Torch Song

This episode is based on the Station Nightclub fire that occurred in 2003 in West Warwick, Rhode Island.

The "death spiral" or ant mill, is not caused by the attack warning, and can't be broken just by putting your finger in the middle. There's no reason ants would play follow the leader if there's an attack; they swarm. The phenomena is caused by the scent trail ants lay down so they can be followed, usually to food. (That's why ants arrive at picnics in a line, and leave with their loot along the same path.) And while a person blocking the path, or obscuring the trail can cause the spiral, the same is not true for ending it. The circling is caused by an ant in the queue losing the trail and circling back, all the ants behind follow it, and the front ant picks up their trail and follows them. A finger in the middle won't magically snap ants out of it.