DRVTHRU – Although the date is not depicted, episode 6 starts in what was a much simpler time and place for Quiet (Stephanie Beatriz), the OC Farmlands. Quiet is excited about something and in a rush to reveal the news, as she races through a backdrop of orange groves and farmhands. A nearby Loud (Richard Cabral), sitting on an upended pail in the shade of a grove while enjoying a classic book, is revealed to be her target. Questioning her disappearance, the excited girl reveals that she just scored them the deal of a lifetime. 4 years of domestic work for her and 4 years of food service work for Loud will score them 2 acres of pristine OC beachfront property, free and clear. Loud is hesitant at first, but it doesn’t take a whole of arm twisting to get him out of the fields he’s called home since early adolescents.

The flashback was a nice reprieve, especially when she opens her eye to realize that she is staring at a fast-food menu and a nearby body completely wrapped in silver Saran wrap. Eyeing the odd body, she suspiciously asks John Doe (Anthony Mackie) if they are okay. Picking up on her drift, John affirms their safety while announcing that the man left a note. Approaching the body and squatting, he proceeds to read that note. Apparently, Zachary felt it was time to leave this ruined world behind and return to his two-ringed planet. Against Zachary’s wishes for his body to not be moved, John removes the body to make Quiet more comfortable. Although John probably saved Quiet’s life, she’s affronted by his intervention and claims that he took her kill.

He responds by pointing out how wrong she is and the condition he discovered her in. She is only further upset when John can’t confirm Agent Stone’s (Thomas Haden Church) death. In fact, John would almost guarantee that the man is still alive. Although this results in the typical wisecracking back-and-forth between the two, it ends much differently. It ends with them naked and in the Kid’s Zone ball pit.

The OC Beachlands – It happens that the new lover’s destination, Astral Burger, is the fast-food establishment where Loud would work away most of his side of the 4-year contract. It also turns out that those contractual agreements are nothing near what they were promised to be. That is revealed in this flashback, as Quiet is treated rather harshly by Mariah (Lara Grice), her housemaster. While Mariah and an acquaintance compare their finger jewelry, Quiet is forced to go to the counter and take her master’s order. Loud takes the order and notices the newly missing middle digit, but not a single word is shared during the encounter. Quiet simply points to the menu to place the order. As Quiet delivers the tray to her nearby waiting mistress, she notices that all the affluent diners have slaves that not only not eating, but missing various limbs and digits as well.

Despite having all his digits, Loud’s predicament doesn’t appear to be much better as Astral Manager, Kerwin (Billy Slaughter) addresses the diners. Clad in his ear necklace, he lets everyone know that there is an active shooter nearby and they’ll be forced into another temporary lockdown. In the meantime, fries are on the house. Quiet and Loud say one more sentimental glare as Loud gets up to lock the front entrance and dim the lights.

Present-Day Astral Burger – In the abandoned present-day Astral Burger, John, and Quiet are enjoying their post-coital sleep when Quiet awakens with a fright. Realizing that she perhaps got caught in the moment, she attempts to make flee the scene before John notices her absence. She would have got away if it wasn’t for the ringing front entrance bell. John immediately recognizes that he’s about to be ditched and isn’t happy. As she makes her escape outside, John follows and tries to point out that she won’t get anywhere close to Stone after their recent encounter. If it wasn’t a suicide mission before, it certainly is now. This is about the time that John notices a Watkyn’s Storm brewing on the horizon. It isn’t long before almost beautiful purple, green, and bluish lightning bolts rain down havoc. Although they safely make it back inside, John must venture back out and store Evelyn in a nearby covered area.

Past Astral Burger – While the servants sit around their masters in a daze, Astral Burger employees deliver the promised free fries. As Loud deals with the waste, he and Quiet share several glances, with the looks of reprimanded children on their faces. Motioning to her master and pointing down toward her kidneys, Quiet indicates that she needs to use the restroom. Although she gets the okay, she is sternly reminded that she needs to drink less water. She and Loud are soon embracing far from prying eyes. During their exchange, it’s revealed that they are three years into the contract and Quiet hasn’t spoken a word since the first day. Loud attempts to comfort her putting his Michael Jacksonesque jacket around her and revealing tales of farting on his boss’s lunch. Although this gets a chuckle from her, things take a drastic turn when Kerwin arrives on the scene and realizes what’s going on.

Loud gets defiant and slapped in the face for his troubles when Kerwin attempts to grab Quiet by the arm and lead her out. Spitting in his face gets him a knife to the throat when nearby screams and ruckus draw everyone’s attention to the dining area. Promising that they are not done, Kerwin wipes his face and attends to the disturbance.

