Fallout | Amazon Prime Video | Based on the video game franchise | April 12th, 2024

[Liiviig 1998]

3 hours ago, 4815162342 said:

So that was kind of an honestly messy season. The 8 episode mandate enforced by streamers these days is so goddamn stupid.

 

The geography of the show makes no sense. Characters are hopping between dense forest and vast desert and blighted cityscapes within minutes in every episode, characters seem to teleport when the plot demands it, and there's no sense of scale or distance to where anything is.

Yeah as much as I loved the world something about it felt constraint  . Feel some aspects weren't fleshed out especially the whole maximus side story. Brotherhood of steel could have been interesting ,but just felt flat and feel like really nothing was explored.

 

Westworld was so much better in world building.

 

Yeah GOT S1-S6 before it went to shit will remain the gold standard for how characters travel , location and geography and just getting a sense of where your characters are in the world.

[4815162342]

The more I think about it the more think certain elements of the season framework don't really hold up to scrutiny, and other elements are depicted very shallowly. A couple things also basically dropped out of sight for a see you next season maybe we'll do more then with this maybe not

[Porthos]

To the surprise of absolutely no one...

 

‘Fallout’ Renewed For Season 2 At Amazon (Deadline)

[Porthos]

‘Fallout’ Explodes as Prime Video’s Most-Watched Title Globally With 65 Million Viewers (The Wrap)

 

Quote

“Fallout” has exploded as Prime Video’s most-watched title globally within the first 16 days since its release.

The video game adaptation brought in more than 65 million viewers since it first debuted on April 10, according to internal data from the streamer. “Fallout” ranked as the No. 1 most-watched title on Prime Video in 170 countries, with more than 60% of the show’s audience originating internationally, including the U.K., France and Brazil.

 

Overall, the Ella Purnell and Walton Goggins-led series ranks as the second most-watched title on Prime Video to date in its first 16 days after the debut of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” which premiered in September 2022.

 

“Fallout” was also buzzy among younger audiences, with “Fallout” standing out as the most-watched title ever on Prime Video among adults 18-34.

 

The viewership news follows the show’s speedy Season 2 renewal, which came just eight days after the series debuted. At the time of the renewal, Prime Video touted that “Fallout” stood in the streamer’s top three most-watched titles ever and was the most-watched season globally since “Rings of Power.”

Starring Purnell as optimistic Vault-dweller Lucy, “Fallout” is set 200 years after the apocalypse and follows “the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters [who] are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind — and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird and highly violent universe waiting for them,” per the official logline.

Purnell stars alongside Aaron Moten, who plays Maximus, a young soldier climbing the ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel, and Goggins, who plays bounty hunter the Ghoul. The three cross paths as they chase an alluring artifact with the potential to change the world.

 

Hailing from Amazon MGM Studios and Kilter Films and in association with Bethesda Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks, “Fallout” is created and showrun by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner. Kilter Films’ Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy serve as executive producers alongside Athena Wickham for Kilter Films, Todd Howard for Bethesda Game Studios and James Altman for Bethesda Softworks.

 

Okay, first things first.  This article, or rather whatever Amazon told The Wrap/The Wrap got from Amazon, is a little slippery and fast and loose with terminology.  For one thing, comparing and contrasting a binge release (Fallout) with a weekly release (Rings of Power) is... Well, almost literally apples and oranges as one show is gonna have a whole lot more material to watch than the other through 16 days.

 

Secondly, as I mentioned when word started floating around about RoP's viewership numbers, even if we don't get into TVGR's "Trust Us" philosophy when it comes to this sort of backslapping "65 million viewers" is such a weasely statement as to be practically meaningless.  Is Amazon reckoning x number of people per account?  Counting everybody whose watched five minutes of a episode?  Counting each episode as its own separate view?  So so soooo many places where this could be massaged.

 

What *IS* true is that Amazon has a smash hit on its hands through the first 16 days (TVGR has reported something like 5.3 billion minutes watched for the whole series over the first couple of weeks in the US.  It's just the level of the smash hit and its staying power which is in question (binge release complicating my personal analysis here).

[Daxtreme]

This was great.

 

But it has problems. I'm willing to overlook some, perfection is unattainable anyway, but they are slightly bothersome because without them, this would be basically perfect.

 

Like most said, toward the end here it kinda becomes convoluted. A lot. Porthos said Moldaver's plan doesn't hold to scrutiny, and I'm inclined to agree. It's one of the first things I thought as a point of criticism.

