Amazon's YA series Panic places teens in a life-or-death game with zero dramatic tension

The Guardian

"With its ludicrous clue drops – letters strategically removed from a downtown theater marquee, secret graffiti messages – and frequent use of dark, creaky farmhouses as suspense tactics, Panic’s tone wobbles between teen thriller, a la Halloween, and small-town soaps such as Riverdale and One Tree Hill, before dissolving into a touch of outlandish magical realism at the end," says Adrian Horton of the 10-episode series based on author Lauren Oliver's novel of the same name. "The final episodes descend into total incoherence, scuttling whatever momentum was gained in the individual, mindfuck challenges for too many competing betrayals to keep track of and a left-field plot device so contrived it prompted a guffaw. It’s only somewhat of a spoiler to say that the show doesn’t resolve who runs Panic, or why it matters so much – a decision presumably meant to inspire dread for a second season but, like a Panic-emblazoned scarecrow found as a warning in the finale, is a lifeless omen."

ALSO:

• For a series that is supposed to be a suspenseful thriller and all about stakes, Panic rarely feels like there are any -- whether that is physical, emotional, or psychological
• Panic never seems to fully square itself with the level of danger it wants to mine for tension and drama