With everyone talking about video game to TV adaptations like Fallout and The Last of Us, there’s one show that’s been driving under the radar and not getting as much attention. That show is none other than Twisted Metal, based on the video game series by the same name.

Season 2 released on Peacock a handful of months ago, serving up another helping of mayhem for fans to enjoy. Is this second season just as entertaining as the first, or does it crash and burn? Let’s take a look at Twisted Metal’s second season to see if it’s worthy of more people talking about this show.

The Good

Twisted Metal is as bonkers and ridiculous as a TV show could get, and the second season drives further in that direction without ever hitting the breaks. A lot of the entertainment comes from how the series constantly pushes the envelope when it comes to its humor, action, and surprises. It continues to be ridiculous without anything ever feeling out of place.

The most important element in the Twisted Metal video games is the exciting car combat. Season 1 had some good scenes featuring it, but Season 2 truly brings it to life. Game accurate vehicles, weapons, and settings are all present as the characters duke it out in fights to the death in their respective cars. The car combat receives much more focus than the first season, and it’s always riveting and as explosive as fans could want. The stakes feel higher than ever before.

Because of this, there’s tons of suspense and surprises throughout. This is the case with both the action and the story. There are plenty of twists and turns, and each one is enough to have the audience on the edge of their seat. It’s impossible to guess what’s coming in any of the twelve episodes. A lot of the suspense also comes from genuine concern for the characters and what their fate will be in the Twisted Metal tournament. It’s all done really well.

This show is just plain hilarious. The dialogue is the perfect mixture of witty and dumb. There’s plenty of situational humor, sarcasm, and potty humor, as well as a fair amount of slapstick comedy. There’s a lot to laugh at throughout this season, and much of it is a unique sense of dark humor.

There’s also a surprising amount of heart throughout this season. The bonds between family members, romantic partners, and friends are explored and tested. The emotional weight is higher than before. It allows for the audience to really care about the characters despite all the ridiculousness that’s going on.

The first season introduced some fantastic commentary that touched on social class issues. This new season, especially in the beginning and end of it, goes even further with those messages. It’s truly nice to see a show that’s so bizarre still make a point of having powerful, grounded messages.

As stated earlier, there are a lot of vehicles, characters, weapons, settings, and other elements from the video games brought to life in this show, especially in this new season. Even seeing a PlayStation Triangle Button being pushed for an attack. There’s plenty for eagle-eyed fans to look out for, and it really shows the effort and heart they put into the show to make the fans happy.

The Bad

Neve Campbell does not return for the second season, but her character, Raven, does. The way they replace her feels incredibly forced. It’s clearly meant to be funny and add to the over-the-top nature of the show, but this felt like it was just dumb and forced.

While there’s a lot that’s accurately recreated from the games, there are a few inaccuracies that stand out. If anything, they’re distracting because of how accurate other things are. Things like Hammerhead being the wrong kind of car or Dollface having a normal face under her mask can be enough to take some fans out of it.

Conclusion

Twisted Metal Season 2 gets even more bonkers than the first season while giving fans of the source material everything they could dream of for a live action adaptation. It manages to still be extremely fun for those who’ve never played the games thanks to the terrific humor, exciting action, and brilliant writing. If you haven’t checked out the Twisted Metal TV series, you’re sorely missing out and you should remedy that. Let’s hope that it gets picked up for one more season, because it was left on a (fantastic) cliffhanger.

Rating: 9.5/10

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