“Fallout” television series

I enjoyed the series, and especially the tease at the end because I liked New Vegas even more than Fallout 3.

The one real negative is that the world is under populated with enemies. Didn't spot any mole rats, radscorpions, centaurs, super mutants, bloatflies, giant ants or mirelurks. A deathstalker was teased at the end by way of a skull.

The main focus of this season was more human drama and mystery.

Maybe the creators are looking at the long game, and consider they have plenty of time to add more and more as the series progresses and the characters 'level up'. I hope it does, as the ratings suggest it will.

All to play for my friends, there is a thirst for much more

Not a gamer, had no idea what Fallout was, decided to watch because of Goggins. 2 Episodes in and loving it.

Edit: Reminded me how unhappy I am with that company QmX that teased Raylan and Boyd from Justified and never came through...

Finished binge watching the first season. I'm definitely entertained. Although there were spots where it faltered a little, all forgivable. It's managed to draw me into the story and keep me there. Hoping for a good second season.

Am 2 episodes in. Definitely a few gripes like the poorly shot and choreographed power armour scenes and overly convenient plot but itherwise quite fun. First ep better than second but based on comments here it doesnt stay on downward trajectory so looking forward to finishing it when I get time.


Also, with Threezero re-releasing game based figures to cash in on the hype, maybe they skipped the TV license or missed it due to competition. Wouldn't it be great if HT were to surprise us with an announcement of T60 Maximus, vault suit Lucy and the Ghoul

Good to read the positive feedback. I thought this looked interesting.

I thought it was really good, looking forward to series two.

JAWS said:

Good to read the positive feedback. I thought this looked interesting.

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It feels good not to hate something.

Watched episode 3. Better than episode 2 for me so looking ok/good so far.

On episode 1. Like it so far

Watched 4 more episodes last night, so up to 6. I guess I'd say for me it has gotten a little better after watching the initial 2. But I still feel Gucey and Maximumus are a bit annoying and dumb as . I could see her being Naive and a little slow after being raised only in the Vault. But she's just kinda smart and dumb at the same time. Trusting, then not trusting, then trusting again...

And Maximus? No excuse for him to be such a complete moron. He was basically raised by the Brotherhood Of Steel on the surface. You'd think he'd be trained far better and more capable. As dumb and squirrely as he is I can't see him ever being made a squire to a Knight. But then again, the previous guy Titus was just as dumb if not dumber. Maybe it's just the actor. Cause he's playing nearly the exact same character he played in the Netflix show Disjointed. A straight up comedy.

I'm just so tired of every action movie having to be dumbed down with moronic characters and eye rolling situations. That's why I compared this to the recent D&D movie. Underneath it could be good, even great maybe, if they could just make these things more serious and less goofy. With all the blood and gore, this is no way a kids show. So why make it so soft and humorous. For a wider audience? A dumber adult audience? Not like there's much humor in the games as source material. SO many super successful serious shows. It's not like that type of show doesn't do well. Plenty of examples out there. I don't know anyone who wished GOT & HOD were a little more lighthearted.

The true standout and story is Goggins' Ghoul. Only reason I'm still watching.

loki2371 said:

Watched 4 more episodes last night, so up to 6. I guess I'd say for me it has gotten a little better after watching the initial 2. But I still feel Gucey and Maximumus are a bit annoying and dumb as . I could see her being Naive and a little slow after being raised only in the Vault. But she's just kinda smart and dumb at the same time. Trusting, then not trusting, then trusting again...

And Maximus? No excuse for him to be such a complete moron. He was basically raised by the Brotherhood Of Steel on the surface. You'd think he'd be trained far better and more capable. As dumb and squirrely as he is I can't see him ever being made a squire to a Knight. But then again, the previous guy Titus was just as dumb if not dumber. Maybe it's just the actor. Cause he's playing nearly the exact same character he played in the Netflix show Disjointed. A straight up comedy.

