me an estimate
on an Audi A4?
It only has 20,000 miles on it.
[woman] Sure, let's see what we can do.
[entry bells jingle]
I'm so sorry, we're closed.
It's okay, I'm not hungry.
Jessica, right?
I'm Melanie Cortez.
I know who you are.
[sighs]
So I guess you're...
here for some sort of apology?
Yeah.
But not from you.
How far would you go for your child?
Turns out you're not the sheriff's only secret.
[Cortez] Jimmy killed himself,
playing a game of Russian roulette.
[Melanie] He's the one who switched out the gun.
He killed himself, James.
[Langley] Mary Clark was right.
Someone was blackmailing Abby
to get her out of the game.
But I can't, I can't think of anyone else besides Jimmy
that could write those notes, because some of them were
extremely personal.
[Cortez] "Tomorrow everyone will know
you're a whore.
If you don't quit
they'll know you killed the baby."
[Williams] What is it, Langley?
What couldn't you tell me over the phone?
- I did some digging. - Okay.
And it turns out Cortez is in severe debt.
Like, last year,
he even took out loans in Jimmy's name.
[Williams] That explains why he was in on the gambling ring.
[Langley] Yeah.
And Jimmy knew that.
And he figured out that his dad was threatening Abby
to get her out of the game.
[Williams] Cortez wrote those notes?
[Langley] Yeah. To make sure Jimmy would win.
[Williams] Cortez has been playing us.
[Langley] He's got to be manipulating the game again
so he can pay off his debts.
He had us so focused on last year's game, I...
I don't know what else he's been hiding.
Well, we got to find out.
[lock clicking]
[keys jangle]
[Anne] So, what happened last night?
- I, um... - Come here.
Sheriff Cortez is going to be here in the morning
to walk the fence and ask me a lot of questions
about how the tiger escaped
that I'm going to have to answer with lies.
So I expect the truth from you.
Lily thought that she was
playing a secret game called Panic.
Right.
The game.
Did Lily hear about Panic from you?
No.
I really don't know where she got the idea
- to do some... - Something
so outrageously stupid.
I'm so sorry, Anne.
Are you playing Panic?
And don't even think about lying.
No.
Well...
...I'm not anymore.
But you were.
I thought you were smarter than that.
[Anne sighs]
Here's some advice.
Figure out what it is that you're really scared of.
Something you can't run or jump
or climb your way out of, no matter how hard you try.
And when you find that,
you look it straight in the eye.
You walk toward it.
Because if you run,
it will always catch up with you.
What if this is it?
What if I played Panic to get out of here?
You know, I'm afraid that I'll never leave.
And then... what if that's the ending?
Well, I'd start by changing your story.
[Dodge] He's using us, Dayna.
[Dayna] You think Cortez lied to us about Luke
because...
- he has money on your win? - Yes.
It's the only thing that makes sense.
My guess is,
is that he's gonna let Luke get all the blame
after he walks away with the winnings.
Wait, I, uh...
Joust is tomorrow. What are you gonna do?
I'm gonna let Cortez drive.
♪ ♪
Wait, so you're gonna let him win all that money?
No, I'm not going to let him win,
but I can at least let him think that he's going to.
[Dayna] But... how?
Don't worry.
I got this.
- Dodge... - I'll see you.
- D-Dodge! - [door opens and closes]
♪ ♪
Joust signal went up.
You and me.
Bet you been waiting all summer, ain't ya?
Longer than that.
Look...
I'm sorry for what happened to your sister.
But it wasn't my brother that hit her.
I know, Ray.
You know?
Natalie showed me the police reports.
- I know Cortez was lying. - Well,
don't take it personal.
Seems like there's a whole lot of that going on.
Well, tonight's our chance we can end it all.
What do you mean?
Cortez is going to be driving
my car at Joust.
He really needs the win and I have a plan
that'll make sure that he doesn't get it.
- Well, I'm listening. - No.
Not here.
[sighs]
Fine.
Boatyard, 9:00 p.m.
[footsteps receding]
[horse whinnies]
[Cortez] Your boss is all broken up
about that tiger, huh?
Mm-hmm.
Ms. Nill, how long have you
and your sister Lily been living in this house?
I told you, remember?
We're just house-sitting.
And she can't sleep in a bed without me.
You guys have gotten pretty cozy for, uh...
only house-sitting for a couple days.
