I LOVE THIS SHOW!!! Episode 2 is scheduled for next Wednesday, September 25th, so stay tuned! Full length reactions to this full season are already available on Patreon, and early access to RUclips edits will be posted there weekly. I'm also watching BUFFY and THE EXPANSE on Patreon, among many other fun things! Here on RUclips, make sure to check out SERENITY on Friday, and I'm hoping to start ARCANE next week, along with a bunch of new movies. Thank you, and enjoy! ❤
Glad you enjoyed it! It's one of the best video game adaptations ever made. Not that the bar is very high on that, but it's easily S tier when it comes to game adaptations.
@@davidhudgin That reminds me: if Jacqui doesn't already know, Ella Purnell (Lucy) also voices Jinx in Arcane. So she's getting a double dose of Ella moving forward.
The Last of Us, Alien, Dungeons & Dragons, Fallout, and Firefly. That's either franchises from, or inspired by, role-playing games. (Firefly, it's rumored, is from Joss Whedon playing the Traveller RPG in college)...
Fallout takes place in an alternate timeline. Everything is the same until about the end of WW2. In the Fallout timeline nuclear energy took off and capitalism and patriotism is dialed to 11. The 50's aesthetic took hold. The bombs fell in the flashback in the year 2077 so there are still big bulky computers with vacuum tubes but there are also robots and laser rifles. At the time America and China were in the midst of a war. There is a lot of other changes as well, such as Canada being annexed by the US. The Fallout lore is incredibly deep and interesting and makes for a really interesting world.
I think Todd Howard said once that the tech and stuff is designed as if the transistor had never been invented, so even though fusion tech advanced, it's still reliant on 50s style vacuum tubes and stuff.
@@daveemerson6549 Yep. It's basically, "What if nuclear power had become the predominant form of tech/energy?" and it's also essentially taking the Jetsons vision of the future and going with that general aesthetic.
@@daveemerson6549 The only thing that is a bit strange then is, that we have a specific "chip" here. So did some peoples managed to produce transistors even after the big nuclear bomb drops ?
Their nuclear weapons are also different from ours, being a lower yield but higher radiation output. So to compensate for that they drop a shit load of them which doesn't do as much physical damage (it still does a lot, obviously) but it radiates everything and takes longer to dissipate.
As I understand it, the transistor was invented, just at a much later time, so vacuum tube tech was much more advanced and computer chips lagged far behind.
@@movienightwithjacqui hey, just came across your channel, I'd love for you to react to the movie Ninja Assassin as no one has quite reacted to it before. I'd genuinely be interested in seeing your reaction
The 3 non-spoiler fact explanation of the Fallout universe: 1) Alt timeline where the Cold War never ended (in fact, it went hot a couple times), so while everything in the flashback looked like the 1950s, it was actually the 2070s. 2) Research into nuclear energy went way beyond anything we've done, so pretty much everything in the Fallout universe runs off nuclear power in one way or another. 3) Things like LEDs and microprocessors were never invented, so they're still building with cathode-ray tubes and data tapes...everything looks vintage and retro, but is at least as powerful (probably more powerful) than what we have today. That's basically the entirety of the primer needed to fully understand what's going on in the show (without spoiling anything).
Computing in the Fallout universe is definitely nowhere near as powerful as what we have today, but the fact that nuclear fusion is ubiquitous in their world is definitely a major technological advantage over us
The bombs dropped in 2077 but in this universe everything is powered by nuclear energy, and the US was stuck in a 50's style aesthetic for like a hundred years.
Here's a fun fact that's pretty awesome: the Power Armor that the Brotherhood knights wear was almost entirely practical. There are obviously some shots throughout the show where it had to be CGI, but they actually built those suits and the actors actually did "pilot" them.
@@hgusLies! They absolutely are metal mech-suits, and powered by lithium-ion batteries, nuclear micro-reactors, and bottled essence of Cthulhu. Proof: I read it on Facebook.
I have always said that the "vibe" of Fallout is basically one that makes you go "Well that was fucked up" all the time, but it's lighthearted enough that you aren't actually staring into the void and it stays fun.
For a distinctively American franchise with a distinctly American vibe (meant in the best way), it somehow also manages to have a similar dark comedic "laugh at the horror and at your own misfortune" style more often seen in a lot of British comedies.
So a fun twist is that the Fallout universe was an alternate universe to ours long before the bombs dropped. Two major differences are that the cold war never ended, eventually going hot and involving China even more than the Soviet Union, and also the transistor was not invented, so the microchip revolution never happened. Technology took a very different path, which relied heavily on cheap, safe, portable nuclear power to power everything from robots to computers to cars. And because the cold war never ended, American culture mostly stagnated in that late 50s-early 60s vibe and aesthetic. But the day the bombs dropped wasn't in the 1950s at all, it was actually 2077.
I wonder what it is with the year 2077 and Game Developers LOL. (yes, I'm aware that in Fallout it was chosen in 1998 and it fits the ongoing lore of the Cyberpunk TTRPG)
They did eventually invent transistors, at least 50 years before the bombs dropped according to ingame lore. But slower than in our timeline. Pip-Boy would work with vacuum tubes, it would be much bigger. But vacuum tubes were still commonly used for a lot of stuff.
@@woolenthreads I don't know? I think it's just got a ring to it. "2077." If's fun to say. 2076 would have been a better fit for Fallout, IMO. Bombs dropping on America's 300th birthday? Come on. They missed it by one year
@@woolenthreads The 70s was the start of what I'd call the Golden Age of TTRPGs. Gygax and Kaye founded TSR -- which of course gave birth to D&D. _Traveller_ -- a space sci-fi TTRPG published back in '77 -- was one of the games that piqued Pondsmith's interest in creating new ones; one of which was _Cyberpunk 2077._ I played a few GURPS games back in the 80s as a kid, and was pretty stoked at finding out that one of these games -- _Fallout_ -- was going to have a PC game version. I certainly didn't expect it to become what it is now.
One interesting thing, in my opinion, is that while the vibe and aesthetic stayed the same social progress still happened. It's a 50s vibe but there's very little racism except the anti-Chinese racism caused by the war and the LGBTQ+ community is completely accepted. There's no sexism either. Now, obviously, some of that is simply a choice by the game developers to make the game more marketable, but it has an interesting effect on the world they built.
As a massive fan of the games, I never once thought about how someone who doesn’t know anything reacts to the show. Glad to see your reactions for that pov
The absolute majority of reactions are from people who have 0 clue about the games. Some have some very basic knowledge and I've only seen one who's actually very knowledgeable.
You're the first non-gamer reactor I've seen who was able to clock the "feral ghoul can't abide a chicken" line as old wives' tale BS. Most who don't know anything about the Fallout world at least question whether or not it might be true, but you caught on immediately. Kudos.
I'm actually surprised how few people call that correctly. Even if it were true in the lore, the way it is presented with these three still screams old wives tale, because they clearly have no idea what they're talking about.
I was alive and in grade school during that October when we were 5 minutes away from nuclear war. My teacher scarred me for life, telling the class about facing away from windows if we saw a flash of light so glass wouldn't get in our eyes and faces, and what would happen to us if our parents were never able to come and pick us up. This opening brought that all back.
I still remember at the beginning of first grade we were taken down to tour the school's bomb shelter where we were told that we would be safe. I lived a few blocks away and my main thought was about my mother and if she would be safe in the basement if the sirens started. That thought has stuck with me for more than a half century. It was a very different time to be a child.
@@Diomedene I was born in the last year of the baby boom, so I missed the duck-and-cover bit, but I definitely grew up in the Cold War. Living with the reality of _MAD_ as a background to life is something that I don't think later generations really understand.
@@rudewalrus5636the sheer lack of appreciation the younger generations have and the disrespect for everything that came before definitely helps fuel that belief in me personally.
there are so many subtleties as well just in this particular episode that any fan or player of the games would instantly recognize, like Lucy describing all her S.P.E.C.I.A.L skills. Strengths, Perceptions, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck. and how The Ghoul sizes up the situation before shooting and nailing exactly where he aims, is in reference to an ability called V.A.T.S. which is kind of like an aim assist lol. And our Brotherhood character having to carry that heavy and cumbersome bag, well it's making fun of a problem that all of us have in the game....over encumbered. moving slowly because you have too much in your inventory. and that was just THIS episode. hope you keep having fun with this it's gonna be a ride.
The bombs dropped in 2077. Fallout takes place in an alternate time line where culture froze in the 50s. The world embraced nuclear energy (even drinking radiation in Nuka-Cola) and only the weapons of war (lasers, plasma and power armor), medicine (stimpacks, radaway) and robotics advanced.
This is a great example of retro futurism. A movement in the creative arts showing the influence of depictions of the future produced in an earlier era.