I'm just so tired of every action movie having to be dumbed down with moronic characters and eye rolling situations. That's why I compared this to the recent D&D movie. Underneath it could be good, even great maybe, if they could just make these things more serious and less goofy. With all the blood and gore, this is no way a kids show. So why make it so soft and humorous. For a wider audience? A dumber adult audience? Not like there's much humor in the games as source material. SO many super successful serious shows. It's not like that type of show doesn't do well. Plenty of examples out there. I don't know anyone who wished GOT & HOD were a little more lighthearted.

The true standout and story is Goggins' Ghoul. Only reason I'm still watching.

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If you’re expecting Fallout to be dark and gritty then you’re going into it with the wrong expectations imo. Did we play different games? Cause there's a TON of humour and goofiness in them, like a lot.

chrisstbh said:

If you’re expecting Fallout to be dark and gritty then you’re going into it with the wrong expectations imo. Did we play different games? Cause there's a TON of humour and goofiness in them, like a lot.

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There's not much that's humorous about the game's main story. Maybe I don't remember? But there certainly wasn't a Ton. The Super Mutants were dumb for sure. Humor can be found naturally in serious situations. Here, it feels forced. So far every time there is an action scene, there has to be gags and laughs incorporated. Something dumb/stupid/eye rolling cringe, for me at least. That's not natural. It's like someone goes over the script and writes in notes how to make it knee slap funny rather than it playing out naturally. It should be a laugh for a situation that's serious, not a serious situation written to be funny.

Spoiler:

Examples like when Maximus needs the part fixed for the power armor... He takes off his boot, repeatedly shakes it, only has 4 caps instead of 5, looks around, goes to get his tooth removed, gives her one more and asks to be quick, and she hands it back to him before he's even done asking. The whole scene is done for a chuckle. It's overly slapstick....
When the mutated fish thing (forget what they are called) that took the head. Seemed to be done for laughs by the characters reactions instead of the audiences. Then again when it grabs Lucy by the legs. She loses a boot, but it becomes like a joke instead of just being a somewhat humorous situation. Between the look on her face and the constant hints and shots she know has no boot.. Waaay too many examples like these. Maximus flying around uncontrollably in his armor during the shootout...

Instead of situational, they make it cringe. Just a little too much forced in. Should be like maybe 70x30 max with serious to humor.

loki2371 said:

There's not much that's humorous about the game's main story. Maybe I don't remember? But there certainly wasn't a Ton. The Super Mutants were dumb for sure. Humor can be found naturally in serious situations. Here, it feels forced. So far every time there is an action scene, there has to be gags and laughs incorporated. Something dumb/stupid/eye rolling cringe, for me at least. That's not natural. It's like someone goes over the script and writes in notes how to make it knee slap funny rather than it playing out naturally. It should be a laugh for a situation that's serious, not a serious situation written to be funny.

Spoiler:

Examples like when Maximus needs the part fixed for the power armor... He takes off his boot, repeatedly shakes it, only has 4 caps instead of 5, looks around, goes to get his tooth removed, gives her one more and asks to be quick, and she hands it back to him before he's even done asking. The whole scene is done for a chuckle. It's overly slapstick....
When the mutated fish thing (forget what they are called) that took the head. Seemed to be done for laughs by the characters reactions instead of the audiences. Then again when it grabs Lucy by the legs. She loses a boot, but it becomes like a joke instead of just being a somewhat humorous situation. Between the look on her face and the constant hints and shots she know has no boot.. Waaay too many examples like these. Maximus flying around uncontrollably in his armor during the shootout...

Instead of situational, they make it cringe. Just a little too much forced in. Should be like maybe 70x30 max with serious to humor.

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The first Fallout game opens with a TV broadcast of a soldier in power armour executing a protestor in the streets with a double tap to the head then nonchalantly waving to the camera .

I just reinstalled Fallout 3 and the whole opening is full of humorous dialogue options, especially the G.O.A.T exam.

To me Fallout is more of a satire thing. It does take it’s main story seriously but it’s filled with humour and ridiculous moments. I think they nailed it with this show tbh, don’t think it feels forced.

chrisstbh said:

The first Fallout game opens with a TV broadcast of a soldier in power armour executing a protestor in the streets with a double tap to the head then nonchalantly waving to the camera .

