Review: “Twisted Metal”: Season 2, Episodes 10-12: A Perfectly Twisted Ending to a Wild Ride of a Season

Twisted Metal: Season 2, Episodes 10-12: A Perfectly Twisted Ending to a Wild Ride of a Season

Introduction

After a raucously riveting season of Twisted Metal has graced viewers with its presence via weekly episode batch releases, this story’s engine has powered off… but is also prepared to reignite at a moment’s notice. In line with all the action, drama and twists found throughout this season, the plot’s end provides simultaneous feelings of closure, trepidation and hope to demonstrate how far the characters have come while readying them for what will likely happen should Season 3 surface. No matter what occurs, however, the fact will remain that Season 2 has given gamers as well as curious connoisseurs what will be logged into the annals of history as one of the greatest video game adaptations ever to grace the screen.

Story Overview: New Problems Arise as the Tournament Ends

Episode 10 jumps into the lightning round first shown at the end of last week’s batch, where John, Quiet and the others find themselves after having succumbed to Calypso’s poison gas at the Winter Solstice Promenade. Waking up in individual vehicles, with Quiet in the original Roadkill and John in a replica, everyone receives a card with the name of the target to be killed. Those who do so advance to the final event, and those who do not die. John and Quiet manage to survive, saving Mayhem through Axel’s sacrifice after Quatro suffers Raven’s shot. These three characters return to the high school and help Mayhem heal. Meanwhile, Calypso holds a trial for Stu for having killed Dave as well as for Mr. Grimm for having burned Harold, which results in both Stu’s innocence and Mr. Grimm’s other souls being removed and thrown into Calypso’s wishing well. That night, Mayhem follows Calypso into his secret control room, where she finds a mysterious creature in the dark. She then proceeds to John and Quiet about what she saw, only to overhear them say taking her in would be burdensome since she almost died in combat. Having wished to find somewhere she feels she belongs, Mayhem attempts to run away.

Episode 11 reveals Mayhem was caught shortly after trying to escape. Calypso invites her to be his guest at the final challenge, which is scheduled for the following day. Mayhem agrees, and then everyone is invited to breakfast, where Sweet Tooth reveals to the newly de-souled Mr. Grimm the cause of his animosity against him is the fact he believes Mr. Grimm usurped his popularity upon his arrival to Blackfield Asylum. Mr. Grimm finds this explanation preposterous, and breakfast ends. Later that day, everyone is kidnapped when Calypso’s guards place black cloth bags on their heads. When they awaken, they are in a makeshift arena comprised of various shipping containers surrounded by a mixed crowd of Insider and Outsider spectators from around the country. Fighting ensues during this final event, which includes an epic on-foot clash between the machete-wielding Sweet Tooth and the scythe-equipped Mr. Grimm, with the former being victorious. This challenge ends when Calypso sends Minion, a robotic demon and the secret creature Mayhem saw in the previous episode, to kill the remaining drivers. This final boss battle sees only Quiet, Mayhem and Stu survive, with John and Sweet Tooth’s fates appearing unclear. Stu, by way of being the one to arrive when everyone else is preoccupied, incapacitated or dead, is the technical tournament winner.

Episode 12 opens with this season’s last flashback. Starting in Virginia in 1585, Calypso crawls out of a well covered in mud and dirt, marking his arrival in the New World. The setting then changes to an NBC office in the early 2000s, where he is pitching to three network executives his idea for what will become the Twisted Metal tournament. The executives reject Calypso’s proposal, telling him a competition with no winner is of no interest to anyone. Infuriated, he mentions he will wait until the world is ready for his competition, which suggests he is the cause of the apocalypse. Back in the present, Quiet and Mayhem resuscitate John by charging defibrillator paddles via Sweet Tooth’s ice cream truck, which they then drive all the way to John’s family’s house north of New San Francisco. Meanwhile, Stu demands Calypso grant him his wish to be away from all the danger with Mike — and subsequently finds himself aboard a rocket with a still dead Mike in space. Back at John’s family home the three protagonists enjoy a short period of relative solace, and during this time they engage in activities resembling those of a traditional family. One day, a Calypso transmits another news broadcast across the country, this time working with various Insider representatives to announce all the walled cities have joined forces to take down all Outsiders, and that the walls will come down once the Outsiders have been eliminated. He also addresses John and Quiet directly, telling them both they are officially wanted criminals charged with having caused the explosion that killed everyone in one of the two spectator stands during the final tournament event — which he did in in reality — and they cannot hide from him. They have no time to ponder the gravity of Calypso’s fraudulent broadcast because Minion breaks into the house immediately after his message ends. The group defeats Minion, who turns out to be a demonized Krista Calypso transformed for his nefarious purposes, with the newly returned and improved Stu’s sniper fire. John has the chance to end Minion’s life but decides against doing so since he believes he can revert her back to his human sister. John and Quiet then drive away with Mayhem and Stu in Sweet Tooth’s ice cream truck to a literal crossroads, where they decide to continue fighting, desiring a stop only after Calypso is dead and the walls have truly come down. This scene is the final one before the credits, and during the mid- and post-credits scenes that follow, it is revealed, respectively, Sweet Tooth is alive and being taken via a yellow taxi cab to see his father, now known as Pope Charlie Kane of the Eastern Sovereignty, and some of the late Dr. Zemu’s lab experiments indicate signs of life, which suggests Axel may return in the future.

