Introduction
Third episode into the season. We need to reintroduce another character. First episode, we got mostly The Ghoul and Lucy. Last episode, they caught us up on Max. Throw in some Hank and you got yourself a nice little setup for plenty of shenanigans. What’s that, you say? What ever happened to Thaddeus. I have to admit, that’s not what I wondered, but apparently the writers heard your plea. Fallout Episode 11 opens with your boy. Even though I forgot about him, I will say “Thank you” for following up on his exploits.
Plot Summary and Analysis
For the full plot summary, click here.
I wrote last time that so many characters risk diluting the overall story. Surely, you say, bringing Thaddeus into the fold starts to tip the scales. No, they give him some screen time at the beginning and then circle back around to incorporate him into the overall arc with Max. I know you probably think me a deluded fan boy. Honestly, I don’t blame you and you’re probably right. However, I also just think that the writers instinctively know how much screen time to devote to each character to allow them to advance the plot without overloading what’s happening on the screen.
And, how does Thaddeus advance the plot? Honestly, he doesn’t. Wait, wait, hold on. At least, not initially. He serves mainly as comedic relief in the opening scene. And that’s a good thing because much of the episode is grim. Im addition to the central themes of the series (what makes a “survivor”, corrupting influences like greed, strength of good vs. strength of power, the downfall of an overly capitalist society), it also brings in the concept of civil war in two major ways. First, the Brotherhood finds itself on the brink of civil war. Second, the Legion fights among its tribes for the sake of succession. The Brotherhood holds together by the slimmest of margins and mostly because the factions are too greedy or chicken shit to join forces. Meanwhile, the Legion holds a tenuous truce only through their shared history, which doesn’t amount to much.
Meanwhile, through flashbacks, they tell the story of Cooper, military hero and major Hollywood actor. Through his story, we see the main theme of greed and how it leads ultimately to failure. HIs wife and her cohorts look to end the world in an attempt to prevent others and make money. Mr. House and his biggest fan pull strings in the background to ensure that they and theirs somehow come out on top through the sheer force of his checkbook. As ever, the rich present themselves as saviors of humanity while simultaneously dooming it to death and destruction. The subplot with Charlie serves to counter that with the message that the greatest force in the world continues to be love.
The episode ties all of the loose threads from last episode and brings it home with two quiet moments that reinforce that message about love. When The Ghoul remembers the lighter, it brings back his humanity. Meanwhile, through an inhuman act of murder, Max both saves lives and condemns lives. This proves that there are never any easy answers and anyone who claims otherwise is selling something.
Character Profiles
Thaddeus: As mentioned, mostly just comic relief in this episode. However, it can also be argued that he holds a mirror up to humanity and acts as a stand in for those of us who simply want to live.
Lucy: Continually tested and failing more often than not it seems, she continues to believe that doing good will return good to you. I relate a lot to Lucy as I often get called “Too nice” by people. I never understood what that meant until recently. It means that they want license to treat others like dirt and when you’re nice, they feel bad doing it. It’s more of a reflection on them than you. Keep on keeping on, Luce.
Cooper/The Ghoul: The bridge between the world before and the world now. You see the good man he was and that shines through even as he tries to portray himself as hardened to the world. There have been hints of this in the past, but his actions this time around really drive the points home.
Max: Another poor soul caught between his loyalty to the Brotherhood and his desire to do good. It looked like he finally found that balance until Quintus cast him off as just another tool and Xander refused to budge off of the Codex as a justification for murdering children.
Xander, Charlie, Rodrigues: For now, all three serve a singular purpose of advancing the character arc of another character. For Xander, he serves as the polar opposite of Max who is enchanting at first and then monstrous. Charlie reminds The Ghoul of the good that he’s trying to kill inside of himself. Rodrigues provides another glimpse of good in the hell of it all.
World Building and Setting
This episode builds the world out in sometimes subtle ways. The not so subtle are the introduction of the Legion and the NCR. Some may write it off as fan service, and it certainly is that. However, both serve a deeper purpose. The Legion represent a group ignorant in some ways of wha tthey are trying to emulate and the obvious conclusions of that ignorance. They can’t even pronouce Caesar, they don’t realize that prima noctis isn’t a part of their supposed legacy, and it shows in their ridiculous civil war over succession. The NCR, meanwhile, consists of a couple of stalwarts and some chickens. This isn’t the huge conquering force of lore. It’s a dying and festering wound that probably “should stay dead” in the words of The Ghoul.
Other more subtle nods to building the world. Lucy’s experience as a teacher does nothing for her in this group of ignoramuses. They don’t care about accuracy. They just want to continue their dumb legacy of cruelty. The Ghoul waxes poetic about a boat that both serves as a metaphor for his life, but also the society at large. So many planks are removed a this point and “what the fuck are we looking at?” And, yet, through it all, people still find themselves guided towards “good”. In a world ruled by “evil”, they continue to make those choices. The choices that are “maybe something good and maybe something stupid.” Ultimately, aren’t they all until the dust settles and you realize the consequences of those choices?
Themes and Social Commentary
Parsing out that last question brings us to one of the major themes of the epsiode. We see it in The Ghoul who asks the question. It also can be asked of Max’s decision to kill Xander. Hell, we can go back to last episode and ask it about Lucy taking the detour to help the woman in the hospital. At first it looked good, even though The Ghoul told her how stupid it was. Then, we saw it as the stupid decision he tried to warn her about. It only ultimately turned out good because The Ghoul made one of his own stupid/good decisions to distract the Legion and save her.
The choice to counter good with stupid leads to another theme of the episode and series. While never defining one or the other explicitly, through the characters, setting, and plot they continually push the viewer to draw their own conclusions. Generally, those who choose good are initially punished in some form or another. When you exist in a world of cruelty, it becomes stupid to choose good, at least initially. The humanity comes from continuing to choose good in a world that considers you stupid. Most of us can survive being called stupid. How many can live with being called evil?
Narrative Structure, Pacing, and Soundtrack
Without the slog of Norm trying to get the 31ers on his side and Hank blowing up mouse after mouse, the episode flies by this time around. Through Lucy’s stubborn adherence to good, The Ghoul’s resilience and adaptation to the harsh environment of the Wasteland, and Max’s constant fight between his nature and the inconsistent teachings of The Brotherhood, they give us three great narrative arcs that all exist independent of one another. Yet, the lessons they teach us all mesh well enough that when they interact, it doesn’t bog down the pacing one bit. Later in the season, I said to myself (somewhat shallowly, you’ll see why), “This show is so fucking good. I want it to go on forever.”
The soundtrack continues to provide an emotional fulcrum for the show. The songs are chosen to either enhance the mood on the screen or add to the tension in the scene. The old timey music harkens back to a simpler time that actually never was. Or, if it was, it exists only in the minds of those who saw everything through rose colored glasses. Not to make too much of a parallel to our own halcyon past, “the gold old days weren’t always that good.” The haunting meaning behind the closing song after Max brained Xander counters the upbeat tempo of the song and light hearted lyrics.
The Verdict
After two episodes of set up, Fallout Episode 11 raises the stakes and brings the heat. It makes us think. It gives a reason to hope. That hope is often followed by a foreboding sense of dread. There aren’t any easy answers and the show offers no apologies for that.