Even more than that, it's a subgenre of retrofuturism known as "atompunk" (with little bits of Raygun Gothic). "Retrofuturism" covers a wide range of styles, including steampunk, dieselpunk, biopunk, decopunk, and cyberpunk. There are many more subgenres under the retrofuturism heading, but those are the most popular ones. The thing that gives Fallout it's unique vibe is that they took an atompunk world -- which is usually fairly clean and optimistic in its vibe, like a 1950s idea of "The World of Tomorrow!" -- and said, "Yeah, but what if that atompunk world experienced a nuclear apocalypse?"
Fallout at its heart is a role-playing game. One nice conceit is that the three main characters actually represent the potential character play-throughs for the game (goody two-shoes, pragmatic and selfish, or out and out evil) Mind you, I'm not attaching characters to these templates, for spoiler reasons.
Fallout player here. The level of RESPECT that the producers and writers had on this is INSANE! Fallout is the game I played the most, and they were accurate on EVERY. LITTLE. THING.
Yes! You're gonna love this, there's a HUGE world to Falliut. Keep in mind, there are two tones in Fallout: 1) "I must find my father in the Wasteland" 2) "I'M GONNA GET THAT CHECKERED BASTARD WHO SHOT ME IN THE HEAD!"
@@woolenthreads I think that was less "the driving plot" and more driving tone/emotion. A "I have to find/rescue/protect something of great value to me" and "I need to hurt/destroy/get revenge on something I hate." The Ghoul is very New Vegas as opposed to Lucy's more 1/3/4 motivation.
@@BigIronEnjoyer I got sidetracked by soooo much bullshit in all of the games, but she hasn't reached that yet. There was a lot less of that in the original games because the side-quests were sometimes necessary to achieve the part of the Main Quests anyway.
Welcome to the Fallout Universe! A really incredibly deep, haunting, funny, morbid, slapstick, insane, grounded, fantastical, westernized, corporatized, fanatical universe that is a perfect distillation of gaming culture, retro-futurism, apocalyptism, roleplaying game, genre television. The show is a near copy of what it feels like to play the game. The music, the tone, the setting... it's all there. The logic of the world is near point for point what the games logic is. Stimpaks, weird guns etc., occasional gore and complex and bizarre backstories. This first season is just the tip of a dense well written iceberg. It may be the best Game to Show/movie ever created.
Said it before and will say it again. For a child actress that girl who plays his daughter is amazing. You could feel the fear setting in with her changing expression and that's not common amongst child actors. If Hollywood doesn't eat her up she could be really good.
Ella Purnell isn’t a child actress. She’s 28 years old. She started acting as a child, yes, but she’s literally been acting as an adult for a decade now.
Every time I watch the birthday party scene I feel certain that everyone in Hollywood that casts child actors paused the show and looked up her IMDB entry immediately.
FYI, there will be a season 2. It was nominated for 16 Emmys, but won only for "Outstanding Music Supervision". It was going up against "Shogun", "Last of Us", and other amazing shows.
I've been playing the games since the first game was released in 1997. This is the best adaptation of a game to film I've ever seen. They 100% stayed true to the look and feel of the game. The writing, humor, blood, music, etc. Worldbuilding. The show isn't based on the game storyline. Also, war...war never changes.
The story of this show is set in the Fallout universe but does not follow any of the games. Some of the major reasons it has gotten great reviews is that it hits the tones of the games, it doesn't really mess with the canon of the games and it is just a greatly written and produced show.
The show is actually cannon to the games. That is straight from Bethesda which owns the franchise. It isn't the same story as any of the games, but it apparently is a story in the same universe as the games.
Actually it shits all over the story of the games. I won't go into detail because that would spoil the show but it's only gotten great reviews by 2 kinds of people, A: people who've never played a Fallout game, and B: people who like the Fallout games but don't know too much about the lore.
@@AmorphisBob I'm surprised there's still people like you fronting this when the show went out of its way to show the arrow on the timeline that proved you all wrong. Oh, well. Luckily there's less of you now than before.
@@AmorphisBob FFS, give it a rest. The guy who CREATED the Fallout franchise loves the show (Tim Cain, he has a youtube channel, he talks about the show and gives it a big thumbs up, go see for yourself. ). I've been playing the games for 24+ years now, and it's a great show. Stop gatekeeping, stop projecting your own hangups. It's okay to say you don't like something, but don't tell other people what they can and can't like.
@@AmorphisBob You cant really criticize the show for not being lore accurate to the games, when the games themselves arent accurate from one game to the other.
This is an incredible opening episode and it doesn't let go. As an adaptation of the video games, it is as good as it gets; the props are essentially ripped and emulated from the games, the soundtrack and it's innuendos are evocative and easily recognizable and every actor are incredible for their role. Fallout never tries to take itself too seriously and so the wanton violence that could be substitute for a Tarantino action sequence are plentiful and revels in the absurdity of the violence in a way that isn't doing it to be edgy but for slapstick comedy. There's plenty of narrative undercurrents and no shortage of subtext that you can interpret however you want. It's safe to say the gamers, an obnoxiously hard bunch to please, are eating good with this one.
The entire Fallout franchise takes place post "The Great War". The bombs dropped on October 23, 2077. What was wonderful about the show is that it gives some of the best information on the pre-war world. There are a total (confirmed) of about 121 vaults spread across the US. The first 2 games take place in California and Fallout New Vegas (built on the Fallout 3 engine) takes place, as implied, in the greater Las Vegas area. Fallout 3 takes place in/around Washington, DC and was the first expansion into the east coast, but Fallout 4 then went to Boston and Fallout 76 (the MMO game) takes place in West Virginia. Vaults are numbered much like highways, but starting with the West Coast. Most west coast vaults are lower digits (4, 31, 32, and 33 all appear in the show) while 13 is in the first game and most of the Vegas adjacent vaults are also in the 20s and 30s. East coast vaults are closer to 100, with 101 being the originating vault for Fallout 3 and 111 for Fallout 4. As other people have mentioned, it's a divergent timeline from ours which occurred roughly after WW2. Rather than demonizing nuclear after the bombs dropped in Japan, it was embraced. Because of that, some of the most common technology of our time was never developed, specifically microchips. Most of the music used in the show also appears in the game on the few operating radio stations. Interviews with both Bethesda (the developer who owns the IP) and the team at Amazon say that not only did they take considerable efforts to remain true to the tone of the game world, but Bethesda actually provided them with digital assets which they 3D printed for use in the show. The attention to certain details, down to the sound that the Stimpack Lucy uses are directly from the game assets. If you feel like giving up about a year of your life, there are a number of people who have done libraries of videos on the deep lore, but while the show does not pull directly from any one game for the plotline (though "Leave the vault in search of your father" IS the premise of Fallout 3), by the end of the series, you will have a VERY good understanding of the world that Fallout takes place in. The easter eggs for people who HAVE played the games are wonderful, but on the whole, there is nothing in the games you would have to know about to enjoy the show. If you want a great "snapshot" of the history, watch the opening cinematic for Fallout 4. It'll give you the 150 years of history in about 3 minutes.
For me this reaction feels like when on a talent show everyone comes with the same song, everyone tired, boring... then comes finally a true talent and with her the same song works. RUclips is flooded with reaction to this by now, but there were so many bad ones... Here, i have no such fears. Popcorn ready. Glad you react for this serie!
Someone has probably stated this already, but just in case. Thr war in fallout didn't happen in the 1950s. The war happened in 2077. The reason it looked like the 1950s is the writers have the fallout society stayed in the 50s/60s era. That is why everything is retro and classical looking but the tech is futuristic. It has a great take on what society would look like if society froze in that time.
7:10 They're called Pip-Boys; every vault dweller gets one. In the game it's the UI that manages your inventory, health & status, map, quests and also your radio. The songs you hear throughout season 1 are the same ones played in Fallout 3 & 4.
This show was so popular when it came out that it gave a few of the newer Fallout games a sudden spike in buys, almost as if they'd been released again, lol. And Fallout 4 even got new DLC content after almost a decade too.
Honestly, from a gamer POV who loves the Fallout series, it's so nice to hear someone just say 'they're not a gamer'. We love it when non-gamers like the IPs we've been into for years, and no one should gatekeep it. So what, your first introduction to Fallout was through a kickass streaming show? Awesome, mine was Fallout 3, because I was born in 1986 and was simply too young to play the original PC games back in the day. Weclome to the Wasteland!
My intro was the OG Fallout back in '97 (though I didn't play the pre-OG, Wasteland) and I'm also happy to see new people come to this amazing IP. Whether it's people who came in with the Bethesda transition or people who've come in with the TV show. As a general answer on is the show faithful to the game? Yes, especially in the "feel" of the setting. Since Fallout is first and foremost about the world, seeing this series nail the world building so well has been great. There will always be nit-picks because game mechanics will never translate 1:1 to TV/cinema, but in every important way (IMO), this show IS Fallout.
