I don't know if there is supposed to be a thread for everyone's opinions about this show, but in the meantime, i will go with mine there.
Delayed a bit. Not as much in forums as i used to be. And opinion has shifted a couple of times.
Didn't intend to hurry to watch it, then a couple of trailers got me intrigued. Then, when waiting for partner before launching the next episode of our other show, i watched the intro. And then, a couple of days later, i've binged the hell of that show.
There a big issue with the lore. Saying that is a freaking mutated understatement. But I'll go over it later.
I tried to not have too many expectations. I did like Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy work on Westworld, although they didn't seem eager to reach a satisfying conclusion for their show. I also get that there were some executive issues floating around. But they did seem to try to reinvent their set-up each season, which became unecessarily confusing. I didn't like seeing the name Bethesda in the credits, and even less seeing the name of the manchild and another Bethesda executive as co-showrunners. I like Walton Coggins ( although i think he starts to look a bit too old for this role), Kyle McLachan, Michael Emerson, the guy who voices Jerry in Rick & Morty, and i think the new actors are doing a fine job. And the visual are both impressive and sometime creative.
Considering the bomb that get dropped later on, and the vial thing with the ghouls, i thought the show was set within its own universe, which made it a bit more enjoyable when i watched it. And i think it's kind of lucky. I doubt i would have enjoyed it that much if i saw it as «the future of the west coast lore». Hell, i didn't even noticed the show was set in California until they mentioned Shady Sands.
Overall, i liked the early part of the season, with minimal involvement of the major factions, the cheerfull atmosphere with something lurking under the surface of the vaults, the western desert vibe, the fact that there is no deathclaws nor super-mutants yet. The show seemed to be leaning toward Bethesda interpretation of the Fallout universe, but it was to be expected, as Bethesda was actually involved with the show, and i didn't see Cain, Boyarsky or Avellone in the credits. Although, i do think that Joy and Nolan are way better writers than the Manchild and his cronies. Even with the goofy looney tunes atmosphere of the east coast, the characters felt real and invested. Also, they reuse some previous games plots points with a new twist here and there, which didn't feel too far fetched and was entertaining enough.
I liked that the three (or three of the four if we count Norman) main characters seem to represent three ethical mindsets that the player can indulge in when they play the game. (Although i didn't like that one of the main character was given the manchild last name) I like that the journey get its share of «random encounter», good and bad. I like that many of the nods to the game remain just discreet nods, and not given the forefront. I also like that the vault dwellers (those who stayed behind) started as goofy caricatures, and then are given a bit more depth, as they get more plot relevants.
I totally expected the show to go the «1950s with more tech» route for the prewar, so i didn't complain. Expected also a lot of old time music. Sometime, it added to the atmosphere. Sometime, it was just kind of there. There is an «explanation for the cause of the bombs being dropped» that i didn't mind much, when i didn't know it was intended to fit with the game canon. As a show-only thing, i didn't mind that much, as they were pretty much the players that had the most to gain with the vault being actually used, so it made a lot of sense. On the other hand, if it would fit with the rest of the game, i hope they won't go further down that road and outright confirm that those players dropped the bombs. In my opinion, the question of «who dropped the bomb first ?» should remain open to speculation. It is not something the player character or show protagonist should know for sure, and the same goes for the audience.
On the other hand, not mentioning the lore catastrophe, i do think there are two big issues with this first season. First, it heavily feels like the viewer is expected to know the Fallout universe before watching the show. We have a couple of scenes at one Enclave facility, but absolutly no exposition about who is the Enclave. We have bit here and there about the Brotherhood of Steel, but not enough to put ourselves into Maximus shoes without the games. Another is the pacing. I like that there is a bit of walking and random events, but it feels like way too much is happening in the span of merely 8 episodes. The three protagonists collide very quickly, then you have the prime suspects for the war, one major location bomber, an inter-faction battle, Moldaver and the father are found, their whole backstory explained, the former dies, her faction might go extinct as well, and the macguffin was explained and used. I feel like they used plot material for two or three FULL season.
Now about the Elephant in the room... The bombing on Shady Sands and the dumbing down of the west coast... At first, when i saw a crater in the middle of the LA area, (where it shouldn't be) with the mention of Shady Sands, i did mind a bit, but i tried to shrug it off as, coupled with the vials for ghouls, some show-exclusive things, to mention things from several titles of the the series, without dwelving too much in them, they had to make shortcut. Then i've read some interviews of the manchild and his buddies saying that they intend to fully integrate the show with the games continuity, i was taken aback. I didn't expect them to go that far. Took me a while to process it. I know that not everyone will agree with. Some will find them excuses or maybe shift the blame somewhere else. I'll try to not argue with them. Everyone is entitled to their own reactions. But the way i see it, it's either the manchild himself or someone at Beth management, who has been jealous of New Vegas success, resentful toward some chunks of the fanbase, and went deliberately on a petty revenge with it. Like the kid who cannot put up a decent sandcastle and will go out of his way to destroy the sandcastle of that other kids whom parents just complimented. The folks at Beth already had built their own little universe on the east coast, with their internal (or lack of) consistency and tone, and worldbuilding beliefs (of lack of). There was no reason to set the show in the west coast. And even less reason to set it with the west coast, with the east coast worldbuilding philosophy, and destroy offscreen everything that was successfull about the west coast, without any substantial gain. And to top it all, an in-universe character, that looks like the manchild, absolutely did it for petty reasons. It feels like they are barely trying to hide the hate. They not only had destroyed Shady Sands, doubled down on the NCR, implied the destruction of New Vegas, and it seems like the entire area no longer has a proper city, town or village, beside the Megaton-like Shanty town. Not only the post-apocalyptic cities, factions and entire civilizations were the highlights on the Fallout games, but also the most likely scenario that would happen in real-life (not the exact same cities, but the fact many people would rush to make new cities and feel safe again, even under dictatorship), and something other post-apocalyptic universes are following suit, including the quite successfull Walking Dead and Last of Us. But Beth seem very bend on the concept of unorganized, chaotic and full of weirdos universe, even centuries after the bombs, even if there is less major threats than the other fictional universe mentioned earlier (and which built new cities within a couple of decades). On the other hand, if there is hate, there is feeling. So in a way, the Fallout universe matters more to them that i gave them credit for. I am not gonna be lying and say that i don't care... But somehow, i am not sure how much i care. So much had happened to me IRL the last few years, that i pretty much focused my hate on a real person, who did something real to me. Beside, with the exception of New Vegas, the official aspect of the franchise has been dead for almost two decades. (thanksfully the mods and spiritual successors are strong). So i kind of numb here, on the hate departement. I would even say that feeling that them being the ones hating us is kind of a relief. We aren't the only ones who cared.
Although, it is a bit sad for the franchise, and maybe it's time to bury it properly, build our little hostel to the memory of Shady Sands and those settlements who felt like actual cities, and the slow rebuilding in the Fallout universe. About if i will watch the next season, and with which mindset, i don't know. Contrary to the Beth games that were filled with bugs and boring and repetitive filler (lack of) contents, this show was entertaining, well crafted, and actually written. If i can ignore that Beth exec want it to fit with the game canons, i might keep getting enjoyement out of it. But it's too early to tell. If not, there are more mods, spiritual successors, and similarly enjoyable other franchises and one-shot contents to mitigate my disapointment. Although i crave for more cities, factions and civilizations in the spirit of Fallout 1, Fallout 2, Fallout 1.5 Resurrection, and New Vegas, even if i will have to seek them in other franchises.
