Here's What Happened in Season 1 of Twisted Metal
Catch up on the series’ key events and meet the major characters before the new season kicks off.
Twisted Metal, the high-octane action-comedy based on the beloved video games series, is coming back to Peacock for Season 2 on July 31. Need a refresher on what went down last season? Buckle up.
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
The World Pretty Much Went to Sh*t
In the world of Twisted Metal, a massive cyber-attack sometime around the turn of the millennium kicked off a total societal collapse, leaving a post-apocalyptic wasteland where America used to be (as well as no new music or pop culture, so ‘90s kids, this one’s for you). Aside from walled-off cities where a select few live on in relative normality, the world is populated by criminals, bandits, cannibals, and psychos, all struggling to eke out a violent living on the road.
John Doe (Anthony Mackie) is a “milkman,” a free-roaming delivery driver making extremely dangerous pickups and drop-offs between cities in exchange for goods and supplies. In his car named Evelyn, he fights through all kinds of carnage at breakneck speeds.
The other thing you gotta know about John Doe is that, as his name implies, we don’t know who he actually is, because neither does he. John can’t remember anything from his childhood and has only a partially burned photograph of his family as evidence that he didn’t spontaneously emerge from the seat of his car.
The Key Characters to Know in Season 1
- John Doe, played by Anthony Mackie
- Quiet, played by Stephanie Beatriz
- Sweet Tooth, played by Joe Seanoa and voiced by Will Arnett
- Agent Stone, played by Thomas Haden Church
- Raven, played by Neve Campbell
The Delivery
After making a routine delivery to New San Francisco, John meets Raven (Campbell), the presumptive leader of the city, who makes him an offer he can’t refuse: Make one big pickup from New Chicago for her, and he’ll be let inside and allowed to live within the walls. Sounds too good to pass up.
Along the way, John meets Quiet (Beatriz), who is dead-set on revenge after her brother is killed by mall cop-turned sheriff/warlord Agent Stone (Church). Full of rage and running low on trust, she won’t speak to John. So, he calls her Quiet.
The two pair up out of necessity, barely getting along until they slowly develop a rapport. When they reach what remains of Las Vegas, they are detained by Sweet Tooth (Seanoa and Arnett), a maniacally homicidal clown who insists they watch his one-man show. Sweet Tooth is a former child star who spent most of his life in an asylum after snapping and going on a murderous rampage. His best friend is an empty paper bag, he drives an ice cream truck, and he really enjoys killing people.
After escaping Las Vegas, John and Quiet head back on the road. A lot of crazy stuff happens to them, but the biggest obstacle is the paramilitary organization headed up by Agent Stone, who is trying singlehandedly to recreate his own form of law and order. After Sweet Tooth has a run-in with Stone’s goons, our favorite sociopathic clown goes on a murder spree up and down the county attacking Stone’s bases, killing Stone’s guys, and growing a following from the freed prisoners.
John and Quiet’s relationship gets romantic, but Quiet will stop at nothing to get revenge for Stone killing her brother. And after passing in and out of the company of a trucker armada and a biker cult (surprisingly John and Quiet do make it to New Chicago to pick up Raven’s mysterious package), everyone converges for a final climactic vehicular battle.
Eventually, John and Quiet return to New San Francisco, but Raven will only let John enter the gates — their deal does not include Quiet. At this point, Quiet is more important to John than the promise of New San Francisco, but she won’t let him give up his dream of living inside the walls for her, and she shoots him to force the issue. John is dragged inside for medical attention and to see his new home, and Quiet goes back on the road.
The Tournament Is Coming
When we last saw our messed-up heroes, John was already bored in New San Francisco, Quiet has become a Robin Hood-style bandit stealing from milkmen to giving to outsiders in need, and Sweet Tooth is still very much alive.
Before John can escape, Raven reveals her true intentions for him — at gunpoint. A driving tournament (to the death) is being hosted by the mysterious Calypso for the ultimate prize, and Raven has her heart set on John to represent her. Or else.
Find out what happens next by streaming the three-episode Season 2 premiere of Twisted Metal on July 31, only on Peacock. Until then, stream Season 1 of Twisted Metal now.