I love how much you love this. It's beautiful, it's cleverly written, and the music is wonderful. I love the way they use violence in it. It's gore, but it's so nice.
The actor portraying the leader of the group that was going to dig up the ghoul was Mykelti Williamson, Bubba from Forrest Gump. The black lady in the vault with the frizzy hair was Deadpool's roommate. And, of course, Muad'dib himself, Paul Atreides as the overseer. Great cast. As for Fallout the game, it has switched developers during its lifetime so the general feel changed once Bethesda took over. It became a lot more over-the-top action and dark humor. The show translates well, using just the universe and not the game storylines, although they will mention places within the games like Shady Sands and New Vegas. The Brotherhood of Steel, Enclave, raiders, ghouls, vaults, etc. are all parts of the games. They have some references to the games that they don't fully explain, like that scene where the man was shot with a doll's leg, that came from a weapon known, depending on the game, as a Rock-It Launcher or a Junk Jet, designed to take any junk lying around and use it as ammo, even teddy bears. The stimpack Lucy injects herself with is the game's primary healing mechanism, and the inhaler that the raider huffed before being cut in two by the doors was probably Jet, a drug within the game that gives the player temporarily accelerated reflexes. The Fallout story starts with the bombs falling in 2077, although due to a divergence in the timeline, they never advanced culturally past the 50's and never invented the transistor, so their electronics are all bulky and use vacuum tubes, and they went all-in on nuclear power and use it to power nearly everything, and even have a radiated soft drink called Nuka Cola Quantum.
I was really surprised to see Kyle MacLaghlan. I'd been seeing a lot about him because of the general resurgence of interest in Dune, and people were comparing the different installments of that. I saw an interview with him about his experience working with David Lynch. And suddenly he pops up here in an absolutely fantastic role. He's great, and absolutely perfect for this.
I loved Fallout I play the game and I absolutely loved the show. It wasn't 100% perfect but it fit the feel of the games so nicely. Walton Goggins as the Ghoul is easily the best bit of casting I've seen in recent years. I love the whole 1950s feel but it's not the 50s. I'm really looking forward the 2nd season.
The show did a wonderful job of capturing the weird dark comedy of the games. They also had the lead game designer involved throughout the process to help with lore, props, and design. There is a lot of lore for this alternate timeline, and others can explain it far better than I!
When the fellow was killed by the doll leg it was fired from a "junk jet". A weapon that is built to fire random junk from your inventory as ammunition. It has a fairly high DPS in the game.
The biggest problem you've got is that it's a series of two games and 3 games. The first two games were set on the west coast were isometric, made by Black Isle Studio in 1997 and 1998. Bethesda bought the IP and made Fallout 3 and 4 as First Person games set on the East Coast in 2008 and 2015. Fallout New Vegas, was made in 2010, which was contracted by Obsidian which had a lot of the original Black Isle developers and developed after Fallout 3, set on the West Coast. There are so many easter eggs from the games 1, 2 and New Vegas, that the gamers who've played them will recognise, that you won't. Oh and there are several spinoffs like Fallout Tactics and Fallout Shelter.
Welcome to the Fallout universe. This show was not only very well done, but it told a new story while remaining faithful to the source material. So remarkable on so many different levels beyond just the quality of the episodes.
I've watched so many reactions of this now, it's interesting so see how different it is what different reactors find interesting or important and choose to highlight in the edit.
That is quite the opening scene, don't you think? and an amazing shot. I love seing reactions to that horrifying scene. 6:26 on the blackboard you can see the date of the bombs, 2077, this isn't our 1950's, this is an alternate world, with the aesthetic of the american 1950's. I know, hard to know when you go in blind! and I realize you probably have learned all of this already, as the entire series is available on your Patreon... so never mind me! 12:01 the music is indeed amazing! 15:21 the Film burning making the look of a fireball on the horizon was such a brilliant choice! Love that you picked up on that! 16:17 So adorable, but you had seen it all, hadn't you? how does this make you feel now? 24:38 It is indeed! I fell in love right away! 36:10 YES! that's the spirit! it's just that good! 37:49 games, actually. while not directly following the story of any game, this show is set in the same world, Inspired by the different factions and storylines you encounter in the games. that's a good way to do video game television. and from what I have heard (Not played the games either) they have been very faithful to the source material. Love your reactions Jacqui! thank you!
Non gamer here and I bought into the hype immediately and I’m thrilled I did. I have a feeling that you will be scrolling through the soundtrack pretty soon, if you haven’t done already! I fell in love with an older version of a song that I grew up with and never knew it was reprised!
Oh, I love this show, not as much as Firefly but it is definitely real close to tying with it. Not sure if your Patreon's have told you or not, but this is set in the Fallout Universe, but its only story entirely. The writers, director and actors did such a great job I am antsy for the release of season 2! What a ride Fallout is!
25:00 The dog is huge. In the Fallout series there's almost always a canine companion you can choose to have with you on your travels. It's not a big deal for everyone that plays the game but for some of us, it's huge. I should also add while we're here. Carrying inventory is a big deal in games like this as well, and having Max carry this insane bag of stuff is how the writers and producers are addressing the encumbrance of the game.
To fans of "Fallout", a real-life "Filly" wasteland village was built in Austin, Texas, during the SWSX festival in March by the producers to promote the show. They had an interactive app, all the show props, 'real' Nuka Cola, and I even got a custom Vault 33 pin. It was free to attend. You can check out photos of the village easily online.
I'm sure others will have said so, but with this series they absolutely nailed the character of the games in an entirely new story, set nine years after the latest events of the games.
I liked the show quite a bit, I'm really interested in hearing your prospective from a film making point of view. You usually point out things in media that i had missed so it's much more than just a reaction video. Can't wait for the next episode! 👍
This series really does capture the essence and the feel of the game. The things on their arms are a "Pipboy". It is a portable computer that does everything except wipe your butt for you. It monitors your health, keeps track of your inventory in the game, you use it to administer medicines and anti radiation medicine. It has a map and you can use it to fast travel in the game once you discover a location on the map. It has a radio. There is more but playing the game would explain it better.
@@shihonageUnfortunately there are still a few Fallout 1 fans who are so upset that computer gaming didn't stay perpetually in the 90s, they insist on trying to ruin both the originals and the later games for the rest of us with incessant gatekeeping. Just stop. At this point Fallout 3 and Vegas represent what the series is far, far more than 1 and 2 do and frankly for a TV show they're a far better starting point for narrative. We're allowed to like the originals and the new things, and you're not breaking a sacred trust from the Brotherhood if you grow the heck up and admit both things exist. Despite the complaints of die hard 90s purists, the later Bethesda games they're talking about are in fact completely totally compatible with the originals; there are a few continuity changes that nobody sensible cares about in any way. All five games do a perfectly good job of being what they are; enjoy them and move on. If you want to play more of the original, there's always Wasteland.
@@TynamM The show is not a game, dummy. This has nothing to do with "gaming", but with consistent writing, respecting canon, cohesive vision. Bethesda turned Fallout into a lolcow. And even that aside, this show's writing is horrid in and of itself, standalone, it is full of world-breaking nonsense posing as "quirk". When you're a bad writer who needs to keep breaking his own world to create events, you will hide the nonsense behind the "quirk". It doesn't help. You're still a bad writer.
Every minute detail of the scenery, costumes, props, and the general aesthetic are PERFECTLY transported from the games to the live action screen. It's astounding.
Jacqui, thank you so much for sharing your work. I have come to love watching a show first for it's raw enjoyment, and then watching it again with your insightful commentary. It adds so level of depth that I didn't realize was missing in my entertainment. Thank you.
The various Fallout games all take place within the same universe, as does the show, but they all take place at different points in time over the 200+ years post nuclear war. This show is insanely true to the feel, aesthetic, and lore of the game universe, and was able to avoid angering fans by having it take place in a time years after all of the games, while holding true to the lore the games established, allowing them to build on the existing story without contradicting established lore.
Without spoiling anything, Maximus and Lucy play so well off of each other. Hard to tell if the writing was so competent that their acting just flowed or they are such amazing actors that they took decent writing and made it amazing. Maybe a little of both. Do have to say that as much as I loved the Fallout series, personally I was just blown away by Arcane. Can't wait to see your thoughts.
I'm glad you made the Westworld connection. Knowing that Jonathan Nolan is a creator on both shows, when Dane told Maximus, "I told them you wouldn't hurt a fly," a cold shiver ran down my spine.
