I’m not quite sure what I’m watching, but I’m loving it. I happened upon a post-apocalyptic action comedy called Twisted Metal, which is a cross between Mad Max and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Twisted Metal S01
Twisted Metal is a series developed by Rhett Reese, Paul Wenick and Michael Jonathan Smith. It’s based on a combat video game by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It stars Anthony Mackie, Stephaine Beatriz, Joe Seanoa, Will Arnett and Thomas Haden Church. There is a lot of action and gore, which I usually try to avoid, but the storyline and acting are so good in this series that I can glaze over the bloody parts. The story is about survival in post-apocalyptic America. The United States is no longer united, and if cities need supplies, they depend on people called Milkmen to deliver the goods. The cities have become walled fortresses, while various gangs own everything outside of city limits.
John Doe (Anthony Mackie) is a Milkman who delivers goods around the San Francisco area. John has amnesia, and aside from an old family photo, he has no memory of his childhood. Milkmen don’t live long lives, so when Raven (Neve Campbell), the boss of New San Francisco, offers John a chance to live within the city walls, he takes her up on her offer by agreeing to travel to New Chicago to pick up a mysterious package. John doesn’t realize that New San Francisco is just a mirage of happy people.
There are dangerous people along the highway to New Chicago. You have people like the sociopathic Agent Stone (Thomas Haden Church), who is Judge, Jury and Executioner. The citizens in his little town are only allowed one warning. And, any anxiety that you may have whenever dealing with the Department of Motor Vehicles, pales in comparison when the requirements of Stone’s town.
There is a brother-and-sister team, Quiet (Stephanie Beatriz) and Loud (Richard Cabral), who cross paths with John. There are also gangs of religious nuts who go around crucifying anyone who doesn’t follow their commandments. But my favourite character in this series is a psychopathic clown called Sweet Tooth (Joe Seanoa) who drives a Mr. Softee truck to capture people to watch his show in an abandoned casino.
Conclusion
Season one has ten episodes, and I am still in the process of watching all ten. A second season is coming out in mid-2025. You can watch the series on Peacock. Like I said at the beginning of my review, Twisted Metal is a cross between Mad Max and Guardians of the Galaxy. There is enough drama, tension, and gore with just the right amount of humour to keep you binge-watching the series.
Twisted Metal is also a bit scary in that we might be looking into the future of these United States. With the mad king on the throne and his Tech Jester messing with top secret information, I wouldn’t be surprised one bit to see blue and red states isolating themselves from each other. If, and when, that happens, we will be seeing a lot of people like Sweet Tooth.
