Inside Fallout, Gaming’s Most Astonishing Television Success
The post-apocalyptic TV series is back to Prime Video, and it's safe to say that audiences were pleasantly surprised by the caliber of its initial run. By illustrating the atomic-age, nuclear-ravaged United States through the lenses of three distinct characters, it succeeded in capturing multiple facets of the gamer's journey.
We followed Lucy the vault dweller, striving to act with integrity and discovering that the ruined world made that incredibly hard; Brotherhood initiate Max, the militant faction new recruit, who starts doubting his cult's authority and unleashes significant chaos in mechanized battle suit; and Walton Goggins's character, a standout performance who has entirely abandoned any moral compass out in the radioactive wilderness.
Setting the Stage for Season Two
The debut season's ending disclosed crucial details about who helped cause the global annihilation that condemned a population in underground vaults for centuries. It also posed plenty of questions open for the upcoming chapter – and, on this occasion, hopes are much greater.
“We'd gladly accept ‘not terrible’ – we should print that on merchandise,” says the show's co-creator.
“Starting the first season, everyone’s like, ‘Just get it right’,” states the game director. “We’re over the moon with the feedback to the show, so now people are arriving with more excitement and different expectations.”
The Mojave Beckons for Season Two
The upcoming season is located in the neon-lit city, the backdrop of the 2010’s game Fallout: New Vegas, which is often praised for having the most compelling narratives and characters in the series, even if it was technically flawed at launch.
“It has a desert vibe, a Mojave vibe, that’s so integral to that game,” notes Nolan. “That dusty, blasted-out Route 66 aesthetic of the game is so much fun to bring into the show.”
In the series narrative, a considerable period has elapsed since the events of the New Vegas game by the time the protagonists arrive there. Yet, the creators suggest that it will honor the gamer's experience.
The Importance of Physical Sets
The Fallout TV series is notable for its tangible quality – its creators ensured authentic items and sets were constructed, mirroring the cobbled-together nature of the settlements in the games.
“Being a genre enthusiast, so many productions I watch, I’m aware that they’re all filmed against a green screen,” comments another of the showrunners. “The whole point of an adaptation, especially of a interactive medium, is to feel like it’s tangible.”
Actually, virtually everything you see on-screen is physical, even the infamously terrifying radioactive creatures known as the apex predators. In the show, they are created using animatronics, and were by all accounts pretty frightening up close.
A Labor of Love
The Fallout series succeeds because it is crafted by accomplished storytellers who are also passionate gamers, alongside the visionaries behind the video games. This mutual respect for the universe is evident in the final product.
The new batch of episodes is being released on a weekly basis rather than as a full-season drop, marking a change from the previous season. This format will allow for a different weekly discussion, a dynamic the creators themselves are excited to observe.
“It has more depth, it’s larger in scale, it’s wittier, it has a lot of revelations,” says Howard. “I can't wait to seeing what people think.”