Less than 10 minutes in and you totally got it. Was a pleasure listening to your comments. So glad you appreciate the quality of it all. I am looking forward to watching it with you. 👍
So much of this world building and style of humor was done back in the 90s with the first 2 games. The allure of the contrast of this setting is enduring with many more games following and now the show. Even though the graphics were terrible your excitement about this intro mirrors the way I felt as a teenager in the 90s playing the games for the first time.
To answer your question about if the story is the same as the game or just in the same world, the answer is it is just in the same world. The fallout games are pretty open role playing games where you could go in different directions story wise. Lucy's character is designed to be more like a "new player" coming into the world and experiencing it fresh just like all the players have done at one point or another. As far as how much of the world building was in the games first, pretty much all of it, and most of that was in the first 2 from the 90s but there is definitely lore elements of all the games present. EDIT: OH, and the older songs you hear throughout the episode are all from the games as well. The soundtracks in fallout games are fantastic and all of the modern games featured a radio where you could tune your pipboy (the wrist CRT computers) to different stations and listens to 50s style music while roaming around the world. That concept goes back to the 3rd game (which is the first one in 3D) and really helps with the immersion as you are running from explosions and mutants to upbeat 50s tunes.
So, I'm a fairly recent subscriber, and really love your reactions/takes I've seen so far. I also started watching this series yesterday, and jumped into Episode 2 today, making this very timely.... This has to be, probably, my all-time favorite reaction EVER. It's clear your background gives you a lot of insight and ability to appreciate the actual technical filmmaking/storytelling that goes on, but the way you absolutely NAILED what they were doing in terms of building the story, for things to come, blew me away. {Chef's kiss}
The way the songs are so fitting is even better, when you consider these were all songs that were randomly in the games already, just being used in new and better context. They are doing it this well with like a 50 song limit, instead of every song ever.
I was just a bit too young to really understand what was going on, but during the Cuba Missile Crisis, people did send their families away from the East Coast cities,...just in case. I understand most everybody was kinda holding their breath, scared shyteless.
11:05 No, I don't think Lucy's actress played Alita from Alita: Battle Angel. Instead, she played Jinx from Arcane. As well as Jackie from Yellowjackets.
I've been a big fan of the Fallout games since the 3rd one, so it's really cool to see someone without that familiarity reacting to the show, especially someone who understands the medium so well. I'm so excited for you to watch the rest of the show, you're in for a treat!
What I love about this series is that first, they respected the original material from the video games series, but more importantly, what they added to the lore is great and very clever. Another thing, most of the amazing songs on this show were in the video games, which get a lot of people, me included, to listen more to 30's and 40's music like Billie Holiday, Cole Porter or The Andrews Sisters.
In the timeline of this world, the transistor was never invented, but portable fusion power was the main source of energy. The retro-futuristic aesthetic and the 1950’s music is a theme that is the foundation of this world across all games.
- Ella Purnell - Lucy - did NOT play Alita in Battle Angel Alita, that was Rosa Salazar. I can understand why you might think that, Ella's eyes are massive and Alita's were too but, they enlarged Alita's to play into the anime, 'big eyed' girl trope and to make sure that everyone that watched could tell that she was, 'artificial'. Rosa's eye are normal sized btw, lol. - Ella, famously voiced Jinx in the animated show Arcane. I do not know if you have watched that show yet but, It definitely worth a watch.
So happy you're doing this! I was bummed about your Firefly series coming to its end, but this is probably the best possible replacement. Wonderful series!
I've been playing Fallout games since the first one in 1997. I love the vibe, and the show did a fantastic job "television'ing" that universe. Excited to see you watch the series!
The Fallout world is not our own. It is set in a universe that diverged, but shares many historical milestones prior to the events of World War II While it takes place in the future, it is not our future, but one reflecting a traditional 1950s-style science fiction "world of tomorrow" the scene at the beginning would have been OCT 23rd 2077
The biggest hurdle for this adaptation in particular was adapting the tone and vibe of the games, and I think they knocked it out of the park. At their best the games are funny, violent, weird, horrific, satirical, and tragic; often many of those at the same time. The fact that they managed to juggle all of those tones while making a show that long term fans and newcomers alike love is remarkable.
2:25 - It looks like the 1950s, but this scene actually takes place on Saturday October 23, 2077. In the _Fallout_ universe, the aesthetic that we IRL would refer to as a blend of "1950s Retro-Futurism" and "Atompunk" remained popular for over a century.
So people have covered the universe lore. Another interesting thing about this series is that it stays very faithful to the games, and not just in lore. The events in the show are a canon part of the game series timeline, but the show is a new story. Also, the game mechanics are present in the show, like how Lucy instantly heals with the Stimpak. There are other examples as the series progresses. Lucy isn't in Alita: Battle Angel (that was Rosa Salazar), but she was in Yellowjackets, and did voice work for Jinx in Arcane and Gwendala in Star Trek: Prodigy.
Awesome seeing a fresh take on a world that many of us have enjoyed for decades! As others have mentioned, the story of Fallout has existed for a long time, and had heavy involvement from Bethesda Game Studios (the publishers of the video games) to make sure the tone of the show matched the tone of the game series. The comedic horror aspect is a huge part of the series' charm; nostalgia and futurism living incongruously (channeling you Jacqui!) to create situations that are both hilarious and haunting. I think you'll love the series, and I think you'll see how the juxtaposition of nostalgia and futurism raises philosophical questions for our heroes to discover. As you said as you watched the bombs fall: "you find out who your friends are"... and there are many many more to follow. Looking forward to more!
Also - you asked what the games were like. Here's Fallout 3 (with Liam Neeson!) but as a movie (cutscenes, most critical dialogue, some gameplay): ruclips.net/video/W7IJVxJzcfw/видео.html&pp=ygUUZmFsbG91dCAzIGdhbWUgbW92aWU%3D
As someone who has played all the Fallout games (since the first one in 1997) I would say they nailed the aesthetic and tone perfectly. The show is faithful to the existing lore of the games while telling a new and unique story within the Fallout universe.
Jacqui: "Redder is better." People who have played the Fallout games: "We will not fear the Red Menace. Death is a preferable alternative to Communism." ^_^
I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!
Episode 2 is scheduled for next Wednesday, September 25th, so stay tuned! Full length reactions to this full season are already available on Patreon, and early access to RUclips edits will be posted there weekly. I'm also watching BUFFY and THE EXPANSE on Patreon, among many other fun things! Here on RUclips, make sure to check out SERENITY on Friday, and I'm hoping to start ARCANE next week, along with a bunch of new movies. Thank you, and enjoy! ❤
Glad you enjoyed it! It's one of the best video game adaptations ever made. Not that the bar is very high on that, but it's easily S tier when it comes to game adaptations.
You're watching Buffy? Oh, she is so right up your alley. Once that show finds its groove, it's one of the best things ever on television.
Oh yay arcane is next! Looking forward to it
@@davidhudgin That reminds me: if Jacqui doesn't already know, Ella Purnell (Lucy) also voices Jinx in Arcane. So she's getting a double dose of Ella moving forward.
The Last of Us, Alien, Dungeons & Dragons, Fallout, and Firefly. That's either franchises from, or inspired by, role-playing games. (Firefly, it's rumored, is from Joss Whedon playing the Traveller RPG in college)...
Fallout takes place in an alternate timeline. Everything is the same until about the end of WW2. In the Fallout timeline nuclear energy took off and capitalism and patriotism is dialed to 11. The 50's aesthetic took hold. The bombs fell in the flashback in the year 2077 so there are still big bulky computers with vacuum tubes but there are also robots and laser rifles. At the time America and China were in the midst of a war. There is a lot of other changes as well, such as Canada being annexed by the US. The Fallout lore is incredibly deep and interesting and makes for a really interesting world.
I think Todd Howard said once that the tech and stuff is designed as if the transistor had never been invented, so even though fusion tech advanced, it's still reliant on 50s style vacuum tubes and stuff.
@@daveemerson6549 Yep. It's basically, "What if nuclear power had become the predominant form of tech/energy?" and it's also essentially taking the Jetsons vision of the future and going with that general aesthetic.
@@daveemerson6549 The only thing that is a bit strange then is, that we have a specific "chip" here. So did some peoples managed to produce transistors even after the big nuclear bomb drops ?
Their nuclear weapons are also different from ours, being a lower yield but higher radiation output. So to compensate for that they drop a shit load of them which doesn't do as much physical damage (it still does a lot, obviously) but it radiates everything and takes longer to dissipate.
As I understand it, the transistor was invented, just at a much later time, so vacuum tube tech was much more advanced and computer chips lagged far behind.
If they hadn't done a series, the first seven minutes could've been a short film and it would've been the best Fallout media ever.
Couldn't agree more! Very few shows have ever hooked me in the first five minutes the way this did. Absolutely stunning!
