Twisted Metal just completed its Season 2 streaming on Peacock. The showrunners brought it to a satisfying close, but they also set up enough plot arcs to carry the show for a third, maybe even a fourth season. We gathered up all the Easter eggs and references for Twisted Metal: Season 1. And now, we’re doing the same thing for Twisted Metal Season 2.
Season 2 was even better than Season 1, focusing more on plot and forward movement, since they’ve already established the two main characters. And the critical and audience reception has been unanimously positive–where Season 1 received the Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer rating of 67%, Season 2 got 92%. Ten or fifteen years ago, the notion that a TV show based on Twisted Metal would garner this sort of momentum would not be taken seriously–the entire idea of a TV show based on a video game would be enough to disqualify it. And yet, here we are.
After a season’s worth of build up, Season 2 gives us the Calypso life-or-death car tournament that we’ve been waiting for. And they pull it off–somehow–by not taking the plot too seriously. Time and again, the writers don’t let pesky things like logic and physics get in the way of a good time. The jokes are fast and rapid-fire, so that if a couple of them bomb, the high percentage of them that land can overcompensate.
And the soundtrack, a pastiche of late ’90s and early ’00s pop, hip hop, and alternative, is perfect. From Smashing Pumpkins to Haddaway to Crash Test Dummies, the needle drops either enhance the action or stand in diametric opposition to it. Either way, it works.
Did we miss any major Easter eggs or references? Let us know in the comments.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for the Twisted Metal series on Peacock. If you haven’t seen it yet, steer clear.
1. Keeping Up With The Joneses
The car that Raven and Kelly are driving in the 1998 flashback is a near copy of the Joneses family station wagon in Twisted Metal 4 (1999).
2. RIP Kelly
Kelly goes into a coma after falling off the roof and drowning in the pool. In Twisted Metal: Black (2001), Kelly dies by drowning, but it’s because a couple of jocks push her off a dock, even after Raven tells them that Kelly can’t swim.
3. Sequel Cameo
John Doe is training for the Twisted Metal tournament by playing video games. One of those games is Twisted Metal 2 (1996). This follows a pattern; during Season 1, John runs across a copy of the first Twisted Metal (1995) while driving through the mall.
4. A Conspiracy Of Ravens
Neve Campbell played Raven in Season 1; you can see her headshot in the background of this image. Patty Guggenheim plays Raven in Season 2. The writers justify the recasting by explaining there are different Ravens that rule different parts of New San Francisco. So Season 2’s Raven is the “true” Raven, who says that the original “Alpha Raven” has been removed from her position after the power went to her head.
5. Dollface Diary
John reads his sister Krista’s diary in their old home. One of the entries says that their Granddad taught her how to ride an ATV. This is foreshadowing; later, during the qualifier for the Twisted Metal tournament, Krista (as Dollface) rides an ATV to protect John and Quiet from the other drivers.
6. Take Out The Trash
Sweet Tooth learns about Trash Man, who is a more famous murderer than he is. Trash Man is a character in Twisted Metal 4 who drives a garbage truck.
7. A Familiar Glitch
Calypso broadcasts on all electronic screen devices in the Divided States of America to announce his Twisted Metal tournament. If you look closely, the screens glitch using the same color pattern as when the computer bug derailed all the world’s technology, as seen during a flashback in Season 1, Episode 3. The implication is that Calypso was the one who unleashed the computer bug, setting up the events for the series.
8. Latitude and Longitude
Calypso gives latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates for Tournament City, where the contest will take place. We learn in Season 1 that most of the major American cities fell after the computer virus, and new cities were erected in their place. The coordinates for Tournament City correspond with (what used to be) Indianapolis, Indiana.
9. Darkside
When John Doe first encounters the Dolls on the road, they’re riding, Mad Max style, on a massive semi-truck. The license plate is STNSPWN, which means this semi-truck is Darkside, which has the same license plate as it did in the first Twisted Metal game.
10. Orange And Pink Trails
In the games, you can distinguish the different missiles from each other, depending on their color trail. The pink/purple trail is a homing missile, which tracks well but is weak. The orange trail is a fire missile, which does more damage but doesn’t track well.
11. Red Trail
Lastly, the red trail is a power missile, a devastating weapon that cannot track and only fires in a straight line.
12. Grimm Sr.
We see the gravestone for Mr. Grimm’s father in the cemetery, which reads Father, Husband, Daredevil. In the 2012 reboot of Twisted Metal, this is a crucial part of Mr. Grimm’s backstory. His daredevil father tragically died while attempting a stunt, and Grimm enters the tournament to save his life. The TV iteration of Mr. Grimm uses his scythe special weapon from Twisted Metal: Black.
