Highlights
- Unexpectedly, the live-action Fallout adaptation releases all episodes at once, earning praise from fans and critics alike for its quality.
- Season one cliffhangers hint at the locations of New Vegas and Vault 33, posing questions of leadership and hidden secrets for season two.
- Character development dynamics, like Lucy and Cooper’s interactions, and Thaddeus’ transformation into a ghoul, leave open paths for season two surprises.
Typically, Netflix is the only online network that posts shows all in one go. There are exceptions like live event shows including The Great British Bake Off. Sometimes streaming services like Amazon or Max will upload a few episodes of a show’s premiere but that’s about it.
So, for Fallout fans, seeing the entire live-action adaptation from the start was a surprise. It’s also shocking to fans and outside critics how good the show is. With eight episodes, it manages to cover a lot of ground. However, there are cliffhangers, with these being the biggest questions left open for season two if it happens.
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
6 What’s Waiting In New Vegas?
Is Barb in Charge?
For those unfamiliar with the games, the final shot of the show focuses on New Vegas. That’s the prime location of Fallout: New Vegas, which came out during the PS3 and Xbox 360 generations. That game added some California factions into the plot, so it makes sense to link the two locations for the show as well.
It’s implied that Hank went there to report to someone who is in charge of the whole Vault-Tec proposition. Is it Cooper’s wife Barb, or is there some other CEO from that shady board meeting? Suffice it to say, this will be a big part of season two.
5 Lucy And The Ghoul
Sounds Like An Elton John Song
That’s a joke reference to “Bennie And The Jets” by Elton John and it’s almost a dare for someone to rewrite that song as a parody using Lucy and Cooper as the focus. Jokes aside, it seemed like Cooper, aka The Ghoul, was a lost soul in the show at first. He’s still not a good person but it seems like he is trying to do the right thing by both getting revenge and finding his family. It’s just that he leaves a lot of innocent bodies in his wake at all times.
Lucy and Cooper butt heads throughout the show, but Lucy’s good-natured side allowed her to be the better man, or woman in many instances. Handing over drugs to keep Cooper alive, for example. How will they get along in season 2? Will Cooper go softer or will Lucy go harder?
4 How Did Cooper Become “The Ghoul?”
More Pre-War Flashbacks
The show does a good job of showing viewers what life was like in the pre-war, pre-bomb era of California. The one thing it doesn’t show is what happens directly after the blast, once Cooper and his kid flee the party. The show practically sets itself up to be a Western thanks to Cooper’s getup at that party and his costume in the main section of the show.
How did he lose his daughter and his wife? Are they in New Vegas and for some reason, Cooper wasn’t invited? It’s also not known if Cooper became a ghoul early on or if he was frozen for a couple of hundred years and then became a ghoul somewhat recently in the grand scheme of things. As a good person before the bomb, it’ll be interesting to see how and why he descended into chaos.
3 What Will The Brotherhood Of Steel Do With Cold Fusion?
Maximus Could Become A Real Knight
The central theme of the show is that there are no good people. Lucy is the noblest person as she tries to de-escalate every situation she is in. Eventually, she succumbs to knowing when to fight and knowing when to talk. She does some questionable things too, but compared to the rest, she is a saint.
The Brotherhood of Steel, for example, is supposed to be noble protectors of peace. As Thaddeus points out though, there is a contradiction in their philosophy in that they find pre-war tech not to help humanity but to prevent other factions from using it. So, what will they do with the Cold Fusion at the New California Republic headquarters? Will Maximus allow them to mistreat the power meant to help the people?
2 The State Of Vault 33
Is Norm Frozen?
Vault 33 is featured more than one would think given that Lucy leaves in the first episode. Typically in a Fallout game, once the main character leaves, that’s it for the Vault storyline. However, in the TV show, Lucy’s brother Norm becomes the main character of this b-plot. He decides to investigate Vault 32 and 31 to see if something shady is going on.
In the final episode, it’s revealed that Vault 31 has cryogenic chambers that froze rich people hundreds of years ago. Norm’s father, Hank, was one of these people along with Betty who is now the Overseer of all three Vaults. The brain on the Roomba-like device traps Norm in this chamber and gives him a choice. Will Norm starve to death, or freeze himself?
1 Will Thaddeus Return?
How Does The Ghoul Process Work?
Thaddeus betrays Maximus after he finds out Maximus wasn’t Knight Titus the whole time. In the struggle, Maximus breaks his foot which looks disgusting once he takes off his boot. Eventually, Thaddeus runs into a snake oil salesman who doesn’t have a name.
He sells Thaddeus a cure-all potion which indeed heals his foot like magic. Unfortunately, this concoction also turns Thaddeus into a ghoul. He retreats from the radio station once The Brotherhood of Steel arrives and never comes back again in the show. Will he return to a more ghoul-like state in season two?
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