The keepers and servants watch from the establishment’s front window as an armed crazed servant raves about putting in 4 years and not getting what she was promised. Kerwin tries to keep everyone calm with reminders that Reapers will be here soon to handle the problem. It’s mere seconds later when the crazed lunatic is gunned down by a headshot and applause is issued all around by the patrons. The shooter is soon revealed and followed by the purple hearse that Quiet was driving in the premiere episode. With the lockdown safely lifted, the patrons are offered free black hole burgers to-go, shall they want one. Kerwin is now ready to deal with Loud.

Present Day Astral Burger – John struggles to tend to a burn in the middle of his back while Quiet watches in sheer amazement. Her offers to help are shot down as the storm rages on. When later asked, John reveals the Watkyn’s Storm as fallout from a nuclear power plant that exploded in Watkyn Harbor. The further East, the worse the fallout, and the only solution is to wait it out. John reveals that he’s not quite as physically inept as he sometimes appears when hustles Quiet in a game of tossing circular lids into the sprawling mouth of a cardboard cutout alien. He puts on the fake persona that he can’t score a direct hit, but when he and Quiet make a wager, his first throw is an ace. He, however, fumbles with the reward when his granted one question is, “What’s the coolest place you’ve ever been instead of, what’s your first name?”

Glad to get away with such an easy question, Quiet responds with Disneyland. After giving her an explanation of the happiest place on earth, Quiet score her own ace and asks John the same question. For him, it was the Container Store. Being a storage bonanza for various storage containers of various sizes, shapes, and colors, John vows to own day have a storage bin for everything of value in his life.

Scattered lids and laughs reveal that John and Quiet reveal that they’ve been at it for a long time. Both have nearly forgotten they were mad at each other. The topic of conversation is now the ocean and Quiet’s amazement that John hasn’t ever even dipped a toe in the saltwater perfection. He contributes that to ghosts. His belief in ghosts further stuns her and leads to her goading him about probably believing in aliens. Despite her mockery, she can’t help but admit he’s right when he points out that if she’s never been to the bottom of the ocean or the ends of space, she doesn’t truly know what’s out there.

This conversation leads them to a game of never-have-I, which leads them back to another entanglement in the ball pit. After some moaning, groaning, and several pages of Granny Dread’s (Peg O’Keef) gifted sexual guidebook, Quiet finally admits that she was in the wrong for not apologizing. All is going well until John makes the mistake of suggesting that the two of them should team up. What would she get out of it? With promises of a new life on the inside, in San Francisco, Quiet reminds him that she’s been on the inside. It isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. He vows that San Fran is a much different place than the OC only leads to an argument. He attempts to further sway her by pointing out that even if she manages to kill Stone, there will be another, and another, and another. John’s lived it and doesn’t want to live it anymore. Quiet, however, tried for life on the inside and it ended with a bullet in her brother’s brain.

Past Astral Burger – Kerwin has Loud by the ear now, leading him to the rear parking lot. Forcing him to the ground beside the purple hearse and the two Reapers, Kerwin uses his knife to add another ear to his collection. Attaching the ear to his chain and declaring the man now the property of the reapers, he looks up to find them face down in a pool of their own spilled blood. Quiet just as quickly dispatches Kerwin and chooses now as the time to regain her voice.

Present Day Astral Burger – As Quiet rustles in the ball pit, John rustles in his newly acquired Saran wrap. With the storm raging on and the two going nowhere fast, Quiet decides there is no better time to satisfy her hunger. Although her thrashing is no longer a problem for John, she’s become animatedly vocal as she attempts to get the stove fired. John soon arrives and points out that either the gas is off or empty. Using the scenario as the perfect example that she doesn’t have to do everything alone, he finally wins her over. At least he thinks he does until he wakes to find himself alone the next morning. Freshly rested and the storm passed, John makes his way to the nearby resting Evelyn. He is not only surprised to find Quiet loading supplies into the rear of the vehicle, but she’s referring to them as partners. The episode wraps with them arriving right outside the Windy City.

 

 

Twisted Metal Review

 

I would not necessarily say this episode was disappointing or bad, but something was missing there. It’s hard to say what it was because all the ingredients were there. They also came together pleasantly well for a gratifying ending. Learning more about Loud and Quiet’s background was incredibly rewarding. The keeper and servant relation as well as the Reapers were also intriguing aspects. Episode 6 was still incredibly fulfilling although it did start to feel a bit like fluff or filler at times. It was, however, extremely well done, and I would still give the episode an easy 5.6. I am also surprised by the on-screen connection between Quiet and John.

 

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