Just over three weeks before the Fallout TV series hits the airwaves, Amazon has released a two-minute clip from the show, in which Vault Dweller Lucy finds herself caught in a difficult situation between an armed ghoul and the Brotherhood of Steel.
The scene begins with the ghoul – capitalization courtesy of Amazon – playing around with some elderly citizens of a local slum. Vault resident Lucy, played by Ella Purnell and presumably filled with the spirit of “doing good in the world,” intervenes but finds that she is completely unprepared for the moment. Hey, the wasteland is a harsh place. Luckily for them, a member of the Brotherhood of Steel swoops in to save the day, although it remains unclear whether he will make things better or worse.
Although not much actually happens, the scene touches on aspects of Fallout that will be familiar to fans: the childish naivety of a newly emerged Vault Dweller, the harsh lifestyle of the ghouls and – although it's unspoken – the very high probability that the Seniors who find themselves on the wrong side of Walton Goggins' bad temper probably deserve whatever happens to them. It may not click for non-gamers, but if you know the games you will recognize these clues.
The appearance of the Brotherhood of Steel soldier is a little more ambiguous. Is he a good guy? A villain? A fascist technology hoarder or a sincere defender of the common people? Or is he perhaps an insecure cog in an indifferent machine, discovering that the world is full of wonders and that the hopes and dreams of individuals are as important as peace and order to a worthwhile future for humanity? (This is where I might be inclined to invest my money.)
Lucy is obviously thrilled by the soldier's arrival, but I rather suspect that, much like everything else she'll encounter on her adventures in the post-nuclear world, she'll be in for some difficult lessons about how things really work out there.
This is a bit of a nitpick, but the BoS soldier's short flight to the crime scene didn't really work for me. I can't quite put my finger on why, but it has a sort of “guy being lifted up by ropes” vibe. Not that the Brotherhood's power armor will match real-world aerodynamics, but it just looks weird.
All of this is in contrast to recent comments from Fallout series director Jonathan Nolan, who said that trying to please fans of the games with the show was a “stupid thing to do.” He's not wrong, but as the famous saying goes: War never changes, and neither does Fallout.