@@movienightwithjacquiI had left you my message and you haven't even answered me and I want to know your opinion 😢
@@Gonzalo_Almendra holy parasocial entitlement, Batman!
How to tell someone's never seen any of the fan-made Fallout content.
@@movienightwithjacqui hey, just came across your channel, I'd love for you to react to the movie Ninja Assassin as no one has quite reacted to it before. I'd genuinely be interested in seeing your reaction
The 3 non-spoiler fact explanation of the Fallout universe:
1) Alt timeline where the Cold War never ended (in fact, it went hot a couple times), so while everything in the flashback looked like the 1950s, it was actually the 2070s.
2) Research into nuclear energy went way beyond anything we've done, so pretty much everything in the Fallout universe runs off nuclear power in one way or another.
3) Things like LEDs and microprocessors were never invented, so they're still building with cathode-ray tubes and data tapes...everything looks vintage and retro, but is at least as powerful (probably more powerful) than what we have today.
That's basically the entirety of the primer needed to fully understand what's going on in the show (without spoiling anything).
Thank god someone said it. If I heard “1950’s” one more time I was going to lose it 😂
You're once...
Twice...
Three times a lady, but I don't love you. Sorry.
Computing in the Fallout universe is definitely nowhere near as powerful as what we have today, but the fact that nuclear fusion is ubiquitous in their world is definitely a major technological advantage over us
The bombs dropped in 2077 but in this universe everything is powered by nuclear energy, and the US was stuck in a 50's style aesthetic for like a hundred years.
Here's a fun fact that's pretty awesome: the Power Armor that the Brotherhood knights wear was almost entirely practical. There are obviously some shots throughout the show where it had to be CGI, but they actually built those suits and the actors actually did "pilot" them.
In one of the interviews, one of the actors said that the partial suit weighs like 50-60 pounds.
Of course they were not metallic and not "powered".
@@hgusLies! They absolutely are metal mech-suits, and powered by lithium-ion batteries, nuclear micro-reactors, and bottled essence of Cthulhu.
Proof: I read it on Facebook.
Fun fact, suits and other robots were rented from cosplaying super fans.
@@AngeloBarovierSD My apologies. My sources are unreliable.
I have always said that the "vibe" of Fallout is basically one that makes you go "Well that was fucked up" all the time, but it's lighthearted enough that you aren't actually staring into the void and it stays fun.
That's what kept me coming back to the games. Life, no matter how bad it gets, needs a bit of whimsy.
For a distinctively American franchise with a distinctly American vibe (meant in the best way), it somehow also manages to have a similar dark comedic "laugh at the horror and at your own misfortune" style more often seen in a lot of British comedies.
So a fun twist is that the Fallout universe was an alternate universe to ours long before the bombs dropped.
Two major differences are that the cold war never ended, eventually going hot and involving China even more than the Soviet Union, and also the transistor was not invented, so the microchip revolution never happened. Technology took a very different path, which relied heavily on cheap, safe, portable nuclear power to power everything from robots to computers to cars.
And because the cold war never ended, American culture mostly stagnated in that late 50s-early 60s vibe and aesthetic. But the day the bombs dropped wasn't in the 1950s at all, it was actually 2077.
I wonder what it is with the year 2077 and Game Developers LOL. (yes, I'm aware that in Fallout it was chosen in 1998 and it fits the ongoing lore of the Cyberpunk TTRPG)
They did eventually invent transistors, at least 50 years before the bombs dropped according to ingame lore. But slower than in our timeline. Pip-Boy would work with vacuum tubes, it would be much bigger. But vacuum tubes were still commonly used for a lot of stuff.
@@woolenthreads I don't know? I think it's just got a ring to it. "2077." If's fun to say.
2076 would have been a better fit for Fallout, IMO. Bombs dropping on America's 300th birthday? Come on. They missed it by one year
@@woolenthreads The 70s was the start of what I'd call the Golden Age of TTRPGs. Gygax and Kaye founded TSR -- which of course gave birth to D&D. _Traveller_ -- a space sci-fi TTRPG published back in '77 -- was one of the games that piqued Pondsmith's interest in creating new ones; one of which was _Cyberpunk 2077._
I played a few GURPS games back in the 80s as a kid, and was pretty stoked at finding out that one of these games -- _Fallout_ -- was going to have a PC game version. I certainly didn't expect it to become what it is now.
One interesting thing, in my opinion, is that while the vibe and aesthetic stayed the same social progress still happened. It's a 50s vibe but there's very little racism except the anti-Chinese racism caused by the war and the LGBTQ+ community is completely accepted. There's no sexism either.
Now, obviously, some of that is simply a choice by the game developers to make the game more marketable, but it has an interesting effect on the world they built.
Yay! Every time I think “aw, she’s finished the series” you pick another brilliant one!
As a massive fan of the games, I never once thought about how someone who doesn’t know anything reacts to the show. Glad to see your reactions for that pov
I've seen others that haven't played them react to them before
The absolute majority of reactions are from people who have 0 clue about the games. Some have some very basic knowledge and I've only seen one who's actually very knowledgeable.
You're the first non-gamer reactor I've seen who was able to clock the "feral ghoul can't abide a chicken" line as old wives' tale BS. Most who don't know anything about the Fallout world at least question whether or not it might be true, but you caught on immediately. Kudos.
Our hostess is sharp as a tack!
I'm actually surprised how few people call that correctly. Even if it were true in the lore, the way it is presented with these three still screams old wives tale, because they clearly have no idea what they're talking about.
And the bounty hunters being cowards proves that, "a ghoul can't abide a chicken."
Incongruous, comedic horror might be one of the most apt descriptions of the Fallout tone and aesthetic I've ever heard 🙂
I've heard the original game described as a futuristic, post-apocalyptic dystopia with an undercurrent of dark humor.
Certainly fits Fallout 1 and 2 really really well. Less so the Todd it just works Howard games.
I was alive and in grade school during that October when we were 5 minutes away from nuclear war. My teacher scarred me for life, telling the class about facing away from windows if we saw a flash of light so glass wouldn't get in our eyes and faces, and what would happen to us if our parents were never able to come and pick us up.
This opening brought that all back.
I still remember at the beginning of first grade we were taken down to tour the school's bomb shelter where we were told that we would be safe. I lived a few blocks away and my main thought was about my mother and if she would be safe in the basement if the sirens started. That thought has stuck with me for more than a half century. It was a very different time to be a child.
@@Diomedene I was born in the last year of the baby boom, so I missed the duck-and-cover bit, but I definitely grew up in the Cold War. Living with the reality of _MAD_ as a background to life is something that I don't think later generations really understand.
@@rudewalrus5636the sheer lack of appreciation the younger generations have and the disrespect for everything that came before definitely helps fuel that belief in me personally.
@@rudewalrus5636 The constant low level background dread is hard to explain to people that never experienced it, for sure.
there are so many subtleties as well just in this particular episode that any fan or player of the games would instantly recognize, like Lucy describing all her S.P.E.C.I.A.L skills. Strengths, Perceptions, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck. and how The Ghoul sizes up the situation before shooting and nailing exactly where he aims, is in reference to an ability called V.A.T.S. which is kind of like an aim assist lol. And our Brotherhood character having to carry that heavy and cumbersome bag, well it's making fun of a problem that all of us have in the game....over encumbered. moving slowly because you have too much in your inventory. and that was just THIS episode. hope you keep having fun with this it's gonna be a ride.
V.A.T.S. is a feature of the Pip Boy, which our resident non-feral Ghoul does not have. He's got perks instead. 😉
The bombs dropped in 2077. Fallout takes place in an alternate time line where culture froze in the 50s. The world embraced nuclear energy (even drinking radiation in Nuka-Cola) and only the weapons of war (lasers, plasma and power armor), medicine (stimpacks, radaway) and robotics advanced.
This is a great example of retro futurism. A movement in the creative arts showing the influence of depictions of the future produced in an earlier era.
Even more than that, it's a subgenre of retrofuturism known as "atompunk" (with little bits of Raygun Gothic). "Retrofuturism" covers a wide range of styles, including steampunk, dieselpunk, biopunk, decopunk, and cyberpunk. There are many more subgenres under the retrofuturism heading, but those are the most popular ones. The thing that gives Fallout it's unique vibe is that they took an atompunk world -- which is usually fairly clean and optimistic in its vibe, like a 1950s idea of "The World of Tomorrow!" -- and said, "Yeah, but what if that atompunk world experienced a nuclear apocalypse?"
“Don’t bring an umbrella to a brainstorm” 😆 Brilliant! I’m going to use this in my next meeting.
Fallout at its heart is a role-playing game. One nice conceit is that the three main characters actually represent the potential character play-throughs for the game (goody two-shoes, pragmatic and selfish, or out and out evil) Mind you, I'm not attaching characters to these templates, for spoiler reasons.
