John Doe and Quiet are back in a brand new season of Twisted Metal, with more characters from the games, more references to the games and just overall more of a feeling of the games, all while taking the same massive swings they did in season 1. Fans of the show should enjoy how the show evolves. Newcomers to the show… Strap in.
For those who aren’t caught up, Twisted Metal is a show on Paramount+ that is based on the popular video game series of the same name. In the game, you are behind the wheel of one of many dangerous vehicles in an apocalyptic competition. In Twisted Metal, the show, you have the vehicles, you have the apocalypse, but you didn’t have the competition, that is, until now.
Twisted Metal – Season 2
Season 2 of Twisted Metal continues from where we left off, where John Doe (Anthony Mackie, Captain America: Brave New World) is behind the walls of a protected city while Quiet (Stephanie Beatriz, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Encanto) found herself surrounded by an all-female group known as the dolls and the insane clown-masked man known as Sweet Tooth (voiced by Will Arnett, Arrested Development) is being everything you expect an insane clown-masked man to be.
These characters, and a whole slew of other familiar names, have been invited to the Twisted Metal Tournament by the mysterious Calypso (Anthony Carrigan, Superman), where they will risk life and limb to win the contest and win the prize, their greatest wish, given to them by any means necessary. The main characters are also locked in a conflict that separates the people inside the city walls all over the country and the others, known as outsiders, who are not getting a fair shot at life.
Anthony Mackie delivers his usual charming performance as John Doe, the Milk Man with amnesia, who is starting to put the pieces of his life back together. I think, for how big the comedy goes at times, he is not as in his element in those moments, but his other endearing qualities let you overlook it. Stephanie Beatriz, a veteran of stage and screen, is perfectly comfortable in her role with increased dialogue (her name is Quiet, after all) and is really in the pocket as her character comes into her own this season.
Twisted Metal – Season 2
A big issue that I had in the previous season of Twisted Metal was the disconnect that I felt between the physical performance of Sweet Tooth from Joe Seanoa (aka professional wrestler, Samoa Joe) and Will Arnett’s voice characterization. It very much looked like a man performing to a recording, rather than a fusion of the two performances. This season feels like they have sorted that out, and the performance feels much more singular than before. Sweet Tooth continues, however, to steal every scene he is in.
“In Twisted Metal, the show, you have the vehicles, you have the apocalypse, but you didn’t have the competition, that is, until now.”
Anthony Carrigan as Calypso delivers a playful, yet macabre performance with his maniacal giggles, and his somehow innocent-feeling role as the host of a deadly tournament is a welcome addition to the show. Mike Mitchell (The Tomorrow War) returns as the naive sidekick/captive of Sweet Tooth, Stu and delivers his own brand of wholesome comedy.
Twisted Metal – Season 2
Other new Twisted Metal cast members include Saylor Bell Curda (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series), who enters the show as Mayhem, a young girl found in the wasteland and is anything but innocent despite her lack of worldly wisdom. Tina Okoye (Grease: Live) takes on the role as leader of The Dolls, Dollface, and Michael James Shaw (The Walking Dead, Avengers: Endgame) plays the formidable Axel. Richard de Klerk (CBGB) does an excellent job as the multiple-personality motorcyclist that is Mr. Grimm.
The set pieces in Twisted Metal are cleverly designed as, while shot in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, they feel very much in the middle of nowhere with strategically apocalyptic sets, but nothing ever feels small. With a larger budget this time around, there are a lot of practical sets and effects that fully immerse you in the chaotic environments that they present for you. The explosions are big, the action is big, and the concepts that the production team presents to you are insane in the most amazing way.
The real excitement in Season 2 of Twisted Metal is the tournament itself. As much as I enjoyed Season 1 and felt like I was a part of the world of the game, the big thing we were missing was the game itself and the chaos that those games could cause, particularly when you were playing it on a Saturday night with your most unhinged friends. The first time you see all of the cars out on a course together and the bullets and rockets start flying, I got legitimate goosebumps fueled by nostalgia and the team’s ability to deliver that feel.
Twisted Metal – Season 2
If you haven’t seen Twisted Metal, I will say that it is going to be divisive. With the man behind the Deadpool series in control of a show like this, you know that they are going to be going big at all times. Some things will land with certain audiences, and some things may be simply too much for others. A show like Twisted Metal sits firmly in my wheelhouse, with unpredictability being the order of the day and every episode ending with me saying with full enthusiasm, ‘What just happened?’
Twisted Metal Season 2 drops on Paramount+ on July 31 with a three-episode premiere and new episodes dropping on Thursdays. Anyone who enjoyed Season 1 should certainly check this out, as the production crew certainly hasn’t taken their foot off the gas, and I think you’ll like to see how far they push it and where they may want to go in the future.