It isn’t meant to be grungy and angsty!
The Big Picture
-
Fallout
reimagines post-apocalyptic America with humor through alternate history. - The series highlights the energetic performances of cast members like Ella Purnell and Aaron Moten to bring out the comedy of the situations.
- The scene-stealing supporting cast adds humor and balance to the world of
Fallout
.
Good video game adaptations were once considered only a possibility, and given failures like Warcraft, Max Payne, and Need For Speed, it’s easy to see why. However, the last few years have seen a newfound resurgence for the genre thanks to prestigious television adaptations. While programs like The Last of Us, Arcane, and Castlevania certainly had significant portions of players interested in potential adaptations, fans of the Fallout gaming franchise have been waiting for a new story set in the universe for years. Fallout certainly captures the intricate worldbuilding and creative action sequences that are reminiscent of the gaming series, but it also plays into the snarky comedy that is prevalent throughout the games. Compared to other dystopian genre stories, Fallout’s characterization of the post-apocalypse stands out due to its humor.
Fallout
In a future, post-apocalyptic Los Angeles brought about by nuclear decimation, citizens must live in underground bunkers to protect themselves from radiation, mutants and bandits.
- Release Date
- April 11, 2024
- Cast
- Moises Arias , Johnny Pemberton , Walton Goggins , Kyle MacLachlan
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
- Seasons
- 1
- Creator(s)
- Graham Wagner , Geneva Robertson-Dworet
- Producer
- Lisa Joy, Jonathan Nolan
- Streaming Service(s)
- Prime Video
‘Fallout’ Uses Its Alternate History To Create Humor
While the new series from Westworld creator Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy draws on some familiar archetypes and worlds from the entire gaming franchise, the show tells an original story that is set within the same Fallout universe. The show takes an alternate look at American history in the aftermath of a “Great War” where the world collapsed due to a nuclear conflict in the aftermath of World War II. To avoid the dangerous creatures that now populate the surface world, a small portion of humanity resides in underground bunkers known as “Vaults,” in which they remain with their isolated communities. On the surface, the rest of humanity has been forced to adapt to the irradiated Wasteland that was once the modern world, and groups like the Brotherhood of Steel search the Wasteland for pre-war technology that they can then preserve and protect.
Post-apocalyptic stories have not been uncommon, and watching films and shows about the collapse of humanity can make for a bleak if not disturbing viewing experience sometimes. However, Fallout’s emphasis on creating an alternate version of history makes it easier to create humorous situations. Fallout is not meant to be a parallel to the events of today. Exploring humanity’s evolution in the aftermath of a retro-futuristic society is far more removed from our real world and offers more opportunity for humor than trying to trace how our current world could diverge into a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
While it is eventually revealed in the show that Vault-Tech was instrumental in initiating the Great War, the series uses its flashback sequences to explain some of the world’s most idiosyncratic elements. Before becoming “The Ghoul,” the actor Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins) was a Hollywood movie star who appeared in many Western films. By allowing The Ghoul to retain the persona of a gunslinger in the aftermath of the Great War, Fallout can spoof elements of the Western genre. Similarly, the association of the Brotherhood of Steel with the chivalrous acts of medieval knights allows for amusing lines that play on chivalry during a post-apocalypse. It also allows for storylines like Maximus (Aaron Morten) getting promoted from squire knight upon the death of his superior, Titus (Michael Rapaport).
‘Fallout’ Leans Into Humor Through Worldbuilding
While the series succeeds in painting a different version of the post-apocalypse, Fallout’s greatest comedic strength comes from the energetic performances of its cast. Ella Purnell makes for a great protagonist as Lucy MacLean because she has been a vault dweller for her entire life, and thus has only been exposed to limited information about the outside world. As a result, she has a heavily idealized perspective on the world, as the Vault conforms to a strict series of procedures set during the pre-war era. Lucy’s enthusiasm, and perhaps misplaced optimism, about venturing off into a world that is filled with dangerous creatures makes for a compelling perspective. In many ways, her excitement about exploring the Fallout world resembles that of the games’ players.
While Purnell is able to invoke humor thanks to her mismatched positivity, Aaron Moten is able to create a humorously vulnerable character with his performance as Maximus. While Maximus has spent his life on the surface and is aware of the dangers it presents, he’s also been subjugated by the strict social and behavioral structures demanded by the Brotherhood of Steel. Maximus’ relationship with Lucy exposes him to topics such as intimacy that he is hilariously in the dark about. Although the finale suggests Maximus may have some uncertain choices ahead of him, the first season set a strong comedic tone by detailing his comically charming interactions with Lucy.
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‘Fallout’ Has a Scene-Stealing Supporting Cast
While the dynamic between Lucy and Maximus succeeds in giving the series some genuine emotion, Fallout is able to flesh out its world with side characters inserted for comic relief. Although he became best known for playing the villainous Benjamin Linus on Lost, Michael Emerson has a fun side role as Dr. Siggi Wilzig, a brilliant scientist whose severed head becomes a commodity that Lucy has to protect as she ventures into the ruin of the Shady Sands. This is reflective of Fallout’s broadly humorous characterization of violence; while too much graphic content could have become disturbing, Fallout avoids any semblance of realism by taking a more playful approach. By the time that Thaddeus (Johnny Pemberton) manages to survive taking an arrow to his neck, it’s evident that the show isn’t aiming for realism.
The supporting characters are a great way for Fallout to incorporate Easter Eggs for fans of the game, but the inclusion of comical side characters helps balance the show’s tone when it gets more serious. The final episode, “The Beginning,” in which Lucy confronts her father (Kyle MacLachlan) about his involvement in Vault-Tech has some serious implications for later seasons, but having characters like Snip Snip (Matt Berry) ensures that the tone never becomes too dour. The experience of watching Fallout can be compared to that of playing the game. It’s something that can be both challenging and exciting, yet ultimately succeeds at being a work of escapism.
Fallout is streaming on Prime Video in the U.S.
Watch on Prime
This article was originally published on collider.com