War never changes. This phrase is the first line of every “Fallout” game. In the new series on Amazon Prime Video, they save this phrase for the season finale.
“Fallout” is a video game series set in an alternate future where a few small changes in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s led to a completely different reality than the one we live in today. There are five mainline games in the “Fallout” series. This marks the first entry in the canon of the series that is not an RPG but a tv series.
The show was developed by Amazon’s MGM studios in close collaboration with Bethesda Studios, the owners and developers of the modern games in the series. Production was started in mid-2022 with Johnathan Nolan serving as showrunner along with Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner. Jonathan Nolan also directed the first three episodes of the series.
The “Fallout” series is not an adaptation of an individual game but the series as a whole. It serves as the latest entry in the series timeline taking place in 2296, nine years after the events of “Fallout 4” in 2287. That is part of what makes it fantastic. There are a few guidelines they have to follow to make this canon, but the writers have complete creative freedom to create a new story in this already established world.
The show follows three main characters. Lucy MacLean, a vault, or fallout shelter, dweller from vault 33 who is on a mission to save her father. The Ghoul, one of the most feared bounty hunters in all of the wasteland who was alive when the bombs dropped 219 years ago. And Maximus, a squire for the Brotherhood of Steel who is sent out with his knight to retrieve a bounty. Each played by Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins, and Aaron Clifton Moten, respectively. All of these actors give incredible performances that give this show so much character.
Purnell’s portrayal of Lucy is generational. She is thrust into this harsh environment of the wasteland from the comfort of her vault and while the wasteland and all of its enemies are trying to break her spirit; she does not give in. She lives and breathes by the golden rule “Do unto others as they would do unto you,” and it is shown by all of her actions throughout the show.
Moten’s portrayal of Maximus is also fantastic. There is a need for him to prove himself that the audience can feel. He has grown up in hardship and his determination to become a knight is great. He also shows his range by scenes later in the show when he is exposed to luxury for the first time and acts like a kid in a candy shop.
Probably the best performance is from Walton Goggins as The Ghoul. This man has been subject to the wasteland for 219 years and it has changed him as a person both physically and mentally. He is on a mission that is revealed later in the show and will stop at nothing to find what he is looking for.
Besides these main three, the rest of the cast is fantastic. Lucy’s father Hank MacLean, played by Kyle MacLachlin, is a perfect fit for the overseer of 33. Moisés Arias plays Lucy’s little brother, Norm, who does a fantastic job keeping the events of vault 33 still interesting even after Lucy has ventured out into the wasteland.
The best chemistry in this show has to be between Lucy and The Ghoul. Their characters are two completely different people. This is best shown in episode three. At the end, Lucy is furious that The Ghoul doesn’t abide by her golden rule. The Ghoul abides by the wasteland’s golden rule with one of the best quotes in the entire series, “Yeah, well, the Wasteland’s got its own golden rule. Thou shalt get sidetracked by bull**** every ***damn time.”
These two contrasting ideologies are what carries their relationship. Eventually, just when the audience thinks the wasteland has gotten to Lucy, she saves The Ghoul and says “Golden Rule Mother******” before leaving him. This juxtaposition is what gives this relationship life. This is a masterclass on how to write opposing characters and is what makes this show thrive.
Johnny Pemberton plays Thaddeus, another squire in the Brotherhood of Steel opposite of Moten’s character and provides a good amount of comic relief while also moving the story along by being an extra variable in the mix.
This season is eight episodes long, ranging from an hour fifteen to 50 minutes an episode. The pacing is pretty consistent throughout all episodes although the best fight scene for the season takes place in episode two. Other than that I was fully engaged and the cliffhanger of an ending is so much better now that season two has been confirmed.
The “Fallout” games have consistently received M ratings from the ESRB. The show is no exception with a TV-MA rating in the U.S. And they use that rating to the max. The fight scenes are brutal and explosive. The episode two fight scene in particular features exploding limbs and heads, flying bodies and a healthy amount of cursing. There are scenes that showcase the worst aspects of life in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. From looting to cannibalism, the practical and special effects are both realistic and beautifully put together.
There has historically been a problem with video game adaptations. They are usually poorly written or poorly produced. Shows like “Fallout” are breaking this trend. Like the two major successes before it, “Arcane” and “The Last of Us,” this was created by people who love and care about these games.
Season one of “Arcane,” which also stars Ella Purnell, was created over six years by Christain Linke and Alex Yee who were involved with the League of Legends game for years. For “The Last of Us,” the creator of the miniseries “Chernobyl” worked in collaboration with the creator of the game.
With “Fallout,” Nolan had been a fan of the game for years and “Fallout 4” had actually inspired parts of his previous show, “Westworld.” Props for the show were partially supplied by fans of the games who had made replicas of in-game items. This was a labor of love and it shows.
“War never changes.” This essential phrase in the series was saved for the last episode instead of the first. It was delivered by The Ghoul right after the climax of the season ends. It was delivered at the perfect time, when it looked like the war was about to change and then, it didn’t. The season’s final twist was revealed and everything was back to square one. Season two will pick up right where season one ended and started, save for the character development of the main three.
Overall, this show is phenomenal and so far the best show of 2024. The performances are phenomenal and the care and attention put into the story is fantastic. With season two already on the way, fans shouldn’t have to wait long to return to the Wasteland. Until then they can play through the games or, as I will be doing, rewatch this fantastic series and admiring every aspect of it. 10/10.
Featured Image: The promotional poster for the “Fallout” show. Contrary to the date at the bottom, it was actually surprise released on April 9, 2024.
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