13. Going To The Movies
Dollface (Krista) and John go to an old drive-in movie theater called the Millennium Drive-In. This is also a location in the level Millennium Drive in Twisted Metal: Black. The movie that’s advertised on the outside–“Grimm’s Dark Trip Back”–is the name of the second story mode in the 2012 reboot.
14. Cover Tribute
This shot of Axel is a live re-creation of the cover image for Twisted Metal 2.
15. Dr. Zemo
In the game Twisted Metal: Head-On (2005), Dr. Zemo is the scientist who constructs Axel’s mechanical hands and feet. In the show, Dr, Zemo is also a mad scientist, who is attempting to make a human/car hybrid. Axel is the product of those experiments.
16. Diesel City
Our heroes head to Diesel City, where they will stock up on weapons for the tournament. Diesel City is a map in the 2012 reboot of Twisted Metal, and it serves as a racing level in the game’s story mode.
17. The Elite Specials
John and Quiet infiltrate an elite gathering, where they have access to the deadliest special weapons. If you look in the background, there are some major game references. The Ghost Missiles, which go through walls, are the signature weapon of the Spectre car. The Boomerang Blast, which returns after you throw it for extra damage, is the signature weapon of Roadkill. And the Napalm Cones are the signature weapon of Sweet Tooth in Twisted Metal, Twisted Metal 2, and Twisted Metal: Head-On.
18. Freeze!
In most iterations of Twisted Metal, there is a freeze weapon, which encases the enemy car in a block of ice. But in the 2012 reboot, the developers changed the freeze weapon to a more realistic EMP. The show writers maintain this change.
19. Big Spider
When he arrives at the tournament John Doe has a new jacket with a spider on its back. This is a reference to the matching spider tattoo that the John Doe character has in Twisted Metal: Black.
20. Frostbite
Frostbite is a new character created for the TV show. She drives a Snowsquall Plow. Her wish, should she win the tournament, is to feel warm. In fact, if you look closely, you can see frostbite and dead skin on her extremities, especially her ears.
21. Junkyard Dog
Junkyard Dog is a tow truck that debuted in Twisted Metal: Black. He’s driven by Billy Ray Stillwell, in both the game and the TV show. He doesn’t have a backstory in the show, but in the game, his wish is to take revenge on the pilot who deformed and plotted to kill him. In both the game and the show, Junkyard Dog’s special is an enormous spiked ball, which he throws at his opponents via tow cable.
22. Vermin
The Vermin character is an amalgamation from the games, based off of the Vermin roach van in the 2012 reboot and the Roach Coach from Twisted Metal 4. Her special attack is a green acid cloud, which we later see during the lightning round at Watkyn’s Harbor.
23. Knights Of Nebraska
The Knights of Nebraska are new characters created for the TV show. It’s apparently not just a moniker, like the Pittsburgh Pirates or the Baltimore Orioles. This is a gimmick they’ve committed to, as evidenced by the thematically consistent ballista mounted on their roof.
24. Dave & Mike
We find out that Mike survived his encounter with Sweet Tooth in the Season 1 finale, and he is now teamed up with an ex-cannibal named Dave. In the first Twisted Metal game, Dave and Mike are the drivers of Hammerhead, a monster truck. His special weapon is to ram and run over his opponents.
25. Chuckie Floop
In Twisted Metal: Head-On, Chuckie Floop drives the Spectre car. In the TV show, Chuckie Floop drives the Quatro car, which is based on the Quatro Hover Bike from Twisted Metal 4. The TV version of Quatro has Spectre’s signature blue racing stripe running down its side.
26. Death Warrant
Death Warrant takes his name from the Death Warrant car, which debuted in the 2012 reboot. According to Mayhem, this new Death Warrant has a reputation for taking scalps, which he uses to cover his bald spot.
27. Brimstone
The Brimstone car debuted in Twisted Metal: Black and was driven by Preacher. The cars in the TV show and the game both have stained glass windows.
28. Rob Zombie Time
When the qualifying round begins, Death Warrant starts playing “Dragula” by Rob Zombie on his car stereo. Rob Zombie has a longtime connection with the franchise. His music appears in Twisted Metal 3 (1998), Twisted Metal 4, and the 2012 reboot. He appears as a playable character in Twisted Metal 4, driving the Dragula.
29. A Fitting License Plate
Death Warrant’s license plate reads “AB7712EH,” a stylized way of saying “appetizer.” It turns out to be morbidly apt, since the car blows up in the opening race and never makes it to the actual tournament.
30. Quatro
The license plate for Quatro reads “XEON4OV,” which refers to the Xeon Hoverbike in Twisted Metal 4.
31. Health Bar?
The packages have green, orange/yellow, and red indicators on them, which indicate the “life bar” of each car.
