Twisted Metal episodes 10-12 round out the second season. They take us through the tournament conclusion with plenty of fun action, silly puns, and more backstory. I’m more intrigued by Calypso than ever, though his laugh will forever be goofy.
Of course, bullets fly and flames reach skyward as cars fly over the racecourses. Here’s the lowdown on these three episodes.
Episode 10: “M4YH3M”
The afterparty begins beneath dark skies with purple lightning strikes. Each driver is given an envelope with the name of another driver. If they eliminate that driver, they move on to the final round.
The first portion is a lightning round where drivers navigate the road with a giant tower emitting lightning. It’s interesting to note that Quiet and John are separately driving a version of Roadkill. Which one is the replica?
However, not all the drivers are in their cars. Sweet Tooth, Stu, Mike, and Grimm wake in the wishing well area. The clown is the only one who has changed. Calypso wheels in Dave’s body and reveals the killer. He’s upset that the no killing in the dormatory rule is broken. He stabs Mike and uses his supernatural powers to remove all of Grimm’s alternate personalities.
As drivers zero in on their targets, Raven makes a unique use of the lightning to take out hers. She’s then allowed to safely return to the garage, but decides to stay in the hunt. She manages to eliminate a second driver. Axel sacrifices himself to save another.
We finally learn what Mayhem’s wish is. She follows Calypso through a secret door. It takes her to the school basement, where she discovers a door with a sigil on it. I’m not sure of all the symbols making up the sigil, but there may be some Celtic ligatures among them. She goes through the door and finds Calypso’s base of operations, along with a surprise he has in store for the final competition round.
Stu and Sweet Tooth part ways. Then the episode concludes with Mayhem running away from everything.
Episode 11: “OHLYNTE”
Mayhem doesn’t get far before Calypso’s men drag her back. He decides to keep her close for the final round.
During breakfast, Grimm and Sweet Tooth threaten one another once again. There’s a sweet moment between Quiet and John when she expresses concerns over the odds of them winning the tournament. Each team makes preparations for the day’s race.
Calypso continues with his manipulations when he has each of the drivers kidnapped and taken to the arena. Once the bags are removed from their heads, they see their vehicles waiting for them. True to wanting to be seen, Calypso has filled the stands with spectators. Half are insiders and the rest are outsiders.
There are several giant screens that reveal that the crowd has watched the tournament all along. It also turns out this is Christmas time. Calypso declares it a new holiday: Twisted Metal Day.
With a gunshot, they’re off. Amidst all manner of crazy driving, bullets flying, and curses in the arena, Calypso, who is in the stands, gives Mayhem a little encouragement. It’s interesting that Quiet and John stayed in separate vehicles.
The crowd applauds the first fatality. They go wild with another. Raven cheats with some kind of shield device. Angry about it, Calypso again uses his supernatural ability to "even the odds."
We finally get the awaited showdown between Sweet Tooth and Grimm. It ends up in hand-to-hand combat. Then Calypso drops in his surprise—another combatant. He’s big and armored. John believes he’s some kind of robot hybrid. I wonder if Calypso infused him with some of the supernatural power. Named the Minion, he’s too fast and too strong. Right away, he destroys a driver.
This episode concludes with some spectacular explosions, a surprise winner, and more of Calypso’s fatal manipulations.
Episode 12: “NUY3ARZ”
The final episode of this season begins in Virginia in 1585. We learn some of Calypso’s background and his relationship to the wishing well. Then we see him forward in time where he’s pitching a reality show idea called Twisted Metal to NBC. I laughed when they turned him down in favor of Battlebots.
Next, we return to the present day, where Quiet and Mayhem try to revive John by shocking him with jumper cables. (Please don’t ever try this at home.) They flee the arena in the remains of Sweet Tooth’s truck.
Stu demands that his wish be granted. I expected Calypso to mess it up. He does indeed make it something Stu is not expecting. He wished to be someplace safe with Mike. Calypso sends him and Mike’s body to a space capsule orbiting the Earth.
Mayhem, Quiet, and John make it to his grandfather’s cabin…a place John wanted to escape to all along. It’s locked, so they break in and are surprised to find it has electricity. John has some nostalgic moments, especially when he finds the missing book from the Babysitter’s Club series from earlier.
There are some funny moments as the three make the cabin their home. John takes the opportunity to teach Mayhem fishing and how to read. Of course, Calypso cannot leave them in peace. He activates the television, where they see a news report of how the main city states have banded together in the aftermath of the tournament explosion, killing half the stadium occupants. Quiet and John are blamed and now fugitives.
Apparently, Calypso resurrected the Minion because he kicked in the cabin door. In the ensuing battle, John manages to remove the robot’s helmet, revealing the identity of the human component inside.
Stu also shows up to supposedly save the day. After they escape the Minion, he tells them how he escaped the space pod. I would’ve liked to see a couple of episodes dedicated to playing that out instead of just being told about it.
The series concludes with the four of them at a literal crossroads, planning the future. Since they can no longer stay at the cabin, they’re going after Calypso. Finally, there’s a nugget scene of future possibility for Sweet Tooth. I’m glad for that because he’s a character so many fans love. Perhaps, if there’s a season 3, Stu will get to meet his adopted grandfather.
Twisted Metal is a wild ride with twisted plots, twisted humor, and twisted action. They don’t hold back on the gore. I never played the video game, so I cannot make any comparison. It’s possible that part of my enjoyment came from knowing little about the story world to begin with. Here’s to hoping there will be more.