Panic Ending Explained: What Happened To Every Character

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Panic season 1!

Panic season 1 ended with an explosive season finale full of twists and turns, but a few aspects were left open to viewer interpretation. Amazon Prime’s latest teen drama was based on author Lauren Oliver’s 2014 book of the same name. Rather than have someone else adapt her story for TV, Oliver took the reins while making adjustments to make for a better small-screen story.

Panic‘s debut season centered on the small town of Carp, Texas, where graduating seniors carried on a traditional by playing a dangerous game called “Panic.” The competition this year carried a $50,000 winning pot, attracting a few dozen players, including Heather Nill (Olivia Welch). Originally against the game that tested players’ biggest fears, Heather jumped in due to her financial situation after her mother stole her savings. She went toe-to-toe with tough competitors like Ray Hall (Ray Nicholson), Dodge Mason (Mike Faist), and her best friend, Natalie Williams (Jessica Sula), until the group realized someone with a greater power was pulling the strings.

As part of the game’s rules, players and spectators had to keep the game out of view from the local police. This became a bigger priority after the sheriff’s own son, Jimmy (David De La Barcena), and the teen’s girlfriend, Abby (Avianna Mynhier), died playing the previous year. In time, it was revealed members of the town were betting on the game. While fingers pointed to Luke Hall (Walker Babington), the master manipulator turned out to be Cortez, who was in a ton of debt. Even though there are still lingering questions regarding who was truly orchestrating the game from the shadows, Panic shed light on the motivations and futures of the main characters.

Sheriff Cortez Got What He Deserved

The truth surrounding Sheriff James Cortez’s (Enrique Murciano) connection to the game started to emerge in Panic season 1’s penultimate episode. Heather found out he was gambling on the participants while subsequently manipulating the challenges in his favor. Meanwhile, the Mason family figured out Cortez had a hand in the game for his own selfish reasons, and it was driven to find justice for Dayna’s (Madison Ferris) accident. To keep Luke quiet about the gambling ring and blackmailing, Cortez beat him to a pulp, putting a target on himself in the eyes of Ray. In the season finale, almost every core character wanted Cortez to pay for his actions, but his own wife, Melanie (Moira Kelly), might have had the strongest motivator in taking him down.

While Cortez secretly took Dodge’s place in the final challenge, Joust, featured in the season 1 finale, Heather was behind the wheel of Ray’s truck as his opponent. When the tiger jumped between their speeding vehicles on the path to a collision, Cortez swerved out of the way as Heather put on the brakes. Cortez was hurt in the crash, but he managed to limp away until Melanie caught up with him, shooting him once in the chest. In her eyes, James was the driving force behind their son’s suicide. Jimmy knew about the betting ring and how his father blackmailed Abby, Jimmy’s pregnant girlfriend, which led to her death. Feeling hopeless, Jimmy took his own life, but Melanie put the full blame on Cortez, so she killed him. Not only was Cortez content with manipulating Panic, but he also didn’t even seem bothered by putting young kids, including his own son, at risk as long as he got his money.

The Mason Family Found Peace

One of the biggest questions featured in the debut season was who caused Dayna’s accident that partially paralyzed her. The event motivated Dodge into joining the game after Cortez agreed to help him win if it meant finding evidence Luke was behind the betting ring. The Mason family was led to believe Luke was behind Dayna’s hit-and-run, but in reality, Cortez was using them, especially Dodge, to manipulate the game. Dodge and his family later learned that Luke had nothing to do with Dayna’s situation since he was in the county jail on the night of the accident. With Luke and the Hall family no longer the enemies, the spotlight turned to Cortez. Dodge’s mother, Jessica (Nancy McKeon), helped Melanie give Cortez what he deserved, but it also gave her some closure.

Dodge and Jessica were understandably upset at the fact Cortez was using them while pretending to care about getting justice for Dayna. Though the Amazon Prime Original show never directly explained who was responsible for the accident, Dayna seemed content knowing it wasn’t Luke. That and Cortez’s demise was enough to give the Mason family some long-awaited peace. Dodge was gearing up for a long road trip at the end of the finale, and Dayna was presumably hoping to get back into riding horses. A future season may dive back into the mystery surrounding Dayna’s accident, and who knows, maybe Cortez was responsible due to his established drinking problem and penchant for breaking the law.

