Fallout Season 2 Episode 8 Review: The Strip

Everything in Fallout Season 2 has been leading up to this big finale as everyone, from Lucy and Maximus to Caesar’s Legion and the New California Republic, clashes in big ways. Although the previous two episodes faced some struggles to make Season 2’s ending cohesive, “The Strip” does a satisfying job in building Season 3 up.

When Season 1 first ended with Hank heading off to New Vegas, it was exciting because of how familiar the setting felt, both physically and in terms of the narrative. Yet, as Season 2 progressed, the need to start pushing every storyline to the forefront was somewhat forceful considering what each arc contained.

However, with “The Strip,” it’s made clear that Season 2 was meant to be the Fallout season that paves the way for a bigger third installment. Even though the show still looks to explore New Vegas in the future, it’s certain that this series is going beyond what we’re used to (and that’s okay!)

The storyline that’s felt the most solid, that gets a good payoff, is with what’s going on between Lucy, Hank, and the Ghoul. Lucy doesn’t trust her dad to make the wasteland a safer place through his black box technology and has imparted the task of delivering to the Ghoul.

Hank’s been holding Barb and Janey in stasis as an ongoing hostage-like situation, but ever since the Ghoul’s started to develop a friendship with Lucy, he’s hesitated. Through these flashbacks that show him playing right into the Enclave’s hands, it’s shown that the Ghoul has always wanted to do right, yet was consumed by self-preservation.

However, when he finally confronts Mr. House about his plans and the “other player,” it feels like he’s finally broken free of this hesitation. No longer does he need to put on this mask of arrogance, but he slowly has this new sense of purpose. Yet, Mr. House, being the pragmatist he is, tries to warn Cooper about the impending crisis.

We’re meant to feel slightly bad because House clearly has an idea about this crisis at hand. His urgency to have Cooper join him has an agency that was presented back on “The Wrangler,” but now intensified with everything at stake.

Of course, Cooper remains focused on protecting those he cares about, which goes to show when he saves Lucy from Hank’s mind-controlled henchman. It does some justice to what he’s done since his betrayal at the end of “The Wrangler”, capping off his time with Lucy nicely.

That final flashback that sees Cooper being arrested and leaving Barb behind was probably the most heartbreaking, yet satisfying, moment. Despite Cooper originally losing hope that he wouldn’t reunite with his wife and daughter, that slow realization is executed just right.

More on Lucy, for most of Fallout Season 2, she’s been trying to understand her own philosophies while taking into account her encounters with the wasteland’s denizens. She’s sought to do right by the standards she’s lived with, but doesn’t trust herself to do what the wasteland demands her to do.

This is apparent when the head of Congresswoman Welch asks Lucy to end her life, which Hank states had been done because of complications. Lucy clearly doesn’t want to go against her morals, but this feels like the breaking point for her, which leads to a much bigger conundrum.

When Cooper saves Lucy, she’s given a choice whether or not to kill her father, as she did Welch. Although she does bring Hank back to the surface, the conversation they share about the Enclave’s great plan and “phase two” is genuinely shocking to watch.

Even though Hank wanted to bring peace, his belief in the Enclave’s radical ideology consumed him, and it’s in his belief of that where he remains steadfast. Whether or not he truly wanted to have a happy family is now questioned as he decides to erase his mind of everything the old Hank knew.

Hank and Lucy’s storyline also finally connects back to the interconnected Vaults, as revealed when Steph finally gets what was in Hank’s keepsake box: an Enclave Pip-Boy. Using it to initiate phase two, Steph is very determined to continue the experiments of these vaults.

However, when Hank also notes that the Great Experiment was not within the Vaults, but on the surface, it has a deeper meaning. The relationship between the Vaults and the surface world is symbiotic: they rely on certain aspects of each other to bring Pre-War America back.

In terms of Fallout Season 2 setting up Season 3, the Great Experiment might see the FEV virus being distributed to create mind-controlled super mutants, but that’s for another day. 

As for what Maximus has to go through, “The Strip” pretty much throws him into action against the Deathclaws plaguing the Strip. It’s action-packed and brutal as ever, with some gory moments to spare. Him showing resilience is a much-needed element to further show.

Now that Maximus has abandoned the Brotherhood of Steel, he’s reaffirmed his confidence thanks to his upbringing in Shady Sands. He’s a New California Republic boy at heart, as he shows his courageousness even when his power armor breaks down.

When the New California Republic arrives on scene, it’s played up for the dramatics, but it’s still satisfying to finally see them in full force. It’s another roundabout moment from “The Profligate” that plays out well.

However, the same might not be said for Caesar’s Legion as Legate Lacerta uncovers the letter that Caesar left, signifying that the Legion died when he did. When he kills the guy who tries to get a status, it makes it clear that anyone can just become Caesar in this mess.

It’s a bit messy when it comes to trying to rationalize Caesar’s Legion (if you could even try to do so.) Yet, it seems somewhat fitting to see Macaulay Culkin taking the mantle to do another power play over the NCR, despite them reclaiming Freeside. 

As for Norm and the Vault 31 dwellers, their scenes are mostly here to finish establishing the FEV virus’ role for Fallout Season 3. The whole radroach massacre is quickly done, but at least Norm and Claudia manage to survive, despite their poor condition.

This entire storyline in Fallout Season 2 felt the most disconnected from the other storylines, leaving little to add. Fortunately, it does have a mention when the Enclave’s headquarters in Colorado are revealed, which is a nice touch.

Fallout Season 2 Episode 8 will leave fans with a bittersweet aftertaste as it opens new doors for Lucy, Maximus, and the Ghoul while laying the groundwork for an impactful Season 3. Even though Season 2, since Episode 6, has pretty much been setup to next season’s story, it’s a satisfying cliffhanger for the most part.

Additional Thoughts:

• Unless they somehow canonized Fallout 4‘s Brotherhood of Steel ending, I’m genuinely wondering how they’re going to bring Liberty Prime into this.
• House mentioning how he was bludgeoned by a crowbar has to be a reference to the Half-Life game series.
• Hank being an Enclave member is understandable, but I somewhat find it hard to believe that Steph is also affiliated because of her ties with him.
• I really wonder how Lucy and Maximus might work for House as they try to escape New Vegas. Considering the setup in the credits, it might just put them both at the center of this conflict.
• The entire underground Vault-Tec facility was under the Lucky 38 this entire time?

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All episodes of Fallout Season 2 are now streaming on Prime Video.

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