Anne didn't know how long she'd be gone.
You know, I hear you all have gotten a couple visits
from Child Protective Services.
If you're having trouble at home,
you can tell me.
Thank you, but... no trouble.
That's good to hear.
- Mm-hmm. - I think you and I
can both agree that we've had plenty of trouble around here
- this summer, right? - Oh, for sure.
You know, Ms. Nill... you're almost grown.
But your sister Lily,
she's just a kid, and kids are vulnerable.
They need to be protected.
They need a safe place to grow up.
They need a safe home, and I want
to make sure that she's got one.
You would never gamble with your sister's life, would you?
No.
Good.
Y'all be careful.
There's a tiger on the loose.
[exhales]
Thanks for coming over so quick.
His phone kept going off in his bedroom,
and I thought it was weird he left it behind.
And then I... I saw the rope.
It was our dad's favorite bull rope.
I wanted to burn it.
Dodge told me about him.
Dodge was the one that found him, you know.
After he killed himself.
This is a message.
What's he trying to say?
Dodge said he was going to meet up with Ray tonight
to figure things out. He won't let Cortez win,
but... I'm worried he's planning something awful.
[Ray] So tell me again how this is supposed to work.
Cortez is picking up my car in a half hour.
And then he's going to Joust.
And I want your truck so I can drive up against him.
You want to borrow my car 'cause you think
I'm gonna blow the game and let him win?
Won't you?
My brother's in the hospital.
My sister will never walk again.
Cortez didn't do that to her.
No, you're right, but he made sure
that we wouldn't find out whoever did.
Then it looks like we're at a draw.
Ray, we're not at a draw.
You're giving me your car keys, okay?
- Why? - Ray.
Are you gonna drive into him at Joust?
- Is that your big plan? - Ray, give me
your fucking keys, okay?
- [branch snaps] - [wings fluttering]
Did you tell Cortez
- where we were going? - You think I'm fucking stupid?
Listen.
Let's split up.
Can't catch both of us at the same time.
♪ ♪
[Bishop] Are you sure you don't want to come tonight?
Yeah, we know Ray's gonna forfeit. What's the point?
The point is, I leave in two days.
Come on, Heather. I...
I'm coming home for Thanksgiving.
Things will be different.
- We will be different. - Yeah.
We'll be different. But we'll still be us.
[Heather] And I'll still be stuck here.
Hmm.
- [sighs] - [phone vibrates]
Oh, shit. I got to change.
Hunt and Leela are coming to get me in, like, 20 minutes.
Where's your car?
Uh, I, uh, I left it in the shop.
You okay?
If people like Cortez
can get away with doing terrible things,
and there's nothing we can do to stop them...
...what's the point of doing anything at all?
What's the point of caring?
I... I guess you've got to pick your battles.
Know when the odds are stacked against you.
But what if they're always stacked the same way?
Then, for the things you really, really care about,
or care about changing, I guess you take the risk.
[insects trilling]
♪ ♪
[soft clattering nearby]
- [metallic clang] - Shit.
[grunts]
[unzips bag]
[paper rustling]
What the fuck?
Lily? Lily!
I need to talk to you.
Come here. Look at me.
I know you were supposed to keep that invitation a secret.
But I found another one, and this one is from the sheriff.
So, is that who gave it to you?
He told me I could help you win Panic if I played, too.
He made me swear not to tell.
What do you mean, help me win?
When did he give you that note?
[Lily] Before the sleepover.
[Heather] So this was about my individual challenge.
Nat, are you at Joust?
[Natalie] No, I'm actually at Ray's.
What? Why?
I'm looking for Dodge. I was worried about him.
[Heather] Where's Dodge?
I... I don't know.
Dayna told me that Ray and Dodge had some plan to stop Cortez.
But, Heather...
she said that Cortez will be driving Dodge's car at Joust.
What the fuck?
Cortez is at Joust?
- Does Ray know? - His truck is still here.
Jesus. All right, what if...
what if Cortez has decided
to get Ray and Dodge out of the way?
[panting] Call your dad.
Say it's an emergency. Say whatever you want, okay?
All right.
This has to end tonight.
[♪ Ashnikko: "Tantrum"]
[indistinct chatter, laughter]
♪ Throw a tantrum ♪
♪ Ooh, sorry, Mom and Dad ♪
[laughs] Yeah!
