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Move over, Sarah Connor. Take a seat, Ellen Ripley. There's a new kick*ss female protagonist in town, and that's Lucy MacLean, a resident of Vault 33. Welcome to Fallout!
I know what you're thinking—Stad has really been hitting the bottle too much. And you'd be right! But seriously, not since Lucifer have I gone gaga over a TV series as much as I have Fallout. Sure, it's only been one season, so there's still time for the writers to come up with a series finale that stinks up the place (translation—leaves viewers highly unsatisfied). However, hopes are high, especially among us gamers. You see, Fallout is based on the videogame series of the same name. I've played Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 3, and Fallout 4 (my favorite). The TV show is ripe with Easter eggs from the games, gets the lore right, and recreates the same eerie atmosphere of the games. Perhaps I should explain what the games—and TV series—are about.
I read an article somewhere that said the pitch for making the games into a TV series was, "It's set in a post-nuclear war apocalypse, but funny." Sure enough, Fallout has plenty of funny moments. But it also has moments of drama, sorrow, extreme violence, and sheer horror—just like in the games. In the first episode (titled "The End"), we watch people having fun at a child's birthday party. The revelry ends when a nuclear explosion hits a nearby urban area, sending the partygoers into a panic. Some flee into fallout shelters, others to their vehicles. The scene shifts 219 years into the future, where we're introduced to Lucy. Lucy MacLean is a vault dweller, someone who was born in a vault. I should point out that vaults are large underground mini-communities built to shelter people who purchased a safe place to live during and after the bombs drop. I won't go into detail as to avoid spoilers, but let's just say circumstances occur which drive Lucy to go to the surface.
We're introduced to two other main characters, and I'll also just leave it at that. The three main characters' story arcs weave in and out, keeping the audience guessing what happens next. I've watched YouTube reaction videos of Fallout, and the people who get what's going on the most are those who've played the games. People who haven't played the games eventually do figure things out, but they'd do so earlier if they weren't busy commenting or speculating—which is what reactors do. In other words, pay close attention, and you'll understand the plot quicker.
One last comment (actually two). The initial setting is retro-futuristic, even though the year America and China go to war is 2077. The aesthetic is set roughly in the fifties, as well as the soundtrack. The music selections are great, and often funny, given the action on the screen. For example, in a raucous wedding night scene, we get to hear Scatman Crothers sing "Keep That Coffee Hot," a song my Brave AI says is about enjoying coffee. This is why I don't use AI for anything, because it's stupid. The song is clearly a double entendre for . . . well, you know. The other song is Sheldon Allman's hilarious novelty song, "Crawl Out Through the Fallout."
The first season of Fallout is available on Amazon Prime. It's only eight episodes long, but each episode keeps the story moving to the season-ending episode (titled "The Beginning"). You know that entertainment adage, "Leave them wanting more"? The season-ending episode does just that, especially with a tease Fallout gamers will enjoy.
Have any of my fellow Ricochetti played a Fallout game, or watched the TV series? I'd love to hear your comments . . .
Discussion (21)
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I've seen a couple reviews of the show, but generally haven't been attracted to adaptations of video games so assumed I'd never watch it. Given your enthusiasm (and your invocation of the two great heroines of modern science fiction), maybe I'll get around to it someday, though I'm not a big movie/TV consumer.
Andrew Klavan has argued for years that the center of storytelling has progressed over the decades from the novel to the movie to, today, the video game, and that it's in the gaming industry where the real creativity is now occurring. I haven't played a computer game since I spent a week hooked on Tetris in 1988, so I can't say, but Andrew is a bright guy.
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I dunno, does Lucy MacLean fight cyborg soldiers from the future? Sounds like Sarah Connor still has her beat.
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The Critical Drinker likes the series.
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I knew you would like it. It’s such a fun and great adaptation. Even though it’s a different story, you can tell the showrunners actually care about this universe. Because this is exactly the kind of quest that would be in Fallout. Walton Goggins is perfect for his role.
Video game adaptations may be turning a corner with Arcane, Last of Us, and this.
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A couple of my kids love the game and recommended the show. They also recommended The Last of Us, so their recommendations are taken seriously.
I was grabbed right away by the style, “retro futuristic” as you described. (I once spent $5k on a fridge that was modern but looked retro).
I was initially confused by the name Lucy McLean. I thought it was a nod to Die Hard until I looked it up on IMDB. And my kids were confused by the inquiry.
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