Introduction
What do they do for an encore? We already know the primary players and the setting thanks to the first season and Fallout: New Vegas. Was the first season a one hit wonder? Stranger Things showed that even the most beloved show can quickly and easily alienate many viewers with only a few misteps. After having rewatched Fallout Episode 9, I can say they’re coming back bigger and this show is no one hit wonder.
Plot Summary and Analysis
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We ended the previous season with Lucy and the Ghoul together, Max heralded as a hero, Thaddius turning into…something, a ghoul perhaps?, and Hank on the outskirts of New Vegas. This episode focuses mostly on the Ghoul and Lucy chasing after Hank through the Wasteland. They continue to fill in the gaps from the past with flashbacks to Cooper’s previous life.
Meanwhile, we also get a glimpse into Vault’s 33 with new overseer Steph Harper, Chet, not Chet’s baby, Reggie, and the team trying to get their water chip back up and running. Norm continues to be outsmarted by Roomba Bud until he zigs when Roomba Bud expects him to zag.
A new party enters the scene with a new technology that makes others subservient. It also comes with one massive headache of a side effect.
Hank reaches his destination and gets to work.
Character Profiles
Robert House: A man with a plan and enough resources to make it happen. The only problem is that plan involves nuking the planet.
Stephanie and Chet: Stephanie isn’t quite settling in to her new role as Vault overseer. The stress is definitely getting to her. Chet, too, is disillusioned with his new life.
Reggie: He finally finds his purpose in the vault and starts a support group for offspring of incest.
World Building and Setting
In the post apocalyptic Wasteland, we get a ton of new settings. The Ghoul and Lucy start in a town that has been taken over by a gand of thugs and clean house. During their trip, they stumble upon an old woman selling food on the side of the road for only 2 caps. In addition, the woman gives them information. The two of them investigate Vault 24 and get us one step closer to seeing Vegas.
Meanwhile, in the past, we see violent uprisings against the technological advances thrust upon the world by the capitalists. The new invention helps to set the stage for future episodes. At the very end of the episode, courtesy of Hank, we see a massive Vault-Tec headquarters and some of the wonders contained therein.
Themes and Social Commentary
More not so subtle commentary on the nature of unfetered capitalism and concentrating wealth into the hands of the few. The people rise up to take some of their power back and they are met with the utmost force by their capitalist overlords. That script gets somewhat flipped in the end times with Norm successfully leading a one man rebellion against Roomba Bud. I guess it’s true what they say, “Nuclear holocaust is the great equalizer of men.” or something along those lines.
The Ghoul continues to try to spread his corrupting world view to Lucy. She resists and likewise tries to get him to admit that there’s more alike between them than different. Through it all, the big theme of the games and now TV show, family and the messiness that entails, endures. Reggie and his incest group. Lucy chasing after her father. The Ghoul’s search to find his own family. Dysfunction comes in a variety of forms but through it all, family is family. And, that’s not always a good thing.
Narrative Structure, Pacing, and Soundtrack
The decision to focus on The Ghoul and Lucy for Fallout episode 9 is smart. With so many front line characters and even compelling supporting characters, it would be easy to fall into the trap of trying to tell everyone’s story all at once. But, Lucy and her search for her father drives this narrative right now, so put her front and center in the opener. And, The Ghoul is probably the coolest character in the show, so any screen time for him is worth it. At the risk of too many stories, they do update us on the original crew in the vault 33 and Norm’s transformation to true bad ass mofo in Vault 31. While Norm’s story story has more of a chance of going somewhere, the Vault 33 crew are more than just a throwaway this episode. More to come there.
Additionally, the other stories of the original vaults serves a dual purpose. In addition to expanding their own story, they break up the main story. This gives the writers a chance to put some mini cliffhangers into the show that keeps the story interesting. Overall, the entire structure of the episode allows the stories to move forward of their own momentum and the momentum provided by the others.
One of my favorite things about the series is the music. Not only is it great oldies music that I enjoy listening to, but they always seem to pick the perfect song at the perfect time. When you listen to the song and you watch the scene, the music complements it perfectly. If you want the best case scenario of this from this episode, rewatch the Hank getting to work scene at the end of the episode. It’s simply magnificent.
The Verdict
After such a great first season, the possibility that things went sideways this time around were high. I’m happy to report that not only hasn’t the series gone sideways, but it continues to push forward and tell a compelling narrative with Fallout episode 9. The show serves to further build the lore of Fallout and, for that, we should all be thankful.