I just reinstalled Fallout 3 and the whole opening is full of humorous dialogue options, especially the G.O.A.T exam.

To me Fallout is more of a satire thing. It does take it’s main story seriously but it’s filled with humour and ridiculous moments. I think they nailed it with this show tbh, don’t think it feels forced.

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I stated earlier I only ever played Fallout 3, New Vegas and 4. No idea what the original 2 were like. I know there is satire and humor. The various robots dialogue is always humorous, like I said the Super Mutants, some of the stuff from the ghouls, but it's still a serious story. There's plenty of situational humor, but it's not a story made for laughs.

The satire bit is because it's based on life in the 50's with such outdated concepts, ideologies, political views/fears by todays standards, and advanced tech of what it would be like for it's time with different advancements. That in itself could be comical when we base it on how stuff naturally progressed in the 70 years since then. That's not my issue. It's making the characters and they're situations/reactions overtly dumb and funny. I can laugh at stuff Goggins does, but I'm not laughing at him or how dumb he is like I am with Lucy, Maximus, the Vault dwellers and many of the denizens of the show.

Here's clip from an interview I found :

Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner said throughout the multi-year process of bringing the game to TV, one big element that evolved was the show’s approach to comedy. “When we say ‘comedy,’ we mean the ways in which the show is odd and unexpected—not necessarily zingers,” Wagner explained. “We played with all versions of this. There were zingers in the script and we were like, ‘Is the show this?’ We found ourselves taking out a lot of the more classic jokes and just leaning into the premise itself, because there’s an absurdity to it. Taking an absurd premise and playing it with a relatively straight face felt like the best way to do it.”

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I agree with that and feel that is what the show should be. But, I feel like the "zingers" they said they tried to avoid/take out are too much at the fore front. How many more were there if they took them out? Again, written to be funny rather than funny to the situation. I wouldn't be surprised if they were told to keep it that way even though they were trying not to.

I am, I guess, somewhat enjoying it. Or else I would've stopped watching. It looks mostly incredible. The worst part I noticed is when Maximus and his squire find the body, then follow the footprints in the sand. You can see the dogs and peoples they are following, but as the immensely heavy Power Armor takes each step it leaves absolutely NO footprints in the sand. That's just bad... Is it a mistake, or did they mean for you to see that?

I was just hoping for a little of a more serious tone. I just need to go with it and expect it to be dumb at this point.

Enjoying it two episodes in, genuinely. Fallout is dark but it's really filtered through some cockeyed humor. My folks told me they binged it in a single night, and my Fiance is enjoying it. Both are parties who don't have explicit connections to playing the games (beyond my Fiance seeing me play).

I like how they've spun a lot of experiences you'd have in the games into closed narrative loops.

Like the cave bear scene. Everyone has gone into a cave in a Bethesda game and ran out going "**** **** ****" before getting wrecked.

Everyone takes a companion who's entire job is to just carry their ****.

You frequently go and just do a task, and the resolution is nothing like you expected "i.e. "my chickens"".

I feel like I'm pointing out things I recognize from the games being incorporated one way or another. It's clear they had someone make a point to pull from the universe to stock their world. It's a degree of authenticity that Halo, for example, just chose to skip, giving them modern weapons because reasons. They're also doing a lot of practical work for the props and environments and I really appreciate that.

DioramaMaker said:

Enjoying it two episodes in, genuinely. Fallout is dark but it's really filtered through some cockeyed humor. My folks told me they binged it in a single night, and my Fiance is enjoying it. Both are parties who don't have explicit connections to playing the games (beyond my Fiance seeing me play).

I like how they've spun a lot of experiences you'd have in the games into closed narrative loops.

Like the cave bear scene. Everyone has gone into a cave in a Bethesda game and ran out going "**** **** ****" before getting wrecked.

Everyone takes a companion who's entire job is to just carry their ****.

