Fallout Season 2 Episode 2 Review: The Golden Rule

If fans wanted more of the Brotherhood of Steel specifically, then Fallout Season 2 Episode 2 definitely fulfills that need. As Season 2 begins to build those stakes, Maximus definitely takes the forefront of this episode as we get a closer look into his inner conflicts.

For the most part, what we’ve seen from Maximus’s past was mostly through post-incident Shady Sands flashbacks before he was found by the Brotherhood. In Season 1, the Shady Sands incident was, for the most part, only mentioned in bits and pieces. However, that emotional toil within him gets brought out here.

On the other side of things in this episode, we also get more of Lucy and the Ghoul getting into a side quest once again. It feels reminiscent of what Lucy and the Ghoul faced way back on Season 1 Episode 3 “The Head”, but with much more dire consequences.

The strongest element of this episode has to go to Maximus and the amount of doubt and determination he carries on his shoulders. In the Fallout Season 1 finale, Maximus was circumstantially acknowledged as a Knight despite not being the one to actually kill Moldaver (she was shot way before his arrival.)

Here, Maximus’s hesitation to fully embody what Elder Quintus wants for him begins to peek through. Everyone around him, save for a few like Dane, are overly praising him for the “sacrifice” he’s made for the Brotherhood, even though he doesn’t want it. There’s that conversation Maximus has with a young initiate that shows his doubt, believing that Quintus’s influence might be extending too far.

While it’s somewhat short, it feels impactful in the long run. Maximus wants the Brotherhood to restore whatever order it can to the Wasteland, but the way that Quintus is trying to do so is inevitably troubling. It feels like Maximus views it as being ideologically driven by Quintus rather than action-focused as he would’ve wanted to.

It’s something that’s reflected in the Shady Sands flashback with Maximus and his parents, who were simply living their lives before Hank’s chip-controlled crony delivered the bomb that destroyed the city. Maximus fears that his in-action to do something will result not only in the demise of his chapter, but also his friend, Lucy.

Even though we don’t get full confirmation, it does seem like Maximus still has some kind of heart out for Lucy. Their short-lived companionship in Season 1 left an emotional impact on him: he knows that there are good people, but he’s still dedicated to the Brotherhood. As the tides are shifting, it feels like he wants to do good.

However, by the time the episode gets to the Brotherhood fight club, Maximus still has that need to get that approval from Quintus. Even though we saw a bit of the mentorship Quintus had on Maximus in Fallout Season 1, there’s something unspoken here that feels like it needs more explaining. 

With Xander Harkness’s arrival, it does seem like Maximus will get that change, but fans will have to find out whether or not he’ll turn that other cheek to Quintus.

As for what Lucy and the Ghoul face on this episode, their journey to find Lucy’s father, Hank, gets sidetracked when they hear a woman calling out for help. Being the “good person” that Lucy is, she decides to investigate herself despite the Ghoul’s focus to keep moving forward.

For the most part, the two were able to get on good terms as they’ve been on this path. Sure, their venture in Novac with the Great Khans put them in a pickle, but they’ve also put aside their moral differences for the better. At least, that’s what it seems until they’ve reached this point.

When Lucy and the Ghoul eventually find this woman, the attack from some radscorpions leaves Lucy in a dilemma: either save the woman that’s about to die or the Ghoul, who’s been poisoned. As you can guess with Lucy’s “Vaultie” moral compass, she decides to take the high road by using the last stimpak on the woman.

These moral dilemmas that Lucy faces over time are interesting because, at this point in the game, it feels like she’s been hardened by what the Wasteland has done to her. She’s gone through an incredible amount of trouble and pain, both mentally and physically, to get the justice she believes she deserves.

However, Lucy is still too inclined to believing in the golden rule philosophy she’s grown up with, most likely because of the community-based approach she’s been involved in. By doing some sort of right, even if it’s as small as it is, Lucy believes she can make all the difference.

It also feels like the journey she faced in Fallout Season 1 has also inevitably changed her in some way. While she still believes in the Vault-Tec philosophy, she’s found a way to apply her beliefs through a hands-on, action-based approach similarly to the Ghoul. That’s where the similarities between the two’s motivations mostly stop, though.

In the Wasteland, however, the smallest change in doing right, in terms of Lucy’s case, doesn’t really make all the difference. It’s still as oppressive and dangerous as ever, as seen when Lucy tries to bring the woman back to where she belongs, only to get caught up by Caesar’s Legion. 

Lucy’s due diligence to doing what’s all right and “dandy” has put her in more messes, but it’s a bit fun to see Lucy stand her own ground as a reflection of her initial challenges that she faced with the Ghoul. It’s almost like a reminder of their time with the Gulper and the superstore, but Lucy is actually doing something about it.

As for what Lucy’s brother, Norm, is doing, he’s been in a whole mess of his own after he discovered the “Bud’s Buds” program. As an attempt to change things up, he decides to take charge of these newly-unfrozen Vault-Tec employees in hopes to make a difference.

What we get from Norm’s arc on this episode feels like leadership hijinks as he takes it upon himself to become the guiding hand of these new employees. Norm’s speech does bear that motivated determination, even if he’s essentially lying to their faces in order to keep them controlled as he can.

While it’s good to see that what Season 2 is doing with Norm, it also feels like they just needed to do something with him this episode in order to get the Vault storyline moving again. Sure, it does provide that path to make Norm the leader that he wanted to be since Season 1, but it’s going to take some time for it to feel impactful.

Fallout Season 2 Episode 2 is a carefully focused episode on Maximus’s doubts with the Brotherhood that does good on expanding his moral compass. This episode does make the Brotherhood’s internal conflict start to feel compelling, especially as the Commonwealth comes into the picture, but I do hope it continues to smoothly flesh out the other arcs as well.

Additional Thoughts:

• I’m happily satisfied with the episode dropping this line: “Patrolling the Mojave makes you wish for a nuclear winter.”
• I kind of get why the Brotherhood fight club scene was there, but it also feels unfitting in terms of the in-game world.
• Hank’s whole deal this episode is pretty much experimentation with House’s chip technology, but it’s hilarious to watch his stone-faced reaction to the failures!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

—

Fallout Season 2 premieres on Tuesday, December 16, on Prime Video.

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!