♪ I did something bad ♪
[indistinct chatter, laughter]
♪ Please don't get attached ♪
♪ There's no coming back...
[laughter]
[Summer] Phones, please.
One for you. No pictures, no videos.
♪ Baby, doll me up 'cause I'm a brat...
- Hey, there she is. - Hey.
♪ Demi-devil...
Phones, please.
[in distance] ♪ Bitch, I am one ♪
♪ Throw a tantrum ♪♪
♪ ♪
- [static crackles] - Dodge is here!
He just pulled up to the start gate.
[lighter flicks]
Troy, what about Ray?
Not yet.
♪ ♪
[engine turns off]
Come on, where are they?
Yes.
[engine starts]
[indistinct radio chatter]
Well, any luck?
You know, I appreciate the information.
Thank you very much.
Maybe. Neighbor quarter mile down from the Halls
said that there's a boat,
matching the description of Ray's,
idling in the middle of the river.
[engine revving]
♪ ♪
[Ray exhales]
[Dodge inhales sharply, groans]
[Ray] There he is.
There's my guy.
Goddamn it, Ray, I'm gonna kill you!
Oh, come on. Get a hobby.
Did Cortez put you up to this?
No. Right about now,
he should be on the road to Joust.
- Isn't that what you wanted? - No! I wanted to
go up against him, you moron.
[Ray] I know, I'm sorry.
Couldn't let you do that.
I couldn't let you do that to my truck.
Technically,
you should be thanking me.
I saved your fucking life.
I didn't ask for your help.
Who says I was helping you?
I do have a question for you, though.
Were you really planning on blowing yourself up with Cortez?
Or is that bomb under my car
just a little Christmas decoration?
I wish Ray would fucking hurry up.
[Sarah] Yeah.
[line ringing]
[Ray] This is Ray, leave a message.
♪ You wanna take us? ♪
♪ We don't wanna ride for free...
All right, guys. I know y'all were hoping for a show,
but it's looking like Ray Hall is no-showing.
- [booing] - No, he still has two minutes.
Two minutes, everyone.
- Where the fuck is Ray? - He's still not picking up.
Where the fuck is he?
You think he's okay?
Maybe he's with Luke.
If something happened, he would have called.
I never thought Ray Hall would just not show up.
Maybe he didn't have a choice.
Come on, man. Where are you?
Let's call it, he's obviously not coming.
[others protesting]
All right, um...
By virtue of forfeit of the right to compete,
the winner of Panic is...
[horn honking]
He's here.
Wait!
- [over walkie] He just pulled up to the gate. - Wait, Ray's here.
- Ray Hall is here. - No fucking way!
[all cheering]
[panting]
[Diggins] Ladies and gentlemen,
boys and girls,
welcome to the final challenge!
- Yeah! - [all cheering]
[panting]
Tonight's challenge will be winner takes all.
No points, no privileges, and no wiggle room,
both figuratively and literally.
[Ray] You ain't the only family tragedy in this town.
Shit, you ain't even the only family tragedy on this boat.
That's why...
you don't get to hog all the family revenge.
What are you talking about?
Do you really think I'd let somebody
bash my brother's skull in
and let 'em walk away with a payday?
Well, since we're on a boat
in the middle of the goddamn lake,
letting him win, yeah, it kind of looks like that.
It sure does, doesn't it?
That's what makes it so genius.
[chuckles]
Too bad he'll only have about 20 minutes to enjoy
his sweet taste of victory before the bomb goes off.
Give it up for our final contestants,
Ray Hall and Dodge Mason!
[cheering and applause]
- [Diggins] Game's on! - Little son of a bitch.
Ray, the bomb's in your truck.
It was. [snickers]
Now it's in yours.
What are you talking about?
After you told me Cortez was gonna be
driving your car at Joust,
I went ahead and took the liberty
of taking the bomb out of my car
and placing it under your bumper.
I'm so sorry about your car.
The good news is, you're officially the winner of Panic.
The bad news is, at around 12:20,
you're gonna have to find somebody else to hate.
[revving engine]
A quick reminder to everyone watching tonight.
From now until we call it,
no one leaves the hill. Okay?
Nadie.
Dodge! Dodge?
I'm so happy you're okay.
Hey. Hey, I thought something terrible happened.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop, stop, stop, stop.
Wait, Ray. If you're here, then...
what's your truck doing at Joust?
- Bishop said you're there. - What?
What the fuck?
