So the show based on the famous game franchise is finally here. I must admit, I was rather hyped with this show. Sure, Fallout 4 was divisive and Fo76 sucked major balls, but it’s still Fallout and I was really curious about how this will fair. With all episodes released on the same day, I took a few days to watch all episodes.
And you know what? It’s pretty damn good. It’s funny, it’s violent, sometimes sad, and it left me with a reflection on how we as a human species behave differently in a post-apocalyptic world based on our backgrounds.
The series follows three protagonists; Lucy, a Vault 33 dweller who steps out into the post-apocalyptic LA in search of her father, Maximus, a squire in Brotherhood of Steel who steals a power armor and pretends to be a Knight in the order, and The Ghoul, a ghoul bounty hunter looking for his next target. Turns out they all are connected with the same goal, and must journey through the dangerous landscape.
The first thing I’ve noticed is how much the show feels like an actual part of the Fallout universe. The showrunners clearly had major respect for the source material. I guess it’s not that hard since Todd Howard is one of the executive producers. I personally don’t really like him, but just like with Neil Drunkmann with The Last Of US show it pays to have one of the original creators be part of the showrunner. The show looks, feels, sounds, and tells like Fallout. There are tons of references, easter eggs, and elements from the games to make the show feel like it’s one of the new game entries to the series.
There are also some concepts that I don’t think I’ve seen in the games; for example, there are scenes where they re-attach missing limbs with synthetic parts or remains from other bodies. Of course this being a Fallout universe it’s certainly possible, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in the games
But the characters, oh my god, they are so well written. The main characters feel like amalgamations of the player character types in the games; Lucy very much feels like how I was when I first played Fallout 3 all those years ago; Blissfully unaware of the changed world, and trying to adjust to how things are. Seeing her constantly shocked by the world state is really fun. It’s exactly how I must’ve looked all those years ago. Maximus feels like all you do-gooders, believing you are doing the right thing and being mission-driven. He isn’t completely lawful good per se, as he’s willing to lie and steal, but at the end of the day he is trying to do what’s morally right. As for The Ghoul, he’s definitely tough as nail and takes no bs type. He definitely leans towards bad karma scale, but he does seem to help good guys every now and then if it benefits him.
Outside of those three, all supporting characters are also well-written. Even in brief scenes, they truly act like wasteland survivors; It’s every man/woman for themselves, each with their own motives. They are all so quirky and none of their characters feel flat
Nothing is safe; Shit goes down constantly and everything is bloody and gory just as how you experienced it in the games. The comedy comes from how everyone is so nonchalant about all the violence; I guess it’s just a typical Tuesday for them. There were many funny dialogs, as well as tongue and cheek humor that only the Fallout fans would get it.
I also love there were flashbacks to pre-war days. It shows how the fusion-powered world looked like before everything went down. We only got glimpses of these days in the game, and now we get to see an extended view. It’s actually quite haunting to see how peaceful and normal everything was. And how terrifying these mega-corporations were plotting behind the curtain.
Some locations are hauntingly beautiful, barely recognizable from how they look like today. I suppose nothing really lasts forever.
Gotta give a special shout-out to vault-dwellers of 33 after Lucy leaves. They are blissfully ignorant of the outside world, and try to stupidly apply their logic to big problems. And just like with any vaults, turns out Vault 33 was all part of Vault-Tech’s agenda and fucked up social experiment. These vault experiments always fascinate me; I mean I knew the twist was coming, but didn’t know what kind.
By the end, the show proves just how far humans are willing to go, how much humanity they are willing to cast away, and how much they are willing to lie and hurt the ones they love to achieve their goals, whether good or bad. It left me with so many moral questions. I guess that's how it always has been with every FO games I've played, especially FNV. I honestly don't know if I was willing to make the same decision as the main characters did throughout the series.
But there are some nitpicks and complaints I have; I feel some characters, despite being well-written, didn't serve much purpose to the plot. Also I know there is BoS, but i feel like other factors could've gotten more spotlight. There's also some sort of attempt at retcon-ing the lore, where it was valut-tech who initiated the first bomb drop, not the US or Chinese government, all for the purpose of getting human guinea pigs into their vaults. I mean it's a neat idea, but I feel like that makes them void any form of class or logic. Ghouls don't have their iconic gargled voices either. Also, where are the energy weapons? Or a plethora of other weapons? Not enough mutated monsters either; We have radroaches, yao guais, and gulpers. But no deathclaws, bloatflies, or mole rats in action?
