There’s an annoying habit that some shows do where they take a large action sequence and have it straddle two episodes, meaning that in a cheeky two-for-one deal, they’ve not only set themselves a nice little mid-sequence cliff hanger, but they’ve also guaranteed that the next episode will begin with a literal bang. However, there’s a drawback to this and it usually means that the following episode – and the audience – tend to get cheated because the sequence invariably ends barely two minutes after the episode has begun.
This is the exact worry I had when Twisted Metal’s fifth episode ended in the middle of the rip-roaring qualifying round that’s finally kicked off the titular tournament, however, not only does the constantly unpredictable show manage to avoid an abrupt and unsatisfactory ending to its largest action sequence to date, but it throws in some legitimate shocks while it’s at it.
We rejoin the qualifying round already in progress as bullets whizz about the place and Mayhem has found herself in a spot of bother. While the task is to deliver packaged that act as beacons to homing missiles if they take too many knocks, both John and Quiet peel off their lead to head back into the chaos to bail out their vulnerable young friend. While this leaves them incredibly vulnerable to having their hair parted by airborne explosives, it also means that they lose their shot to win as Raven crosses the finishing line first. Finding themselves in a bit of trouble, Dollface races to her brother’s aid with her EMP device primed and ready, but after taking a harpoon in the back at the apex of her rescue attempt, she explosively sacrifices herself to ensure that they make it across the finishing line safely and qualify.
Realising that Dollface’s dream of bringing all the walls of this dystopian world down now falls to them, John and Quiet move onto the next round with the other survivors, but before any more carnage can commence, Calypso has to get them settled into their new digs first and tend to the business of collecting wishes from his drivers.
Bunking with other drivers in a dilapidated school, everyone takes stock of their current alliances and grudges (Sweet Tooth really hates Mr. Grimm) while Calypso lays out some ground rules. But as time goes on, it really does seem like the man behind Twisted Metal can actually do what he says and his claims to be able dispense the winner a wish seem to be backed up by hints of some strange, supernatural powers.
Soon time comes for the racers to announce their wishes one at a time, and when it comes to John and Quiet’s turn, they dutifully put forward Dollface’s wish. However, after second thoughts, John changes his to something far more personal…
Finding that Twisted Metal had avoided the curse of the two-episode action sequence is one thing, but the fact that they ended it with an honest to God character death just makes me love the show even more – but even though episode 6 may not be quite as spot-on as its previous installment, it still manages to achieve a multitude of things. The first thing we have to discuss is undoubtedly the death of Tiana Okoye’s Dollface, which treads dangerously on the precipice between shocking twist and frustrating loss – yes, in the realms of murderous elimination tournaments, it’s fantastically important to show that no one is safe (characters will have to actually die at some point as Twisted Metal isn’t exactly known for its draws), but at the same time, I did genuinely want to get more interaction between John and his sister as he struggles to regain his memory. Still, as aggressive sacrifice plays go, it’s a fucking doozy as she Uno reverses her impalement by calling down a goddamn airstrike onto both her and the Knights Of Nebraska who punched a hole in her to begin with.
Of course, we’re not really given much time to grieve as Twisted Metal isn’t really that kind of show, but while John, Quiet and Mayhem ponder their fallen (or should that be obliterated) comrade, the episode leaves them to it to cover some genuinely facinating ground. For a start, this is the episode where we truly get a feel for what Calypso is capable of that starts with a strange dream sequence/flashback at the start of the episode that sees John and the tricksy wish giver discussing the nature of desire as the former paints “Calypso is real” on street signs. Further still into the episode, we continue to see him play fully into the cackling, impish weirdo aspect of his personality, but there’s the odd hint that he could be some sort of omnipotent demon figure who can silence even Raven with a the black-eyed stare of a great white and even make her nose bleed by the intensity of his presence when his temper is finally frayed. It would certainly explain his skewed sense of humour and as Anthony Carrigan continues to veer back and forth between giggling oddball and trickster God, we see him play his weirdest card yet.
Ever play a tournament-based video game and wonder where the battle frazzled combatants stay between bouts of brutalising each other? The makers of Twisted Metal sure did and even though the main crux of the episode is Dollface’s death and the choice of John to go against her wish to bring her back, the bulk of the episode is seeing a clutch of lethal psychos finding out they’re all going to bunk together at Jaffe Campbell High School. It’s actually facinating to watch the weird admin of the non-fighting portions of a video game explored and the show even gives the racers a cafeteria and a selection of sandwiches to choose from like they’re at recess.
This obviously gives the writers plenty of opportunities to fuck with their characters such as making Raven and the unhygienic Vermin share a room or having Axel’s giant robot hands prove to be a problem when trying to grab lunch from one of those little cubby holes. However, tension is noticeably building between Stu and his two, opposing friend groups. While Sweet Tooth is pissed that Stu has thwarted him twice now in regards to killing old enemy Mr. Grimm, the hulking clown is willing to forgive his buddy just as long as they can build pillow forts in their room. However, Mike’s cheerful, ex-cannibal buddy, Dave, seems to have noticed Stu split nature between sticking with his very dangerous new friend and yearning for the simpler times with his old friend. Bizarrely enough, Dave seems to relish the idea of competition, so expect this plot thread to soon head into a predictably strange place.
So with our first round out of the way, a sizable death sending out shock waves and a rather sizable act of deception on behalf of John, we extravagantly drift past the halfway point with style. In fact, watching Twisted Metal manage to handle the whole multi-episode action sequence issue in a way that doesn’t cheapen the impact or short change the audience betrays a sense of mature self awareness that hides nicely behind all the fuckery. But with so many racers still standing and the fact that Calypso seems to be getting more sinister by the minute, there’s still a hell of a lot left to play for.
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