Summary
The ultraviolence in Peacock’sTwisted Metalseries kept viewers returning for more, along with the irreverent humor and Anthony Mackie. But some of the action almost went a bit above and beyond thanks to series co-lead Stephanie Beatriz.
Despite thelow opinion of theTwisted Metalseriesfrom fans of the original game franchise, the show managed to wrangle a respectable audience. In all fairness, the premise of a post-apocalyptic car-centric story filled with explosions and a deranged clown voiced by Will Arnett would be enough to lure anybody through the door. But there’s no denying theTwisted Metalseries made an impression. However, that impression was almost a lot more permanent in one case.
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In a pre-strike interview withNBC, Beatriz spoke about one time on set when she almost took out co-star Mackie. “There was a day where I almost took off Anthony’s head as we were both running toward camera and I threw an axe and it whizzed by his ear,” the star behind the character Quiet revealed. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I almost killed Anthony Mackie!’ But [my throwing skills] are getting better. They look great on camera, which is all you really need.” Imagine being the person who accidentally decapitates the actor behind Captain America on the set ofTwisted Metalof all things.
Luckily, things didn’t turn out that way.Twisted Metalallowed Beatriz to let out her more deranged and cynical side that everybody has (even if they don’t admit it) in ways that even her delightfully deadpan role asDetective Rosa Diaz inBrooklyn Nine-Ninedidn’t. “I certainly brought all the stuff that I’m too polite to say out loud most of the time,” Beatriz admitted. “I think we all have these thoughts in our heads of like, ‘I would say that, but I’m an adult.’ What is that line [from] George Constanza? ‘We’re living in a society!’ You can’t be an a**hole, but I think for me, Quiet was definitely a chance to just let it loose and that’s really fun to me.”
Twisted Metalwas more than just cool designsand explosions punctuated by cathartic profane outbursts. Beatriz’s Quiet went through a legit character arc as she learned to trust, while Mackie’s amnesiac John Doe slowly discovered that there’s more to life than surviving for one’s self, even in a wasteland. That may be why so many fans of theTwisted Metalgames bounced off this series so hard. Frankly, that’s a valid response. Sometimes, all that’s needed is some good old-fashioned carnage without all that pesky baggage that comes with having characters and dialog.
At the very least, fans can rest easy knowingthe upcomingCaptain America 4hasn’t been unceremoniously canceled due to a sudden loss of head. Here’s hoping any potential future seasons ofTwisted Metalwill take a few extra precautions on axe-throwing day.
