Using a common style from the late ’90s and early ’00s, Twisted Metal stylizes each episode title with a hidden message made up of letters and numbers
WARNING! This article contains major spoilers for Twisted Metal.In Peacock's Twisted Metal, the episode titles use clever letter and number combinations to hint at their content. Twisted Metal, adapted from the eponymous Playstation game, follows a man with amnesia called John Doe as he delivers a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic America. Shortly into his journey, he's joined by Quiet, a woman of few words with a penchant for revenge. These two take on cannibals, outlaws, and a homicidal clown named Sweet Tooth. Twisted Metal has a star-studded cast including Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, and Will Arnett.
Because most of the Twisted Metal video games were released in the late nineties and early aughts, the TV show is stylized from this period. Showrunners also used textspeak in the episodes' titles, a practice created due to text message character limits in those decades. This short-form language was also commonly used on license plates to create distinguishing, personalized phrases. By incorporating this language style, the show builds nostalgia for people who experienced the games at the time of their release. Additionally, the episode titles create words and phrases that hint at the storylines or characters involved.
In the first episode of Twisted Metal, the letters WLUDRV represent the question "Will you drive?" Raven asks John Doe this question when hiring him for a job at the beginning of Twisted Metal. He must drive to New Chicago, pick up a package, and return it to her. If he completes this task, he is promised a life outside the Milkmen in New San Francisco. While this title is a quote from the episode, it also represents the core question at the center of Twisted Metal season 1. Characters like John Doe and Quiet must figure out if they'll stay in the life that drives them or if they'll divert onto a new path.
The letter and number combination 3RNCRCS stands for "three-ring circus," a phrase with two meanings in Twisted Metal. The phrase is firstly a reference to Sweet Tooth, the homicidal clown who wreaks havoc throughout the series. At the end of the series, viewers learn the second possible meaning of the phrase. Though it's believed that Sweet Tooth and Agent Stone are the only two primary villains in Twisted Metal, it's revealed that Raven is also a villain unknowingly manipulating John Doe from the very first episode. Therefore, "three-ring circus" can also serve as a hint that three villains exist in the series.
Twisted Metal season 1, episode 3's title NTHLAW1 stands for "and the law won." In this episode, Agent Stone captures John Doe and Quiet, torturing them for information. The flashbacks show how Stone went from a good-intentioned cop to a crooked officer who killed hungry people without showing any humanity. His power and title as an officer build up his ego, causing him to lash out with physical or emotional violence any time someone defies him. Like other good dystopian stories, this episode of Twisted Metal makes commentary on current social issues – namely police brutality and systemic failures of justice.
Throughout episode 4 of Twisted Metal, John Doe tries to tell Quiet a knock-knock joke, the source of the title "WHZDARE." The letters stand for the phrase "Who's there?" the response to "Knock-knock." This joke is a representation of the relationship growth between the two characters. At the start of the episode, Quiet thinks his humor is nonsensical and stupid. She doesn't even bother to humor him by playing along with the joke. By the end of the episode, she smiles and responds to the joke in the desired way. The two are developing a deeper bond and appreciation for one another throughout "WHZDARE."
While most of the Twisted Metal episode names directly relate to a character or storyline, this title stands out as the only one with a cryptic meaning. "CRZSRDS" is short for the word "crossroads," representing a turning point for major character arcs. Quiet must confront the anger and pain caused by the death of her brother. She leaves John Doe in order to get her revenge on Agent Stone. John Doe must decide between completing his mission and putting himself in danger to save Quiet. Lastly, Sweet Tooth follows the advice of Stu and leaves to free all the prisoners at the outposts.
The episode title "DRVTHRU" in Twisted Metal is a callback to the sex position "drive-through" in the Granny Sutra book gifted to Quiet. Additionally, the title references the fact that drive-throughs are quick-moving and on the go. This matches Quiet's driven, keep-moving-forward mentality. This metaphor proves important in "DRVTHRU" since the flashbacks explore Quiet's life before John Doe. Despite the severe traumas she faced, Quiet always found a way to keep going. In many ways, Quiet continues with the drive-through mentality, pushing John Doe away so that they both can move on.
The title of Twisted Metal season 1, episode 7, "NUTH0UZ" stands for the words "Nut House," a threefold meaning. The Nut House is the name of the Milkmen post they visit during this episode. In addition to being the name of the location, the title also represents the people that Quiet and John Doe meet at the post. The duo meets many characters with big personalities including Connor Nazang, Bloody Mary, and Pit Viper. Lastly, the nut house is a crude name for a psychological facility. In this episode, viewers learn about Sweet Tooth's history which includes a commitment to a mental facility.
Like previous episodes of Twisted Metal, "EV3L1N" stands as an origin story, this time for John Doe and Evelyn the Car. Though Evelyn is an inanimate object, she serves as a character in the story due to John Doe's emotional connection with the car. During flashbacks, the episode shows all the ways that Evelyn saves John Doe's life. It feels only right that he also tries to save her against all objections. Unfortunately, his decision drives a rift between him and Quiet because he put Evelyn ahead of Quiet.
After making up in Twisted Metal, Quiet and John Doe realize they need to prepare for a car battle; so, they upgrade the car they're building with weaponry. Together, they name the new car Roadkill, the meaning of the number and letter combination "R04DK11." Unlike every other episode in Twisted Metal season 1, this name doesn't possess a double or triple meaning. It is, however, only one of two episode titles that actually reference a license plate in the show.
In the Twisted Metal season 1 finale, "SHNGRLA" stands for Shangri-La, the harmonious utopia in James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon. At face value, New San Francisco is an obvious stand-in for Shangri-La. However, there's a deeper connection between the book and Twisted Metal. Lost Horizon centers on an amnesiac, like John Doe, who once had utopia in his hands and tries to find it again. Much like in the book, it's unclear whether the utopia exists. While New San Francisco is real, its figurehead ends up being a self-serving manipulator. As such, the utopia of New San Francisco may be nothing more than a facade for a deeply flawed society.
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