Strengths: An Explosive Finale Closes this Chapter While Opening Future Possibilities

These three episodes are replete with action, fighting and character-drive moments. Most noticeably, the tournament’s final round consists of a visual feast of cars, combat and concerns as the participants ride around in hope fo winning. The tension is palpable, with the mixed crowd of Insiders and Outsiders electrifying the experience and the dangers at every turn producing extensive dread. Minion’s appearance alone strikes fear into the hearts of viewers, but watching her serve as the final boss to the remaining contestants is exhilarating, much like the clash between Sweet Tooth and Mr. Grimm shortly before. Learning Krista is Minion only exacerbates the euphoric unease that does not stop until the credits start rolling.

On top of the action is the beautiful family time John, Quiet and Mayhem get to enjoy, if only temporarily. These characters have been fighting tirelessly to obtain some semblance of a new life. In a strange way, their wishes are granted when they drive Sweet Tooth’s ice cream truck to John’s family home north of New San Francisco. Seeing John, Quiet and Mayhem live in harmony as well as relative peace is moving, and they easily could have been a traditional family before the apocalypse. At least they get a taste of pre-wasteland life in this manner. Krista’s return as Minion in addition to Stu’s comeback as his own man shows there is still hope not only of defeating Calypso but tearing down all the walls as Quiet and John had envisioned. With Mayhem and Stu now in tow, pieces of their respective time in a world even more devoid of resources and malevolent murder methods from Sweet Tooth contribute to the group’s experience pool, making them a formidable force against all who stand in their way. The additional possibilities of Sweet Tooth seeing his father after having presumed him dead as well as Dr. Zemu’s experiments, including Axel, finding new life only increase the intrigue going forward.

Weaknesses: This Season is Over!

There are no real drawbacks to these last three episodes since they so suit this show. The joy of watching John and Quiet escape Calypso’s tournament as well as its resulting fallout to enjoy the ephemeral family-like time with Mayhem at John’s family’s cabin north of New San Francisco before Calypso broadcasts to the country what will likely be Season 3’s plot is poignantly tear-inducing. John’s initial disbelief at the sight of Krista as Minion and subsequent hope to restore her humanity. Perhaps most important is the fact John, Quiet, Mayhem and Stu, armed with their experiences, skills, weapons, determination and Sweet Tooth’s ice cream truck, are poised to strike at Calypso, the Insiders and the entire system. Irrespective of whether a third season sees them accomplishing their mission, this season has given viewers one of the best video game adaptions ever conceived.

Conclusion and Score

This season of Twisted Metal has proven itself repeatedly to be not only the best yet of this series but a love letter to its source franchise. These feats owe no small amount of debt to the robust character development, which has spotlighted each contestant for their unique personalities and aspirations to shine. Family has been a driving force throughout these episodes, as evidenced by seeing characters like John, Quiet, Mayhem and Stu find their places in life. This production’s team has also demonstrated their adoration for this franchise via the myriad Easter eggs as well as nods to the games. It is their faithfulness to the games, in fact, that drives home this story so masterfully as everyone from longtime gamers to casual fans can appreciate the TV gold that is Peacock’s Twisted Metal. How the future will treat this plot, despite the hints in the finale, is somewhat uncertain, but one fact remains clear: No matter how this story proceeds, Season 2 will always be remembered as that which epitomized the successful video game TV adaption, uniting gamers and viewers, not unlike how Calypso brought together Insiders and Outsiders for the tournament.

Pros:

A satisfying conclusion that sees Season 2 end aptly, with all drivers receiving appropriate conclusions based on their views and goals
A paragon, if not the epitome, of a video game adaptation done right
Regardless of the future, will be cherished for having run the gamut of gamer to viewer

Cons:

This season is officially finished, meaning there will be no more new episodes released weekly over which to salivate!

Score: 10/10

Standout Quotes

“Now, where is my little stinkbug off to?” — Vermin about John
“I will not hesitate to kill you in the final round. I come from a long line of fathers trying to kill their sons.” — Sweet Tooth to Stu
“I want carnage, not trickery!” — Calypso to Mayhem and Crowd
“It doesn’t matter. Soon, everybody will know name!” — Sweet Tooth to Mr. Grimm
“If you own the eyes of America, you own the world.” — Calypso to NBC Pitch Executives
“If the world’s not ready. We’ll just wait until it is.” — Calypso to Himself
“Seeing as how we don’t have unlimited gas, I’d like to know where we’re going. — Mayhem to John and Quiet
“Now, the real game begins.” — Calypso to himself
“There’s nowhere to run. The world will be a battleground.” — Calypso to John and Quiet via TV broadcast

Series Information

Title: Twisted Metal
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Joe Seanoa, Will Arnett, Anthony Carrigan
Directors: Various
Studios: PlayStation Productions, Sony Pictures Television, Universal Television
Network/Platform: Peacock (NBC)
Release Date: 31 July 2025
Series: Twisted Metal

References/Further Reading

To learn more about the Twisted Metal series as well as this franchise at large, please visit the following links:

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this review as well as throughout this blog belong solely to Lord Trichechus Rosmarus of Premier Polygon Productions. Consequently, they represent the perspectives only of these entities and in no way aim to disparage the artists’ works cited.