With the first season of Twisted Metal, those of us at WellPlayed who watched it had the same question: “Why?” The long-dormant vehicular combat video game series seemed an odd choice for a streaming series adaptation. It barely followed the mandate of cars with mounted guns shooting at one another and exploding. What we instead got was an absurd, sometimes even raucous, comedy featuring some respectable names topped by Captain America’s Anthony Mackie and Brooklyn 99’s Stephanie Beatrix. While season one set us up with characters and a world, the shorter episodes and humour-first approach made for a relatively enjoyable, low-effort viewing.
Now that we’re here for a second helping, with an extended episode order of 12, expectations are that we get some actual twisted metal. Things kick off with the reveal of Anthony Carrigan’s (Barry, Superman) Calypso. This mysterious and larger-than-life character announces the commencement of the titular tournament, broadcast across North America’s defunct radios and televisions. In this post-apocalyptic world of civilised, walled-in societies and the lawless gangs outside, this far-ranging simulcast announcement is seen as a kind of miracle that ignites interest. Moreover, the winner will be granted a wish of their choice.
Compared to season one, the stakes are established early. The nature of Calypso’s seemingly omnipresent announcement is exciting enough to mobilise various characters and factions directly related to the game series. Mackie’s protagonist, John Doe, is pressured into joining the tournament on behalf of his captor-slash-liege-slash-mummy figure, Raven. Patty Guggenheim (She-Hulk) takes over Scream’s Neve Campbell for Raven this season. Don’t ask why, the writers jokingly would rather you not. Returning favourite Sweet Tooth (played by Somoa Joe and voiced by Will Arnett) simply wants to be the greatest known killer and sees this tournament as a chance to solidify his title. Beatriz’s Quiet is no longer so silent, wishing that her participation and victory might bring down the walled cities for a more equitable society.
Carrigan’s Calypso is an exciting addition and a season highlight
In WellPlayed’s season one review, Zach Jackson makes mention of this series’ writers coming over from the Deadpool films and what that means for Twisted Metal’s flavour of laughs. Conceptualised by the dastardly duo of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, they set a very vulgar tone not unlike the R-rated Marvel franchise entries. While this means you’re going to see some degree of sex, violence, and low-brow wordplay that greatly sets Peacock’s series apart from its contemporaries, the laughs don’t always land.
The physical comedy is kicked up a level in season two and complements Twisted Metal’s overall absurdity, while the jokes remain a bit awkward. The brief bits of physical comedy, such as the wild introduction of man-vehicle hybrid Axel, who is addicted to drinking petrol, are worth the easy chuckles. The surprise bouts of comical gore and violence snapped me out of any downtime stupor. The callback quips can be much more awkward for those watching weekly. This season sees many more characters introduced, often with later episode interactions throwing around one-liners in reference to throwaway bits from far earlier in the season or even the first season. It’s often clunky and barely delivered with enough sass or fun to even clue the viewer in that a callback joke is being made. Lastly, the random one-liners. It’s a quirk that is particularly prevalent in the second and third Deadpool films. As there is not a terrible amount of plot developing on the periphery of season two’s tournament, there is instead a lot more snark and zingers filling out the dialogue. It’s a shotgun approach to humour, with characters reeling off their lines with sarcasm or pomp without emphasising the punchline. Every dart is thrown at the board, with no care for what doesn’t land or simply goes over the viewer’s head. Most jokes are fine or are tonally relevant to the scene, though half the time I found myself charmed by an actor’s efforts rather than giggling at the queued-up witticism.
I do lament that this show still manages to bait and switch me with things that aren’t vroom-vrooms going boom
But what about the car combat? Season two properly delivers us an entire Twisted Metal tournament. The first four episodes start a bit slow, following our various contestants on their respective journeys to the competition sign-up. Once gathered under Calypso’s patronage, the violent qualifiers begin. John Doe, Quiet, and newcomer Mayhem face off against the other contestants in a deadly vehicular sprint to Tournament Town. Featuring faces from the games like the supernatural (or perhaps delusional) Grimm and the mysterious Dollface, all of the odd contestants manage to bring a suitably unusual set of wheels to the event. With the former on a motorbike and the latter on a quad, the rain of bullets and missiles we’re treated to from here on out means that we can expect some burnt-out wrecks and fatalities.
Finally, some heavy ordinance
In short, when we finally get car combat, it is good. However, this budget-draining chaos only really shows up across three, arguably four, episodes. It’s not simply smoke and shrapnel either: with a hearty dose of wisecracks, near misses and colourful carnage. I felt entitled to more after waiting a season and change to get to the good stuff and was slightly disappointed to not have had at least another round or two of destruction derby. This was compounded by the fact that sections of the tournament don’t even feature any car combat at all. One episode of the competition sees the contestants trying to survive a kind of home-invasion slasher scenario using their brains and brawn. I do lament that this show still manages to bait and switch me with things that aren’t vroom-vrooms going boom.
Twisted Metal continues to have a redemptive ace up its sleeve: a licensed soundtrack that diegetically flitters between the characters and us. Since this world went to shit some 20 years ago, there is an affinity towards the hit singles of the ’90s and early ’00s. Whether it’s Rob Zombie’s “Dragula” as the car combat kicks into gear, or Quiet enjoying a sing-along to Michelle Branch’s “Everywhere” (relatable), there is a remarkably well-curated soundtrack here. It reminds me of the looser music licensing of yesteryear, when a series could help define its identity with a sweet tracklist.
Final Thoughts
It’s both a surprise and a relief to see a second season of Twisted Metal, after season one left fans wanting with ten episodes of groundwork. It is, then, easy to critically summarise this sophomore season. Mackie and Beatriz lead an entertaining cast of misfits in this series’ much-anticipated tournament arc. Big personalities from the games, as well as new faces, lead a tonally bumpy season. When it goes loud and has its choice beats thumping, it becomes an effortlessly enjoyable watch. Everything around the explosive tournament is just more of the same gross-out hijinks and quick-witted banter of season one. Personally, I found the balance a little too in favour of the hit-and-miss humour and character drama to keep me properly invested throughout.
Review screener supplied by distributor
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