Here’s the thing about small towns – they are steeped in tradition. They have been a certain way for a long period of time, because it is what they know. It is the thing that creates memories that parents, children, etc can all build off of.
It’s the things that people can count on and learn from. It’s what drives them forward. It’s what makes it all make sense.
And in Carp, there may not be a lot that goes on, but their traditions are what keep them all going. As in a lot of small towns, the 4th of July parade is one of the biggest traditions. It’s the chance for everyone to see all of the town.
And everything that makes it special.
For Natalie, it’s a place that she can talk to Diggins, as it’s been 9 days since the last challenge and she wants to know what is happening. Patience is something that she doesn’t seem to have a lot of.
It’s also the perfect place for a clue to come. You have to pay attention to all of the details. You have to make sure everything is where it’s supposed to be and what is out of order is recognized.
I don’t like how preoccupied that Natalie is with the game. I feel like she is one of the most untrustworthy people ever, and it’s a pretty shitty thing that she’s willing to sacrifice anything and anyone to win money.
But I guess money is a motivator for some. It truly is the root of all evil.
Let’s dive into episode three.
Bishop likes Heather, like a lot. I think that part of her is oblivious to how much and he’s just waiting for her to catch on to the situation. They’ve shared a lifetime together – been a part of every memory that each other has. But it’s a difficult situation – because everything changes when you fall for a friend.
However, everyone needs a friend like Bishop. He may not be playing, but he is noticing everything. One of the kids that comes up on them has the key from the flag on his hand. The kid tells him he can get his own behind the locksmith.
And that’s where they find the answers to the clue – Sperlock Farms, Breaking and Entering, Tomorrow, 10pm.
Simply put, Sperlock Farms is scary. The guy who owns it is nuts and well, that’s another thing about small towns – everyone has one of those.
Meanwhile, Ray and his friends are talking about the next challenge and the farm. We find out another clue about the people behind the game. The man who holds the money for the class is called the “bag man” and no one knows who it is.
Things have changed in the game – because the cops showed up last time and Tyler is a little freaked out. Which, if we’re being honest, may make him the only sane one of these kids.
Somethings aren’t worth your sanity.
Sarah Miller told the Sheriff that her friends were going to party and a challenge had been set up. Langley asks if she confirmed the judges. The judges are 4 kids, handpicked by the people from the year before them. Sheriff is like all we have to do is nab one and have them all. Last years judges have two bodies on their conscious.
The Sheriff wants Langley to make nice with Sarah, as she’ll be doing community service. Miller can’t open a file cabinet and Langley sees this as an opening, but LORD, do I have second hand embarrassment for her. She tries to get personal and it’s too much. Miller, after Langley tells her she almost worked for SVU, tells her its like what happened with Abby Clark. She says to Langley you’re a cop. Figure it out.
Heather driving out to her new job and you know, as one does, she almost hits a llama in the road. Her new boss seems really kind, but I don’t know if she is. I feel like Anne was too kind and I don’t know if she’s trying to save someone or if she’s trying to redeem herself. I want to believe that nice people exist in this world, but I have not run into many. But in the same breathe, I do like that Heather has someone in her life that has shown her kindness.
She asks Heather if she rides horses and well that’s a no. Anne says she’s gonna have to teach her. Lots of animals there that need worked. Heather says she’d be scared, Anne says she doesn’t seem the type to let it stop her. She didn’t even ask if Llama bites (and she’s leading the llama around on a leash).
For a small town, where everything seems boring, there are always a lot of secrets behind closed doors.
And for the sheriff, that secret is that he’s cheating on his wife. His mistress is trying to get him to open up, but he’s not hearing it. He tells her about a lotto pool at the precinct and they almost won. There’s no second place to not winning and there is no second place to living. And to him there is nothing else to say. Jimmy is gone. She tells him that even if he stops the game it won’t being Jimmy back. He gets rude and tells her that it’s the same thing with her daughter Dana, she’ll always be in a wheelchair.
Now, that’s something I am used to – small towns are all interwoven. Everyone knows everyone and there is always secrets in dark corners. But for this town, with its seniors having to pay attention to all the details, nothing gets missed.
And unfortunately for Dodge and the Sheriff, Natalie sees the details. She’s out putting up fliers and as she sees the sheriff driving off, she wants to know where he’s been. She picks up a box, and notices that it is Dodge’s house, when she hears someone screaming at her.
