Serie - Twisted Metal Season 2 Review: A Wreck-Fueled Evolution of Chaos and Heart

By Mulder, 31 july 2025

Peacock’s Twisted Metal returns for a second season that boldly embraces the anarchic chaos of its source material while evolving into a fully realized and unexpectedly moving piece of genre television. In what might be one of the most surprising leaps in quality between seasons in recent memory, Twisted Metal Season 2 not only finally delivers on the vehicular combat mayhem promised by its video game roots but also deepens its emotional and narrative core. What was once a quirky, uneven action comedy has transformed into a brash, bloody, and oddly tender demolition derby of personalities, trauma, and absurdity, driven by a cast who seem to finally understand the tone and stakes of the mad world they inhabit. Anchored once again by Anthony Mackie as John Doe and Stephanie Beatriz as Quiet, the show shifts gears from the slow build of its first season into full-throttle storytelling that mixes deadly competition, sibling reconnections, and a deeply strange tournament run by a game show host with godlike powers. Yes, it's bonkers — but it's also one of the most unexpectedly fun rides TV has to offer right now.

The season picks up seven months after the events of Season 1, where John has been granted entry into New San Francisco by Raven — now portrayed with scene-stealing, emo-tinged precision by Patty Guggenheim, replacing Neve Campbell in a change that’s not only acknowledged but brilliantly woven into the lore. Living in his childhood home, John is slowly unraveling under the weight of a hollow new life that involves pizza delivery, retro video games, and obsessively rereading The Baby-Sitters Club books (yes, really). His discontent is the gateway drug to the madness to come, as Raven coerces him into participating in the Twisted Metal tournament hosted by the maniacal Calypso, played with devilish delight by Anthony Carrigan, whose blend of NoHo Hank charm and metaphysical menace makes him perhaps the most unforgettable new addition this season. But John, ever the wild card, has plans of his own, especially once he escapes the walls and reunites with Quiet — now entrenched within the punk-masked anarchist collective led by Dollface, played by the fierce and committed Tiana Okoye, who is revealed to be his sister.

It’s in this fractured family dynamic — a lost brother with no memory of his sibling and a found family brimming with mistrust and rage — that the show finds its emotional grounding. While Season 1 was essentially an extended prologue, Season 2 dives headfirst into character arcs that feel surprisingly genuine, even as the carnage ramps up. Stephanie Beatriz is particularly compelling as Quiet, navigating the tension between her loyalty to Dollface’s cause and her emotional connection to John. The addition of Saylor Bell Curda as Mayhem, a self-described "Apo Baby" trying to mimic Quiet’s ferocity, injects a youthful chaos that plays beautifully against the backdrop of this apocalyptic landscape. Mayhem isn’t just a new face; she’s a catalyst — both a mirror and a foil — who brings out the tender, maternal instincts buried deep within Quiet’s rage and the repressed past John is desperate to recover.

Structurally, the show breaks wide open in Episode 4 when the Twisted Metal tournament finally begins — and from there, it’s a delicious blend of Mad Max energy, Squid Game spectacle, and tongue-in-cheek reality TV satire. Each deathmatch brings its own flavor of carnage, from stylized bloodbaths to surprisingly heartfelt sacrifices. Michael James Shaw’s Axel — a man fused to giant wheels who drinks gasoline like Gatorade — somehow emerges as one of the season’s most tragic figures, while Richard de Klerk’s Mr. Grimm, with his soul-harvesting schtick, walks a tightrope between mystical lunacy and genuinely eerie pathos. The series never fully confirms if his supernatural abilities are real or a psychotic delusion, and that ambiguity works beautifully in a world where the line between magic and madness is razor-thin.

But it’s Anthony Carrigan’s Calypso who steals nearly every scene he’s in. Clad in surreal costumes and exuding game-show-host energy filtered through a sociopath’s grin, Calypso manipulates not only the contestants but the narrative structure itself, manufacturing conflicts and injecting chaos just to keep things entertaining. His promise of granting one true wish to the winner adds a mythical, Faustian layer to the show’s death race mechanics. And unlike Season 1, which held back on game lore and spectacle, Season 2 embraces it all — the custom rides, the outrageous weapons, the absurd contestants (see: Lisa Gilroy as Vermin, a dirt-covered exterminator with sexual tension aimed at everyone) — and manages to make it all feel coherent, if not exactly grounded.

