Fallout Season 1 Review

Fallout (2024-)
Season 1 - 8 episodes

Buy Fallout on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Graham Wagner, Geneva Robertson-Dworet
Based on: Fallout by Bethesda Softworks
Starring: Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Walton Goggins, Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Emerson, Moisés Arias
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer

Plot
In a future, post-apocalyptic Los Angeles brought about by nuclear decimation, citizens must live in underground bunkers to protect themselves from radiation, mutants, and bandits.

Verdict
This is a fantastic adaptation. It captures the concepts that make the games so compelling, while doing a wonderful job of bringing it to the screen. Being familiar with the game, there are a lot of references but you don't need that knowledge to enjoy the series. It's sink or swim in the wasteland where everyone is chasing a scientist with a secret. There are a lot of characters which keeps the pacing brisk. This could have slowed down and focused on developing characters. I wouldn't have minded more exploration and survival. Still, this is a lot of fun, made by people who clearly love the games and bring that spirit to the series. It's not just everything I hoped for in a Fallout series, it's everything I could have wanted.
Watch It.

Review
I was very excited for this series as I'm a big fan of the franchise. I've played all the Fallout games, and  they are the few where I bought the collector's editions. Bethesda had been approached numerous times about an adaptation, but they didn't want to do a bad one and damage the franchise. When Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy approached them after Westworld, it was hard to pass on that team. The Fallout universe is built on a great idea with games full of dark humor, retro style, and twisted adventures.

From the first episode, the production design is impressive. This does a great job of capturing the look of the franchise. Numerous set decoration items are straight from the games. The timeline jumps around a bit to provide the impetus for the bombs. In the first episode we see the explosion near Los Angeles, and it's a great scene that keeps driving the tension as the bomb causes confusion and then chaos. 

Two hundred years later we're in Vault 33 with Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell). I like that Vault 33 is connected to 31 and 32. It makes the years seem more sustainable. An attack on the Vault leads to Lucy leaving for the surface. We're also introduced to the bounty hunter Ghoul (Walton Goggins), and Maximus (Aaron Moten) a Brotherhood of Steel apprentice. These are the three main characters that will eventually pursue a scientist and his new discovery.

Ella Purnell plays Lucy MacLean

After the first episode I was hooked. It's definitely violent, but that's part of why it also feels like Fallout. We get a great sense of this dystopian world. There are numerous questions, but that's the reason for the season. You're always concerned a video game adaptation will be cheesy or cheap, but this is legitimate. I couldn't wait for the next episode.

Lucy is a bit too naive for this world. She has skills, but she must learn how cutthroat this world is. We see that when a Yao Guai attacks one of the Brotherhood Knights in power armor. I didn't expect the three leads to meet as early as episode two. Lucy and the Ghoul are the most interesting characters. The Maximus story is slow to start. While it improves, he's the least interesting of the three leads.

Walton Goggins plays The Ghoul

While everyone on the surface is chasing the scientist, Lucy's brother Norman (Moisés Arias) is chasing down mysteries in the vault. There's a lot going on in this series, but that keeps the pacing quick. This series does provide more history on the Ghoul's origins than I expected, but it provides the character depth and some history on the attack. If I could wish for anything, I'd like more flavor and adventure along the way between destinations. Lucy gets around so quickly; I'd like more random encounters and some survival elements.

Aaron Moten, Lucy Purnell play Maximus, Lucy MacLean

I love the show, and it's not because of the hours I put into the games. It's this crazy apocalyptic world which is why I enjoy the games. It's outlandish with quite a few coincidences, but the setting is great, the characters are fun, and the game references are fun to spot. This manages to provide a twist that's worthy of Fallout.  I like how this ends as it resolves this season's story and gives us a hint at what could come if we get a next season; New Vegas. While the next season hasn't been announced, the show has been approved for a huge tax credit which is a great indication.