I’m not a fan of Fallout. I’ve always admired the games and dabbled with them for a few hours here and there, but this was never a series that got me excited. However, I am a fan of it. Fallout The series is executive produced by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. Both worked together. Westworld And even though I lost interest over time, I will always hold the first season as my favorite television. I went into Amazon’s Fallout adaptation with uncertain expectations. Video game movies and TV shows have improved in recent years, but I’ll always be hesitant. And time has often proven that a successful project by one creator (or a pair for that matter) doesn’t automatically equate to success in another. Thankfully, however, Fallout The show is terrifying, violent, funny, weird, interesting, reverent, and somehow hopeful – a feeling I haven’t had from apocalyptic fiction in a while.
Following a few conflicting characters and taking place along a few different timelines (in typical Nolan fashion) Fallout Mainly follows Lucy MacLean, played by Ella Purnell (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children), who breaks out of her cozy underground vault to enter the terrifying wasteland. Through her eyes, we learn how this world works and how terrifying it can be, and I enjoyed seeing her optimism and valley throughout the show.
Every other main character is interesting to follow in different ways. Maximus (Aaron Moton) is a motivated apprentice in the Brotherhood of Steel, and learning how the powerful sect operates from his perspective is educational and often surprisingly funny. Lucy’s intimate knowledge of the almost safe, active underground world and Maximus’ education about surviving in Hell lead to surprising overlap and unexpected comedy.
Beyond its overall tone – a world full of violent pleasures in a science fiction setting – Cooper Howard, played by Walton Goggins (Valid), is probably the most direct line Westworld. He’s reminiscent of Nolan’s Men in Black and Joey’s sci-fi westerns, a violent cowboy with a deep knowledge of the world that he uses, often, terrifyingly. Goggins is the kind of actor who fits easily into any cast, and even behind the Ghoul prosthetics. Fallout There is no exception. Goggins has one of my favorite lines in the show, referring to the danger of being distracted by bulls when trying to complete a basic mission. It is effective both as a stand-alone joke and as an inspirational video game reference.
An unexpected highlight for me is Thaddeus, who is played. Johnny Pemberton (Superstore). The fourth lead is representative of my favorite thing about Pemberton. Fallout Show: Comedy. Pemberton is one of many stand-up comedians and straight-up comedians who appear on the show, but they’re not punchline machines winking at the audience about the absurdity of the world. Instead, they play straight forward characters doing their best to survive with occasional lines that catch me off guard and make me laugh out loud. One of my favorite scenes in the show is later in the season when Pemberton’s Thaddeus is talking about fiddle music with an actor whose appearance I won’t spoil. It’s a small, quiet moment that’s hilarious, tense, and dangerous. It’s the kind of moment and tone that lends. Fallout A surprising amount of levity is required in a world filled with violence seen off the TV in almost every new location.
And then, on top of the time-jumping stories in this good sci-fi comedy and an exciting finale, it all culminates. The Fallout Wiki mods will make a call after the show is done, but from my perspective, it feels like it could all be canon. Not a separate universe or a retelling of a well-known Fallout story, but rather a series of events that can take place before or after any game, which is what I want from a good adaptation. I love it Fallout As an extension of the games rather than a retelling or something different that looks familiar. Rewards for Fallout players are frequent (as my Fallout fan wife often excitedly points out), but for franchise enthusiasts like me, what’s here is the established universe. An excellent, original story. Also, some good jokes.
Additional thoughts:
- Does Dogmeat die? No. But she gets injured. A newborn puppy is also killed at the beginning of episode 2.
- Jokes about the perils of corporate structures hit particularly hard in 2024.
- The violence is extreme, but often so intense that you can’t take it seriously
- Brotherhood of Steel Power Armor actually looks cool!
- Michael Emerson is fun to watch (lost) re-role with ambiguous stimuli.
- between Fallout And OppenheimerIt is strange that brothers Jonathan and Christopher Nolan have taken different paths in discussing the dangers of socialism and nuclear annihilation.
- I hope a potential season two focuses more on my favorite character, Thaddeus.