Fallout

As someone who's casually played the Fallout video games but never got very deep into the lore, I didn't know what to expect from Prime Video's new adaptation. But this show far exceeded my expectations. It's not just good for a video game show, it's good television, period. Fallout blends brutal post-apocalyptic action with dark humor, sharp social commentary, and a surprisingly emotional story that had me thinking long after the season ended.

What stood out to me the most was how the show critiques modern capitalism, more specifically how power is concentrated in the hands of a few, while the majority are left to fend for themselves. The pre-war world in Fallout is portrayed as a hyper-capitalist society where corporations like Vault-Tec promise safety and security, only to use people as pawns for their own gain. This mirrors real-world systems where corporations often profit off of people's vulnerabilities and maintain control through marketing and manipulation. The contrast between the bright, optimistic propaganda and the harsh reality of the wasteland is a sharp commentary on how modern capitalism often promises prosperity but delivers inequality and devastation, leaving the most vulnerable to suffer the consequences. Fallout doesn't just show a post-apocalyptic world; it offers a glimpse into a world shaped by the unchecked greed and power structures that influence us even in today's world.

Walton Goggins as The Ghoul is unforgettable. His character, a cowboy turned immortal mutant bounty hunter, serves as a kind of living reminder of everything that's gone wrong. He's hilarious and terrifying in equal parts, and his character development throughout the season really got to me. You can tell he's been carrying centuries of trauma, but there's still something human buried deep within him, which makes him one of the most complex characters I've seen on TV in a long time.

Visually, the show nails it. The costumes, sets, and special effects make the wasteland feel alive, and the use of old-timey music in scenes of violence or chaos adds this eerie, ironic layer that is very effective. Songs like "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" aren't just background, they're part of the storytelling.

In the end, Fallout is way more than a post-apocalyptic story. It's a critique of power, survival, and the way history repeats itself. Even if you've never touched the video game, it is definitely worth giving a watch.

The world building in the show is very precise.. and ig it would be more accurate and fabulous in the next episode.

You would find no moment that would bore you.

Ella purnell was fantastic in the role and so was walton goggins, the ghoul was like my favourite character in the show.

Depiction of the vaults and how a vault dweller encounters the world above, was very good.

Story sails very smooth, and i think even for the people who know nothing about the fallout franchise, it's very entertaining and gripping.

There's a lot of content that the show could use from the game so fingers crossed for the next season.

Actually only thing that it doesn't have are your good guys and the bad guys. Motivations, goals, intentions, events, are left rather ambiguous or open to interpretation, thus people can see what people want to see, and one can only combine that with previous knowledge of Fallout, then to realize how overarching story has much more depth than it would appear..

Other than that, on the surface, where the show is much fun and also distracting, has pip boys, stimpacks, junk jets, unreliable narrators, several factions are introduced or slightly introduced, some hinted yet to be.., shortly said, has everything..

With all that, and with just a little bit effort and luck, season 2 will be another banger..

No too much diving into heavy drama, character drama, and all the stuff that, truth to be told, does not exist in video games overall, or more accurately said, there is no emphasis on that in video games mostly. Still, characters in Fallout show have more than solid development and arcs, often leaning or entering into drama, while kept a video game style, for this case true Fallout games style, that are still just a starting point in the first season, building for multi season series. Very similar is with the world building, that is immense, while paced to avoid being too overwhelming, considering how big the Fallout world is, and over what long time period it extends, while also is a story-telling tool, simplest example of that is the airship seen, arrived all the way from the East/North East US, with a mid-stop likely in Utah, ultimately all the way West..

In addition to massive lore and extensive source material, show on its own, same as the source material itself, doesn't make it obvious, doesn't spoon feed, and instead frames it into several layers, of which two of the most importance are surface easy going, and in depth complex below. The former mostly serves distraction by fun and enjoyment, the latter tells what actually is what..

It took a while for it to click, but by the end of episode three I was hooked. As is often the case, the first two episodes feel a bit disjointed and expository. However, the characters are interesting right from the start. The two main characters in particular, with their naivety and chutzpah, are well drawn and strongly cast. Walton Goggins is the perfect antagonist, who initially comes across as a stereotype that is increasingly deconstructed over time. I don't know the video game at all, but the complexity of the story is impressive without being overwhelming. I'm really looking forward to season 2.