32. Back To High School
The contestants stay in an abandoned high school between contest rounds The school bus that takes them there is labeled “Jaffe Campbell High School.” David Jaffe is the co-creator of the Twisted Metal franchise, and Scott Campbell was a producer on the original game and the co-founder of Incognito Entertainment (which developed Twisted Metal: Black) and Eat Sleep Play (which developed the 2012 reboot).
33. Pee Wee’s Playhouse
Sweet Tooth’s password for the pillow fort is “Mekka Lekka Hi, Mekka Hiney Ho.” This is the catchphrase of Jambi, the genie in Pee Wee’s Playhouse (1986-1990).
34. Warehouse District
Calypso announces “Warehouse District Warfare” to the 11 competitors, who must search for eight passes in a maze of shipping containers. This is also the name of the second level in the original Twisted Metal game, in which the player must defeat three other drivers in order to advance
35. Chuckie Floop: Wish Granted
Earlier in the season, Chuckie says that his wish is to fly. Later, Mayhem pushes him out the window of a building, and he falls to his death. In the games, Calypso has a Greek tragedy sort of approach to wish granting–he’ll technically grant it, but often in a way that screws over the wisher.
36. Daisy, Daisy
Quatro is a sentient car. The red light on its dashboard, along with its flat affectation, are direct callbacks to HAL, the advanced computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).
37. What Did You Expect?
The Holy Men launch the Boomerang Bomb, which explodes after it rebounds on them, destroying Brimstone in process. Video game mechanics typically don’t work out in real life.
38. Holy Men: Wish Granted
The Holy Men wish that Preacher–reborn into the body of an infant–will want for nothing. After they die, Calypso adopts the baby, commenting that he’s going to ensure just that. At the beginning of this tournament, Calypso says that he’ll grant one wish to the winner. But unbeknownst to the competitors, he appears to be granting the losers their wishes as well, albeit in “twisted” ways.
39. Apocalypse Nine
The Apocalypse Nine are a deep-cut reference to the first Twisted Metal game. They were the original final boss, but the developers ultimately decided to go with Minion instead. All that survived were deleted cut scenes, until now.
40. Frostbite: Wish Granted
Frostbite wishes to feel warm. She dies from friction after an Apocalypse Nine member shoves her head against a running treadmill.
41. Freddy’s Coming For You
John compares one of the Apocalypse Nine members to Freddy Krueger, and he’s not wrong. Like Freddy, he has a habit of scratching his blades against the metal on the walls.
42. No Aftershave Needed
Mayhem finds a Talkboy. This was a record/playback toy made popular by Home Alone 2 (1992). It was originally a pretend toy made only for the movie, but popular demand meant that it went on store shelves for real.
43. Interesting Address
In a flashback, Axel gets an address card that reads, “95 River Park Road.” The first Twisted Metal game was released in 1995. River Park Rumble is the fourth level in that game.
44. Dumb And Dumber
Dave & Mike are dressed in the same tuxedoes that Harry (Jeff Daniels) and Lloyd (Jim Carrey) wore in Dumb and Dumber (1994).
45. Rom-Com Prom
Mayhem’s pink prom dress could be a homage to several ’90s romantic teen comedies, but the closest match is Bianca’s pink prom dress in 10 Things I Hate About You (1999).
46. Sweet Suit!
Sweet Tooth wears his suit from Twisted Metal 3 to prom. He also wore the same suit in Season 1, Episode 2 of the show.
47. Club Kid
The prom DJ is Club Kid, a contestant from Twisted Metal 3. He drives a micro car with a smiley face paint job.
48. Dave: Wish Granted
Dave asks that Mike make the wish for both of them, so that he won’t be “on the hook.” Dave dies by impaling his eye on a… you get the idea.
49. She’s All That
When Sweet Tooth disturbs Grimm and Vermin’s sexy time, he discusses a “bet” that he and Grimm had. This is a reference to She’s All That (1999), in which a popular high school boy bets his friend that he can turn any girl into a prom queen.
50. Human Harold
The actor playing Harold is Devon Sawa. He’s most famous for playing the human boy Casper in the movie of the same name (1995), and for playing Alex Browning, the first teen to have a premonition, in the first Final Destination (2000). So it’s appropriate he’s playing a character that’s a figment of Sweet Tooth’s imagination.
51. Watkyn’s Harbor
The lightning round takes place on a dark map that’s covered in Watkyn’s storms. John Doe explains in Season 1 that Watkyn’s storms are an environmental side effect of a nuclear explosion. Watkyn’s Harbor is an industrial seaport map in the 2012 reboot.
52. Blowing In Cartridges
Mayhem removes Quatro’s hard drive and blows in him like an old school NES cartridge to get him working properly again.
53. Axel Power
Axel attacks Quiet with an energy pulse while yelling “Axel Power,” just as he does in Twisted Metal 2.
