Since it’s premiere in 2023, “Twisted Metal” has been exceeding expectations for Peacock both in the ratings department and with the critics. The series which was released in binge format was Peacock’s most watched comedy series and one of their top 5 series to date. The surprisingly well done video game adaptation was also one of the most watched streaming originals on the Nielsen charts.
Season 2 has opted for a different release schedule, choosing to put out 2 or 3 episode installments of the series, culminating with the 3 episode finale that just aired this Thursday. Season 2 is hovering over 90% on RT after the first was an average 67%, so the critics are on board with the direction the series has taken. In this reviewers humble opinion, the first season was a grander story, with more clear goals and rewards that came with the consequences of the main characters actions. Season 2 has taken a more magical approach, narrowing it’s open world focus to pinpoint the main characters we’ve come to know through season 1, facing off against each other. The mystery of John Doe has been solved throughout the season, but there are still scores to settle and storylines to finish going into the finale. Warning, Beyond this point there are spoilers for people who are not up to date on the Peacock series, “Twisted Metal”.
Season 2 has taken a more magical approach, narrowing it’s open world focus to pinpoint the main characters we’ve come to know through season 1, facing off against each other.”
Episode 10 comes in from a wild cliffhanger at the end of episode 9, titled “VAVAVUM”. After a mentally disturbed version of a prom, the contestants are all literally gassed and wake up behind the wheels of their vehicles. This penultimate round before the finals will force each driver to target one specific other driver… and eliminate them. Calypso (Anthony Carrigan) sadistically lets the participants know what’s expected of them and unironically calls this part of the race the “lighting round” in a vast battleground filled with wild lighting.
While this round happens, there is also a double trial for Stu (Mike Mitchell), who is convicted of murdering Dave (Johnno Wilson) and for Mr. Grimm (Richard de Klerk), for murdering Sweet Tooth’s (Joe Seanoa/Will Arnett) best friend, the paper bag Harold (Devon Sawa). The proceeding are ridiculous, combined with Calypsos wild psychotic outbursts lead to some of the funniest moments in the episode. The death race round going on simultaneously sees a few more of the final racers knocked off the board, most notably the cyborg-ish Axel (Michael James Shaw), who gave his life to save Mayhem (Saylor Bell Curda) because he had recently realized she was the baby he once fostered. Axel’s heroic sacrifice essentially ends the round, while Mayhem is rescued by John (Anthony Mackie) and Quiet (Stephanie Beatriz).
The episode packs a few other surprises, as Stu leaves Sweet Tooth to head into the final race with his original partner and best friend Mike (Tahj Vaughans). Sweet Tooth’s pride in Stu while threatening to kill him in the next breath helps remind the ridiculous nature of the show and why it is entertaining to watch.
The last surprise in the episode is when Mayhem sees some kind of grotesque secret weapon that Calypso has in store. She waffles over her choices and decides against warning everyone before Calypso snatches her and ends the episode.
Episode 11, titled “OHLYNTE”, comes in with Calypso essentially confining Mayhem to the games, but asking her to be his guest for the final round. Carrigan has done a dazzling job of playing the larger than life character and enigma that is Calypso. He steals almost every scene he’s in. The last match of the tournament is quickly underway, where Calypso reveals a massive audience of both city dwellers and outsiders. Calypso reveals that the tournament has been filming all the contestants secretly and each remaining driver has. their share of stans. Calypso declares that the date of the race, December 25th, is now the Twisted Metal holiday. The extent of his powers are. I known but the fact that he can grant wishes make him seem more like Satan or soe type of macabre genie.
The final race gets going and the action is intense, and delivers beyond expectations. Raven (Patty Guggenheim) manages to take down Sweet Tooth, which is not what we had hoped for, but the character used a cheat code shield so it makes the loss more believable. The rest of the race sees some high octane action before Calypso unleashes the final boss – Minion. MInion was the secret weapon that Mayhem happened to see but failed to warn her friends about. Mayhem instantly feels guilty as Minion rips through her friends. User sacrifices her car to take the monstrosity down, which leaves a passed out Stu as the only driver remaining and winner. To celebrate the festivities, Calypso sets off a bomb that blows up almost al of the audience. His motivations are very unclear, why hold the tournament in the first place? Stu gets his wish granted, which we ultimately find out is to be somewhere safe and ironically ends up in a space station. The episode ends with Quiet trying to revive a possibly dead John. The final episode leaves a lot of questions to the imagination but luckily we didn’t have to wait for the episode.
The finale, titled “NUY3ARZ” starts in 1585 Virginia where a ragged looking Calypso emerges from a dirty old well. The series then cuts to the early 2000’s right before the fall of civilization, where Calypso is pitching the concept of the“Twisted Metal” tournament to NBC. The execs give him zero love for his pitch and leave Calypso waiting for the world to be ready for his concept This sequence tells us that the character is basically immortal and he for some reason wants to influence the minds of millions of people through entertainment. If there is a season 3, Showrunner Michael Jonathan Smith spoke with The Direct in a n interview about possible storylines. The Co-Creator said that the show wants to dive deeper into who Calypso is and went on to state: “…we are 100% confirming there is more to this guy.” Seems like a huge understatement as that much is obvious.
After the Calypso flashback, the series picks up with the carnage of the final round of the tournament. Sweet Tooth’s truck is used to jump start John’s heart, while the killer clown is himself taken by an unknown party, who is later revealed to be working for Sweet Tooth’s real Dad, Pope Charlie Kane. THe. SHowrunner also spoke on Sweet Tooth’s storyline in a possible season 3, which would take place on the East Coast: “We’ve never gone to the East Coast.” Which apparently is now called the “Easter Sovereignty”. The remaining team of John, Quiet and Mayhem head to an idyllic cabin from John’s childhood until they find out that they have been framed for Calypso’s audience bomb and branded as terrorists. Minion is sent to hunt down the trio and ultimately is revealed to be John’s sister Dollface (Tiana Okoye), thought dead from the first round of the race. John is able to reach the mind of his sister, but barely escapes and is given an assist by Stu, who crash landed an escape pod and made his way to meet his only remaining friends.
The season ends with John giving a motivational speech to his team that’s leads up to the fact that he wants to kill Calypso… and get his sister back. This is a clear setup fro season 3 and seems to take the show back out on the open road. The 4 survivors end up deciding they need to go build some serious cars so that they can have a chance of beating the mysteriously powerful madman, who has an agenda that nobody has come close to figuring out.
What do you think? Will “Twisted Metal” get a season 2? WIll John be able t get his sister back? What is Calypso’s endgame and what is the source of his powers? Is it the well? Is the well some type of portal? Is Calypso just a psychotic genie? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
