Well, well, well … color me surprised. I have to admit when I first heard they were making a Fallout TV series, my immediate reaction was to let out a long, exhausted groan. After all, Hollywood’s track record with adapting beloved video game franchises is about as spotty as a Radroach’s backside. Especially Amazon. I mean, did y’all watch Rings of Power? That was one of the worst and most disappointing shows of 2023. But you know what they say – even a broken clock is right twice a day. And damned if the first two episodes of Fallout didn’t actually turn out to be… dare I say it… surprisingly good.
Scores:
Episode 1 – 8/10
Episode 2 – 9/10
Disclaimer: This review contains major spoilers for the first two episodes of ‘Fallout’ and the video games.
Episode 1: “The End”
The episode starts off in pre-war America, introducing us to Walton Goggins’ character, Cooper Howard – a cowboy entertainer trying to liven up a little boy’s birthday party.
The opening in pre-war America was a delightfully eerie bit of foreshadowing, with that ominous undertone of impending nuclear annihilation just waiting to come crashing down. And the way they depicted the sheer chaos of the bombs dropping over Los Angeles? Chef’s kiss, absolutely perfect. It’s like they took the opening of Fallout 4 and cranked it up to 11. Bravo, you sick sons of bitches. Bravo.
We then jump forward 200 years and meet our next protagonist, Ella Purnell’s character, Lucy – a vault dweller from Vault 33. Her initial monologue, rattling off her skills and attributes, is a nice little nod to character creation in the Fallout games. Her story revolves around an arranged marriage with a neighboring vault, which starts idyllic enough, but then quickly goes to hell when the “vault dwellers” are revealed to be raiders from the surface.
This being Fallout, we can’t have a show without a healthy dose of post-apocalyptic insanity. And boy, do the producers deliver. The whole vault raid sequence was a delightfully gruesome affair, with the camera lingering on the gory carnage in a way that would make even the most hardened horror fan squirm. Limbs flying, eyes being impaled, throats being slit – it’s enough to make even the most cynical of us raise an eyebrow and say, “Damn, they really went for it, didn’t they?”
Lucy is a refreshing change of pace from the usual bland, forgettable protagonists common in these kinds of adaptations. She’s got spunk, she’s got grit, and most importantly, she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty when the situation calls for it. Watching her kick ass in that wedding dress during the raid on Vault 33 – that was the highlight of the first episode for me. Definitely channeling some heavy Kill Bill vibes there.
But the real kicker is when the raiders take the Overseer – Lucy’s father – hostage, forcing him to choose between saving the other vault dwellers or his daughter. Clearly, the old man is not much of a utilitarian because he decides to save his little girl before he gets kidnapped by Moldaver, the brutal leader of the raiders.
We also get introduced to Aaron Clifton Moten’s Maximus, an Aspirant trying to climb the ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn he was rescued by some knight in shining (power) armor as a kid and given a spot within their ranks.
But, of course, it’s not all smooth sailing. His friend gets sabotaged – pretty gruesomely, at that. They lose their spot as a squire to Knight Titus. Despite being a suspect in the incident, Maximus is chosen to take his friend’s place, joining Titus on a hunting expedition. Except it’s not just some wanted man they’re after, oh no – there’s a dog involved as well. Maximus has a compelling backstory, and I’m looking forward to seeing how his storyline plays out in the long run.
Back in Vault 33, the poor souls who managed to survive that raider attack are trying to figure out what they’re going to do. Of course, Lucy wants to rescue her dad. But the rest of the vault’s “self-appointed council” have other ideas. See, if they let Lucy go rescue the Overseer, they’ll lose their precious little power trip.
But Lucy isn’t about to let that stop her. Nah, she’s got her brother and her…incestuous cousin? Yeah, they really don’t hold back on the messed-up family dynamics in this show, do they? Anyway, despite everyone’s better judgment, Lucy manages to escape the vault and head out into the desolate wasteland.
Ah, and just when you thought this Fallout show couldn’t get any better, they go and bring back good old Cooper Howard. The cowboy we met at the start is now living his best life as a ghoul – a cowboy entertainer turned wasteland wanderer? Sign me up. I can already tell this guy’s going to be the source of some of the show’s best, most darkly humorous moments.
Goggins absolutely nails the grizzled, seen-it-all demeanor. When those bounty hunters try to drag him into “one last job,” you just know they’re in for a world of hurt. And sure enough, The Ghoul makes short work of them, taking out the bounty hunters like it’s going out of fashion. Doesn’t even break a sweat. Gotta respect a man who can dispatch a group of would-be killers with such effortless ease. No wonder he’s setting out on his own to claim that bounty.
Episode 2: “The Target”
Let’s start with that opening sequence of the second episode, shall we? Cute, adorable puppies one second, then straight into the goddamn incinerator the next. Talk about a gut punch. I mean, even I have to admit that was a little too far, even for my tastes. Way to set the tone for the rest of the episode, you sadistic bastards.
Now, the Enclave – that’s a name that’s bound to get any Fallout fan’s riled up. Those self-righteous, power-hungry bastards have been causing trouble since the first game. The episode follows an Enclave scientist named Wilzig, who’s got his hands on technology he shouldn’t. Naturally, that doesn’t sit well with his Enclave buddies, and before you know it, all hell breaks loose. CX404, his rescue dog, jumps in to defend his master, ripping out a guy’s throat. Now, that’s the kind of loyalty I can appreciate, even if the method was a bit … excessive.
