I was confused at first because I didn't know the show was based on a game. lol I mean, I've heard of Fallout before. I don't know what I'm trying to say. I think I expected a super serious show about nuclear fallout. I'm glad it's like this instead. It's more weird and fun.
Even tho I'm sick to death of the post-apocalyptic genre (we're too close to being there in reality already so it's just a downer), I may have to give this a try because old-fashioned Broadway and TV variety show queen LESLIE UGGAMS is in it...
It's me! I'm the annoying one! Over the last 25 years, I've spent thousands of hours in the Fallout universe, completing every game multiple times (except Fallout 76, for reasons). I've been involved in the modding scene for Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 4 and have dabbled into the extended lore, which is extensive. So, the potential for me to be insufferable is always just below the surface!
But, I really loved it! The show is packed with some really cool Easter eggs. I expected nods to things like the Vault Boy and Nuka Cola, but they went above and beyond with details like Atomic Command on the Pip Boy (which is completely game-accurate), Grognak!, the "Please Stand By" message and even introducing our protagonist through her S.P.E.C.I.A.L review, essentially the character creator from the games. Good stuff.
The vibe of the show is remarkably similar to that of the modern games. Given that the Fallout fandom already has a great divide between the original two Black Isle games and everything from Bethesda and Obsidian onwards, I think there's a bit more leeway for this adaptation but it was clear to me that the creators cared about getting a lot of these details right rather than immediately imposing their own vision to the detriment of what's already established and beloved—cough Witcher cough.
There's no reason you can't tell original stories in such a rich universe without needlessly changing things fans love. While it doesn't have to stick slavishly to game lore and should be free to do its own thing, it's refreshing to see that care was taken with it.
I really appreciated the show's overall look and how it avoided the gritty, colorless realism that's so common in modern shows. Fallout does deal with heavy subjects, as you'd expect from a post-apocalyptic world, but it's always been fantastical and quirky, and the show captured that essence well. They also nailed the inherent weirdness and naivety of the vault dwellers. The Fallout universe arises from atomic annihilation in 2077, yet it's set in an alternate retro future where microprocessors were never developed—everything feels like the 1950s. Only a chosen few enter the Vault-Tec vaults, while the survivors on the surface must endure in the Wastelands for the next 200 years. Everything in the Fallout world is influenced by 1950s futurism, to the point of arrested development. Sure, this doesn't hold up to close scrutiny, but realism isn't what the games were ever going for, and neither should the show. It's a unique style, and I think they did an excellent job with it. I think they could have easily fumbled this aspect, so kudos.
Introduction to The Brotherhood of Steel and those iconic T-60 Power Armors was cool.
Ella Purnell was immediately likable and interesting, and I can't be the only one who gets seriously strong young Margot Kidder vibes from her, right? Like, to the point of eeriness.
Also, she did her homework, and I like that.
Also, the final word from the creator of Fallout himself, Timothy Cain. He likes it, and that's more than enough of a blessing for me.
Without having played the games, and knowing little about them (it took me a while to realise the pre-nuke scenes were set in our future and not the 1950s!), I enjoyed it as a tv show. It looked great: Amazon can obviously afford to spend a ton on this, but everyone invloved clearly care a lot and did their best to make the sets and costumes and everything look as good as possible. It helps a lot to be able to believe the world of the show is real, even when the world is a bit wacky. I enjoyed the darkly comedic tone and it was very funny often (I hope Thaddeus returns as comic relief next sason): I did maybe have issues with how it worked into the ending which I'll get to in a paragraph or two.
Acting was very good all round. Ella Purnell was great (which anyone who I hassled into watching Yellowjackets should already know!) and I liked how she was naive but not an idiot. She did learn to toughen up but she still stuck to her values ("golden rule, motherfucker") and it's absolutely pathetic that any youtube grifter would complain about a WOMAN leading the show. Walton Goggins was great too though it was maybe kind of hard to get the same depth from The Ghoul version of his character than the Coop version (possibly because of the make-up.) He did perfectly play the man in black archetype. Maximus was fun too, I liked how he was basically a big kid and often selfish, with a believable growth over the season. Kyle MacLachlan is set up to get a lot more in season 2 and should be good at it.
I did maybe think the wacky tone kind of hurt the finale a bit when things get more serious. Ella Purnell sold all the revelations perfectly, but the evil(?) woman character felt a bit lacking. We're supposed to think maybe she's not bad and just has a different philosophy and that's fine, but she never explained why she sent a raider into the vault to essentially rape Lucy - SPOILER FOR THE FINALE - which really doesn't make much sense if she was best friends with Lucy's mum?
Ella Purnell was immediately likable and interesting, and I can't be the only one who gets seriously strong young Margot Kidder vibes from her, right? Like, to the point of eeriness.
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