Fallout player here. The level of RESPECT that the producers and writers had on this is INSANE! Fallout is the game I played the most, and they were accurate on EVERY. LITTLE. THING.
Yes! You're gonna love this, there's a HUGE world to Falliut. Keep in mind, there are two tones in Fallout: 1) "I must find my father in the Wasteland" 2) "I'M GONNA GET THAT CHECKERED BASTARD WHO SHOT ME IN THE HEAD!"
Or, "I must save my Vault and defeat the Master", "I must save my Village" and "I must find my Baby" Plus For 1,2 and NV "Be Good" and "Be Evil"
@@woolenthreads I think that was less "the driving plot" and more driving tone/emotion. A "I have to find/rescue/protect something of great value to me" and "I need to hurt/destroy/get revenge on something I hate." The Ghoul is very New Vegas as opposed to Lucy's more 1/3/4 motivation.
You forgot "Get sidetracked by bullshit."
@@BigIronEnjoyer I got sidetracked by soooo much bullshit in all of the games, but she hasn't reached that yet. There was a lot less of that in the original games because the side-quests were sometimes necessary to achieve the part of the Main Quests anyway.
@@BigIronEnjoyer
YES!!
Welcome to the Fallout Universe! A really incredibly deep, haunting, funny, morbid, slapstick, insane, grounded, fantastical, westernized, corporatized, fanatical universe that is a perfect distillation of gaming culture, retro-futurism, apocalyptism, roleplaying game, genre television. The show is a near copy of what it feels like to play the game. The music, the tone, the setting... it's all there. The logic of the world is near point for point what the games logic is. Stimpaks, weird guns etc., occasional gore and complex and bizarre backstories. This first season is just the tip of a dense well written iceberg.
It may be the best Game to Show/movie ever created.
Lucy didn't play Alita but she is the voice of Jinx in Arcane
This show is incredible. That opening sequence is among the best I have ever seen
Said it before and will say it again. For a child actress that girl who plays his daughter is amazing. You could feel the fear setting in with her changing expression and that's not common amongst child actors. If Hollywood doesn't eat her up she could be really good.
Ella Purnell isn’t a child actress. She’s 28 years old. She started acting as a child, yes, but she’s literally been acting as an adult for a decade now.
100% Goggins is great in that scene, but she sells it.
@@caffeinedelusions He's talking about the birthday party scene.
@@davidbresson8865 Well, that's totally valid then.
Every time I watch the birthday party scene I feel certain that everyone in Hollywood that casts child actors paused the show and looked up her IMDB entry immediately.
The Fallout games have a VERY specific tone, and this show captures it perfectly!
Yeah, the tone of "let's hide bad writing behind crappy jokes".
@@shihonage You must be playing different games and watching a different show than everyone else kid
FYI, there will be a season 2. It was nominated for 16 Emmys, but won only for "Outstanding Music Supervision". It was going up against "Shogun", "Last of Us", and other amazing shows.
Fun fact. It was Ella Purnell's request that her character not be handled with kid gloves. She wanted to have people see her struggle.
“This is what happens if you drop a nuclear bomb on Mad Men.” 😂😂😂. Thanks Jacqui, you’ve forever changed how I view this franchise!
I've been playing the games since the first game was released in 1997. This is the best adaptation of a game to film I've ever seen. They 100% stayed true to the look and feel of the game. The writing, humor, blood, music, etc. Worldbuilding. The show isn't based on the game storyline. Also, war...war never changes.
The story of this show is set in the Fallout universe but does not follow any of the games. Some of the major reasons it has gotten great reviews is that it hits the tones of the games, it doesn't really mess with the canon of the games and it is just a greatly written and produced show.
The show is actually cannon to the games. That is straight from Bethesda which owns the franchise. It isn't the same story as any of the games, but it apparently is a story in the same universe as the games.
Actually it shits all over the story of the games. I won't go into detail because that would spoil the show but it's only gotten great reviews by 2 kinds of people, A: people who've never played a Fallout game, and B: people who like the Fallout games but don't know too much about the lore.
@@AmorphisBob I'm surprised there's still people like you fronting this when the show went out of its way to show the arrow on the timeline that proved you all wrong. Oh, well. Luckily there's less of you now than before.
@@AmorphisBob FFS, give it a rest. The guy who CREATED the Fallout franchise loves the show (Tim Cain, he has a youtube channel, he talks about the show and gives it a big thumbs up, go see for yourself. ). I've been playing the games for 24+ years now, and it's a great show. Stop gatekeeping, stop projecting your own hangups. It's okay to say you don't like something, but don't tell other people what they can and can't like.
@@AmorphisBob You cant really criticize the show for not being lore accurate to the games, when the games themselves arent accurate from one game to the other.
This is an incredible opening episode and it doesn't let go. As an adaptation of the video games, it is as good as it gets; the props are essentially ripped and emulated from the games, the soundtrack and it's innuendos are evocative and easily recognizable and every actor are incredible for their role.
Fallout never tries to take itself too seriously and so the wanton violence that could be substitute for a Tarantino action sequence are plentiful and revels in the absurdity of the violence in a way that isn't doing it to be edgy but for slapstick comedy. There's plenty of narrative undercurrents and no shortage of subtext that you can interpret however you want.
It's safe to say the gamers, an obnoxiously hard bunch to please, are eating good with this one.
The entire Fallout franchise takes place post "The Great War". The bombs dropped on October 23, 2077. What was wonderful about the show is that it gives some of the best information on the pre-war world. There are a total (confirmed) of about 121 vaults spread across the US. The first 2 games take place in California and Fallout New Vegas (built on the Fallout 3 engine) takes place, as implied, in the greater Las Vegas area. Fallout 3 takes place in/around Washington, DC and was the first expansion into the east coast, but Fallout 4 then went to Boston and Fallout 76 (the MMO game) takes place in West Virginia. Vaults are numbered much like highways, but starting with the West Coast. Most west coast vaults are lower digits (4, 31, 32, and 33 all appear in the show) while 13 is in the first game and most of the Vegas adjacent vaults are also in the 20s and 30s. East coast vaults are closer to 100, with 101 being the originating vault for Fallout 3 and 111 for Fallout 4.
As other people have mentioned, it's a divergent timeline from ours which occurred roughly after WW2. Rather than demonizing nuclear after the bombs dropped in Japan, it was embraced. Because of that, some of the most common technology of our time was never developed, specifically microchips. Most of the music used in the show also appears in the game on the few operating radio stations.
Interviews with both Bethesda (the developer who owns the IP) and the team at Amazon say that not only did they take considerable efforts to remain true to the tone of the game world, but Bethesda actually provided them with digital assets which they 3D printed for use in the show. The attention to certain details, down to the sound that the Stimpack Lucy uses are directly from the game assets.
If you feel like giving up about a year of your life, there are a number of people who have done libraries of videos on the deep lore, but while the show does not pull directly from any one game for the plotline (though "Leave the vault in search of your father" IS the premise of Fallout 3), by the end of the series, you will have a VERY good understanding of the world that Fallout takes place in. The easter eggs for people who HAVE played the games are wonderful, but on the whole, there is nothing in the games you would have to know about to enjoy the show. If you want a great "snapshot" of the history, watch the opening cinematic for Fallout 4. It'll give you the 150 years of history in about 3 minutes.
Excellent overview! 👍
Think that your comment about Fallout being a beautiful dystopia is very apt
For me this reaction feels like when on a talent show everyone comes with the same song, everyone tired, boring... then comes finally a true talent and with her the same song works.
RUclips is flooded with reaction to this by now, but there were so many bad ones...
Here, i have no such fears. Popcorn ready.
Glad you react for this serie!
Someone has probably stated this already, but just in case. Thr war in fallout didn't happen in the 1950s. The war happened in 2077. The reason it looked like the 1950s is the writers have the fallout society stayed in the 50s/60s era. That is why everything is retro and classical looking but the tech is futuristic.
It has a great take on what society would look like if society froze in that time.
The casual f bomb instead of saying fork and she didn’t even realize it 🤣
7:10 They're called Pip-Boys; every vault dweller gets one. In the game it's the UI that manages your inventory, health & status, map, quests and also your radio. The songs you hear throughout season 1 are the same ones played in Fallout 3 & 4.
This show was so popular when it came out that it gave a few of the newer Fallout games a sudden spike in buys, almost as if they'd been released again, lol. And Fallout 4 even got new DLC content after almost a decade too.
Honestly, from a gamer POV who loves the Fallout series, it's so nice to hear someone just say 'they're not a gamer'. We love it when non-gamers like the IPs we've been into for years, and no one should gatekeep it. So what, your first introduction to Fallout was through a kickass streaming show? Awesome, mine was Fallout 3, because I was born in 1986 and was simply too young to play the original PC games back in the day.
