Is the Fallout show worth watching? A gamer’s perspective
I finished the Fallout series recently. I am a huge fan of the games and have literally spent hours wandering around the post-apocalyptic wasteland, shooting mutants and crazed humans in the face. Good times.
When I say the games, I mean Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and Fallout New Vegas. I have always meant to play the first two, but games companies keep bringing out new stuff, so I get sidetracked.
You can read my 13-year-old review of Fallout 3 here.
I will also look at the show from the point of view of a non-gamer. Gotta be balanced. To an extent.
Having played the game, I was somewhat anxious that they might not get things right. If this had been a movie, then I suspect they’d have screwed it up. I think the world (or the nerdy world I inhabit) has now agreed that games can make superb TV shows if they have the budget and the right cast and writers.
What is it all about?
Warning – possible mild spoilers for episode one.
In an alternate version of the Earth in 2077, there is an increased threat from the damned Commies, and it has everyone on edge. This world is almost identical to our 1950s, except they have robots and don’t seem to be racist, so it isn’t all bad. Unfortunately, the paranoia was justified, as a nuclear war kicks off and everyone is screwed.
Cut to a couple of hundred years later.
The protagonist is a young lady called Lucy (Ella Purnell), who lives in blissful ignorance of the surface, and is a Vault Dweller. Her dad is the overseer of the vault (Kyle MacLachlan), and everyone is nice in a 1950s middle-class neighbourhood kind of a way.
But then some raiders come and kill a few people and steal Kyle MacLachlan. Lucy vows to rescue him and heads to the surface to get him back.
There are also a ton of other sub-plots going on, including an awesome bounty-hunting ghoul, a head with some technology hidden in it, and various human factions who predictably (and realistically) don’t get on.
Lucy soon finds out the surface is pretty messed up, with mutant creatures, crazy people, violence and general mayhem. Happily, she is a pretty cool and adaptable lady and she goes on an adventure where she learns about the surface world, what happened, and why everyone is being a dick to one another. Meanwhile, her brother is unearthing a mystery in the Vaults.
Does the Fallout TV show deliver on what I wanted as a game fan?
As a fan of the game, the main aspects I thought should be included in the show were:
- A good but dark sense of humour.
- Alternate 1950s feel – the optimism and clean cut attitudes, but also the paranoia.
- Ghouls, monsters, mutants, utterly crazy people.
- Dogmeat.
- Robots that are funny but also a bit worrying.
- Vaults and conspiracies.
- The Brotherhood of Steel.
- Other random gangs and groups.
Going by the list – yes, Fallout the TV show delivers. One of the things I loved about Fallout games were the subtle blend of humour and extreme violence. A bit like The Boys, although not quite so insane. It has some fairly out-there moments though.
The humour is pitched just right. There is the horror of the war and continuing conflict between disparate groups. But there is also the element of fun stemming from fifties optimism and twisted, amoral characters. The juxtaposition of naivety with cynical survivalism is perfectly done.
The three main characters exemplify three groupings or types that were fun to explore in the game.
Lucy is a naive Vault Dweller who is learning about the outside world. She is basically the character you play in the game and her quest is the initially the same as Fallout 3 – find her dad. Although this time you are trying to find Kyle MacLachlan rather than Liam Neeson.
The ghoul is cool as shit and has lived since before the bombs dropped. He’s superbly played by Walton Goggins, who plays an actor and the face of Vault Tec before the apocalypse, and a deadly gunslinger after.
I once played as a member of the Brotherhood of Steel in one of my games. I can’t remember which, and I think I went rogue. Anyway, the third main character is Maximus (Aaron Moten), who was an aspirant, then a squire, and then, thanks to a mutant bear, an armor wearing badass knight.
Game Easter eggs appear aplenty
The monsters, robots, and factions that Lucy has to deal with are all from the games. The monsters – giant cockroaches, mutant bears, gulpers, and so on – are going to be familiar to gamers and are fun to see live. The cheerful robots feature and are pleasantly barmy. One of the robots was voiced by the legendary (in the UK anyway) Matt Berry, which was a nice touch.
Lucy navigates her way, growing steadily more hardened, aided by her Pip Boy – which looks exactly how it should. There are a load of easter eggs scattered throughout, purely for gamers, which make you sit up and smile. When Lucy’s brother hacks a computer, he does the mini-game that will be familiar to Fallout players. The town of Filly is straight from the game, and I even remembered the rough route to my shack.
There are lots of others, and they are a delight to see if you played the games, but just interesting details if not.
Most importantly – Dogmeat! I miss that dog.
Final thoughts on Fallout the show
I loved Fallout. I speak as someone who loved the games, but my prior knowledge wasn’t needed. It is enjoyable for non-gamers too. I might get bursts of nostalgia from the scenery, outfits, and Easter eggs, but Mrs Scifiward enjoyed it and she hasn’t played the games. Lots of reviewers are in the same boat and the reviews are overwhelmingly positive.
The new trend of games becoming superb shows continues. And if you haven’t tried the Fallout games, you should. Come on, vault dweller, you know you want to.
Season 2 has been green-lit already, which is superb news.