Imagine a world where 219 years have passed since the horrific nuclear explosion, and a select group of humans now live in the safety and luxury of an underground vault – a civilized haven where life is as dreamy as possible. It’s like a manual for living a simple life in a tunnel—except for the oddity of using a virtual projector to project images of the real world.

Outside these vaults, everything is strange, terrifying, dangerous, radioactive, chaotic, bloody and unpredictable – in short, the world is an absolute nightmare right now. You might get radiation sickness, fall prey to giant cockroaches, be hunted by mutated humans, or be forced to sell your teeth for money.

Buckle up because this is just the beginning! Welcome to the fascinating universe of Prime Video’s Fallout, a post-apocalyptic show based on the hit video game series of the same name. Although set in the same universe, the show is not based on a specific game in the series; Instead, it incorporates major themes and elements from the game and brings with it elements of the series like ghouls, devourers, pip-boys, and more.

As someone who’s never played a Fallout game and isn’t much of a fan of violence, I expected to be bored, grossed out, and dragging my way through the show – but my experience was anything but! In fact, this show has always fascinated me, and every time my interest strays just a little bit, something unexpected pops up.

Fallout TV series review: Not your regular video game adaptation

Aaron Moten’s Maximus serves as Lucy’s ally on her unpredictable journey to the surface

The Fallout TV series is more than just an R-rated video game adaptation. It does have a lot of gore, with people smashing eyes with forks, pulling out teeth with their bare hands, stitching wounds, blowing heads off like birthday candles, and chopping up all the humans. But Fallout also explores minute human emotions in detail, while delving into complex issues of war, political unrest, existentialism, human nature, and more. It will make you laugh, gasp, curse and roll your eyes all at the same time.

As the curtain rises, we meet Ella Purnell’s Lucy, a polite woman from Vault 1. The 33-year-old is now looking for a suitable partner from various shelters – well, because she’s tired of “cousin stuff” that isn’t “good long-term reproductive habits” (her words, not ours!).

One thing leads to another, and Lucy decides to break the rules and head out into the real world on a mission, unaware of what awaits her, and begins the adventure of a lifetime. It’s harrowing and funny to see her trying to deal politely with criminals, even when her life is threatened. She’ll give you a short speech explaining why she should shoot you, will politely comment on how torture while you’re drowned by a violent creature is immoral, and will politely point a gun at you and ask for directions.

Ostensibly, she meets Maximus (Aaron Morton), a trainee squire of the Brotherhood of Steel – a militaristic faction dedicated to bringing order to the wasteland. One day he would serve the Knight of Titus. For those who know the game, yes, the soldier knights in the show are all wearing powerful T60 armor. Maximus seems to be the weakling of the herd and is often bullied by his peers. Although he appears docile, he is ambitious and jealous. In short, he is a man who does his best.

Another character Lucy stumbles upon – and honestly, it stole the show for me – is Walton Goggins’ gruff, cowboy-clad ghoul who wears sarcasm on his sleeve. This disgusting creature, which has been around since the nuclear bombs were dropped, is missing a nose, has a distinct accent, and doesn’t shy away from tormenting others. He has an air of mystery and intrigue about him and has some of the most savage dialogue. He will make you hate him to the core, but you will find yourself in awe of him. The way the show’s writers layered his character over eight episodes was impressive. (Sorry, can’t reveal too much without spoiling anything).

Fallout TV series review: Subplots make it more interesting

The storylines of the three protagonists are equally gripping, intense and, of course, interconnected. Additionally, Fallout offers plenty of subplots—none of which bloat the script.

One subplot worth mentioning is Lucy’s brother Norm (Moises Arias). He is a timid man and lacks enthusiasm. But through the character of Norm, the show deftly portrays the inherent survival instinct of humans. The will to survive can sink deep into the abyss of human existence, but it still comes right out when the right opportunity presents itself.

Fallout review: Script explores the complexity of human emotions

Walton Goggins’ character arc is interesting in this series

That’s the beauty of the Fallout script. It touches on the minute complexities of human emotion smoothly and feels completely natural and relatable. Whether it’s the idea of ​​a bullied person turning into a bully, repressed emotions rising to the surface in a matter of nanoseconds, or animalistic humans pausing a violent fight to taste cake, the writers have done it while keeping it as real as possible Impressive work, even if they’re set in a stylized post-apocalyptic setting.

So are political instability, classism, and the logical consequences of unregulated capitalism, which are all deftly depicted. At this point, other details are also closely attended to, such as the books to be read in the vaults and even the breakfasts served. The production design of the show is also full of details. For example, despite the high-tech nature of the vault, the television set there showed exactly what it showed seconds before the mass destruction. The same wedding dress is passed down from generation to generation, with the name of the bride who wore it and the year of her wedding engraved on the inside.

It’s interesting how people who have never stepped out of a shelter in their entire lives, are deeply immersed in Shakespearean literature and advanced physics, and aspire to one day be able to “recolonize” and “civilize” the real world – exploring one possible scenario, i.e. How humans cling to the last vestiges of civilized times as they are pushed into closed capsules.

Fallout also has a great background score, depicting the dichotomy of life in the post-apocalyptic wasteland.Choose to use a romantic song during a scene where two almost putrid dangling heads collide, or play a slow, sensual song by Herb Alpert finger cakes When four super scared people are walking around at gunpoint with their hands up? The background score also playfully teases with the most unexpected notes at the most unexpected moments. Special thanks to the show’s composer, Ramin Djawadi, for his score that highlights the darkly humorous world of Fallout.

Fallout TV Series Review: Final Verdict

All eight episodes of Fallout are now available to stream on Prime Video. While each episode is packed with thrills and surprises, your jaw may hit the floor by the halfway point of the episode. It will make you question the nature of war, the future of humanity, the core values ​​of existence, and just how weird a post-apocalyptic world might look. The finale left us with more questions than answers, and the show has already hinted at what’s to come in season two. Fallout is the perfect cocktail of adventure, survival, humor, greed, and unpredictability that will likely draw a whole new audience into the fascinating world the video game series has built.