Hold your horror, yes, I did watch the show before playing the games. Now that is out the way, here is a review of the Television show as its own thing from someone who enjoys character development, story telling and world building.
WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS / IN DEPTH DISCUSSION FOR FALLOUT (2024).
In similar spirit to how Lucy MacLean stepped out of Vault 33 and into a brand new world, so did I when entering into the world of Fallout. My initial exposure to the game series came only from friends who had played it, it was always on my list to check out. And while this review focuses only on the TV show, I do very much plan on getting into the games.
Overall
Fallout follows the story of Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) who is a Vault Dweller from Vault 33, An idealistic and naïve community of survivors living underground. Lucy has to step out of her sheltered world into the Wastelands, which is made up of the remains of North-America 200+ years after atomic devastation, in order to save her father from the leader of another group.
While Lucy serves as the central protagonist, the plot is shared between her, The Ghoul (Walton Goggins) and Maximus (Aaron Clifton Moten). Cooper Howard, known as The Ghoul, is a film star turned badass mutant cowboy who is seeking Lucy's dad for different reasons. Maximus is a member of the Brotherhood of Steel who is ALSO seeking Lucy's dad for different reasons. Man, Hank MacLean is a busy man.
The show spends a lot of time planting a lot of seeds and while most of them do bloom into major plot points that are done well, a few plot points either get forgotten or have kind of silly outcomes. The last two episodes especially are so packed with reveals and big moments that some of them feel a little lacklustre but personally I think that fits the theme of the video game series because in the words of The Ghoul: "The number one rule of the wasteland is thou shalt get side tracked by bullshit every goddamn time."
Lucy MacLean:
Lucy is a Vault Dweller from Vault 33 who is kind and strong but naïve and idealistic almost to a fault. Lucy greets the world around her and those who inhabit it with such sincerity, Seeing the best in everything around her. I really liked the way she was used in contrast to the Wastelands, How they really played into the idea that yeah, Lucy is fundamentally different from the world around her but maybe that is to her advantage. Ella Purnell is such an versatile actress, going from Jinx (Arcane, 2021) to Lucy was such a jump but she nails both parts perfectly.
Maximus:
Maximus is a member of the Brotherhood of Steel, a quasi-religious military order living above ground. Its clear from the start that Maximus feels out of place within the Brotherhood. I loved how much they made him morally grey, I really didn't know what to think of him for the first few episodes but his growth was well done and he becomes really likeable. Good commentary about forging your own identity after being a part of something else for a while.
The Ghoul:
The Ghoul, formerly known as Cooper Howard, is a western star turned radiated survivor. Coop serves perfectly as the audiences view into the world, especially when it comes to explaining the pre-war lore.
You learn Vault-Tech's secrets through his view, you feel his devastation at the betrayal and destruction. "War never changes, There's always somebody behind the wheel" and he learned that personally.
Walton Goggins plays the part so well, balancing the unassuming Coop with the ruthlessness of The Ghoul; Excited for more.
Lucy, Maximus and The Ghoul all work perfectly as a set of protagonists, I'm excited to see where the character dynamics go and what stories can be told between these characters. On a side note, I think Norm is also a solid character and has a solid arc; He was another character they used to show you the horror of the vaults, great story telling.
Fallout (2024) is packed to the brim with loveable characters and magnetic storytelling that will keep you glued to the screen, I haven't been this hyper focused on a TV show since Squid Game (2021). From what I can see, a fantastic adaptation of a video game while also being a great starting point for newcomers to the series. I've just recently started Fallout 4 and I'm so excited to see what more this world has to offer, both in game and on screen.
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