Highlights
- New wasteland, new faces – the Fallout TV show introduces viewers to a fresh set of characters in a unique storyline.
- One character’s redemption arc keeps fans engaged with humor and unexpected reveals.
- POV character Lucy transforms from naive to survivor in a believable character growth arc.
When the Fallout TV show was first announced, many fans of the games were excited to find out what part of the world the series would be taking place. The franchise is full of great characters and creatures, so finding out about the location would give players an idea about which familiar faces would be showing up. However, the TV show decided to go in a different direction than fans were expecting.
Rather than adapting one of the Fallout games to the screen, the show instead takes place in a new part of the wasteland. This means that viewers follow a new set of characters in a unique story that is supposed to be canon to the events of the video games. Therefore, fans get to be introduced to a few new characters in the franchise, some of whom are just as great as the ones who have been part of the wasteland before.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead
7 Thaddeus
A Faithful Member Of The Brotherhood Of Steel
- Played by Johnny Pemberton
When fans first meet Thaddeus in the Fallout series, he is not a likable character at all. His first scene in the first episode of the show introduces him to viewers as a part of a gang beating up one of the show’s main leads, Maximus, in the training camp that belongs to The Brotherhood of Steel. He isn’t shown as an important character, but fans are happy to see him back when Maximus leaves the camp to act as a squire.
However, fate brings Thaddeus and Maximus together again when Max is posing as his former knight and requires a new squire. Of course, The Brotherhood assigns Thaddeus to this position, which leads to some interesting interactions. First, Thaddeus is shown to be a very funny side character, but he slowly reveals more about his past to make viewers realize why he acted the way he did toward Maximus at the start. His worldview is shattered further when he learns of Maximus’ betrayal, and viewers get to see his dedication to his faction in full force. His plot even ends with a bittersweet twist, so Season 2 is sure to bring back Thaddeus in another big role.
6 Snip-Snip
A Helpful Robot With A Sinister Side
- Played by Matt Berry
The Mr. Handy Robots are a staple of the Fallout franchise, and they can be deadly or helpful depending on who owns them. The main protagonist, Lucy, learns this when she first meets a Mr. Handy robot, Snip-Snip, in the fourth episode, and it is working in an organ harvesting facility.
As the robot is charged with removing the patients’ organs, Snip-Snip is quite dangerous. However, anything that should be sinister in this scene is played off as mere innocence. Though it is only a voice role, Matt Berry brings a lot of humor to this role with his booming voice. Snip-Snip has many fun one-liners, and hopefully, viewers get to see more of this type of character again, as there are many versions of Mr. Handy left in the wasteland.
5 Norm Maclean
A Keen Detective Left To Uncover The Mystery Of Vault 33
- Played by Moisés Arias
When Lucy heads to the surface to look for her Dad, it is up to her brother, Norm, to investigate the events in Vault 33 that led to the raider attack in the first place. To begin with, Norm and the rest of the vault dwellers seem content with moving forward after the tragic events that kicked off the show. However, Norm cannot shake the feeling that something untoward is going on.
After some initial investigation work, Norm then becomes a surrogate for the audience as he slowly unravels what is going on with Vaults 33, 32, and 31. He isn’t much for providing laughs, and he isn’t an action hero. Yet Norm is one of the more relatable characters in the Fallout show, and it is easy for the viewers to put themselves in his shoes as the mystery of why his vault was attacked is discovered.
4 Betty Pearson
Not As Innocent As She May Seem
- Played by Leslie Uggams
Betty Pearson is the closest thing to a villain that is seen in Vault 33. She has a position of power before the overseer is kidnapped by raiders, and then goes on to become the new overseer later on. However, this elderly lady has a lot more going on behind the scenes than viewers may believe.
Initially, it does not seem like there is much to the Betty Pearson character. However, she becomes infinitely more watchable as Norm slowly finds out more during his investigation, and eventually stumbles across the fact that she originally came from Vault 31. After this reveal, Betty’s interactions become a lot more interesting. Even the simple act of asking Norm how he is doing in passing feels tinged with a sinister motive, and it is great to watch.
3 Maximus
A Soldier Plagued By Difficult Decisions
- Played by Aaron Moten
Of the three main leads in the Fallout TV show, Maximus is perhaps the character who changes the least during the first season. Starting as a trainee soldier for The Brotherhood of Steel, Maximus is portrayed as someone familiar with the dark and evil place the wasteland has become. This makes his decision to allow his Knight to die when he becomes his squire all the more frustrating.
As an audience member, it is easy to see that Maximus struggles to be a good person in the wasteland. He wants to do good, yet he is constantly doing things that refute his moral status. Take, for example, how easily he decides to get comfy in Vault 4 when Lucy is sure that something evil is going on. Maximus is a character who struggles with his morality, which makes him interesting to watch. Let’s hope his story, and moral ambiguity, get more interesting in Season 2.
2 Lucy Maclean
The POV Character Of The Show
- Played by Ella Purnell
Lucy Maclean goes on the biggest journey in the Fallout series. Starting as a vault dweller, she is forced to head into the wasteland after her father is kidnapped by raiders, and as such, serves as the point of view character, as the audience discovers what this post-apocalyptic world is like.
Lucy begins her journey, understandably, as someone very naive. However, the events of the show quickly harden the character into someone adept at surviving in the harsh surface world. This character change is entirely believable, and it is great to watch this fresh pair of eyes witness and react to the horrors of the wasteland. Lucy Maclean remains a good person despite learning some harsh truths. However, this may change in the future as her worldview is constantly shaken.
1 The Ghoul/Cooper Howard
The Most Captivating Survivor With A Clear Code Of Ethics
- Played by Walton Goggins
The first character that fans meet in the Fallout show is an actor named Cooper Howard. This man is portrayed as a doting father, who is unfortunately present when the bombs drop. Viewers are reintroduced to this same character in the timeline, as Howard is living two hundred years in the future as a bounty hunter that everyone refers to as The Ghoul.
Having a character like this in a TV show is an easy way to bring a villain into a story. Despite performing some despicable acts in some of the episodes, like stabbing a dog, The Ghoul is shown to be more of a morally gray character. This bounty hunter has lines that he will not cross, but will commit some acts of violence to achieve his goals. The Ghoul understands the way of the wasteland and knows that he is on a ticking clock to one day reunite with his daughter, even though it is highly likely that she died years ago. Such a dichotomy in one character is just one of the reasons why The Ghoul is the best person to watch in Fallout.
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