Fallout Review : Infectious performances lead to a cinematic wasteland worth investing in

Following The Last of Us and Twisted Metal in 2023, the video game adaptation hot streak on television continues with Fallout.

Amazon spares no expense in bringing this post-apocalyptic world to life. From the underground vaults to bringing the wasteland to life, the production design matches the quality of The Last of Us.

The world can feel overwhelming, but Fallout makes a smart choice by funneling this world through three main characters. There’s Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell, Arcane), a young woman from Vault 33 who is resourceful but naive to the outside world. Maximus (Aaron Moten) is from the outside world. Similar to the Mandalorian’s origin in The Mandalorian, during an attack Maximus takes refuge and is rescued by a cult called the Brotherhood. Maximus rides the line between good and bad. His bad choices are due to inaction and his good actions usually rely on luck. Finally, there’s The Ghoul (Walton Goggins) he’s a gunslinger and bounty hunter with a mission in many ways parallels Lucy’s.

Goggins and Purnell are phenomenal. Lucy’s naivete could be annoying at the beginning of the series, but it’s endearing in Fallout and makes for a nice contrast with the gruff outside world. Watching Goggins play a loquacious bounty hunter in The Ghoul is a treat for Justified fans. Goggins plays more than one role, though. In flashbacks to an alternate universe in the 1950s, Goggins plays a Hollywood actor, Cooper Howard, who, in many ways, is like Lucy. When the series jumps 216 years into the future, Cooper is now The Ghoul.

The Last of Us largely focuses on a pair of characters, Joel and Ellie, with little excursions that expand the story. Fallout is much grander. In 2077, events occur in the dilapidated outside world of Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Lucy’s brother, Norm, dives deep into the mystery surrounding Vaults 31, 32, and 33. Then, there are the flashbacks to 1950s Los Angeles that show what led to the bombs dropping in the United States from Cooper’s perspective. Fallout manages to make each of these settings interesting.

The only storyline that falters a bit is Maximus and the Brotherhood. It’s just not as compelling as Lucy and The Ghoul’s story. However, once he connects with Lucy midway through the season, Maximus does improve a bit. Some moments in the finale feel rushed

Overall, the terrific action sequences, timeless music choices, excellent production design, and a pair of compelling lead performances, not to mention the wonderful guest actors, all lead up to an excellent television season on Amazon Prime.

Fallout Season 1 Review Score

9 out of 10

With the overview complete, let’s examine Fallout’s wasteland, vault and flashbacks. Fallout is streaming on Amazon Prime.

Before The Fallout

The series begins in the 1950s with Cooper Howard putting on a show for a birthday party. He’s a veteran of World War II and a famous actor known for playing tough, good guys in westerns. Cooper explains to his daughter at the party the orgins of rule of thumb. If an explosion is bigger than your thumb, run like hell. It’s clever way of demonstrating the size of the mushroom clouds caused by the bombs.

The series flashes back to this period throughout. This portion of the show revolves around Cooper’s family and his wife’s involvement with Vault-Tec. Cooper begins to have issues with the stringent rules, like no dogs allowed, which impede the freedoms he fought for during the war.

There’s an anti-Vault-Tec movement similar to the anti-war groups that sprung up during Vietnam. Cooper laughs off the wild theories presented by the group leaders but eventually hones in on his wife’s dark agenda.

The influences of this time period are still present in 2077, as the music from that era makes a fascinating complement to the mayhem in the Wasteland and the vaults.

Overall, Goggins’ endearing portrayal of a good man stands out and makes his later journey alongside Lucy fun to watch.

The Mysteries of Vault 33

In the pilot, Fallout jumps from 1950s California to 2077. Instead of entering California’s hellscape, we begin in Vault 33.

Lucy wakes up ready for a change. She pleads her case to the leadership committee, hoping to be allowed to marry someone from Vault 32. Her proposal is accepted, and she has a seemingly normal American wedding. Vault 32 aren’t friendly neighbors. They’re raiders from above. Lucy’s father Hank, the overseer of Vault 33, is kidnapped by Lee Moldaver (Sarita Choudhury). While Lucy leaves the vault in search of her father, the rest of Vault 33 is left to fill the void.

Lucy’s brother Norm (Moisés Arias) begins to investigate Vaults 32 and 31. Her cousin Chet (Dave Register) forms a romantic relationship with Lucy’s closest friend, Stephanie Harper (Annabel O’Hagan). Chet starts as one of Lucy’s biggest advocates, but he eventually stands by Stephanie and splits with Norm’s decision to investigate the new overseer, Betty.

To many of the residents of the vaults, these structures were designed to protect them until the Earth was safe. Unfortunately, Vault-Tec had more nefarious purposes and devised different experiments for the vaults.

The Wasteland

Lucy emerges from the Vault and finds a much more hostile environment. Lucy encounters a strange but friendly man named Wilzig (Michael Emerson). He doesn’t believe Lucy will survive and tells her to go back. Lucy’s optimism makes for some needed levity as the Brotherhood story is pretty serious.

The first two episodes are great at setting the stage for the season, but episode three, The Head, is where the series begins to take off. The Ghoul captures Lucy and uses her as bait. Their dynamic continues through the next episode, where Lucy slowly becomes more like The Ghoul.

After two episodes together, The Ghoul and Lucy share not-so-friendly goodbyes. Lucy eventually meets up with Maximus. After sustaining an injury, Lucy takes Maximus to Vault 4. The vault is even nicer and more cultish than Vault 33, but when Lucy breaks a rule, she’s banished to the surface along with Maximus. There’s an attempt to build a romantic relationship between Lucy and Maximus that never really works.

The season ends with the story turning more personal for Lucy. She finds out her father was responsible for her mother’s disappearance and eventually sides with Moldaver. Her father escapes, but The Ghoul and Lucy decide to partner up for answers and head out together.

Fallout final thoughts

Overall, Fallout is one of the best shows of 2024. The performances by Goggins and Purnell allow easy entry into this post-apocalyptic world. Add in a unique tone that finds humor in unexpected places, compelling action scenes, and multiple compelling storylines, and you have a new universe worth exploring.

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