So I devoured this series over the past 24 hours. I thought it was excellent. I would like to discuss it here. Spoiler free stuff - aesthetically and tonally, they fucking nailed it. Very rarely it goes a bit overboard and feels a bit pander-y, but honestly those moments are minimal. This feels like the Fallout universe.
Random thoughts below. Major spoilers follow, including the ending:
I like the characters, I like how they're telling the story, I like the acting. I have nitpicks - it's implied ghouls only survive by taking some sort of chem, which unless something like that is suggested in the games I haven't played, I wasn't really aware of. I like them as just weirdo radiation goblins that can't die barring accidents. But it's a nitpick.
Man, though. Making the big bad of the entire Fallout universe essentially capitalism in the form of Vault Tec and the other big tech companies of the world is kind of an amazing move to pull on Amazon's tv streaming service? Implying that the bomb was dropped by companies to sell vaults and weapons and shit makes sense within the world, too, since we never really know what exactly caused the war that ended everything anyway, afaik. I hope Ghoulggins finds Agent Cooper and blows his fucking face off lmao
I struggled to figure out where this took place, since apparently "Filly" is right next to Shady Sands, CA, when originally I thought "oh, an East Coast Fallout, interesting" (I have never played Fallout 76). I'm not up on my deep Fallout lore, and I can never remember which years the games take place in, so I don't know if this is before, after, during, or an alternate universe from Fallout 3/New Vegas/4.
There were several references to the games that were fun, and specifically in the last two episodes, there were explicit references to the Big MT, not only the guy who clearly works for/runs that place, but also the brain in a little car/jar rolling around being a goofy dipshit just like in the New Vegas DLC.
Regarding the ending: how dare they tease New fucking Vegas to me! I know the Lucky 38 when I see it! I paused the shot of the city to see if I recognized anything else like Novac or Helios One, but I couldn't see anything I recognized, which makes sense as I'm sure the Mojave would be much bigger and spaced out farther in reality rather than as small as it is in the game. I appreciate that everyone knows New Vegas is the best Fallout game (fight me) enough to use just a shot of the city as a teaser for what hopefully will become the next series.
Otherwise there was much to enjoy. The show has amazing casting - Walton Goggins as a chem addicted, violent ghoul is amazing, and Kyle Maclachlan continues to impress me with the late career renaissance he seems to be having (he was great in Twin Peaks: The Return, obviously, as well). Matt Berry is an absolutely inspired choice for Mr. Handy. I enjoyed all the people I was unfamiliar with, too - Ella Purnell as Lucy was fantastic.
Beg, borrow, or steal this series if you can, I highly recommend it.
Random thoughts below. Major spoilers follow, including the ending:
I like the characters, I like how they're telling the story, I like the acting. I have nitpicks - it's implied ghouls only survive by taking some sort of chem, which unless something like that is suggested in the games I haven't played, I wasn't really aware of. I like them as just weirdo radiation goblins that can't die barring accidents. But it's a nitpick.
Man, though. Making the big bad of the entire Fallout universe essentially capitalism in the form of Vault Tec and the other big tech companies of the world is kind of an amazing move to pull on Amazon's tv streaming service? Implying that the bomb was dropped by companies to sell vaults and weapons and shit makes sense within the world, too, since we never really know what exactly caused the war that ended everything anyway, afaik. I hope Ghoulggins finds Agent Cooper and blows his fucking face off lmao
I struggled to figure out where this took place, since apparently "Filly" is right next to Shady Sands, CA, when originally I thought "oh, an East Coast Fallout, interesting" (I have never played Fallout 76). I'm not up on my deep Fallout lore, and I can never remember which years the games take place in, so I don't know if this is before, after, during, or an alternate universe from Fallout 3/New Vegas/4.
There were several references to the games that were fun, and specifically in the last two episodes, there were explicit references to the Big MT, not only the guy who clearly works for/runs that place, but also the brain in a little car/jar rolling around being a goofy dipshit just like in the New Vegas DLC.
Regarding the ending: how dare they tease New fucking Vegas to me! I know the Lucky 38 when I see it! I paused the shot of the city to see if I recognized anything else like Novac or Helios One, but I couldn't see anything I recognized, which makes sense as I'm sure the Mojave would be much bigger and spaced out farther in reality rather than as small as it is in the game. I appreciate that everyone knows New Vegas is the best Fallout game (fight me) enough to use just a shot of the city as a teaser for what hopefully will become the next series.
Otherwise there was much to enjoy. The show has amazing casting - Walton Goggins as a chem addicted, violent ghoul is amazing, and Kyle Maclachlan continues to impress me with the late career renaissance he seems to be having (he was great in Twin Peaks: The Return, obviously, as well). Matt Berry is an absolutely inspired choice for Mr. Handy. I enjoyed all the people I was unfamiliar with, too - Ella Purnell as Lucy was fantastic.
Beg, borrow, or steal this series if you can, I highly recommend it.