The Game Transformed Ray’s Reputation

When Ray was introduced in Panic, he seemed like the stereotypical “bad boy” who made no effort to shed his no-good reputation. His father was in jail, and his brother, Luke, was also a troublemaker, so the expectations for Ray’s future weren’t very high after graduating high school. However, throughout the game, he took a liking to Heather, but he was reluctant at first to let his guard down around her. When the stakes got higher as Cortez continuously put those involved with Panic in danger, it was Ray who stepped up. He saved Dodge’s life by preventing him from attending Joust and refused to participate in the final challenge. In the end, Heather learned about his feelings for her, and the pair ended up together, sharing how much they feared falling in love. The Ray at the end of Panic season 1 was far different than the scrappy teen portrayed at the start.

Bishop & Natalie’s Role In Panic Explained

Bishop Moore (Camron Jones) didn’t play Panic, but he did have a key role in the game. He served as the year’s bagman, who kept the cash winnings safe. At one point, the series also hinted that Bishop was the second judge before dropping the notion. Sarah (Maya Hendricks) caught onto Bishop’s involvement and eventually found the buried money before stealing it. In order to replace the cash, Bishop sold his Audi and other personal belongings. In the end, it wasn’t a regretful decision on Bishop’s part since the winnings went to the person he cared about the most.

Unlike Heather, Natalie was always prepared to play Panic because she dreamed of earning the prize money so she could leave Texas and move to Los Angeles. Despite making deals with both Heather and Dodge, Natalie was keeping a major secret about her motivations in the game. Natalie was a judge, which meant she couldn’t win the money, but the character insinuated she was paid for her role. She did what she had to do to keep her identity as a judge a secret, even if that meant hurting Heather. Granted, she seemingly made it up to her friend in the end while also holding onto the plans of moving to LA.

Heather Couldn’t Fully Escape Panic

Heather didn’t make it to Joust, but she played regardless after stealing Ray’s truck. When the tiger jumped in front of the cars, Heather didn’t swerve like Cortez, meaning she could be viewed as the technical winner of the competition. The judges also thought so since they awarded her with the $50,000. Natalie claimed not to know about Heather’s reward, believing the cash was still missing. It’s very possible Natalie and Bishop made a deal to give Heather the money while acting like they had nothing to do with the situation. Another plausible explanation stems from Panic‘s final scene.

In the final sequence, Heather was driving down a road while a truck pulled up next to her before throwing a scarecrow dressed like the sheriff at her windshield. Panic symbols were also painted on the town’s water tower, proving the town wasn’t done with Panic just yet. The scene indicated another group was now in control, or maybe they were always pulling the strings while allowing Cortez to serve as the distraction. Even if Heather can’t escape Panic, she now has a few more reasons to stick around, including her little sister, Lily (Kariana Karhu). With their mother out of the picture, Heather can now provide for Lily with her winnings. Ray is also now a reason for Heather to stay, and if Panic is back, he will surely be pulled back in as well.

The Real Meaning Behind Panic Season 1’s Ending

The game of Panic put competitors through wildly dangerous challenges. Though the challenges were meant to induce fear, it also unearthed certain truths about the players and other connected to the game. Playing might have been a rite of passage, but it had dire and sometimes deadly consequences. Using money as the reward was a major motivator, but certain players needed the income for more significant reasons. Heather feared for her future if she remained in Carp, but in a way, she also feared leaving. During her time participating in the annual tradition, she found other reasons to risk her life, as did other players like Dodge and Ray, who continued to unveil the truth.

Heather explained how Panic was more than just a fear-testing competition in her narration following Joust: “To beat the game, you have to set the challenges yourself. To win the game, you have to believe in something worth the risk.” She followed that up by stating how “the opposite of fear isn’t courage, it’s believing.” Heather let go of her hope in winning, but she didn’t stop when it came to making a difference by uncovering the truth surrounding the game. By helping bring the truth surrounding Cortez to light, Heather thought it was all over. However, Panic season 1’s ending proved she might need to contemplate how much she’s willing to risk since the game clearly isn’t over.

About The Author

Kara Hedash
(1744 Articles Published)

Kara Hedash is a features editor and writer for Screen Rant. From time to time, she dives into the world’s most popular franchises but Kara primarily focuses on evergreen topics. The fact that she gets to write about The Office regularly is like a dream come true. Before joining Screen Rant, Kara served as a contributor for Movie Pilot and had work published on The Mary Sue and Reel Honey. After graduating college, writing began as a part-time hobby for Kara but it quickly turned into a career. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. She also has a soft spot for horror ever since she started watching it at too young of an age. Her favorite Avenger is Thor and her favorite Disney princess is Leia Organa. When Kara’s not busy writing, you can find her doing yoga or hanging out with Gritty.

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