Introduction
Well, how’s that for a cold open? We get Charlie and Cooper on the front lines in the Alaskan Front Up until now, we only know of the battlefield from the games. However, as soon as the epsiode opened, I knew exactly where we were. It says a lot about the mythos of the game that all it takes is a glimpse of something in order for even a filthy casual like me to get the reference. Then, they end Fallout Episode 12 with one of the things that everyone’s been waiting for.
Death Freaking Claw!
Plot Summary and Analysis
For the full plot summary, see here.
As expected, this episode raises the stakes for Max and Thaddeus. In character, both react to the new reality as you’d expect. Max rises to the occasion, planning on killing Quintus after his accidental murder of Xander at the end of the last episode. Thaddeus also rises to the occasion, albeit in his own way. The fact that he’s willing to go along with Max’s insanity proves that he trusts the man and wants to do what he can to help. On the other hand, his absolute shit show of an attempt to fill in for Xander shows that the Brotherhood either had little regard for the emissary or they’re simply so self absorbed that they don’t notice the difference or both. The two of them hightailing it out of there as the Brotherhood implodes behind them is absolute poetry in motion.
Meanwhile, Lucy and the Ghoul both draw closer to their ultimate goals. Lucy knows she’s right on the cusp of finding her father and The Ghoul realizes the same for his family. Never able to simply allow for the characters to achieve their goals, the Wasteland throws some major obstacles in their way. Lucy handles the first, more matching jackets, in a way that makes The Ghoul proud. The episode leaves us on a cliffhanger just as the second looks prepared to eat their lunch.
This episode answers several questions, some that we never raised. First, the reveal that Stephanie is hard balling the other vault comes as no surprise, but it does add a new dimension that SHE’S CANADIAN! Surely, that will come back to bite her in the ass at some point. Also, what does that actually mean? Where are her true loyalties? Things are going to get very interesting down there. The other major question, where are the *SPOILER* from up above going to appear, gets answered in a major way. First, we get the tease in the opener and then we get the tease to close out the episode. Both set us up for some major action over the next few episodes and beyond. Meanwhile, with the Brotherhood in major crisis, it brings up some major questions. Will they endure? If so, how?
Overall, as an episode, this one does what it needs to do. Major changes in the Brotherhood and potential changes in the Vault. Lucy, through no fault of her own, starts to understand the toll that the Wasteland can take on a person. The tendrils of the past continue to extend into the present and future. And, I didn’t even talk about Norm’s group. What the heck will happen to them?
Character Profiles
Max: The prodigal son returns to challenge the corruption that he sees in the leadership of the Brotherhood. Emboldened by his assassination of one elder, he plans to do the same to the one who brought him into the fold. It’s okay to bite the hand that feeds when that hand is used to keep you down.
Lucy: As previously mentioned, her treatment gets her addicted to drugs. She becomes more like The Ghoul, probably more than she’d actually like to admit. It’s been happening slowly over time, but the drugs push her to her limits and she can’t help but give in. I understand what they’re trying to do with this, but I miss our non drug addicted hero.
Stephanie: SHE’S CANADIAN!
World Building and Setting
Both the pre bomb world and the current Wasteland see their mythos expanded. In the Alaskan Front, we get to see the early Power Armor and the bugs, the Chinese soldiers and their superiority complex, and The Demon in the Snow. None of this directly advances anyone’s story, but it deepens the lore of the show and the games. For every new bit of trivia that gets put into the show either from the games or not, we get a new and exciting thing to discuss on Reddit. And, that makes it all worthwhile.
Meanwhile, in the current Wasteland, they give us a different look at the Demon on the streets of New Vegas. Initially decried as a buggy disaster, it then became a fan favorite and the game that some newer players consider to be one of the best. For them, teasing out the story of Vegas has to be one of their favorite things about the show. I never played that particular game, but I like what I’ve seen of The Strip so far and I look forward to experiencing it for myself now.
Themes and Social Commentary
This episode revolves mostly around the theme of power corrupting and absolute power corrupting absolutely. Each faction of The Brotherhod runs their own little fiefdom with an iron fist and refuses to consider that there might be another way. This is most starkly evident in Quintus and his holy crusade to adhere to the purist interpretation of the Codex. However, we also see this in how Stephanie runs her vault and in the past where the US government sends their troops into a suicide mission before Cooper sends them back. He survives only by the luck of the draw.
Some of the subplots; addiction, the cycle of violence, complicated family legacies, and the promise of a better future are all there, too. They get different treatments, perhaps, than previous episodes. The promise of a better future, for example, is put on hold as the remnants of the NCR hold on to a battered and bruised legacy. Meanwhile, Max gets his turn at dealing with his adopted family legacy and comes out swinging. That a video game and a television show can so deeply explore these ideas and more shows just why people enjoy them so much.
Narrative Structure, Pacing, and Soundtrack
The show continues with the parallel storytelling. Hey, if it ain’t broke and all. This time, they introduce Norm’s survivors into the mix as well. His attempt at holding onto the memory of who his father was and taking control of the group gives another path to power outside of the structured votes of the Vault he left behind. Meanwhile, Max returning to Quintus mirrors Lucy’s own search for her father. Where Max makes a quick decision to kill Quintus in an attempt to end that evil, we know Lucy won’t be able to do the same for her father, no matter how many people he hurts or kills.
The show moves along at such a quick pace that as I watch, I barely realize that 40 minutes have passed. Whenever I pause the show to take more notes, I wonder how they will tell the story well enough in the time they have remaining. Not once do they ever leave me questioning the story they tell or how it evolves. I just have so much respect for the writers of this how to be able to keep this thing interesting. And, as always, they kill it with the music. Watching the *REDACTED* rise in the streets of New Vegas to the lyrics, “He’s a demon…” is just pure Fallout magic.
The Verdict
Fallout Episode 12 starts with what some will call fan service. Fair enough, but they fit it into the story so well that you can’t help but enjoy it. They bring the Brotherhood to their knees, raise Norm to his logical endpoint as leader, and continue to develop Lucy and The Ghoul’s relationship to themselves and each other. WIth 4 episodes left to go in the season, I’m on board for all of it.