Twisted Metal – Season1 Episode 2 “3RNCRCS” Recap & Review

3RNCRCS

Episode 2 begins with John and Quiet joining hands to take on Sweet Tooth. But the guns pointed at his van do not have bullets in them. Realizing the situation, Quiet brings around John’s car, his beloved Evelyn, and John jumps in. She isn’t able to drive the car as only John knows how to. So they exchange seats and a tense car chase ensues.

Sweet Tooth gains the upper hand by puncturing one of Evelyn’s tires, making them go straight into a building. Before we can see what happens, we turn our attention to Stu and Mike, two wanderers who are caught by Butchers, who presumably kill people and eat them. 

As Stu and Mike are being prepared for lunch, Agent Stone and his team ambush the Butchers and kill them all. They set the two wanderers free and Stone gives them a choice, impressed by their “upstanding history and profile.” Either they can be on their own, or join his bid to bring back “law and order to the Divided States of America.” The two choose the latter and will now be travelling with his team.

We go back to the casino floor where John tries to repair the puncture. Quiet is of no help to him and even betrays him when she sees Sweet Tooth coming in. John is left alone to fend him off but the Clown is too strong for him. As he is getting beaten black and blue, Sweet Tooth puts on some “kill music.” They jam together to a Sisqo track and the clown decides to leave him alone. 

Before he can leave, John must witness Sweet Tooth’s “opening show” later that night. For Stu and Mike’s initiation into The Law, Stone makes them protect a broken-down supply truck from “Seagulls.” And by that, they mean survivors. Stu is unsure of killing them as they try to take supplies. But Mike does the job for him. It is clear that Stone takes the “law” too seriously. What he and his team do is kill people trying to survive in cold blood. Sweet Tooth and John get to know each other a little better. It turns out that John has amnesia and no idea about his identity or where he comes from. 

Sweet Tooth has been all alone in Vegas since the apocalypse broke out. It is clear the clown is crazy (if it wasn’t clear before) as he refers to a brown paper bag as Harold, his best friend. Just then, Sweet shows John how he has caught Quiet behind glass. He intends to starve her but when John sees she has keys to Evelyn, he convinces Sweet to release her so that he can have a “bigger audience.”

Sweet Tooth’s one-man show is boring and long. It goes on for hours before he jumps off the stage and confronts John. He feels John didn’t pay attention and asks what he loved about it. John is unconvincing and as Sweet is about to strike down his machete, Quiet opens her mouth. She can talk! She berates the performance, indirectly suggesting John do the same as Sweet wants honest criticism. The day is saved and Sweet lets them leave, alive. Inspired to take his show “on the road,” Sweet burns down his arcade area.

Quiet and John make a deal: he will drop her where she needs to go and then he can go on his way. They pass through Stone’s checkpoint, which isn’t on the map. Although John is navigating the situation, Quiet cannot hold herself back when she sees Stone’s deputy. She gets out to shoot him but she is tazed by Mike and then John is tazed by Stu.

John has just 9 more days to complete the mission.

The Episode Review

Sweet Tooth was arguably the most anticipated character from the show. And the combination of Samoa and Arnett has not disappointed! This is arguably the most intimidating and gruesome rendition of the psychopath clown in popular media till now. Episode 2 gave us a chance to see his potent dark humour that was off the charts. His chemistry with John Doe almost reached the status of a charming bromance but not quite. 

Beatriz will not be a mute character and that is a great relief. Our Bonnie and Clyde in a post-apocalyptic world will face many hurdles in their time-barred mission. It is only a matter of time before a romantic angle is introduced and they become emotionally entangled with each other.

Twisted Metal has set a binge-worthy vibe in its first two episodes that will ensure you have no dull moments while watching the show. One criticism from the first two episodes is the lack of colour in the characterization of the new world order reset by an apocalypse. Hopefully, this will change going forward.