Twisted Metal – Season1 Episode 4 “WHZDARE” Recap & Review

WHZDARE

Episode 4 of Twisted Metal begins with Quiet and John in the car. He almost falls asleep at the wheel since Quiet likes to live up to her name! He unsuccessfully tries to explain to her what a “knock, knock” joke is before being surrounded from all four corners by huge rigs. They are forced into one of the trucks.

Watts is the lady who runs the rigs (called “The Convoy”) and their operations. She explains that she wanted to stop the Milkman and that someone wants to have a chat with him. That someone is Watts’ Granny, who has a task for the Milkman. Her insides are rotting up and she needs medicines.

To make his task worthwhile, she offers to upgrade Evelyn with guns and weaponry, which were stripped off by the lawmen. John shakes on the deal and learns that Watts pushed The Pharmacist off a truck.

During the drive, the duo notices ominous signs of what Granny described as “Holy Men,” something that might have to do with a radical cult. When they reach The Pharmacist, Amber greets them. She offers them tea which paralyzes them, realizing their fears of what Watts did to her. 

Amber thinks that they are Holy Men but when she sees the list of medicines Granny has ordered, she brings them back to their original health. She also reveals that she poisoned Watts because they were in love and she couldn’t make space for Amber. They go off with the medicines but encounter Holy Men on the way, who are essentially a biker gang. The duo hides in a cinema hall until they leave. While in the theatre, John puts on “Blankman” for Quiet. Since the film doesn’t have any sound, they make up dialogue while eating popcorn to pass the time. 

Quiet opens up about how her brother once snuck her into a theatre and she watched him laugh throughout. It is a genuine bonding moment between the two. All of that fizzles out the next morning when John washes Loud’s jacket and Quiet gets upset since the remnants on it are gone.

They bring back the medicine to the rigs. Watts explains that Granny is dying and the medicine is to ease her suffering. Granny explains that she wants to pass on her own terms, quietly, which is a luxury the world doesn’t have anymore. As a gesture, Granny gives her “Sutra” to Quiet. Before her final goodbye, Granny gives Watts the flower she got from Amber. The pharmacist had earlier remarked that she was confused Granny asked her to give that flower since it had no medicinal properties. This is Granny’s way of asking Watts to mend her relationship with Amber since time is the only commodity they cannot control.

Watts gathers the other riggers to pay their respects to Kathy Strmpton, the top-selling real estate agent in Boca Raton. Without Granny, none of them would be there. They push her car out on the road and Watts blows it up in the air. The riggers have an afterparty that the duo attends. Heeding her Granny’s advice, Watts radios Amber to mend their relationship.

The episode ends with John apologizing to Quiet for the jacket and both of them expressing their desire not to stay back at The Convoy. As they head towards their fates, John is unaware that Quiet is carrying some of the medicine that Granny used.

The Episode Review

The Convoy is another feathered addition to Twisted Metal’s offbeat and colourful cinematic universe. Episode 4 brought some interesting moments to the fore and smartly wrapped up Granny’s arc that breathes fresh air into the storytelling. The impact of the apocalypse did not have much bearing beyond our main characters but we had an opportunity to see its expansive consequences in this episode. Watts and Amber are a handy optionality for future references and something tells us that this isn’t the last we see of them.

John and Quiet’s bonding pleasantly surprised. The execution of the scenes wasn’t too tacky and the writing stayed true to the characters. The edges around the characterization have been somewhat rough till this point but Twisted Metal got most of it right in this episode.