Prime Video’s 2-Part Sci-Fi Western Is Quietly Becoming the Perfect Weekend Binge

Video game adaptations have become increasingly popular, and they’re targeting an audience beyond those interested in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. While traditional adaptations may have been boxed in by their faithfulness to the source material, Prime Video’s Fallout uses the original games as a launchpad for more creativity. The world is vast and complicated, but the series tells a surprisingly emotional story about three characters of different affiliations whose paths cross. Fallout isn’t a standard post-apocalyptic story because it isn’t filled with the doom and gloom that has come to dominate science fiction; instead, its compelling new landscape feels like a futuristic Western that opens up a new frontier for humanity.

Even though the series includes a fair number of flashbacks that explore how a retrofuturistic society became a decimated wasteland, Fallout creatively establishes different factions of humanity. Members of the military organization known as the Brotherhood of Steel, including Maximus (Aaron Moten), gather pre-war technology to expand their domain. Other survivors have endured in a series of underground Vaults that aren’t exposed to the dangers of the surface, but Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) escapes from her home in Vault 33 to search for her father, Hank (Kyle MacLachlan), who is part of a conspiracy that she hasn’t been aware of. Perhaps the most intriguing story is that of Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins), a former Western actor who has survived centuries as a mutated being known as the Ghoul. Fallout is a series that is peppered with Easter eggs for devoted gamers, but it’s also perfect for anyone who likes a good binge-watch.

‘Fallout’ Is an Accessible Video Game Adaptation

Fallout is refreshingly light on exposition, given that the worldbuilding within the games is fairly elaborate, but the series revolves around several key points of view. Each of the lead characters has been forced to question their reality in one way or another, and their individual paths of discovery make for interesting drama. Lucy learns that the Vaults she has spent her life in represent only a small portion of what the world has to offer, and that she has been lied to about what is outside of the bunkers. Similarly, Maximus has spent his entire life dedicated to the chivalrous ways of the Brotherhood, but begins to recognize that it isn’t quite the honorable organization that he had thought it might be. Cooper’s development is particularly fascinating because it’s set within two different timelines of 2077 and 2296; while the Cooper of the past learns that there are those in power who are benefiting from the disaster that has ravaged the Earth’s surface, the Ghoul is dead-set on finding his family and doesn’t care what lines he needs to cross to achieve that goal.

Fallout is one of the most ambitious shows on television when it comes to scale alone, featuring breathtaking visuals and some of the most action-packed storytelling on any streaming series. The style doesn’t simply copy video game cut scenes; the series feels lived-in, particularly in moments that observe the different cultures that emerged in locations across the surface. That being said, the most exhilarating set pieces would be worthless if Fallout didn’t have the writing to match it, and thankfully, the show has interesting ideas about both history and legacy. Lucy and Maximus discover that lies are no way to withstand societal infrastructure, no matter how comforting they may seem; conversely, the Ghoul has spent so much time without forging connections that he has become oblivious to the monster that he has become.

‘Fallout’ Is Only Getting Better After Two Seasons

Fallout is the rare big-budget, buzzy show that has managed to get released on a consistent schedule, and as a result, it hasn’t lost momentum. While the first season was released as a binge-drop, Season 2 premiered new episodes weekly, in a decision that proved its staying power. There’s too much detail in each episode to fully appreciate it in a single sitting, and the gap between new releases has allowed fans to develop even more intricate theories. However, Fallout is still designed to be watched in quick succession because of how serialized the story is, so anyone trying to binge the series over the course of a single weekend could do so easily.

In an era where many shows hit a sophomore slump, Fallout only gets better, with a second installment that is funnier, weirder, and even more emotionally satisfying than its predecessor. It hasn’t yet become diluted by spin-offs or jumped the shark with its story, making now the perfect time to catch up with a show that is likely to continue for many more years. Escapism can often be a term that is used in a derogatory way, but Fallout is a series that provides maximum entertainment while also having much larger ideas on its mind.