Every episode of this Fallout TV adaptation has been a wild ride so far. From the bleak, uncompromising brutality of the opening episodes to the delightfully depraved body horror showcased in the latest offerings, they really seem to “get” what makes this franchise so unique. This ain’t your typical sanitized, family-friendly adaptation – oh no. This Fallout episodes 5 and 6 review breaks down the audacious start to the second half of the series.
Scores:
Episode 5 – 8/10
Episode 6 – 9/10
Episode 5, “The Past”
We kick things off with our man Maximus – or should I say, “Knight Titus” – celebrating the successful retrieval of Wilzig’s head with his trusty squire, Thaddeus. And what’s the first order of business for these two? Why, branding the squire like a piece of Brotherhood cattle, of course! Nothing says “welcome to the team” quite like searing your insignia into someone’s flesh with a hot iron. Gotta love that classic Fallout brutality.
But of course, our buddy Maximus has to go and ruin the whole thing by revealing his true identity. Smooth move, genius. Next thing you know, the two are throwing down, with Maximus crushing the kid’s foot under his power armor boot. Still, you’ve got to hand it to Thaddeus – that little weasel manages to pull a fast one and disables Maximus’s power armor by taking the fusion core, leaving our “knight” stuck in his clunky suit like a rusty old tin can.
Enter our lovely heroine, Lucy, still on her endless quest to find her dad. Naturally, she stumbles across our not-so-shining knight in his immobilized tin can and strikes a deal – she helps him find Thaddeus and the head, and in exchange, he will help her rescue her dad.
Meanwhile, back in the ol’ Vault 33, the overseer election is in full swing – and wouldn’t you know it, that sweet old Betty ends up sweeping the floor with a whopping 98% of the vote. Now, call me a cynic, but did nobody think to stop the count or anything?
Back to Lucy and Maximus, the pair face off against a couple of Fiends (cannibals) who try to take a bite out of them. But our armorless knight is having none of that and takes ’em down, but not before getting shot in the arm! They then stumble upon the ruins of Shady Sands, the former capital of The New California Republic.
That begs the question: just what are the implications for the events of Fallout: New Vegas?
Anyways, Maximus drops the bombshell (pun certainly intended) that he’s a survivor of its destruction. Lucy is also going through a bit of an existential crisis, having to confront the harsh reality that everything she was taught about “Reclamation Day” and the vaults being the last bastions of civilization…well, it was all one big lie.
Back in Vault 33, meanwhile, Betty’s already getting a head start on repopulating the freshly scrubbed remains of Vault 32 with her loyal band of mole people. Which, you know, would be all well and good … if it wasn’t for the fact that said vault seems to have gotten the Mr. Clean treatment, with zero traces remaining of whatever bloody horror show went down there before. Gee, I wonder what they could be trying to hide?
Finally, we’ve got Maximus and Lucy on the run, and with a bullet still lodged in our “knight’s” arm, the two head for what looks like an abandoned hospital. Because why not add a little tetanus to the mix, am I right? Of course, because this is the post-apocalyptic wasteland we’re talking about here, the whole thing ends up being one giant trap, with the two of them getting separated and ensnared in the depths of the Hawthorne Medical Laboratories.
Gratuitous violence, delightfully unhinged characters, more twists and turns than a Rian Johnson Star Wars film … it’s like they took everything that made the original Fallout games a cult classic and cranked it up to eleven.
Episode 6, “The Trap”
The sixth episode begins with Cooper filming a Vault-Tec commercial. Now, this ain’t your average “Buy our shiny product” kind of ad, oh no! This is the real deal, showcasing the oh-so-fancy Vault 4, where scientists reign supreme, and the Hawthorne family (Wait – isn’t that the name of the place where Lucy and Maximus just got trapped in?) are the star attraction – all with the goal of getting folks to hand over their hard-earned money for a spot in the vault. Can you imagine living in a vault run entirely by scientists? Talk about a recipe for disaster! Or maybe not, who knows?
But hey, at least we get a little behind-the-scenes glimpse into the seedy underbelly of pre-war Hollywood. Cooper’s rubbing elbows with the big wigs at Vault-Tec, we see some shady backroom deals in the making, and they even managed to sneak in an origin story for Codsworth from Fallout 4.
Fast forward to the present day, and we’ve got The Ghoul waking up from what must’ve been one hell of a drug-fueled bender in the Super-Duper Mart. But before he can even get his bearings, a pack of self-appointed “sheriffs” come barging in, accusing him of all sorts of shenanigans. Meanwhile, Lucy and Maximus find themselves patched up and quarantined in the all-too-welcoming confines of Vault 4. And let me tell you, from the moment these two cross that threshold, things get downright weird for the rest of the episode.
We’re talking a one-eyed, racist overseer with a disdain for “refugees”, bizarre cult-like rituals straight out of Midsommar (IYKYK) Hell, at one point, our girl Lucy even propositions Maximus for a bit of wasteland-loving, but this poor, sheltered Brotherhood boy has absolutely no clue how the whole sex thing actually works.
Anyways, after The Ghoul gets done being hassled by those self-imposed “sheriffs”, he finds himself hauled in front of the man running this little slice of irradiated paradise. And what do you know, hanging on the wall is a “wanted” poster featuring none other than Lee Moldaver herself. Now, I know what you’re thinking – big whoop, right? After all, this chick’s been painted as some kind of ruthless warlord from the get-go. But this is where things take a turn. Cut to Cooper back in the good ol’ days, making his way to some sort of commie meetup, when who should he run into but Miss Moldaver herself – except back then, she was just a mild-mannered “Miss Williams.”
Just when you think this show can’t get any more unhinged, we’ve got Lucy pulling the old “curiosity killed the cat” routine and stumbling into the forbidden Level 12 of Vault 4. And let me tell you, what she finds down there – I’m talking full-blown body horror. A pregnant lady who gives birth to fishy little monstrosities that proceed to chow down on dear old mom like she’s an all-you-can-eat buffet.
While our girl’s getting an up-close and personal look at the sick experiments of Vault 4 and getting caught in the process, our boy Maximus is out here living his absolute best life, getting all hot and bothered from a few oysters and kicking back to take in the serene view of a waterfall like some kind of wasteland pornstar, completely oblivious to the fresh new circle of hell unfolding all around him.
Final Thoughts
We all know how quickly these adaptations can veer off the rails into a flaming wreck of mediocrity. But you know what? Credit where credit is due – episodes 5 and 6 have been a strong start to the second half of this inaugural season.
In my first review of this show, I made a point that this show likely wouldn’t have the same revitalizing effect on the Fallout franchise that, say, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners had for its source material. But you know what? I might just have to eat those words.
From what I’ve been seeing and hearing online, it seems like the games are undergoing a bit of a renaissance of their own lately. Hell, even Fallout 76 is apparently booming now. As a long-time fan of this demented wasteland, I’ve got to admit – it warms my heart to see more people join the community.
This show may not be for the faint of heart, but then again, what fun is the apocalypse if you can’t get a little messy along the way?
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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