In the last few years, Fallout has been struggling to keep afloat. The once legendary series was bound by controversy and disaster. To this day, ‘Fallout 76’ stands as one of the worst video game launches of all time. It seemed that the franchise was doomed.
Even so, when the first teasers for the TV adaptation dropped, I was feeling optimistic. Video game adaptations have been getting better and better over the years. Besides, Fallout is a series brimming with intriguing lore; creative freedom is baked into its DNA. So I dared to hope that it would at least be enjoyable to watch.
Little did I know that the team at Amazon were cooking up a masterpiece.
Our story begins in the most horrifying place imaginable: a child’s birthday party. Cooper Howard, played by Walton Goggins, plays the part of the western movie star down on his luck after his divorce. Everyone is trying to put on a happy face, ignoring the signs of danger on the TV. Right until the bombs drop and everything devolves into chaos.
This prologue is excellently done. It gives the bomb drop the dramatic weight a nuclear apocalypse needs; the silence that follows after the first nuke is legitimately haunting, dude! On top of that, we’re introduced to one of our leading characters and a taste of the show’s excellent dialogue. It’s an incredibly strong hook that had me invested right from the start.
Just one complaint: Ron Perlman doesn’t narrate the opening. 0/10, they fucked it up.
Over a hundred years later, and our story begins. The tale is divided between three primary protagonists. While each have their own stories and goals, their individual roads intertwine at multiple points. Think less ‘single player RPG’ and more ‘post apocalyptic epic.’
Lucy MacLean, played by Ella Purnell, is an upstanding dweller of Vault 33. When raiders attack her home and kidnap her father, our innocent protagonist must set out into the wasteland to find him. But will her beliefs and morals hold up in the lawless madness of the post-nuclear world? More than that: can she handle the dark truth hidden in her family’s past?
Of the three protagonists, Lucy is far and away my favorite. Her arc is nothing short of incredible! Seeing this starry-eyed awkward goofball gradually lose her innocence and learn to adapt to the horrors she faces is gripping from beginning to end. She’s basically Alice if Wonderland kicked the living shit out of her, I love it!
Maximus, played by Aaron Moten, is a recruit in the Brotherhood of Steel. After betraying his only friend and manipulating his leaders, Maximus is made a Squire to a Knight and set out on a quest. A researcher from the Enclave has fled to the wasteland, and he carries with him a valuable secret. Old world tech, perhaps. The perfect chance for Maximus to prove himself to the Brotherhood.
A lot of people don’t like Maximus, which is understandable. He’s petty, selfish, vain, and kind of a moron. But I liked him a lot! He believes in the ideal of the Brotherhood of Steel, even after being confronted with the disappointing reality of the organization. Besides, I always play ruthless meatheads in Fallout, so I just saw him as my player character.
He even has 0 Charisma, just like me!
The Ghoul is a heartless bounty hunter who lives for the thrill of the hunt. After being awoken by a greedy group of mercenaries, he is set loose into the wasteland to hunt the escaped Enclave scientist. Throughout his journey, we see how Cooper Howard became this heartless monster we see before us.
I feel like the Ghoul was the favorite among the writers. And I can’t blame them. This dude is awesome! He’s got the best dialogue in the show by far. I especially love his relationship with Lucy; it’s a dark twist on the mentor-student dynamic, with him showing her the darkest horrors of the wasteland. Plus, it plays well into the mystery of his backstory and builds on the series overarching mystery. Not to mention that the makeup department did a phenomenal job; dude looks amazing!
Costuming in general is awesome! It really feels like Fallout has sprung to life before your eyes! Vault suits, Pip Boys, robots, radroaches, power armor, wackily dressed merchants, finely dressed researchers, 1950s style suits, it’s got it all! Not to mention that the sets and locations sell the illusion of a post-nuclear world perfectly! Even the music is ripped straight out of the games, from old timey radio tunes to iconic tracks like the NCR theme from New Vegas! It looks, feels, and sounds like Fallout!
Not to mention that the show is incredibly well shot and edited. The language of cinema is coming through loud and clear. Oh, and did I mention it leans more towards practical effects than CGI? Most of the monsters are animatronics, and they look fantastic! They even added the slow-mo cinematic kill-cams from the modern Fallout games, and it looks incredible!
The Fallout love doesn’t stop there. The story strikes the perfect balance between an original plot and fan service. We get references to the NCR, Mr. House has a cameo, we even get a Dogmeat! This show clearly loves Fallout, and more importantly: it understands why they love Fallout, and translates those elements into the show brilliantly.
It genuinely shocked me how out-of-pocket some of this dialogue can be. It doesn’t shy away from the more… uncomfortable aspects of the Fallout world. Such as the romantic struggles of being a Vault dweller. Turns out, a lot of incest goes on when you live with the same twenty people for, oh, your entire god damn life. Or Maximus asking Lucy if she’ll, and I quote, “make his cock explode.”
Oh, to be a fly on the wall when someone wrote that line.
This show is a damn near perfect adaptation of the Fallout series. It’s no wonder then that said games have recently seen a massive influx in sales. Fans new and old have been inspired to go back to the older games. Namely Fallout 4 and New Vegas. The reputation ruined by Fallout 76 has finally begun to heal.
Will we get a new Fallout game anytime soon? God, I hope not. Oh, it’s going to happen. I just want it to have the time in the oven it needs to actually be good.
But it’s Bethesda, so… I’m not getting my hopes up. Especially since… y’know… Microsoft.
Still, the show was an absolute delight. It looks great, sounds great, and the writing is phenomenal! I cannot wait for season two! If it’s even half as good as this one, then we’re in for a great time!
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