Overall, the show is pretty damn good, minus few flaws here and there. The season 2 tease look great.
9/10. Definitely worth watching
And you know what? It’s pretty damn good. It’s funny, it’s violent, sometimes sad, and it left me with a reflection on how we as a human species behave differently in a post-apocalyptic world based on our backgrounds.
The series follows three protagonists; Lucy, a Vault 33 dweller who steps out into the post-apocalyptic LA in search of her father, Maximus, a squire in Brotherhood of Steel who steals a power armor and pretends to be a Knight in the order, and The Ghoul, a ghoul bounty hunter looking for his next target. Turns out they all are connected with the same goal, and must journey through the dangerous landscape.
The first thing I’ve noticed is how much the show feels like an actual part of the Fallout universe. The showrunners clearly had major respect for the source material. I guess it’s not that hard since Todd Howard is one of the executive producers. I personally don’t really like him, but just like with Neil Drunkmann with The Last Of US show it pays to have one of the original creators be part of the showrunner. The show looks, feels, sounds, and tells like Fallout. There are tons of references, easter eggs, and elements from the games to make the show feel like it’s one of the new game entries to the series.
There are also some concepts that I don’t think I’ve seen in the games; for example, there are scenes where they re-attach missing limbs with synthetic parts or remains from other bodies. Of course this being a Fallout universe it’s certainly possible, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in the games
But the characters, oh my god, they are so well written. The main characters feel like amalgamations of the player character types in the games; Lucy very much feels like how I was when I first played Fallout 3 all those years ago; Blissfully unaware of the changed world, and trying to adjust to how things are. Seeing her constantly shocked by the world state is really fun. It’s exactly how I must’ve looked all those years ago. Maximus feels like all you do-gooders, believing you are doing the right thing and being mission-driven. He isn’t completely lawful good per se, as he’s willing to lie and steal, but at the end of the day he is trying to do what’s morally right. As for The Ghoul, he’s definitely tough as nail and takes no bs type. He definitely leans towards bad karma scale, but he does seem to help good guys every now and then if it benefits him.
Outside of those three, all supporting characters are also well-written. Even in brief scenes, they truly act like wasteland survivors; It’s every man/woman for themselves, each with their own motives. They are all so quirky and none of their characters feel flat
Nothing is safe; Shit goes down constantly and everything is bloody and gory just as how you experienced it in the games. The comedy comes from how everyone is so nonchalant about all the violence; I guess it’s just a typical Tuesday for them. There were many funny dialogs, as well as tongue and cheek humor that only the Fallout fans would get it.
I also love there were flashbacks to pre-war days. It shows how the fusion-powered world looked like before everything went down. We only got glimpses of these days in the game, and now we get to see an extended view. It’s actually quite haunting to see how peaceful and normal everything was. And how terrifying these mega-corporations were plotting behind the curtain.
Some locations are hauntingly beautiful, barely recognizable from how they look like today. I suppose nothing really lasts forever.
Gotta give a special shout-out to vault-dwellers of 33 after Lucy leaves. They are blissfully ignorant of the outside world, and try to stupidly apply their logic to big problems. And just like with any vaults, turns out Vault 33 was all part of Vault-Tech’s agenda and fucked up social experiment. These vault experiments always fascinate me; I mean I knew the twist was coming, but didn’t know what kind.
By the end, the show proves just how far humans are willing to go, how much humanity they are willing to cast away, and how much they are willing to lie and hurt the ones they love to achieve their goals, whether good or bad. It left me with so many moral questions. I guess that's how it always has been with every FO games I've played, especially FNV. I honestly don't know if I was willing to make the same decision as the main characters did throughout the series.
But there are some nitpicks and complaints I have; I feel some characters, despite being well-written, didn't serve much purpose to the plot. Also I know there is BoS, but i feel like other factors could've gotten more spotlight. There's also some sort of attempt at retcon-ing the lore, where it was valut-tech who initiated the first bomb drop, not the US or Chinese government, all for the purpose of getting human guinea pigs into their vaults. I mean it's a neat idea, but I feel like that makes them void any form of class or logic. Ghouls don't have their iconic gargled voices either. Also, where are the energy weapons? Or a plethora of other weapons? Not enough mutated monsters either; We have radroaches, yao guais, and gulpers. But no deathclaws, bloatflies, or mole rats in action?
Overall, the show is pretty damn good, minus few flaws here and there. The season 2 tease look great.
9/10. Definitely worth watching
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