It’s all over but the crying. I didn’t actually shed any tears, but this season finale had me all the way through. This second season of Fallout truly found its stride, striking a balance between plot beats and action. And this last episode hit the marks, redeeming many of the weaker points of the season for me. Let’s get into this review, shall we? Oh, and yes, spoilers.
The wheels of war are turning faster now as the stops are pulled out. Caesar’s Legion has sorted itself, and legate Lacerta is legate no more, but Caesar. True to form, violence and conquest are still the name of their game. With their sights set on New Vegas, they march to war. Definitely a plus, as it would have been a shame to waste Macaulay Culkin. Cooper reunites with the nigh-indestructible Mr. House and makes a deal with the devil he knows against the devil he doesn’t in his all-consuming quest for his family. During their banter, Mr. House practically references every possible player interaction with him, but alas, no Platinum Chip nod. It’s a small thing, but that would have sent this season to perfection for me. Very good is still acceptable, I suppose.
As for the MacLean family, Norm’s adventure with the 200-year-old vaulties comes to a rather squelchy end. Of course, he escapes with his newfound love. Where he goes, only Season 3 will tell. Having tasted the Wasteland, I can only hope he continues to grow. Oh, Lucy, Lucy. The Wasteland keeps giving her nothing but bad options. Lacking the bloodlust as she does, what does she get? Nothing but constant trolley problems. Her arc this season is definitely bittersweet, and the irony of Hank MacLean’s fate doubly so. The paragon path is hard, no matter what anyone tells you. Speaking of Hank, his true allegiance was not surprising, but it was something I definitely welcomed. The Enclave is back, baby. Well, it never truly left.
Finally, we have Maximus and his sidekick Thaddeus. His epic last stand against the Deathclaws that moved into New Vegas was a heroic and bloody affair. He knew what he had to do in his own paragon play. That NCR power armor was no joke. Oh, and Thaddeus helped. A little. Moral support counts too. But the crème de la crème of that entire battle was when the NCR shows up in force and the iconic intro of New Vegas is recreated for this final showdown. I won’t lie: that gave me goosebumps. Was that heroic NCR Ranger the Courier? I doubt it. But one can dream. Where did the reinforcements come from you ask? I hope they explain it in Season 3.
With the Legion and the NCR poised for another showdown over New Vegas, and our three protagonists moving toward their goals of survival and the rescue of loved ones, Season 3 has some great legs to stand on. All under the shadow of the Enclave. Oh, and stick around for the end-credits scene. It’s Liberating.
Season 2 was a very fun ride. The cast has been excellent, and the production values are a clear improvement from Season 1. The team does a great job making the world feel large and lived in, despite the limited-scale practical sets they’ve used. It feels more alive than a lot of what’s shot in the Volume these days. Could they amp up what they’re doing? Yes. I think they could get away with turning up even just another notch.
It’s true that there have been liberties taken with plot elements and retcons. I’ve been able to keep that separate from my love of the games and of this show; your mileage may vary. Amazon has handled this much better than The Rings of Power — though that is a low bar, and I digress.
They’ve definitely left plenty of radioactive mystery on the bone, and I’m all in for Season 3.
******
English (US) · 