 

I actually think it's overall bookended by its worst parts. So, roughly from the 2nd to the 6th episode or so, it is VERY strong, but 1st and last episodes aren't up to par.

 

Some spoiler thoughts:

 

Spoiler

WTF trees? If you've played any of the fallout games then trees and forests should be a no-go. Please don't include lush forests in a Fallout media... Fallout 76 introduced them and they're a terrible idea. It's supposed to be a wasteland. Forest and wasteland are words that just don't fit in the same sentence. But since we're going to New Vegas next then I think this should fix itself anyway so yeah.

 

Speaking of New Vegas, the 2nd season has potential to top the first one. New Vegas is AWESOME.

 

Strangely enough my favorite arc of the series was Norman and his investigations. I absolutely loved that part. It's like he had no purpose as if born in the wrong setting, until he found his purpose.

 

The ending with the empty power armor entering the room just to conveniently be there when Hank MacLean needed it was just DUMB. There is no other way around this, this is piss-poor writing that reeks of "it needs to be there, so put it there in any way you can".

 

I hated the way-too-fast ghoul regeneration for the squire. I almost thought he was hallucinating at first so sudden it was. That's not how ghoul regeneration works, it's not that fast until you're a Glowing One or something.

 

Stimpack dogmeat GOAT moment. 

 

Walton Goggins killed it, Ella Purnell killed it, everyone killed it. They nailed the dark humor yet violent but also serious tones of the games.  They really brought the game stuff to the forefront and exceptionally well, it's like filled with fanservice moments but doesn't actually feel like it's doing any disservice to the story. Well done.

 

Since the best show (or best anything) of the year is, to me, without question, and it ain't even close, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (easy 10/10), well this will have to settle for 2nd place. For now (I haven't seen Shōgun... yet)

 

9/10 - amazing

 

Video game adaptations are killing it these days. If they're often this good, I say... Bring them on! Mass Effect when?

 

Edited May 3 by Daxtreme

[Porthos]

@Daxtreme

 

Taking this out of spoilers since it is so inconsequential...

 

re trees...

 

IIRC, trees are all over the place in the mountains of New Vegas.  Fairly healthy looking ones as well, IIRC.

 

*checks*

 

Yep.

 

I get the complaint, but trees and Fallout isn't that new.

 

EDIT:

 

As I check out "Tree" over at the Fallout Wiki (btw, really?  an entry on TREES ) I wonder if this might be a case of "The Memory Cheats" as trees are also in earlier installments (which I have yet to play so I can't discuss the context).

 

I suppose the desert wastelands are so iconic that it does leave a bit of an impression on the memory/expectations.

Edited May 3 by Porthos

[ChipDerby]

Finished this last night. Pretty pretty good! Maximus was a decently annoying character, but that's fine. Needs more dog.

[Porthos]

(plopping this into the proper thread as while it is no-context spoilers of a sort, this is the sort of line folks should see on their own with no forewarning)

 

8 hours ago, Youngstar said:

It was so good that I finally started playing my first Fallout game (fallout 3) and man I'm having a blast. But also the amount of new Fallout Let's plays I see popping up on youtube is insane, so this is a win/win for both Amazon and Microsoft/Bethesda.

 

While you're playing, just remember the Golden Rule of the Wasteland*: Thou Shalt Get Distracted By Bullshit, Every Goddamn Time.

* And, really, every last CRPG known to humankind. 😉

 

=====

 

Only been four weeks, but such an Iconic Line.  Instant I heard it I laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed.  Not just because of Fallout, but because of every last quest-based game out there.

Edited May 10 by Porthos

[Youngstar]

5 hours ago, Porthos said:

(plopping this into the proper thread as while it is no-context spoilers of a sort, this is the sort of line folks should see on their own with no forewarning)

 

 

While you're playing, just remember the Golden Rule of the Wasteland*: Thou Shalt Get Distracted By Bullshit, Every Goddamn Time.

* And, really, every last CRPG known to humankind. 😉

 

=====

 

Only been four weeks, but such an Iconic Line.  Instant I heard it I laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed.  Not just because of Fallout, but because of every last quest-based game out there.

Oh I'm getting distracted all right... I think I have spend half my playtime so far you running around in DC (mostly metro tunnels ^^) And now I really want to see the more insane Ghoul variants in this show.

Spoiler

Like the glowing ones or the reavers are insane. (reavers are basically walking tanks it's insane)

 

[Daxtreme]

Spoiler

I can't believe they haven't shown a single Death Claw or Super Mutant. These are Fallout staples that have been there since the first game. Can't wait to see them though!