Forced to go on the run, Wilzig and CX404 make their escape, taking that mysterious tech with them. I have to admit, that got my curiosity piqued. What kind of tech are we talking about here? Something that can get the Enclave all riled up like that? As well as The Brotherhood of Steel? This could get interesting. I just hope it doesn’t turn out to be yet another lame MacGuffin, like the sword hilt in Rings of Power.
Now, let’s talk about our heroes, shall we? Lucy, bless her heart, is still out there trying to track down her dear old dad, the Overseer. Now, I’ve got to give the writers credit where it’s due – watching her cross that arid desert, it’s like I’m right back in Fallout: New Vegas, setting out from Goodsprings towards the bright lights of the Strip.
Of course, it wouldn’t be the wasteland without a few colorful characters to run into along the way. And sure enough, Lucy manages to cross paths with some strange bloke before making it to the town of Filly. And while I have to admire her determination, I can’t help but feel a little sorry for the poor girl. Girl can’t catch a break, can she? First, she’s got to deal with those bloodthirsty raiders, and now she’s getting the cold shoulder from the locals in Filly.
And then there’s Maximus, stuck playing errand boy for his oh-so-illustrious superior, Knight Titus. And what does this knight genius decide to do? Abandon their actual mission to go shoot stuff just because he’s bored. What a brilliant idea. But it only gets better from there. They stumble across a Yao Guai, a mutated bear, and Titus gets himself mauled.
Now, you’d think the smart thing for Titus would be to ease up Maximus so he can lend a hand, seeing as the knight is bleeding out. But no, he just keeps barraging him and threatening him. If this episode is any indication, Maximus has the chops to make it in the wasteland. I mean, the way he just let that knight he was supposed to be helping die? Cold-blooded, man, ice-cold. But hey, you gotta do what you gotta do to survive out here, right? Can’t say I blame him, even if his methods were a tad … unorthodox.
Meanwhile, Lucy has made it to Filly – the rough-and-tumble wasteland town that’s giving me some serious Megaton vibes (sans the bomb). And let me tell you, the locals aren’t exactly rolling out the welcome wagon for this little vault dweller. But of course, this is Fallout, so it doesn’t take long for the bullets to start flying. Wilzig shows up, looking for a safe passage, and ends up on the wrong side of our old friend, the Ghoul. And boy, does he make a bloody mess of those town mercenaries. I’ve got to hand it to the writers – they’re not holding back on the gore and violence, are they?
Then the show pulls a deus ex machina, and Maximus shows up in power armor, finally bringing all our main characters together. The Ghoul and Maximus go at it, while Lucy makes a break for it with the doctor – the only one who can get her an audience with Moldaver. Just when you think things can’t get any more messed up, Wilzig decides to kill himself. But the way he goes out? Telling Lucy to saw his head off and take it with her? Well, that’s classic Fallout for ya.
The real star of the show here, as far as I’m concerned, is The Ghoul. Walton Goggins is absolutely killing it as this weathered, world-weary ex-cowboy turned wasteland mercenary. The way he tore through those mercenaries in Filly? Brutal. And the showdown with Maximus? It reminds me of my battles in Fallout 3 against The Enclave.
All in all, this second episode was pretty good. The emotional gut-punches, gritty character arcs, and over-the-top violence are all there. But you know what? I can’t help but admire the producers’ commitment to capturing the true spirit of Fallout. They’re not holding back, that’s for sure.
Final Thoughts
I’ve got to say, I’m cautiously optimistic about this Fallout adaptation. Sure, it’s got its fair share of the usual tropes and cliches we’ve come to expect from these kinds of things. But the producers have managed to inject a healthy dose of the franchise’s signature blend of grit, gore, and gallows humor that made the games so beloved in the first place. If these producers want to do right by the fans – and I mean the real fans, the ones who’ve been trudging through the radioactive wastelands for years – then they’ve gotta be willing to get their hands dirty. They’ve gotta be willing to embrace the grit, the gore, and the sheer hopelessness that makes Fallout such a compelling and unique experience.
Now, I’m not saying this show is going to be the second coming of Fallout or anything, the way Edgerunners was for Cyberpunk 2077. There’s still plenty of time for the writers to thoroughly botch things. But for now, at the very least, they seem to understand that a Fallout adaptation shouldn’t be some sanitized, family-friendly show. This is the end of the world, for crying out loud – it’s gritty, violent, and unforgiving. So, kudos to them for not pulling any punches.
At the end of the day, I suppose I’m just glad to see a Fallout adaptation that’s not afraid to get its hands dirty. Too many of these video game-to-screen adaptations try to play it safe, to appeal to the widest possible audience. But that’s not what Fallout is about, is it? It’s about surviving in a world that’s been reduced to ashes, clawing, and scraping for every last scrap. If they can keep this level of quality up, then maybe, just maybe, we might have a winner on our hands.
All photos property of Amazon
Luis is a writer based in The Lone Star State. His work has appeared on multiple blogs, covering a wide range of topics. When he’s not writing about The Witcher or Cyberpunk, you’ll typically find him in the mosh pit of a heavy metal concert, trying new dishes, or watching/playing sports.
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