We got our first real car battle of the second season of “Twisted Metal” season two (after those garage doors finally opened) that saw our heroes and villains get tasked with safely getting a package to Calypso or die trying.

After a nice roll out of the contenders and the first part of the battle (the episode ended with a cliffhanger) here is what I took away.

Loving the Sweet Tooth vs. Mr. Grimm grudge: These are two of the most popular characters in the franchise. And they absolutely hate each other. Grimm became the first character to really rattle our killer clown. And they have history. When Grimm knocked away that missile with that reaper I audibly mumbled “awesome”.

Dollface and Axel: Dollface is quickly becoming a favorite of mine, this is because she can give us good TV with any of the characters including the mysterious Axel. And we can’t discount how well the show has done making this character work on TV.

It’s not the best Raven but I’m happy to see her fighting: Patty Guggenheim was never going to be able to replace a franchhise headliner with a three decade headstart in Neve Campbell, but she’s good and I’m happy she gets to drive in the tournament just like the video game.

It was good to see John and Quiet fighting together again: While we’ve got some other anti-heroes, these two are still the show, and Mackie and Beatriz are arguably funnier then they were last season.

When “Dragula” kicked on, I wanted to high five someone: The needle drops on this show are the best on television. I say that with no hesitation. This is a peak understanding of your audience. “The Distance” last season, along with “Volcano Girls” and now “Dragula” early on here, have all hit better than anything I could have imagined.

Honorable mention: Was Death Warrant supposed to be Dog The Bounty Hunter? It sure looked like it.

What did you think of the episode? Let me know in the comments.