Spoilers for this week’s episode of Fallout to follow.
This week’s Fallout episode gave audiences a look into the status quo of the factions fighting for control of the Mojave Wasteland. While gamers might have an idea of where they ended up after finishing Fallout: New Vegas, it seems that a lot has changed in the wasteland in the 15 years since. While the meter didn’t move too much on individual stories, it was great to see what some of these fan favorite factions are currently up to.
The episode opens up in a bottling plant for the infamous Sunset Sarsaparilla, the Mojave’s favorite drink. The plant is being operated under the watchful eye of none other than former Brotherhood of Steel Squire Thaddeus (Johnny Pemberton), who’s taking on a far more ghoulish look than when we last saw him. After consoling a young girl who was bullied, he reminds the children to get back to work and that normally they’d “be dead by now.”
Jumping over to Lucy (Ella Purnell), the last time we saw her she encountered the Legion. It turns out that the tunic woman she was returning was one of their slaves that lost their legionary; as punishment, she’s quickly executed and her head put onto a spike. Lucy is then given an audience with the current Caesar and his second in command Legate (Macaulay Culkin). They inform her that America’s ways have failed and it’s up to them to bring order and honor to the Mojave.
Before they take her as prisoner, Lucy notices that the Legion is split into two separate camps. The Legate informs her that the Legion has been fractured for the last decade over arguments who the original Caesar’s true successor is. He wrote the true successor’s name on a note that’s with his corpse in the rival camp and no one knows who is truly right. Being the problem solver she is, Lucy offers to help settle their differences before she’s swiftly denied and put onto a cross.
Elsewhere back at the abandoned hospital, Cooper (Walton Goggins) wakes up and drags himself to an opening. With CX-404 by his side, he cuts open his leg and pulls out the radscopion stinger that’s paralyzing him.
Jumping back to the Pre-War era, Cooper and his wife are struggling to get along. Despite her secrets and his mission from Moldaver, she attempts to pack for the Vault through her tears. We then see Cooper attend a ceremony at the local VFW where he uses this as an opportunity to ask around about Robert House before he heads to Las Vegas to assassinate him. While in the restroom, Cooper is confronted by The Mysterious Stranger (Justin Theroux) who offers him a cryptic warning about things to come and the powers that are at play.
At Area 51, the other factions of the Brotherhood of Steel begin to pull out of their alliance with Maximus’ (Aaron Moten) chapter. They fear that Paladin Xander’s (Kumail Nanjiani) arrival suggests The Commonwealth’s chapter is launching a retaliation. With no other options, the other chapters suggest giving The Commonwealth the cold fusion relic in order to make them back down. Maximus offers to kill Xander to stop the conflict dead in its tracks, but he’s denied for fear of causing a full blown conflict. With no alliance, the Brotherhood would easily fall to The Commonwealth.
As Maximus leaves the compound he’s stopped by Xander, who lets him know how different his chapter of the Brotherhood is. He tells him how they’re led more by actual soldiers and not religious zealots. Xander warns that the Elder Cleric’s choices have the potential to plunge the Brotherhood into a period of chaos and darkness.
Cooper follows Lucy’s tracks and comes across the Legion’s camps. He realizes that the Legion are embroiled in a civil war of their own and plots to save Lucy, as he needs her to confront Hank Maclean (Kyle Maclaclan) if he wants to find his family. Realizing he needs back up, he heads to a nearby NCR outpost that is shockingly abandoned. While there he reconnects with Victor, the sheriff securitron from Fallout: New Vegas. Victor informs him that the NCR have abandoned the outpost and that Robert House is dead. Cooper doesn’t believe for a second that House would die and not have a plan set into motion to carry out his motives. He heads out to find the remaining NCR rangers.
Maximus and Xander take a vertibird out for a joyride through the Mojave. Xander tells him about the Brotherhood back home and suggests that they give the cold fusion to them because of a losing war back home. The Commonwealth chapter is at risk of losing the area to chaos and the power that the cold fusion provides could turn the tides of war.
Heading into the hills near the outskirts of Primm, Cooper encounters two members of the NCR. After a brief scuffle they recognize him and he asks for reinforcements to take on the Legion camps. They inform him that they’re the last remnant of the NCR in the area and they’re cut off from supplies and reinforcements. Cooper suggests that they have fully lost control and power in the Mojave with the fall of Shady Sands. They ask for help in reconnecting with an NCR base, but he refuses to help them before storming off.
After Xander and Maximus detect robot activity in an abandoned facility they land the vertibird and suit up in their power armor. While exploring the facility they encounter a rogue securitron that attempts to kill them but is instead destroyed by a super sledge as the two celebrate.
Cooper heads into the Legion camp that’s holding Lucy prisoner and demands they let her go. The Legate asks when and Cooper offers up information on the NCR remnant’s whereabouts so that the Legion can fully wipe them out. They take her down off the cross and she leaves with Cooper, who notices a dynamite stash. Once they’re outside the camp, the stash explodes and Cooper reveals it was him that rigged it to explode. He debates if what he did was a good choice, or a very stupid one.
Maximus and Xander explore the facility more and discover a ghoul child that is hiding from them. It’s revealed they’re in the bottling facility from the beginning of the episode. Xander is convinced more are hiding and demands all the kids come out of hiding. With a mix of normal and ghoul children, he separates them into groups. He attempts to kill the ghoul children before Thaddeus appears and pleads with him not to kill the kids. Ignoring all the cries, Xander fires up his weapon before Maximus slams the super sledge into his head, killing him and saving the ghoul children. Thaddeus and Maximus reconnect as Maximus realizes he might have just started a war.
This week’s episode of Fallout traded in personal stories in favor of some excellent world building. One of the best aspects of Fallout: New Vegas is the unique faction systems and the colorful characters that inhabit the Mojave Wasteland. This season also reveals the fates of these beloved factions long after the game has ended. With the stage set for full blown conflict, it’ll be interesting to see how alliances and rivalries play out later on this season.