You frequently go and just do a task, and the resolution is nothing like you expected "i.e. "my chickens"".

I feel like I'm pointing out things I recognize from the games being incorporated one way or another. It's clear they had someone make a point to pull from the universe to stock their world. It's a degree of authenticity that Halo, for example, just chose to skip, giving them modern weapons because reasons. They're also doing a lot of practical work for the props and environments and I really appreciate that.

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100%. The show Halo should have been but unlike the Fallout creators the folk behind Halo obviously weren't fans and never played the games

Season 1 viewed, for me a cracking show. Walton Goggins delivers as the Ghoul.

DioramaMaker said:

Enjoying it two episodes in, genuinely. Fallout is dark but it's really filtered through some cockeyed humor. My folks told me they binged it in a single night, and my Fiance is enjoying it. Both are parties who don't have explicit connections to playing the games (beyond my Fiance seeing me play).

I like how they've spun a lot of experiences you'd have in the games into closed narrative loops.

Like the cave bear scene. Everyone has gone into a cave in a Bethesda game and ran out going "**** **** ****" before getting wrecked.

Everyone takes a companion who's entire job is to just carry their ****.

You frequently go and just do a task, and the resolution is nothing like you expected "i.e. "my chickens"".

I feel like I'm pointing out things I recognize from the games being incorporated one way or another. It's clear they had someone make a point to pull from the universe to stock their world. It's a degree of authenticity that Halo, for example, just chose to skip, giving them modern weapons because reasons. They're also doing a lot of practical work for the props and environments and I really appreciate that.

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The problem with Halo is that they didn’t want it to be canon so that they didn’t have to be authentic. The showrunners purposefully avoided the games. Whereas the Fallout show creators are fans of the games.

I know next to nothing about Fallout, but my son played the games and has a pitboy in his closet (some kind of plastic promo from a few years ago that he got when he was in high school). At any rate the series is quite good, art direction is fantastic, sets are great, the creature designs are excellent, and the effects are seamless.

Regarding the performances, Goggins is the VIP standout. He usually plays somewhat weaseley characters, but here he gets to be a real badass, and 100% delivers. Michael Emerson, who plays the scientist from the Enclave, is always good. Kyle MacLachlan is perfectly cast. And nice to see Leslie Uggams back in another role. Also a special callouts to the actress who played Ma June, the two guys at the Supermarket (no spoilers), and the elixir peddler for making the most of their one or two scenes.

As for Lucy and Maximus. I thought they both actors did solid work based on direction. Both are products of their upbringing. Lucy is naive and trusting, well educated, but with a world view limited to Vault 33 society. She isn’t at all prepared for the realities of the surface world. Sure she has plot armor, but thankfully she isn’t a Mary Sue. The character is just getting started. I imagine she’ll have quite an arc over the next 2 seasons.

Initially I was a bit annoyed with how Maximus was characterized, as I was assuming the Brotherhood of Steel would be these trained and disciplined Spartan-like heroes. He was set up as a smiling doofus who fell ass backward into the armor. However, Maximus, along with the other “lost boys/war orphans” were basically expendable rabble thrown in together to do the lowest of the low tasks (Thaddeus was previously a “s#itter” ). Sure, they were getting a basic education, but it was an indoctrination into (religion-tinged) Brotherhood beliefs. Topics like sex were likely taboo, so the boys probably made up things among themselves. At the squire rank they were little more than pack mules—branded, abused and expendable. However, even the knights were revealed to be little more under their armor. Like everything in the Fallout world, knowledge and power seems to be reserved for those at the top. It will be interesting to see how the character’s arc plays out (and if the actor is up for it) now that he’s been set up for the next arc. If I were the director I’d have him going hard in the gym 6 days a week, Ranger style boot camp, and fight training. Not that the actor is out of shape, he isn’t, but I think there should be a marked physical and attitudinal change as he will likely mature into a different kind of knight and leader.

I believe the series has already been renewed for a second season. If not it’s become #2 on my list of hoped for renewals behind “3 Body Problem”