Let me start with the technical stuff: I think the creators of this show did an amazing job at nailing the Fallout look and vibe. That goes way beyond just presenting some random props fans might know from the games. We see the classic Fallout world of 50' US aesthetics with early 80' technology grafted over futuristic inventions. And then we see how that world might look like after a nuclear war and 200 years of decay. So far, so good. It indicates a certain level of reverence for the source material.
However, this still isn't the Fallout world we know from the video games and that is a surprising constant in the entire Fallout series. Fallout always has two main components. One is what might be called the "nameless evil of the day". So in the first Fallout games that nameless evil was government overreach and conspiracies. In following Fallout games that nameless evil was science "gone wrong" and the bigoted cancer of irrational cults. With this TV show that nameless evil is the selfish corporate interest of mega-companies having their own twisted social agendas.
The other component is the eternally flawed human nature and how even the best of intentions, when confronted by our craving for power and our desire to impose our wills on others, will eventually corrupt any cause we deem worthy and good.
This mix of components is thrown into a dystopian future and the appeal of the Fallout world is that it lets us decide what is the true evil. Is it the lawlessness and cruelty of the world we see or is it the nameless evil which shaped this world?
That is where the show has its problems. We are rushed through this weighing of alternatives at such a pace that there is very little room for reflection. We barely get to know the main characters before we are neckdeep in the conspiracy pervading this strange future. In a way it feels like the writers were so afraid of appearing like just another generic mystery box TV show that they revealed their mystery way too early.
That being said, it's a good TV show. I just fear that they tried to tell too much too fast for it to be a great show. Maybe a potential second season will take a deep breath, slow down a bit and develop its protagonists better.
However, this still isn't the Fallout world we know from the video games and that is a surprising constant in the entire Fallout series. Fallout always has two main components. One is what might be called the "nameless evil of the day". So in the first Fallout games that nameless evil was government overreach and conspiracies. In following Fallout games that nameless evil was science "gone wrong" and the bigoted cancer of irrational cults. With this TV show that nameless evil is the selfish corporate interest of mega-companies having their own twisted social agendas.
The other component is the eternally flawed human nature and how even the best of intentions, when confronted by our craving for power and our desire to impose our wills on others, will eventually corrupt any cause we deem worthy and good.
This mix of components is thrown into a dystopian future and the appeal of the Fallout world is that it lets us decide what is the true evil. Is it the lawlessness and cruelty of the world we see or is it the nameless evil which shaped this world?
That is where the show has its problems. We are rushed through this weighing of alternatives at such a pace that there is very little room for reflection. We barely get to know the main characters before we are neckdeep in the conspiracy pervading this strange future. In a way it feels like the writers were so afraid of appearing like just another generic mystery box TV show that they revealed their mystery way too early.
That being said, it's a good TV show. I just fear that they tried to tell too much too fast for it to be a great show. Maybe a potential second season will take a deep breath, slow down a bit and develop its protagonists better.
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