Weclome to the Wasteland!
Well put!
My intro was the OG Fallout back in '97 (though I didn't play the pre-OG, Wasteland) and I'm also happy to see new people come to this amazing IP. Whether it's people who came in with the Bethesda transition or people who've come in with the TV show.
As a general answer on is the show faithful to the game? Yes, especially in the "feel" of the setting. Since Fallout is first and foremost about the world, seeing this series nail the world building so well has been great. There will always be nit-picks because game mechanics will never translate 1:1 to TV/cinema, but in every important way (IMO), this show IS Fallout.
I love how much you love this. It's beautiful, it's cleverly written, and the music is wonderful. I love the way they use violence in it. It's gore, but it's so nice.
4:36 "Is it your thumb, or mine?" That shit hit me right in the dad gut.
The actor portraying the leader of the group that was going to dig up the ghoul was Mykelti Williamson, Bubba from Forrest Gump. The black lady in the vault with the frizzy hair was Deadpool's roommate. And, of course, Muad'dib himself, Paul Atreides as the overseer. Great cast.
As for Fallout the game, it has switched developers during its lifetime so the general feel changed once Bethesda took over. It became a lot more over-the-top action and dark humor. The show translates well, using just the universe and not the game storylines, although they will mention places within the games like Shady Sands and New Vegas. The Brotherhood of Steel, Enclave, raiders, ghouls, vaults, etc. are all parts of the games. They have some references to the games that they don't fully explain, like that scene where the man was shot with a doll's leg, that came from a weapon known, depending on the game, as a Rock-It Launcher or a Junk Jet, designed to take any junk lying around and use it as ammo, even teddy bears. The stimpack Lucy injects herself with is the game's primary healing mechanism, and the inhaler that the raider huffed before being cut in two by the doors was probably Jet, a drug within the game that gives the player temporarily accelerated reflexes. The Fallout story starts with the bombs falling in 2077, although due to a divergence in the timeline, they never advanced culturally past the 50's and never invented the transistor, so their electronics are all bulky and use vacuum tubes, and they went all-in on nuclear power and use it to power nearly everything, and even have a radiated soft drink called Nuka Cola Quantum.
I was really surprised to see Kyle MacLaghlan. I'd been seeing a lot about him because of the general resurgence of interest in Dune, and people were comparing the different installments of that. I saw an interview with him about his experience working with David Lynch. And suddenly he pops up here in an absolutely fantastic role. He's great, and absolutely perfect for this.
I loved Fallout I play the game and I absolutely loved the show. It wasn't 100% perfect but it fit the feel of the games so nicely.
Walton Goggins as the Ghoul is easily the best bit of casting I've seen in recent years.
I love the whole 1950s feel but it's not the 50s. I'm really looking forward the 2nd season.
The show did a wonderful job of capturing the weird dark comedy of the games. They also had the lead game designer involved throughout the process to help with lore, props, and design. There is a lot of lore for this alternate timeline, and others can explain it far better than I!
Take a man to the edge of a volcano... And then, you will really know the man...
Firefly reference.
Jacqui it is an absolute joy to get to follow along as you explore the weird, wonderful wasteland of Fallout.
They just won an Emmy for Music Selection! The games and the show really nailed that side of things. ❤
When the fellow was killed by the doll leg it was fired from a "junk jet".
A weapon that is built to fire random junk from your inventory as ammunition.
It has a fairly high DPS in the game.
The biggest problem you've got is that it's a series of two games and 3 games. The first two games were set on the west coast were isometric, made by Black Isle Studio in 1997 and 1998. Bethesda bought the IP and made Fallout 3 and 4 as First Person games set on the East Coast in 2008 and 2015. Fallout New Vegas, was made in 2010, which was contracted by Obsidian which had a lot of the original Black Isle developers and developed after Fallout 3, set on the West Coast. There are so many easter eggs from the games 1, 2 and New Vegas, that the gamers who've played them will recognise, that you won't. Oh and there are several spinoffs like Fallout Tactics and Fallout Shelter.
Welcome to the Fallout universe. This show was not only very well done, but it told a new story while remaining faithful to the source material. So remarkable on so many different levels beyond just the quality of the episodes.
I've watched so many reactions of this now, it's interesting so see how different it is what different reactors find interesting or important and choose to highlight in the edit.
That is quite the opening scene, don't you think? and an amazing shot. I love seing reactions to that horrifying scene.
6:26 on the blackboard you can see the date of the bombs, 2077, this isn't our 1950's, this is an alternate world, with the aesthetic of the american 1950's. I know, hard to know when you go in blind! and I realize you probably have learned all of this already, as the entire series is available on your Patreon... so never mind me!
12:01 the music is indeed amazing!
15:21 the Film burning making the look of a fireball on the horizon was such a brilliant choice! Love that you picked up on that!
16:17 So adorable, but you had seen it all, hadn't you? how does this make you feel now?
24:38 It is indeed! I fell in love right away!
36:10 YES! that's the spirit! it's just that good!
37:49 games, actually. while not directly following the story of any game, this show is set in the same world, Inspired by the different factions and storylines you encounter in the games. that's a good way to do video game television. and from what I have heard (Not played the games either) they have been very faithful to the source material.
Love your reactions Jacqui! thank you!
Non gamer here and I bought into the hype immediately and I’m thrilled I did.
I have a feeling that you will be scrolling through the soundtrack pretty soon, if you haven’t done already! I fell in love with an older version of a song that I grew up with and never knew it was reprised!
Oh, I love this show, not as much as Firefly but it is definitely real close to tying with it. Not sure if your Patreon's have told you or not, but this is set in the Fallout Universe, but its only story entirely. The writers, director and actors did such a great job I am antsy for the release of season 2! What a ride Fallout is!
This is a surprisingly well-written, and directed/produced, show. It juggles and integrates a lot of stuff amazingly.
25:00 The dog is huge. In the Fallout series there's almost always a canine companion you can choose to have with you on your travels. It's not a big deal for everyone that plays the game but for some of us, it's huge. I should also add while we're here. Carrying inventory is a big deal in games like this as well, and having Max carry this insane bag of stuff is how the writers and producers are addressing the encumbrance of the game.
To fans of "Fallout", a real-life "Filly" wasteland village was built in Austin, Texas, during the SWSX festival in March by the producers to promote the show. They had an interactive app, all the show props, 'real' Nuka Cola, and I even got a custom Vault 33 pin. It was free to attend. You can check out photos of the village easily online.
I'm sure others will have said so, but with this series they absolutely nailed the character of the games in an entirely new story, set nine years after the latest events of the games.
I liked the show quite a bit, I'm really interested in hearing your prospective from a film making point of view. You usually point out things in media that i had missed so it's much more than just a reaction video. Can't wait for the next episode! 👍
The Last of Us is an amazing show but I don’t think any movie or show has captured the essence of a game like Fallout did.
Ahhh! I love that you've started this series!! Its a great adaptation from the games, and has fantastic characters
This series really does capture the essence and the feel of the game.
The things on their arms are a "Pipboy".
It is a portable computer that does everything except wipe your butt for you.
It monitors your health, keeps track of your inventory in the game, you use it to administer medicines and anti radiation medicine.
It has a map and you can use it to fast travel in the game once you discover a location on the map.
It has a radio.
There is more but playing the game would explain it better.
Unfortunately it has nothing to do with actual Fallout, only Bethesda's "interpretation" of it.
@@shihonageUnfortunately there are still a few Fallout 1 fans who are so upset that computer gaming didn't stay perpetually in the 90s, they insist on trying to ruin both the originals and the later games for the rest of us with incessant gatekeeping.
Just stop. At this point Fallout 3 and Vegas represent what the series is far, far more than 1 and 2 do and frankly for a TV show they're a far better starting point for narrative. We're allowed to like the originals and the new things, and you're not breaking a sacred trust from the Brotherhood if you grow the heck up and admit both things exist.
Despite the complaints of die hard 90s purists, the later Bethesda games they're talking about are in fact completely totally compatible with the originals; there are a few continuity changes that nobody sensible cares about in any way. All five games do a perfectly good job of being what they are; enjoy them and move on.
If you want to play more of the original, there's always Wasteland.
@@TynamM The show is not a game, dummy. This has nothing to do with "gaming", but with consistent writing, respecting canon, cohesive vision.
Bethesda turned Fallout into a lolcow. And even that aside, this show's writing is horrid in and of itself, standalone, it is full of world-breaking nonsense posing as "quirk".
When you're a bad writer who needs to keep breaking his own world to create events, you will hide the nonsense behind the "quirk".
It doesn't help. You're still a bad writer.
