War never changes: A Fallout fan’s spoiler-laden review of the new TV series

The show preserved the themes, archetypes, chronology, and more for the games.

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[Whiskyjack]

I thought the show was outstanding. The wry commentary on politics, American culture and unfettered capitalism was all spot on.

 

[P W]

what a fun series!

 

[codejnki]

Between the Fallout TV show and the D&D movie I’m cautiously optimistic that writers are finally figuring out how to capture what makes games special. We are getting stories set in those worlds filled with fan service. But by focusing on the characters, these stories are approachable because the themes are universal, not specific to the source material.

 

[BioTurboNick]

Most fun I've had watching a TV show in a long time.

With respect to who dropped the first bomb, I don't think Vault-Tec actually did, though they were certainly willing to do so (confirmed by Hank actually nuking Shady Sands). The reason I think this is because Barb didn't ensure her daughter would be safely in or near a vault before the nuclear exchange started.

 

[jscottars]

I never played the games. Thoroughly enjoyed this first season and looking forward to season 2!

 

[GaitherBill]

Fantastic show.

The casting choices were excellent.

Everything down to props looking exactly like the games, to the sound effects being the same really rewarded those who played the games.

And those who haven't got to learn about the wasteland through Lucy’s character.

Can’t wait for season 2!

 

[Emon]

I started watching it yesterday and I'm liking it so far.

Anyone complaining about "lore changes" was never going to be happy with any adaptation. Some fans have their own personal vision of a fiction and get unreasonably upset when some new work doesn't follow that vision.

Everyone else will enjoy the TV show while they're arguing over how "the vault door shouldn't open like that Todd Howard is ruining fallout!!1"

 

[MKG]

Excellent, excellent show. Character development and depth is impressive. Can't wait for Season 2.

 

[_myk]

The only criticism I'd have is that there were a lot of contrivances along the way - people ending up crossing paths a little too neatly. The tracker Lucy put in the head and the dog doing effectively the same thing can explain some of it but it did feel like everyone had a quest marker they were following and made the world feel a bit small.

 

[robert_bunch]

I'm very happy that the show has met and exceeded expectations in some sense. It's also nice to see Fallout's dad Tim Cain's infectious excitement and joy over the show. It must be very rewarding to see your brainchild treated with respect and enthusiasm after all these years. It's also nice to see that Todd Howard and Bethesda also treat Tim with respect. All in all, a wonderful success for a great IP that doesn't pull its punches.

 

[Bad Monkey!]

Most fun I've had watching a TV show in a long time.

With respect to who dropped the first bomb, I don't think Vault-Tec actually did, though they were certainly willing to do so (confirmed by Hank actually nuking Shady Sands). The reason I think this is because Barb didn't ensure her daughter would be safely in or near a vault before the nuclear exchange started.

While I agree Vault-Tec didn't start the Great War (though they may have been willing), I'm not ready to pin Shady Sands on Hank yet. The only source for that accusation is extremely unreliable.

 

[faustshausuk]

This and The Last of Us took two different paths - create something entirely new that builds on the games versus adapt the games reasonably faithfully - but both arrived in the same place: excellent television that works for both fans and n00bs alike. A brilliant adaptation, and one of the most bingeable shows so far this year.

 

[timber]

When Fallout was announced I wished for them not to screw this up.

What did they do? They aced it. Just aced it. Awesome show.

 

[WereCatf]

I don't need quite as many words to write my own review of the show as the author. Here is my full review of Fallout: what a blast!

 

[PurpleMinion]

I came for Walter Goggins (anything he is in is fantastic), never played or was even aware of the game, the rest of this was just incredible in every way, silly in parts, scary, suspenseful, stupid, political - all in the right places at the right times in the right order. . . totally aced it

 

[Soothsayer786]

They have the “hacker” / “science” person down with Lucy’s brother too, whose character I liked. I loved when he hacked the computer exactly how it is done in the game looking all serious like

 

[Murry Wilson]

The headline bothered me. After reading the headline, I was about to read the article. Then I read the subhead and realized the article has nothing to do with war. I spent a year in a war. Maybe that makes me too sensitive to casual use of the word

I guess they should have cleared their theme and catch phrase with you first.

 

[trives]

This is the first series I've recommended since The Bear.

I really hope the Yes Man is the lore line they choose in Vegas!

And was anyone else bummed they didn't see a Prim Rollercoaster?? Just me? Okay.

 

[NinjaNerd56]

Never played a single game, but loved this series. It wasn’t hard to get into at all.

VERY good acting. And the Fred Armisen cameo was fun.

 

[FoO]

Fantastic. Loved it! Just wish they’d shown more nuclear powered everything, including the cars.

 

[good_decorum]

Not sure about how squire thaddeus becomes a ghoul. Felt a little tacked on.

I think it was the potion the sham doctor/chicken lover guy gave Thaddeus. The quick healing was the result of making him a ghoul. (I am not deep in ghoul lore so I could be wrong.)

 

[O/Siris]

I enjoyed the article and the comments below. I am, however, disappointed in the lack of "meat" in the review. It's called spoiler-laden, but there's little reference to the actual sequence of events.

The article was over before the core characters were even named. For one example.

