Finally gaming has made the leap into mainstream visual media thanks to a raft of exceptional stories finally taking their rightful place amongst a wider audience. Towards the top of that pile is Prime Video’s surprisingly well received Fallout, based on Bethesda Game Studios long running and award winning gaming series. Season 2 has begun its run and as we get to the midpoint of the series it is time to check in and see if it is continuing to live up to our expectations from season 1. Yes I have become a streaming shill, the week to week release is killing me so I am hoarding them all together.
Beginning with a recap of the final moments of last season we join our intrepid wide eyed vault dweller Lucy (Ella Purnell) having found her father Hank and learning some not so positive truths regarding his kidnapping, before he made off into the sunset in a stolen power armour that miraculously has a full power core, I can never be so lucky in game…
Lucy’s path once again crosses with everyone’s favourite Ghoul (Walter Goggins) who’s jaded world view is the perfect counterweight to her “fudge” and ‘golly-gosh” strewn expletives. Lucy and the Ghoul must continue to track her father who we now know was heading towards the heart of all things impure Las Vegas to enact some mysterious but no doubt nefarious scheme.
Season 2 jumps straight back into the brutality of the wasteland that helped make the first so endearing to fans of the games and continues to add elements of story to give us a deeper connection to the characters on screen. Goggins’ pre Fallout character Cooper Howard is getting much more screen time allowing us to unravel his beginnings and life before the bombs dropped. The story dips into themes of espionage, betrayal and moral conflicts with Howard at the centre and continues to show us the distractingly beautiful retro-futuristic alternate 1950’s America.
Flashbacks aside, our favourite brotherhood of steel knight Maximus (Aaron Moten) has been promoted to a more senior position within the brotherhood and now has his voice heard, allowing him to take on more of a knight role. The introduction of Kumail Nanjiani as an envoy from a different clan had me reaching for the skip button but allowed Moten to lean more into some comedic moments snapping him back to reality and out of his pining for Lucy and their time on the road together.
Other guest roles to keep an eye out for are Macauly Culkin plying his usual dry with in a cult setting and Justin Theroux as the debonair and reclusive Robert House, father of the robotics empire that shaped the pre-war world.
Fallout season 2 keeps pace with the original with its slapstick humour, eye rolling jokes, plenty of blood, gore and explosions to make you want to come back week to week. Again it makes sure that its audience stays engaged with a storyline broken up with interweaving narratives that forces you to pay attention in a time where more shows are focussing on being the second screen in the room. Drawing more directly from the source material this time around, especially what is often noted as the pinnacle of the series New Vegas, Fallout is pleasing fans and newcomers alike with its rich blend of story telling and frivolous action. This violent wasteland has been filled with a litany of diverse characters that impact the story whether front and centre or a fleeting passer by.
Season 2 of Fallout is available now on Prime Video and releasing a new episode each week with a further 4 planned to come.
