Fallout's Latest Episode Introduces An Iconic Enemy And Tons Of Chaos

Spoilers for this week's episode of Fallout to follow.

Last week's episode of Fallout gave longtime fans and new viewers an update on the factions running around in the Mojave Wasteland. From Caesar’s Legion and the divide they had, to the NCR’s loosened grip on the area, to Maximus’ (Aaron Moten) big mistake, there was no shortage of shakeups. As a result, the episode felt as if it sidelined its leads in favor of world building. That’s not the case with this week’s entry, however, as we finally see Lucy (Ella Purnell) and Cooper (Walton Goggins) arrive in the long anticipated New Vegas. Let’s dive into what went on in the Mojave Wasteland this week.

The episode opens with one of the most exciting pre-war flashbacks to be depicted in the series, showing Cooper Howard on the Alaskan front during the liberation of Anchorage from occupying Chinese forces. Him and a squadmate are on a combat patrol sporting West-Tek’s T-45 Power Armor for the first time in combat and things aren’t going as expected. His squadmate’s armor keeps malfunctioning, locking his arm into place. Frustrated, Cooper opts to disobey orders from his commanding officer and sends the soldier back to base to continue his combat patrol alone. This plan backfires, as he’s soon ambushed by a platoon of Chinese soldiers who cause his armor to malfunction and send him straight to the floor. Just as all hope seems lost and they prepare to kill him for his armor, a terrifying roar is let out. Shortly after, a Deathclaw appears and massacres the platoon in gory fashion. The deathclaw examines Cooper and leaves him thinking he’s dead; meanwhile on the radio, his commanding officer lets him know that the liberation of Anchorage was successful.

Jumping to the present, we join Maximus in the immediate aftermath of Paladin Xander’s death. Maximus learns that the Brotherhood of Steel has tracked them to Thaddeus’ (Johnny Pemberton) bottling plant. Realizing that the Brotherhood will kill all of the ghoul children if they go inside--and not wanting them to know he killed Xander--Maximus pleads with Thaddeus to get inside Xander’s power armor and pose as him. Realizing that they have no choice and wanting to save the kids, he reluctantly agrees and begins to stumble around in the power armor to start the ruse.

Lucy wakes up after being hung on a cross by the Legion and being saved by Cooper. Unaware where she is, she learns that she’s in the NCR remnant camp. As they prepare to head back to their destroyed home of Shady Sands, the NCR informs her that Cooper saved her and asks her about her quest to find her dad and what she will do when she finds him. When she says she plans to bring him to justice,, they tell her about the NCR’s mission of bringing justice back to the wasteland and if she ever needs allies to find them. Realizing they have too much luggage to haul back, they offer her a duffel bag of weapons for her journey. She and Cooper set out for The Strip.

We get a brief look at the happenings of Vault 33 and their dead waterchip. Crops are dying and water is being desperately rationed. But the “Products of Inbreeding” club have plenty for their social gathering because of a promise made by Overseer Betty (Leslie Uggams), a promise she quickly regrets.

As they arrive on the outskirts of New Vegas, Lucy begins exhibiting strange symptoms such as heavy breathing and itching. Unaware of what’s happening to her, Cooper informs her that she spent the last two days with Buffout--an in-game steroid known for its addictive properties--hooked into her veins. That’s right, she’s become addicted to drugs. With no idea what to do and no time to sit out a five day withdrawal cycle, Cooper offers her the only thing that will help: more drugs.

Maximus and Thaddeus return to Area 51 with the other members none the wiser. Dane (Xelia Mendes-Jones) confronts Maximus about his actions and how he took off unauthorized with Paladin Xander. This is when Maximus drops the truth nuke and informs Dane that he killed Xander. Shocked, Dane brings up how his actions will start a war with The Commonwealth Brotherhood of Steel. Maximus assures him it won’t come to that point as he plans to kill Elder Cleric Quintus (Michael Cristofer)

Elsewhere in the Los Angeles Wasteland, Norm (Moisés Arias) is out exploring with the rest of the inhabitants of Vault 31. One of them reminisces on what she was doing before she entered cryosleep and how she interviewed with Vault-Tec right before. To her, 200 years has only been a week. As he plots their next move Norm is confronted by Ronnie, Bud Askins’ personal assistant, who challenges his leadership. Being so close to Bud, Ronnie reveals that Phase II of the experiment of Vaults 32 and 33 are important but ominously keeps details vague.