The strongest episodes weave the tournament into broader themes of identity, memory, and the consequences of violence. There’s a standout slasher-horror homage set in an abandoned drive-in that shows just how creatively the show can twist genres within its chaotic framework. And while the CGI occasionally wavers — a necessary evil given budget constraints — the clever use of practical effects and tight editing often makes the carnage feel tactile, brutal, and gleefully ridiculous. The soundtrack leans hard into ‘90s nostalgia with tracks like “What Is Love?” being used in absurdist, oddly moving ways — such as during a weapons-vault sex scene intercut with brutal hand-to-hand combat between Quiet and Dollface. It’s that kind of tonal whiplash that Twisted Metal has perfected: the profane and the poignant sharing screen time with zero apologies.

What’s perhaps most commendable is how Michael Jonathan Smith and his team of writers treat their characters with care, even the ones designed to die early. Each death has a sting — not just because of the gore, but because the writers take time to flesh out motivations, relationships, and dreams. The body count is high, but it’s never pointless. This season explores found families and fractured bloodlines with surprising sincerity, whether it’s in John’s conflicted relationship with Dollface or in the twisted, paternal bond forming between Sweet Tooth and Stu. Joe Seanoa’s physical performance as Sweet Tooth, paired with Will Arnett’s unhinged vocal delivery, remains one of the most inspired creative choices of the show. Sweet Tooth is still a scene-stealing lunatic, but he’s also given moments of bizarre vulnerability — which somehow makes him even more terrifying.

Of course, not everything hits perfectly. At 12 episodes, the season occasionally meanders, particularly in the early rounds of the tournament. Some characters are introduced with promise but are dispatched before their arcs can land. And there’s a lingering sense that the rules of the tournament are a little too flexible — survival doesn’t always mean victory, and death isn’t always permanent. This undermines the stakes slightly, but not enough to derail the momentum. If anything, it mirrors the chaotic game logic of the original Twisted Metal series, where continuity was often a casualty to cool explosions and killer punchlines.

Ultimately, Twisted Metal Season 2 is a wickedly satisfying sophomore outing that trades the world-building slog of Season 1 for a turbocharged plunge into full-on carnage, comedy, and catharsis. It’s a show that fully understands its own ridiculousness and uses it as a strength, not a crutch. There’s genuine pathos to be found in these broken characters, even as they launch missiles at each other in flame-painted deathmobiles. And with its final episode hinting at even greater stakes for a possible third season, Twisted Metal proves that even the most outlandish video game adaptations can become something more — if they have the guts to go full throttle and the heart to stick the landing.

Synopsis :
In a post-apocalyptic world, American society is divided between the haves and the have-nots. The former live in fortified cities, isolated from the latter, who are condemned to fend for themselves and survive as best they can. John Doe, a marginal, manages to get by by working as a transporter. He is fearless, has a big mouth and is a good driver. With the help of a mute car thief, he embarks on a journey across the country to deliver a mysterious package. On their way, this unlikely duo will face sinister looters, law enforcement officers of dubious morality, a sociopathic clown and many other deadly dangers.

Twisted Metal
Based on Twisted Metal by Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developed by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and, Michael Jonathan Smith
Showrunner Michael Jonathan Smith
Starring Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Joe Seanoa, Will Arnett, Thomas Haden Church
Music by Leo Birenberg, Zach Robinson
Executive producers : Michael Jonathan Smith, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Anthony Mackie, Will Arnett, Marc Forman, Jason Spire, Kitao Sakurai, Peter Principato, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, Hermen Hulst
Cinematography : James McMillan
Editors : Michael Giambra, Heather Capps, Travis Sittard
Production companies : Wicked Deed, Reese Wernick Productionsn Make It with Gravyn, Inspire Entertainment, Electric Avenue, Artists First, PlayStation Productions, Universal Television, Sony Pictures Television Studios
Network : Peacock
Release July 27, 2023 –Present
Running time : 23–32 minutes