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”