@@TynamM Yeah and Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas are outdated garbage, Curious George is just newer and therefore, better.
Every minute detail of the scenery, costumes, props, and the general aesthetic are PERFECTLY transported from the games to the live action screen.
It's astounding.
Going from one great show starting with F to another (Firefly to Fallout). You’re in for a treat!
I'm always intrigued to see how different people feel about Maximus as the series moves forward; he's my favourite character actually
Jacqui, thank you so much for sharing your work. I have come to love watching a show first for it's raw enjoyment, and then watching it again with your insightful commentary. It adds so level of depth that I didn't realize was missing in my entertainment. Thank you.
The various Fallout games all take place within the same universe, as does the show, but they all take place at different points in time over the 200+ years post nuclear war. This show is insanely true to the feel, aesthetic, and lore of the game universe, and was able to avoid angering fans by having it take place in a time years after all of the games, while holding true to the lore the games established, allowing them to build on the existing story without contradicting established lore.
Without spoiling anything, Maximus and Lucy play so well off of each other. Hard to tell if the writing was so competent that their acting just flowed or they are such amazing actors that they took decent writing and made it amazing. Maybe a little of both. Do have to say that as much as I loved the Fallout series, personally I was just blown away by Arcane. Can't wait to see your thoughts.
Bit of both, I suspect. You can't plan for that kind of chemistry. Those two absolutely killed their roles.
So happy you're reacting to this fantastic series. Already looking forward to season 2.
i love the storytelling style in this, with the main character introduction right out of "The Good,The Bad and The Ugly".....
Happy you've started this one Jacqui , looking forward to your breakdowns on how the episodes are done.
I'm glad you made the Westworld connection. Knowing that Jonathan Nolan is a creator on both shows, when Dane told Maximus, "I told them you wouldn't hurt a fly," a cold shiver ran down my spine.
Less than 10 minutes in and you totally got it. Was a pleasure listening to your comments. So glad you appreciate the quality of it all. I am looking forward to watching it with you. 👍
I don't think I ever want to watch another show without watching you watch it at the same time. Your reactions give me such joy! :)
So much of this world building and style of humor was done back in the 90s with the first 2 games. The allure of the contrast of this setting is enduring with many more games following and now the show. Even though the graphics were terrible your excitement about this intro mirrors the way I felt as a teenager in the 90s playing the games for the first time.
To answer your question about if the story is the same as the game or just in the same world, the answer is it is just in the same world. The fallout games are pretty open role playing games where you could go in different directions story wise. Lucy's character is designed to be more like a "new player" coming into the world and experiencing it fresh just like all the players have done at one point or another. As far as how much of the world building was in the games first, pretty much all of it, and most of that was in the first 2 from the 90s but there is definitely lore elements of all the games present.
EDIT: OH, and the older songs you hear throughout the episode are all from the games as well. The soundtracks in fallout games are fantastic and all of the modern games featured a radio where you could tune your pipboy (the wrist CRT computers) to different stations and listens to 50s style music while roaming around the world. That concept goes back to the 3rd game (which is the first one in 3D) and really helps with the immersion as you are running from explosions and mutants to upbeat 50s tunes.
So, I'm a fairly recent subscriber, and really love your reactions/takes I've seen so far. I also started watching this series yesterday, and jumped into Episode 2 today, making this very timely....
This has to be, probably, my all-time favorite reaction EVER.
It's clear your background gives you a lot of insight and ability to appreciate the actual technical filmmaking/storytelling that goes on, but the way you absolutely NAILED what they were doing in terms of building the story, for things to come, blew me away.
{Chef's kiss}
The way the songs are so fitting is even better, when you consider these were all songs that were randomly in the games already, just being used in new and better context. They are doing it this well with like a 50 song limit, instead of every song ever.
I was just a bit too young to really understand what was going on, but during the Cuba Missile Crisis, people did send their families away from the East Coast cities,...just in case. I understand most everybody was kinda holding their breath, scared shyteless.
Ella purnell who plays lucy also voices a character in arcane, excited for those reactions
Did you catch that Lucy's husband is named Monty? When she turns around and he's naked, a reactor exclaimed, "Oh, the Full monty!"
Seriously my favorite video game, possibly ever. Thank you for reacting!
11:05 No, I don't think Lucy's actress played Alita from Alita: Battle Angel. Instead, she played Jinx from Arcane. As well as Jackie from Yellowjackets.
I love when a socially aware, media literate, intelligent person discovers Fallout for the first time. You're going to LOVE this show!
I've been a big fan of the Fallout games since the 3rd one, so it's really cool to see someone without that familiarity reacting to the show, especially someone who understands the medium so well. I'm so excited for you to watch the rest of the show, you're in for a treat!
What I love about this series is that first, they respected the original material from the video games series, but more importantly, what they added to the lore is great and very clever. Another thing, most of the amazing songs on this show were in the video games, which get a lot of people, me included, to listen more to 30's and 40's music like Billie Holiday, Cole Porter or The Andrews Sisters.
In the timeline of this world, the transistor was never invented, but portable fusion power was the main source of energy. The retro-futuristic aesthetic and the 1950’s music is a theme that is the foundation of this world across all games.
Lucy is played by Ella Purnell. She was Emma in Mrs Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. The floaty girl.
In the game, you have a radio you can listen to, and there are stations that play these types of songs.
- Ella Purnell - Lucy - did NOT play Alita in Battle Angel Alita, that was Rosa Salazar. I can understand why you might think that, Ella's eyes are massive and Alita's were too but, they enlarged Alita's to play into the anime, 'big eyed' girl trope and to make sure that everyone that watched could tell that she was, 'artificial'. Rosa's eye are normal sized btw, lol.
- Ella, famously voiced Jinx in the animated show Arcane. I do not know if you have watched that show yet but, It definitely worth a watch.
so excited to tune in with you jacqui!!! i didnt get the chance to see it yet so im glad im getting to watch it with the queen of movies ❤👑
So happy you're doing this! I was bummed about your Firefly series coming to its end, but this is probably the best possible replacement. Wonderful series!
The set design for this series is incredible. Just absolutely gorgeous.
I've been playing Fallout games since the first one in 1997. I love the vibe, and the show did a fantastic job "television'ing" that universe. Excited to see you watch the series!
The Fallout world is not our own. It is set in a universe that diverged, but shares many historical milestones prior to the events of World War II While it takes place in the future, it is not our future, but one reflecting a traditional 1950s-style science fiction "world of tomorrow" the scene at the beginning would have been OCT 23rd 2077
The biggest hurdle for this adaptation in particular was adapting the tone and vibe of the games, and I think they knocked it out of the park. At their best the games are funny, violent, weird, horrific, satirical, and tragic; often many of those at the same time. The fact that they managed to juggle all of those tones while making a show that long term fans and newcomers alike love is remarkable.
2:25 - It looks like the 1950s, but this scene actually takes place on Saturday October 23, 2077. In the _Fallout_ universe, the aesthetic that we IRL would refer to as a blend of "1950s Retro-Futurism" and "Atompunk" remained popular for over a century.
So people have covered the universe lore. Another interesting thing about this series is that it stays very faithful to the games, and not just in lore. The events in the show are a canon part of the game series timeline, but the show is a new story. Also, the game mechanics are present in the show, like how Lucy instantly heals with the Stimpak. There are other examples as the series progresses.
Lucy isn't in Alita: Battle Angel (that was Rosa Salazar), but she was in Yellowjackets, and did voice work for Jinx in Arcane and Gwendala in Star Trek: Prodigy.
Awesome seeing a fresh take on a world that many of us have enjoyed for decades! As others have mentioned, the story of Fallout has existed for a long time, and had heavy involvement from Bethesda Game Studios (the publishers of the video games) to make sure the tone of the show matched the tone of the game series. The comedic horror aspect is a huge part of the series' charm; nostalgia and futurism living incongruously (channeling you Jacqui!) to create situations that are both hilarious and haunting. I think you'll love the series, and I think you'll see how the juxtaposition of nostalgia and futurism raises philosophical questions for our heroes to discover. As you said as you watched the bombs fall: "you find out who your friends are"... and there are many many more to follow. Looking forward to more!
Also - you asked what the games were like. Here's Fallout 3 (with Liam Neeson!) but as a movie (cutscenes, most critical dialogue, some gameplay): ruclips.net/video/W7IJVxJzcfw/видео.html&pp=ygUUZmFsbG91dCAzIGdhbWUgbW92aWU%3D
As someone who has played all the Fallout games (since the first one in 1997) I would say they nailed the aesthetic and tone perfectly. The show is faithful to the existing lore of the games while telling a new and unique story within the Fallout universe.
Jacqui: "Redder is better."
People who have played the Fallout games: "We will not fear the Red Menace. Death is a preferable alternative to Communism."
^_^