Whose fucking truck is this?
It's Anne's. Oh, fuck.
What?
Heather's at Joust. Let's fucking go.
Signals on.
[cheering and applause]
[engine revving]
Three...
- ...two... - Wait.
...one...
Wait. No! Stop, stop. Stop the game!
- No. - Bishop.
There's a bomb. We got to stop her.
♪ ♪
[breathing deeply]
♪ ♪
[whimpers]
[growls]
[tires screeching]
Oh, my God, Dodge.
[woman] Dodge was in there.
[panting]
What's Heather doing in Ray's truck?
And where the fuck is Ray?
[grunting]
[groaning]
[beeping]
[Heather] Once upon a time there was a girl who believed
learning to fly meant she could escape her own shadow.
Diggins, that's a fucking tiger.
[woman] Holy crap, it's a tiger.
[Heather] So she jumped, hoping to grow wings.
She ran, hoping to outrace the ground.
But there was no escaping her shadow.
[growling softly]
So the girl finally stopped and turned to meet it.
And the girl's shadow, afraid,
laid down at her feet,
amazed at her power to stand up.
[breathing heavily]
[beeps]
- [roars] - [panicked shouting]
Oh, my God. Dodge.
- [panicked cries continue] - Heather!
Heather, Heather, Heather.
- Hey, hey, are you okay? - [siren wailing]
- Mm-hmm. - Are you okay?
- I need Fire and EMS at Phantom Hill Road. - Heather! Heather!
What the hell is wrong with you?
I'm sorry, guys.
[man] Hey, look. Dodge.
[woman] Is that Dodge?
[indistinct chatter]
[woman] Dodge!
♪ ♪
[breathing heavily]
[tiger growling]
[rifle cocks]
Melanie?
[tiger growls]
[engine starts]
- Is he...? - Dead. We need to get out of here.
[tiger growls softly]
[Heather] Anyone can play Panic, but only one person can win.
Everyone else walks away a loser.
That's why Panic is a game about fear,
but not in the way we think.
To beat the game, you have to set the challenges yourself.
To win the game, you have to believe in something
worth the risk.
The opposite of fear isn't courage, it's believing.
And finding something worth believing in.
Yourself is a good place to start.
Luckily, you can find that anywhere,
even in the middle of Nowhere, Texas.
[woman speaks indistinctly over P.A.]
[Ray] Look.
There.
[monitor beeping]
You see that? Right there.
Two days ago he couldn't even blink.
It's like the doctor said, he's a real fighter.
[Ray] Stubborn as hell.
Wouldn't make much of a difference
if you were brain-dead, though, would it, fucko?
[laughs softly]
He gave me the finger.
[both laughing]
He gave me the finger.
My fucking brother, man.
[Natalie] Hey, remember to wear your flip-flops in the shower.
[laughter]
Um, remember to take pictures of the library.
[Bishop] Wow. You are truly a staggering nerd.
Mm, I wouldn't if I were you.
She might kill you off in the novel.
- I told you, it's fiction. - Oh, yeah.
A totally fictional novel about a nowhere town
where a group of teens play a scary game every summer?
[Heather] They're not teens, they're ghosts.
[Natalie] Oh, that's right, they're ghost teens. Yeah.
You have to FaceTime us every day.
Minimum.
I will, I-I promise.
[phone vibrates]
Oh, shit, uh, I-I got to go.
- Oh. - My dad's...
- Yeah, yeah. - Yeah. So...
Look, uh, don't cry. If you cry, I'm gonna cry.
If you cry, I'll laugh.
[Natalie] [laughs] Well, now you're gonna
get me started.
[Bishop] I'm really gonna miss you guys.
[Natalie] I swear, if I ever find out
what happened to the bagman and the winning pot...
[Heather] Forget the money. I'm just happy it's over.
[Natalie] You're a hero, Heather. You know that, right?
[Heather] I was just doing it for Lily.
Promise me you won't tell anyone that I was a judge.
[laughs] No.
I had to say those things on the bridge, Heather.
Otherwise the other judge would think I was helping you win.
You tipped off Diggins about cheating at Spurlock's
so I could get to final four.
That's why you can't tell anyone.
You're not gonna pick anyone for next year, right?
No, my job here is done.
[laughs] Oh.
Check your e-mail. I got you a surprise.
[Heather] Very mysterious, but okay.
Trust me, you'll like it.