It doesn't ruin the article. But it is something I wished were there.

 

[Bad Monkey!]

I think it was the potion the sham doctor/chicken lover guy gave Thaddeus. The quick healing was the result of making him a ghoul. (I am not deep in ghoul lore so I could be wrong.)

You're correct.

 

[tucu]

I think it was the potion the sham doctor/chicken lover guy gave Thaddeus. The quick healing was the result of making him a ghoul. (I am not deep in ghoul lore so I could be wrong.)

Not much lore on this, but Hancock in Fallout 4 was transformed when he took an experimental drug.

 

[WereCatf]

Not sure about how squire thaddeus becomes a ghoul. Felt a little tacked on.

I felt it was thematically just fine. It would've been a little out of place in a typical show, but Fallout's shtick is kind of all about how, when something goes wrong, it almost always ends up going wrong in the worst possible ways. It's also kind of typical that as you go along with the story and play the game, you sooner or later might come across an NPC you interacted with earlier in the game, but something you did will end up screwing that NPC over in an entirely unexpected way -- with Thaddeus being the NPC, here.

 

[thearcher]

I think the only opportunity they missed was when Lucy was aiming a gun at her dad's head in the last episode. After her dad's diatribe about factions being bad, I wish Lucy had said, "But you're just another faction, Dad."

Still, 10 out of 10. Exceeded all of my expectations.

 

[Gern Blaanston]

I never played the games. Thoroughly enjoyed this first season and looking forward to season 2!

Same here. I went into this knowing absolutely nothing about the games and just viewed it as a another new TV series. It is very good, very well done, and I really enjoyed it.

Now the bad news. If it follows the same path as all other streaming shows, it will be about 2 years before the next season.

 

[sedawkgrep]

I came for Walter Goggins (anything he is in is fantastic),

Agreed. His character gets the best writing and damn if he doesn't kill it in every scene.

I never played the games but I enjoyed the show. My wife would have enjoyed it too, but she's quite turned off by gore. The occasional head being blown off or exploding in the suit's hand would have been enough to turn her on this story. I get that the show may have had gratuitous gory elements and this was faithful, but it's not really necessary to tell the story and engage more people.

I agree somewhat with this too. The violence is a little over-the-top sometimes, and while that's very much in-style with the games, I feel like it's a little too much for the show.

All that said, I thoroughly enjoyed it and love seeing all the references to the game depicted in the wasteland.

 

[pehash]

I enjoyed watching this adaptation but.. My Fallout is all about exploring and side quests.

 

[Crackhead]

Fantastic show. Thought some of the choices they wrote for the characters were utterly incongruent though; like the ghoul getting wasted after hitting the medication motherload that has been keeping him from turning feral for 200 years. Minor shit. Vault-tec scumbaggery got a viceral reaction rising up in my gut. Superb writing in places and semi weak sauce in others.

 

[irongamer]

Not much lore on this, but Hancock in Fallout 4 was transformed when he took an experimental drug.

Dialogue from Fallout 4

The Sole Survivor: "What's your story, Hancock?"

John Hancock: "My favorite subject. I came into this town about... a decade ago? Had a smooth set of skin back then. While I was busy making myself a pillar of this community, I would go on these... like ... wild tears... I was young... Any chems I could find, the more exotic, the better. Finally found this experimental radiation drug. Only one of its kind left, and only one hit. Oh man, the high was so worth it. Yeah, I'm living with the side effects, but hey, what's not to love about immortality?"

The Sole Survivor: "You're immortal?"

John Hancock: "Well... not exactly. Ghouls just age really, really slow. Something about the rads, maybe? Who knows..."

https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/John_Hancock#cite_note-:0-7

 

[thearcher]

I agree somewhat with this too. The violence is a little over-the-top sometimes, and while that's very much in-style with the games, I feel like it's a little too much for the show.

All that said, I thoroughly enjoyed it and love seeing all the references to the game depicted in the wasteland.

Yep, that's how I plan to recommend to others: "If you can tolerate gore, this series is the best TV series I've seen in ages."

 

[mobby_6kl]

Not much lore on this, but Hancock in Fallout 4 was transformed when he took an experimental drug.

Is this the first time that's addressed in Fallout? I've played 3 and NV (and a bit of 4) and don't really remember anything.

I would've expected it to be a result of long-term radiation exposure, not drinking a magic vial.

 

[Wickwick]

I think it was the potion the sham doctor/chicken lover guy gave Thaddeus. The quick healing was the result of making him a ghoul. (I am not deep in ghoul lore so I could be wrong.)

Along those lines, can someone explain how the scientist that invented cold fusion is still alive 200 years later without being a ghoul?

Edit: and how in 200 year she couldn't repeat what she'd already done before?

 

[Waco]

I binged it on a long flight - fantastic from start to finish as a fan of the games. They nailed the Fallout theme perfectly.

 

[Bad Monkey!]

Along those lines, can someone explain how the scientist that invented cold fusion is still alive 200 years later without being a ghoul?

Edit: and how in 200 year she couldn't repeat what she'd already done before?

The only thing I can think of is that she was in a cryosleep pod. The only factions I can think of that would have had access to those were The Enclave, and Vault-Tec, which are two sides of the same coin...