Vault 32 Overseer Steph (Annabel O’Hagan) meets with Vault 31 Overseer Betty in the inter-vault chambers that connect the two. Betty informs her that without a waterchip, Vault 31 doesn’t have much time left. She pleads with Steph to use their waterchip but is refused unless she can provide Steph with Hank Maclean’s keepsake box. Betty inquires what’s inside but Steph refuses to tell her. Unbeknownst to the both of them, their entire meeting is being spied on by Woody (Zach Cherry).

Cooper and Lucy arrive at the entrance of The Strip but something seems off. It’s entirely abandoned, with destroyed securitrons littering the streets. Cooper scouts the area and discovers it is infested by the Kings gang, who have mutated into vicious ghouls. With few options before them, Cooper suggests entering The Strip through Freeside to avoid any conflict. Lucy, high on drugs, grows impatient and shoots a ghoul in the legs alerting the rest of them and a bloody massacre ensues. As she shoots down every last ghoul, she starts to realize she enjoys the violence. Meanwhile, Cooper realizes New Vegas may have fallen, and Lucy notices one of her fingers begins to look discolored.

Back at Area 51, Thaddeus struggles to blend in as Xander due to how little experience he has with power armor. Despite heading to the mess hall to get away from everything, he’s confronted by the leader of the Yosemite chapter who offers to kill Elder Cleric Quintus in exchange for support from The Commonwealth. The leader of the Coronado chapter arrives and offers the same deal, saying his soldiers are at the ready. Unaware of how to handle the situation, Thaddeus begins to have a panic attack inside of his power armor.

Elsewhere, Maximus confronts the Elder Cleric and informs him that he killed Xander and pulls a gun on him. When questioned why he would commit such an act, Maximus informs him that he killed Xander because he was going to kill a group of ghoul children. Angered, the Elder Cleric begins ranting about how that goes against the Brotherhood’s code and how their mission is to restore America and the Wasteland to its former glory. He pulls out a pistol and gets into a firefight with Maximus.

Dane steals the Cold Fusion relic to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands and chaos ensues when other members of the Brotherhood realize it's gone. The Yosemite leader kills Coronado’s leader and the various chapters of the BoS enter full blown conflict. In the ensuing chaos, Maximus manages to lock the Elder Cleric in the room and meet up with Dane, who gives him the Cold Fusion relic and tells him to get far away from there, Thaddeus joins him and together in the mayhem they manage to flee Area 51

Woody calls out Steph for violating vault safety by meeting with Betty in the inter-vault chambers, pointing out that they should only be used for authorized use. Steph thanks him and says it should be reported to the Overseer, which is herself, so his concerns are immediately tossed aside. While they’re talking, Chet (Dave Register) uncovers a hidden drawer of Steph’s that houses a Canadian ID card that belongs to her, revealing that she is not American.

As Lucy and Cooper travel further downThe Strip, they notice that the surrounding area is completely abandoned. Lucy wonders where all the people are and Cooper once again suggests they should go to Freeside to learn what happened to New Vegas. The silence is broken as Lucy’s Pip-Boy starts detecting radiation and a vicious roar cuts through the air like a knife. Frozen in their tracks, Lucy and Cooper are mortified at the sight of a massive Deathclaw who has its sights set on them.

After last week’s update episode, this week’s Fallout was a remarkable improvement. We finally saw Lucy and Cooper arrive in New Vegas, Brotherhood of Steel reach its breaking point, and a deep look into the happenings of Vaults 32 and 33. Many elements from the games were introduced into the show such as the liberation of Anchorage, Deathclaws, and addiction. There’s no doubt in my mind that the following episodes will have even more in store for eager viewers.

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