Fallout plays a fascinating game with horror elements. While the series is unquestionably a post-apocalyptic action series with some dramatic touches and a dark sense of humor, it depicts fear on occasion. “The Ghoul” explores the experiences of the shambling corpse monsters from multiple perspectives. It’s a fascinating direction for the show to take, elevating an iconic element from the game with several new takes. It also lets them do some classic zombie horror.
Daniel Gray Longino is the first non-Nolan director to helm an episode of Fallout. He’s a prolific TV director with his name on several well-received comedy shows. He directed the entertainingly bizarre Netflix film Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster, Frankenstein. He crafted several episodes of shows including PEN15 and The Chair. He partners with screenwriter Kieran Fitzgerald of 2016’s Snowden fame.
“The Ghoul” follows its title character as he continues to drag young Lucy MacLean across the wasteland. He formalizes the opinion he represented in the previous episode, pointing out their similarities and suggesting he’s a glimpse into Lucy’s future. The first scene is a striking reminder of the Ghoul’s potential fate. He and Lucy stumble upon an occupied house, in which a ghoul pal of his named Roger sits. He’s gone too long without his medicine, leaving him unable to focus and prone to violent outbursts. After a polite exchange, the Ghoul grants Roger a quick, painless death, ensuring he would die without succumbing to his monstrous nature. This flash of decency, albeit delivered through violence, gives way to practicality as the Ghoul sets to work chopping meat from Roger’s flesh for later consumption. The Ghoul’s best exchange with Lucy evolves from this juxtaposition. In an escape attempt, she bites off the Ghoul’s finger. He returns the favor with a knife, sealing an unorthodox new understanding with blood.
The Ghoul resolves to get his fix by selling Lucy off. His moral complexity falls apart in the face of his need to survive, demonstrating his diminished sense of decency. A trip to an abandoned department store sees the Ghoul offer her to a mysterious voice for a two-month stay of execution. Though she resists, Lucy quickly finds herself in the care of a well-mannered robot called Snip Snip. The iconic floating machine design looks fascinating against the ruined interior of the Super Duper Mart, and Matt Berry’s vocal performance is as good as one would expect. Lucy learns that the machine intends to harvest her organs, prompting her to fight back. It’s a fascinating escalation from her earlier acts of violence. She remains impressively competent, but never unrealistically so. The first episode showed off her training in the vault, learning everything she’d need to survive. She’s the biggest thing in her way, constantly hesitating and reasoning her way through problems she could solve more directly. In many ways, she’s the opposite of a lot of Fallout 3 players.
Max and Thaddeus take the episode off after last week’s shocking victory. Vault 33 enjoys their spotlight as young Norm digs deeper into his dark feelings. Leslie Uggams’ Betty Pearson gives him a fascinating speech about the dangers of angry, intelligent young men that seems to change his course. While delivering food to the prisoners and acknowledging his father’s apparent greatness, a raider mentions that Vault 32 wasn’t as innocent as he believed. Norm and former door operator Chet investigate the destroyed location, raising memories of hacking computer terminals in the games. Though they can’t find every element of the conspiracy, Norm discovers his mother’s involvement. Her Pip-Boy opened the doors, guaranteeing several interesting new developments in the coming episodes. Unfortunately, this trip to the vault also delivers the show’s most feeble attempt at humor to date. Not every joke lands, but a prolonged bit concerning a pregnant vault member and her dearly departed husband feels like someone working something out.
Fallout delivers an excellent mix of tones in every episode. Unique details repeat, like multiple characters mentioning pie as a way to call back to better days. The writing excels through simplicity. It puts the subtext into the text a little too often, as if it’s unsure that its audience can follow the character arcs, but those arcs remain cathartic. At the end of this episode, Lucy references her discussion with the Ghoul. The idea of the wasteland as a corrupting influence hits a wall when met with decent people. It corrupts actions instead of intentions. This episode also hints at the possibility that the vaults are no cleaner than the outside. The Ghoul’s final scene is one of the most powerful in the show so far, but it remains enjoyable. It’s all impressively well executed.
Fallout continues to outdo itself. Without its source material, it would be a thrilling post-apocalyptic action series. With it, the show likely becomes the best entry since New Vegas. While some elements fall flat, every entry in Fallout has been a delight to watch. This will be a binge-watching hit. “The Ghoul” stands as a fascinating exploration of the titular monster and the humanity they once laid claim to.
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