Ten steps per answer, huh?
Seems like a fair deal.
So, what do you want to know about Heather?
You want to know if she's a good kisser?
Where she likes it when you touch her?
[Diggins] Come on, Ray. Everyone knows you hooked up this summer.
[Ray] Then why ask?
And why the fuck do you think I'd tell you?
[Diggins] 'Cause the clock's ticking
and the judges want to know the truth?
Are you in love with her?
See, some beautiful's nice to look at.
But there's some beautiful,
some beautiful makes you feel like you're flying.
And it hurts.
'Cause for a second, you forget that it's leaving you behind.
[Diggins] Still haven't answered the question.
[Ray] Yes, I have.
I'm a Hall.
I'm deadweight.
And that's bad news to a girl with wings.
[computer chimes]
[exhales]
"After careful review, this year's judgment has awarded you
the winning pot."
Holy shit, I won?
[laughs]
♪ I hear them whisper secrets ♪
♪ Till my name is dirt ♪
♪ But I will not falter ♪
♪ I will hide the hurt ♪
[Natalie] Hey.
♪ And I can feel the earth...
Hi.
I'm glad you reached out.
[Dodge] Well, I'm glad you made it.
[laughs softly] Yep.
♪ Oh, the wind blows...
I wanted to thank you.
The evidence you gave us, it's giving my family some peace.
- Dodge, that's... that's amazing. - Yeah.
You still thinking about L.A.?
[Natalie] Yeah, if my dad ever lets me leave the county again.
What about you?
What are you gonna do?
Well, after this summer,
- um... - Yeah.
The truth is...
...I was holding on to so much.
I was so consumed about what had happened
that I was never thinking about what was next.
I don't even think I cared if there was anything at all.
[Natalie] I'm with you on that.
I always thought I could make sense of everything.
My mom, I mean, like why she left.
Why I wasn't worth sticking around for.
But something's different.
I mean, I'm...
I'm still going to L.A., I'm just going for myself.
I just think I need to take off.
You know? Um, drive around awhile.
See what's out there before I figure out what's next.
- Cool. - Yeah.
It might be nice to, to not have a plan.
[both chuckle]
- Uh-huh. - Yeah, I get that.
[Natalie] So, what are you gonna do?
[Dodge] Well, I did need to get a new ride.
[laughs] Oh, I see. Okay.
- What do you think? - Uh...
- Not bad. - Yeah?
Yeah.
Well, Dodge Mason,
if you're ever out west, you got my number.
♪ In the darkest hour ♪
Yeah.
♪ I'll spark a flame...
Take care of yourself.
[laughs softly]
You, too.
♪ In the darkest hour ♪
♪ You'll know my name ♪
♪ I will hold the power ♪
[engine starts]
♪ And I'll run that game ♪
[Ray] Hey.
Winning looks good on you.
You know, I think there should be a word
for something that's beautiful but it makes you happy
and sad at the same time.
Yeah. Yeah, there should.
I saw your video. From the train bridge.
Someone leaked it to me.
I'm scared.
Of what?
Everything.
[laughs softly]
I thought...
for some reason I wouldn't be.
You know, 'cause I played Panic.
♪ They built a tower, I climbed so high ♪
♪ I could almost reach it...
You know what scares me most?
♪ So damn your love...
You.
♪ All those fears that made you cold ♪
♪ I forgive them all ♪
I'm scared I'm falling in love with you.
♪ Oh, the wind blows...
I'm scared, too.
♪ Far away from this lonely town...
We don't have to fall in love, Ray.
♪ In the darkest hour ♪
♪ I'll spark a flame ♪
♪ A heart that can't surrender ♪
♪ Burns into a hostile blaze ♪
♪ In the darkest hour ♪
♪ You'll know my name ♪
♪ I will hold the power...
[Natalie] [over phone] What do you mean the money
just showed up? The bagman told us it got stolen.
I know, I'm kind of freaking out.
[Natalie chuckles]
So, how does it feel to be rich?
- Oh, you know... - [glass shatters]
[dog barking]
[tires screeching in distance]
I have to go.
People tell all sorts of stories about the game.
But there are some things they won't tell you.
The fuck is that?
[Ruby Anne] What do you think it means?
[Heather] No one knows who invented Panic.
And it turns out...
- [shouts] - [tires screeching]
...no one knows how to stop it, either.
♪ ♪