Fallout Season 1 Episode 1 & 2 Review: The End and The Target

Video games don’t always rise to the occasion, adapting the story for their live-action counterparts. But Prime Video’s latest go at it has been entertaining to see with Fallout, setting up the world viewers are thrown into on Fallout Season 1 Episode 1 and Fallout Season 1 Episode 2, “The End” and “The Target.”

The first two super-sized episodes of the series set up an intriguing and desolate world. In the aftermath of a global nuclear catastrophe, survivors must find a way to thrive in the environment that now exists for them.

Fallout‘s smart choice of introducing viewers to each perspective of the world through different characters helps the uninitiated understand the context without being well-versed in the game itself. This allows the series to move past exposition quickly without sacrificing the audience’s understanding or preserving its mysteries.

Let’s break down the “The End” and “The Target.”

One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Vault Dwelling Kind

Lucy MacLean’s introduction comes on the heels of an unnerving scene, and a wild flash forward in “The End” sets the tone for her journey. She is somehow idealistic because of her upbringing and quick to adapt to the realities she faces, from her life in the vault and her mission through the Wastelands, making it easier to engage with her story.

The decisions Lucy makes in the first pair of episodes at times play hilariously, like when she waves amiably to a stranger to ask for directions with one hand while aiming a gun with the other on Fallout Season 1 Episode 2, “The Target.”

The way Ella Purnell plays it feels so much like Brendan Fraser’s character in Blast From The Past, and it’s a comparison that is honestly so fitting for her at this point in the story.

Other times, however, they offer a startlingly sober look at the realities of their world. No other moment highlights that better than when Lucy meets Ma June. Though Ma June initially could care less, mentioning Moldaver’s name stops the entire scene.

Offering Lucy an unsolicited reality check in the face of her inability to explain the Vault Dwellers and their purpose, Ma Jue plainly explains to her patron precisely what life is like for the people outside of the vault and what they think of Vault Dwellers.

It’s a good moment that stands out early in the series, highlighting one of Fallout’s themes. It is an excellent start to the conversation, and I am excited to see where it goes.

Cooper Howard’s Unnervingly Long Life

It’s hard not to notice that the opening scenes of Fallout feature an idyllic alternate reality of what can only be assumed is the 1950s, where viewers get their first surprising character introduction in Cooper Howard.

A famous actor who moonlights as a cowboy for birthday parties, Cooper’s last gig before “The End” begins is full of people trying and unsuccessfully avoiding talk about the country on the verge of all-out nuclear war.

Walton Goggins does an excellent job introducing Cooper, emphasizing his relationship with his daughter and his unspoken acknowledgment of the gravity of what’s to come.

This performance makes his reappearance 219 years later more shocking. As The Ghoul, he’s uninhibited and ready to go after any target as a bounty hunter, which makes his first meeting with Lucy and Maximus even more entertaining.

Sure, it’s a (very) bloody scene, but the snappy dialogue and The Ghoul’s reaction to Lucy and Maximus’s choices are comical considering the setting of their first showdown.

Maximus and The Brotherhood of Steel

While The Ghoul’s methods are…violent, The Brotherhood of Steel looks to get their bounty by force. Armed with mech suits, this paramilitary fleet deploys the Lord Knights and their squires on different missions in the name of a divine obligation to keep order.

As Lord Knight Titus goes on a mission to hunt down the missing Enclave member, we meet Maximus and get quick glimpses of who he is and his past. This leads up to the moment his friend, Dane, gets attacked, leaving Maximus to step in as Titus’ squire.

Though we get these glimpses, it’s still tricky to figure him out in the same way viewers can with Lucy. Maximus’ sense of duty and obligation shifts according to the moment’s needs, leading to some intriguing moments during “The Target.”

Maximus deals in absolutes and clearly knows what the suit and the Brotherhood should stand for. Only by the end of the episode do we get a peek at his other side as he comes up against The Ghoul in Filly. I am curious to see how far that development goes.

Overall, the introduction to Fallout has proven engaging and fun, even for a viewer with little knowledge of the franchise.

Random Notes

• The best way to describe the final act of the second episode, “The Target,” is that it adds a level of humanity to The Ghoul and merits some level of doubt as to how “bad” he is.
• I am so happy to see Zach Cherry as a Vault Dweller.

What did you think of this episode of Fallout? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Fallout Season 1 is available to stream on Prime Video now.

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