And Dana tells little secrets about Dodge, which Natalie is going to use to her advantage. I actually grow to dislike Natalie even more, because she can’t be trusted.
Dodge gets home and asks where Dana is. She’s giving her Mom the silent treatment, because the Sheriff stopped by. Dodge’s Mom used to hate cops, but that is before she needed one. She tells him if you wanna change anything in this world, you have to have the right kind of friends.
I wanna know why she has a need for the cops.
Natalie goes to visit Dodge, to stake her place in this game. I don’t like Natalie, I don’t like her at all. But I will respect for a second that she wants to do anything to win the game. And that second passes when she sells out her best friend.
She’s found out that Dodge had already graduated from high school, but re-enrolled. He wanted to play Panic. She asks if he’s a judge. He says no. She asks why he’s playing – he says Hurricane Harvey wiped them out. His sister was hurt, Mom lost business, and hospital bills piled up. He told his Mom that he needed to reenroll for a town service award. She thinks that he’s working on hours during the summer.
She’s found a new partner – Dodge. She doesn’t care about Heather, she’s willing to sell her out to win the game. That’s not best friend behavior, that’s being an asshole. She’s motivated by money, by her want to get out, her need to hang onto whatever will get her out of the town.
Even though her best friend needs her.
Panic seems to be a game of bullshit, forgetting what matters, and what drives them. But watching it, I have to admit that I am a little disturbed by the whole thing.
Langley, in the mean time, is investigating and ends up at Abbys house. Abby’s Mom knew about the game, she had the passcode to her phone and she had looked a few time. She had read texts from Jimmy that she had thought were him pressuring Abby for sex, but it was Abby wanting to quit the game.
Abby swore to her Mom the challenges weren’t dangerous, but like most teenagers, she lied. Langley asks if she ever said anything about the judges. Mom tells her she doesn’t care about judges, she wants to know who killed her. A few weeks prior to Abby’s death she was receiving threats that if she didn’t quit the game, she would regret it and be hurt. There was only one reason she stepped on highway – threats pushed her over the edge.
If we’re going to examine more of the culture of bullying, I am all for it. But I am also a little concerned about it as there are a lot of messages that can already be misconstrued in this show.
When it comes time for the challenge, Tyler decides to not go. He’s too paranoid after the cops showed up at the last one. Ray is pissy and leaves him there, to walk the six miles back to his place by himself.
Natalie, Dodge, and Heather are driving out to the farm together and I am cringing for Heather. She doesn’t know what is happening to her, but she’s blindly trusting in her best friend, who has proven that she’s devious and can’t be trusted.
Tonights challenge is illegal entry. They have until midnight to break into the house and send Diggins a picture of what they stole. Again, why is $50K worth committing a crime? The farm is riddled with boobie traps, and the man who owns it is insane.
As the kids try and make their way to the house, they run into all his traps. Trip wires, nets, bear traps. And one idiot sets off an alarm that gets everyone caught.
What I will say is that Natalie is a boldface liar and I hate that. I hate that she seems to have no remorse. I also don’t like that Dodge seemed to like Heather, but he’s willing to sell her out in a heartbeat too.
But the thing about Dodge is that he was willing to help the kid who fell into a hole, even though he could have left him there and eventually he would have been disqualified. Dodge may be a good guy.
Then again, Ray might be too. Every time he comes across Heather, he’s willing to protect her. Sure, he’s a shit, but in the same breathe he’s an okay guy. Heather needs to feel needed and wanted. She needs to have people care for her, because her Mom sure as fuck doesn’t.
Heather and Ray may not work, but sometimes I think he’s the only person that is looking out for her.
But like everything in this game – there is only one winner. You have to make a choice of who you align with, who you trust. And Heather is blindly trusting Natalie, who doesn’t deserve to be trusted. Yet, we’ve all been there, trusting the wrong people. Being there for the wrong people.
She knows how to protect herself. Though I am a little concerned about her being locked in a cellar.
I think what people are under estimating is that Heather has always known that she has to look out for herself. Underestimate her, but that girl knows how to come out swinging.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- Who the hell grabbed Tyler?
- What does Leela want with Bishop? I don’t trust her either.
- Bishops Dad is a dick.
- Who closed the door on Heather?
- How long do I have to wait for Heather to find out Natalie is a snake?