54: Poison Gas
We can see Vermin’s special weapon during this battle: a green cloud of acid, as performed by the Roach Coach in Twisted Metal 4.
55. Soul of Benny
After Calypso extracts the souls from Mr. Grimm, Grimm mentions “Benny.” In Twisted Metal: Black, Benny is a fellow American soldier that Grimm is forced to eat during the Vietnam War.
56. Welded In
Axel is welded to his wheels during his sacrifice for Mayhem. This mirrors his predicament in Twisted Metal 2. In that game, he’s imprisoned in his wheels by his father, and his wish is to finally confront his father for what was done to him.
57. The Original Map
The final battle’s location is a circular arena surrounded by cargo shipping containers and a cheering crowd, a clear homage to the qualifying round in the first Twisted Metal game.
58. Hammerhead Duo
In the final battle, we finally get Mike and Stu as co-drivers. However, they’re driving a student driver vehicle with two steering wheels, not their iconic monster truck. Perhaps the showrunners are saving that for Season 3?
59. Shields Up!
Raven’s high-end vehicle has shields, which every car possesses in the games, starting with Twisted Metal 2. She also has drop mines, which every car has had since the first Twisted Metal game.
60. Raven: Wish Granted
Raven wishes to be reunited with Kelly. In her final moments while she’s dying, she sees Kelly reaching out to her. Of course, Raven meant to be reunited in the world of the living, with Kelly waking up from her coma. But this is Calypso we’re talking about.
61. Meet Minion
The show’s iteration of Minion appears to be inspired by the Super Sentai monsters, made famous by their appropriation in the TV show Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (1993-1995)
62. Turbo Button
When Quiet presses the turbo button, it has a Playstation triangle on it, which corresponds to the actual controls of the Twisted Metal games.
63. Diston’s Pistons
When Stu wins the competition, you can see Diston’s Pistons advertised on his car. Shaun Diston is an executive producer on the show.
64. Quiet: Wish Granted
Quiet wishes for all the walls to come down, so that outsiders can be on equal footing with insiders. By blowing up the insiders, Calypso triggers a full-scale war between insiders and outsiders, and the insiders leave their walls to do battle. So the walls do come down, but this will probably lead to more outsider suffering, not less.
65. Meta Pitch
During Calypso’s pitch of the Twisted Metal reality show to NBC executives, he teases the possibility of a global tour. He mentions fighting on the Eiffel Tower, which actually happens in Twisted Metal 2. In Paris, if you launch enough missiles at the Eiffel Tower, it collapses, allowing you to easily access the rooftops by driving on top of its remains.
66. Stu: Wish Granted
Stu wins the tournament, and he wishes to be alone and somewhere safe with Mike. In classic fashion, Calypso grants the wish by stranding Stu in outer space along with Mike’s corpse.
67: Mayhem: Wish Granted
Mayhem wishes for a place where she feels like she belongs. She unexpectedly finds that with John Doe and Quiet, who come to view themselves as a family unit after they escape to the cabin.
68: John Doe: Wish Granted
John Doe wishes for his sister to be alive again. Calypso brings Dollface back not as herself, but as a zombie-like Minion, which sort of grants his wish in the worst possible way.
69: Terminator
When Stu barges into the cabin to save the day, we hear a snippet of the Terminator 2 theme. Stu even says a variation of the famous movie quote: “Come with me if you want to live.”
70: Season 3 Tease
John Doe says at the end of the Season 2 that he’s going to kill Calypso. In Twisted Metal: Black, Calypso kills John Doe. In the same game, the only contestant who manages to successfully kill Calypso is Sweet Tooth.
In Twisted Metal 2, Krista Sparks, who drives Grasshopper, reveals herself to be Calypso’s daughter, and she murder/suicides herself and Calypso by blowing them up.
So here’s my crazy show theory: Dollface’s real name is Krista, right? And since Calypso is the one who resurrects Krista into Minion, that sort of makes Krista his “daughter,” in a weird sort of way? My prediction is that Dollface will kill Calypso via explosive murder/suicide in Season 3, creating the ultimate meta reference.
71: Daddy Issues
In the first post-credits scene, we see the Yellow Jacket taxi cab dragging Sweet Tooth to meet his father, Charlie Kane. In the show, Charlie Kane is the Pope of the Eastern Sovereignty. In the games, Charlie Kane is the driver of the Yellow Jacket car and the father of Sweet Tooth. He’s also the driver for Dark Tooth, the final boss in Twisted Metal 2.
72. Axel Tease
In the second post-credits scene, we see a closeup shot of what appears to be Dr. Zemu’s lab, implying that perhaps, Axel isn’t dead. We’ll have to wait for Season 3 to know for sure.
