The echoing halls of Vault 33 resonated through the core of every fan watching the first episode of Fallout. The cheesy quirky moments, the intense sections filled with dread, the opening scene alone had to have been one of the best moments of television I’ve seen since The Blacklist. Throughout my time watching the first episode of season one, I saw mentions, references, and callbacks to Fallout 3, New Vegas, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76. This show got an amazing start and I’m eager to see how the characters grow in this new, yet familiar world of Fallout.
Into Vault 33
Right off the bat, I felt like I was experiencing a cut scene in a new Fallout game. The emotion and dread that was conveyed during the nuclear explosion was something I hadn't seen in a TV show in a very long time. Normally when I watch a show, I'm doing something else while I'm watching. With Fallout, I was hooked, and glued to the story being told. This show creates a dynamic and raw nature much like the games, where, you won't like some of the characters, you might even loathe some sidequests because they are deleterious, but that's the point. In my years experiencing the Fallout franchise, I never liked the 3rd game, then I went to New Vegas and fell in love with the storytelling and how it conveyed a sense of horror to the player. Not horror in the sense of gory zombies and bloodshed, but the horror of the human condition and how everyone is fighting to survive, from the Raiders to Vailt dwellers even the Ghouls. There is a cheeky fun aspect to this show that if you played the games you'll understand wholeheartedly. The music adds to the fun chaotic nature of the show, I haven't seen a well-translated score like this since Silent Hill became a film. Music from a game takes the memories a person has built from their experience and transfers it over to the movie/show they're watching so more immersion is then possible because it is a positive recognition of something cherished. Fallout is a game that doesn't take itself too seriously, yet has serious points in its plot and that was captured beautifully here in the show. Even seeing the ghoul for the first time reminded me (a tad) of Beatrix Russle from Fallout New Vegas. Each character has their point and purpose and is unique, which is one of the main aspects of the Fallout games I truly enjoyed the characters and their stories. Listen, I know it's only the first episode of the first season, but I am utterly excited and optimistic about each episode after this. The writing in this show is incredible and encapsulates the feel of what Fallout truly is. This show is just as ugly as the games are in terms of the realness that it showcases, that "ugliness" is what will ultimately give this show its beauty and strength. Through the raiders kidnapping Lucy's father (a Fallout 3 reference), to showcasing the Brotherhood of Steel (even referencing the title screen from Fallout 4), to the Ghoul in all of his humanity this show is off to an incredible start, I cannot wait to see where the next episode takes us.