Twisted Metal S1 Finale: John’s Past, Calypso’s Plan & Sweet Tooth’s Return

Peacock’s Twisted Metal season 1 ends with a satisfying finale that pays homage to the video game source material and explores John Doe’s backstory.

The Twisted Metal franchise debuted on the PlayStation in 1995 and gained a loyal fan base. The games had different narratives, but some recurring characters, such as Sweet Tooth or Mr. Grimm were present in most of them. The TV adaptation of Twisted Metal follows a new plot but retains the essence of the games.

The TV series Twisted Metal revolves around a dystopian road trip, where Anthony Mackie’s courier John Doe accepts a mission to travel from New San Francisco to New Chicago and deliver a mysterious package; if he succeeds, he’ll earn a citizenship in New San Francisco.

Along the way, Twisted Metal season 1 features Doe’s romance with burglar Quiet, his conflict with ruthless lawman Agent Stone and his escape from serial killer Sweet Tooth.

After a final confrontation with Stone and Sweet Tooth, John is welcomed into New San Francisco – only to discover the true reason behind his assignment.

1. Why did Raven want John Doe in New San Francisco?

In Twisted Metal episode 1 “WLUDRV”, Raven, the COO of New San Francisco, hires John to deliver a package and promises him a citizenship. John faces torture, car damage and enemies on his journey. He also makes some friends who help him fight Stone’s forces. When John returns to New San Francisco, Raven denies Quiet’s entry.

Quiet shoots John so he can enter the city with his wound. Raven reveals that the package was just ice cream and that she hired John to test his driving skills. She wants him to compete in a tournament by Calypso.

Similar to the Twisted Metal games, Calypso’s tournament involves the best drivers from across the country in vehicular combat. Raven states the only rule is to “survive,” and that the winner will have their deepest wish fulfilled by Calypso himself.

Twisted Metal season 1 was essentially Raven recruiting John, as she needed the best driver she could get to participate in the contest. The ending shows brief glimpses of some of John’s future adversaries, including Twisted Metal game characters like Mr Grimm and Axel.

John is displeased when he learns Raven’s plan, especially as he was ready to leave New San Francisco. After he crosses the city’s walls, the finale skips ahead a month to show John’s difficulty to adapt to the more peaceful community, even with Raven’s efforts to make him comfortable by arranging him with fake friends.

He also wants to reunite with Quiet, despite her shooting him. But Raven ultimately stops him from exiting the city.

2. Did John Doe lose his memory?

Twisted Metal is set in a post-apocalyptic future 20 years after an unknown disaster. This coincides with John Doe losing his memory, as his first memory is waking up in a wrecked car as a boy.

The car is soon taken by another desperate survivor, and John is left to survive on his own. He soon finds Ev3lin, the 2002 Subaru that will become his home (and his best friend) for the next two decades.

Twisted Metal season 1 finale “SHNGRLA” sees Raven bring John back to his childhood home in New San Francisco, where he finds photos of his family.

This triggers flashbacks to John’s childhood, including where he developed his passion for music and skills with a car. It also reveals that when the apocalypse first happened, his father told him to drive to safety.

This resulted in the crash where John lost his memory, and while the pictures evoke some nostalgic flashbacks, he still doesn’t fully remember his past before Twisted Metal season 1 ends. Moreover, he’s accepted that the boy he was in the photos and the man he became are now two different people.

3. What does Dollface want from Quiet?

Quiet’s final scene in Twisted Metal shows her facing Dollface, another famous game character. Dollface wields an assault rifle and has an army of followers aptly named The Dolls, but this version of the character is revealed to be John’s sister. John has been searching for him for years.

She knows Quiet and John recently had an epic adventure, but her exact intentions for Quiet and John are unclear. Either she wants to reunite with her long-lost sibling, or revenge on the brother who she thinks deserted his family 20 years ago. Considering the universe of Twisted Metal, it’s likely the latter.

4. Twisted Metal Season 1 Post-Credits Scene Explained

Twisted Metal has several subtle references to the game series, including the unexpected appearance of obscure Twisted Metal 2’s characters Mike and Stu.

In Peacock’s live-action Twisted Metal adaptation, Tahj Vaughans plays Mike while Mike Mitchell plays Stu, with the clueless duo being rescued from cannibals by Stone during their introduction. Later, they join the lawman’s team.

Stu becomes disenchanted with Stone’s harsh brand of justice and becomes an unlikely ally to Sweet Tooth when the latter decides to destroy Stone’s outposts. In short, the separated Mike and Stu reunite in the finale when Stu realizes Sweet Tooth is just a murderous force of chaos.

Stu shoots Sweet Tooth in the eye to save Mike, and the pair later run him over with a jeep. Twisted Metal’s big set piece also apparently results in the death of Stone, who shoots himself offscreen, leaving Mike and Stu free and clear.

The Twisted Metal post-credit sequence shows them enjoying some hot dogs when Sweet Tooth suddenly ambushes them. Through a series of quick cuts, Sweet Tooth swings his sword, blood splashes everywhere and Stu is dragged away screaming, leaving Mike’s fate unknown.

The Twisted Metal ending provides no clear explanation for Sweet Tooth’s survival. He still lacks the eye that Stu shot out, but he has no burn scars on his head from when he ignited it, and otherwise seems in good health despite being shot multiple times and hit with a jeep.

While there might be some supernatural element to his recovery, given how exaggerated the series is, the more plausible explanation is that he’s just really durable.

5. Will there be Twisted Metal season 2?

Season 1’s ending prepares the stage perfectly for Twisted Metal season 2. Fans of the video games might be dissatisfied by the absence of an actual Twisted Metal tournament – or a general scarcity of vehicle combat.

But assuming a second season is on the cards, the titular contest will be the main focus. Not only that, but most of the iconic player characters from the games will participate, and Calypso will no doubt be the main antagonist.

The ending also more or less guarantees that Sweet Tooth will be returning, because it just wouldn’t be Twisted Metal without that murderous clown.

Twisted Metal season 2 will also have to reunite John and Quiet, and there’s the unresolved issue of what Dollface wants with her brother. Twisted Metal season 1 essentially served as a prequel to a proper adaptation of the games. Hopefully, the next series will fully realize that premise.

6. About Twisted Metal

Twisted Metal is an American post-apocalyptic action comedy television series developed by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and Michael Jonathan Smith.

Based on the vehicular combat video game franchise of the same name published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, the series stars Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Samoa Joe, Will Arnett and Thomas Haden Church. The half-hour series is about a driver who takes a job to deliver a package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland while being chased by marauders.

Development by Sony Pictures Television and PlayStation Productions began in May 2019 with a full season being ordered by Peacock in February 2022. Filmed in New Orleans from May to August 2022, the series was released on Peacock on July 27, 2023, with all 10 episodes.