 

[Porthos]

1 hour ago, Daxtreme said:

  Hide contents

I can't believe they haven't shown a single Death Claw or Super Mutant. These are Fallout staples that have been there since the first game. Can't wait to see them though!

 

 

Spoiler

 

FAN CARD.... REVOKED!!!!! 

 

Spoiler

jk, obv.  Esp since you might not have counted that. 😄

 

The producers noted that they intentionally held some stuff back as to not overload/overstuff the series with callouts and references. Also said they wanted to "pick and choose a bit" since they have over 20 years of material to work with.

 

Given the lingering shot on the deathclaw skull and at least part of S2 being in the Mojave, I think it is a near 100% certainty we're getting deathclaw action next time around.

 

As for super mutants, besides being referenced in the Evil Meeting of Doom, there might have been a blink-and-you-miss it honest-to-goodness easter egg when we see Wilzig escaping the Enclave:

 

(was a corpse on a gurney being wheeled in the background)

 

I agree though that one doesn't really count

 

 

 

[Potiki]

Ended up semi-binging this (a couple episodes a day over the last 3-4 days). Enjoyed it a fair amount, visuals looked pretty good but wouldn't be surprised if they looked even better next season. Story and setting were a bit strange but got used it being kinda alt-history Cold War but cartoony (for lack of a better term.) Not a huge fan of the games (might try one again at some point) I imagine they have a very similar story/setting. 

 

Overall I'll be tuning in next season but probably not as high on it as fans of the game.

 

 

[Porthos]

21 minutes ago, Potiki said:

Ended up semi-binging this (a couple episodes a day over the last 3-4 days). Enjoyed it a fair amount, visuals looked pretty good but wouldn't be surprised if they looked even better next season. Story and setting were a bit strange but got used it being kinda alt-history Cold War but cartoony (for lack of a better term.) Not a huge fan of the games (might try one again at some point) I imagine they have a very similar story/setting. 

 

Overall I'll be tuning in next season but probably not as high on it as fans of the game.

 

 

 

"absurdist" is the word du jour I've seen bandied about, and I think works fairly well, as a fairly even-handed term.  Though, honestly, "cartoony" works just as well. 

[dudalb]

16 hours ago, Potiki said:

Ended up semi-binging this (a couple episodes a day over the last 3-4 days). Enjoyed it a fair amount, visuals looked pretty good but wouldn't be surprised if they looked even better next season. Story and setting were a bit strange but got used it being kinda alt-history Cold War but cartoony (for lack of a better term.) Not a huge fan of the games (might try one again at some point) I imagine they have a very similar story/setting. 

 

Overall I'll be tuning in next season but probably not as high on it as fans of the game.

 

 

Pretty much follows the Alternate History set up in the first game where baiscally the culture reamaine  frozen in many ways in the 1950's until the nukes start flying.

One minor league irony is the culture is supposed to be in the 50's but the iconic Ink Spot songs are from the 1940's. By the fifites the Ink Spots were pretty much has beens.

 

[dudalb]

BTW on it's Fallout website Bethsada released the game stats for the mini series charecters,if you want to play the game with them.

[Daxtreme]

Surprised that none of them have over a 7

 

They definitely don't suffer from Main Character Syndrome

[Wes Mantooth]

As a huge Fallout fan. Thought the show was brilliant. I can’t wait for Deathclaws!!!! A Mythic Deathclaw would be dope. 

[dudalb]

On 5/10/2024 at 11:31 AM, Daxtreme said:

  Hide contents

I can't believe they haven't shown a single Death Claw or Super Mutant. These are Fallout staples that have been there since the first game. Can't wait to see them though!

 

Spoiler

Hell, I am suprised no Rad Scorpions.

 

[dudalb]

On 7/22/2024 at 7:15 AM, Wes Mantooth said:

As a huge Fallout fan. Thought the show was brilliant. I can’t wait for Deathclaws!!!! A Mythic Deathclaw would be dope. 

I sort of want to see the Rad Scorpions myself.

[dudalb]

On 5/25/2024 at 8:48 AM, Daxtreme said:

Surprised that none of them have over a 7

 

They definitely don't suffer from Main Character Syndrome

A huge difference between Fallout and other RPG; is you need to pay more attantion of a balanced charecters. 

The official recommendation..which I agree with, is don;t let any basic state fall below 4. You can do so, of course, but it creates huge problems later on.