I can't wait for 99% of all internet discussion on it to just be nerds moaning that THEY GOT IT WRONG.
It's me! I'm the annoying one! Over the last 25 years, I've spent thousands of hours in the Fallout universe, completing every game multiple times (except Fallout 76, for reasons). I've been involved in the modding scene for Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 4 and have dabbled into the extended lore, which is extensive. So, the potential for me to be insufferable is always just below the surface!
But, I really loved it! The show is packed with some really cool Easter eggs. I expected nods to things like the Vault Boy and Nuka Cola, but they went above and beyond with details like Atomic Command on the Pip Boy (which is completely game-accurate), Grognak!, the "Please Stand By" message and even introducing our protagonist through her S.P.E.C.I.A.L review, essentially the character creator from the games. Good stuff.
The vibe of the show is remarkably similar to that of the modern games. Given that the Fallout fandom already has a great divide between the original two Black Isle games and everything from Bethesda and Obsidian onwards, I think there's a bit more leeway for this adaptation but it was clear to me that the creators cared about getting a lot of these details right rather than immediately imposing their own vision to the detriment of what's already established and beloved—
cough Witcher
cough.
There's no reason you can't tell original stories in such a rich universe without needlessly changing things fans love. While it doesn't have to stick slavishly to game lore and should be free to do its own thing, it's refreshing to see that care was taken with it.
I really appreciated the show's overall look and how it avoided the gritty, colorless realism that's so common in modern shows. Fallout does deal with heavy subjects, as you'd expect from a post-apocalyptic world, but it's always been fantastical and quirky, and the show captured that essence well. They also nailed the inherent weirdness and naivety of the vault dwellers. The Fallout universe arises from atomic annihilation in 2077, yet it's set in an alternate retro future where microprocessors were never developed—everything feels like the 1950s. Only a chosen few enter the Vault-Tec vaults, while the survivors on the surface must endure in the Wastelands for the next 200 years. Everything in the Fallout world is influenced by 1950s futurism, to the point of arrested development. Sure, this doesn't hold up to close scrutiny, but realism isn't what the games were ever going for, and neither should the show. It's a unique style, and I think they did an excellent job with it. I think they could have easily fumbled this aspect, so kudos.
Introduction to The Brotherhood of Steel and those iconic T-60 Power Armors was cool.
Ella Purnell was immediately likable and interesting, and I can't be the only one who gets seriously strong young Margot Kidder vibes from her, right? Like, to the point of eeriness.
Also, she did her homework, and I like that.
Also, the final word from the creator of Fallout himself, Timothy Cain. He likes it, and that's more than enough of a blessing for me.
