Fallout - Season 2 (Prime Video)

Right now, as the strains of 'This is Worth Fighting For' by The Ink Spots give way to the credits in the final episode of this second batch of Fallout, I am most aware of how fortunate we are, as fans of the video games by Black Isle, Obsidian (which contributed most of the content here) and Bethesda, but also demanding when it comes to a television adaptation, of the enormous work that this Season 2 has entailed. Today, 4th February, the plot in New Vegas has come to an end, and the eighth episode has been an excellent conclusion to one of the best fiction series available on streaming right now.

I'm going to take it step by step because there's a lot to talk about, a lot of people and a lot of ground to cover. The second season picks up where we left off in the epilogue of the previous one, with Walton Goggins' Ghoul and Lucy (Ella Purnell) following Hank McLean's trail towards (New) Las Vegas. From that first scene, loaded with references to the world that Obsidian Entertainment added to the Bethesda franchise, we see how the relationship between Lucy and the Ghoul has grown closer, and this is only a first approach to a parallel construction of the characters in which both are "contaminated" by the other's personality, like a post-apocalyptic Quixote and Sancho, giving new, more mature layers to the naive young dweller Lucy and restoring some of that lost humanity to the Ghoul, who for the first time in 200 years feels really close to achieving the goal that has kept him alive: finding his family. If, when I reviewed the first season, I called for an Emmy for Walton Goggins, I'll shout it again here, but only if he shares the nomination and award with his co-star Ella Purnell, who has far surpassed her previous performance here and exudes charisma.

The one who perhaps continues to lag behind is Aaron Moten with his now-named Knight of the Brotherhood of Steel, Maximus. It's not that he misplays his role, but Moten's range is more limited, and the Brotherhood faction's storyline and internal struggle is less compelling than the other ongoing storylines. That said, the best action scenes in Season 2 bear his stamp, and the combat on the Las Vegas Strip is one of the best moments of the series so far, which feels like "pure Fallout" here. These scenes undoubtedly blew the budget, but they fulfil their function in a big way, without being overused or lacking, as was perhaps the case in the first season.

Kilter Films and Amazon have also listened to the voices of video game fans and have elegantly introduced many more references to the original material than in the first season, which focused more on placing small nods in the background than on giving prominence to its small stories. But those stories are what made this post-apocalyptic world believable in the games, and here we see, well cut and balanced, both the NCR (New California Republic) and Caesar's Legion, where the face of barbarism is played by a fitting Macaulay Culkin. Now these references seem to work even better with those who only know the Fallout universe through this television series, adding a new achievement to the list.

The production also masterfully contributes to the overall lore of the franchise, delving into Vault-Tec, the experiments after the nuclear holocaust, and the sinister motivations of those who orchestrated the end of the world. This point will undoubtedly surprise viewers and players alike, because the showrunners have masterfully played their cards to surprise everyone. Hank McLean now carries more weight in the construction of the overall puzzle of the story, blurring (or perhaps better hiding) his role as the villain, delegating that honour to other less clear figures. In addition, the story of the past, which intertwines the destinies of Hank, Cooper, Barbara, Robert House and others, now enjoys a much more solid foundation than in the first season, where it only served as an intro/teaser. Furthermore, as an extra, it generates an even deeper and more disturbing reading, with a lot of grey tones, perhaps because our present reality seems to be inspired by the most implausible fiction.

Fallout Season 2 has not transferred its entire story to the Mojave Wasteland, but has expanded its plot towards it. Both the stories and the characters that remained next to what was once the Santa Monica pier in Vaults 31-32-33 are still there, and although the lives of the Dwellers and their tribulations have now taken a back seat, they serve to connect the dots with the pre-war past. In particular, the one who steals the show in every scene is the disturbing supervisor of Vault 32, Steph, who has practically carried that part of the narrative on her shoulders and her powerful performance. Lucy's brother, Norm, also forms that other thread of the story from the past to the present, showing him as a born survivor who, despite his shortcomings, overcomes events, however impossible they may seem.

In case you still had doubts or were waiting for all the episodes to be available (the weekly release format seems to have taken its toll on the audience so far), Fallout Season 2 is definitely worth watching. It has carefully maintained its ruined world and enriched its characters and plots even further, balancing its inhabitants and adding more action, more nods and more substance to the fiction. And please, don't miss the post-credits scene, because if they give the green light to Season 3, the stakes look set to rise even higher. And as we've heard so many times, "the house always wins".