Chris Avellone, designer of Fallout 2 and New Vegas, discussed the Fallout series
Since the announcement of the Fallout series, there have been expectations that it will cause controversy in the community, which is not surprising given Amazon’s poor experience with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Bethesda’s history with the Fallout franchise in general.
After the show aired, the situation turned out to be controversial. On the one hand, the serial adaptation of Fallout turned out great and it’s great that it will get a sequel. On the other hand, there were enough dissatisfied people who began to point out all the inconsistencies and changes in the lore made by the series.
Now that the hype surrounding the show has died down, more balanced opinions are emerging that offer constructive criticism without undeserved praise or unwarranted hatred.
One of those voices is Chris Avellone, the writer and designer of Fallout 2 and Fallout: New Vegas, as well as the author of the Fallout Bible, who recently shared a new post on the Fallout Apocrypha blog , offering a comprehensive overview of the series, discussing its characters and analyzing whether Amazon’s adaptation lives up to it main storylines of Fallout.
Describing the show as “both good and bad,” Avellone breaks down the Fallout adaptation in terms of entertainment and craftsmanship, two categories he always uses when judging films. According to Avellone, he did find the show fun to watch, describing it as “an entertaining spectacle that works well as a trailer for the current state of the Fallout franchise,” especially for fans of Fallout 4 and 76.
At the same time, the designer noted flaws in the show’s craft, noting that it lacked thoughtfulness, had pacing problems, and did not respect its own dramatic resolutions. Unlike many others, Avellone based his opinion not on comparisons to Fallout 1 and 2, but on how the show handles its own internal lore.
The big issues I’ll touch on later in part two of the review are Vaults, the nature of Ghouls, literal energy infrastructure in the wasteland, and some major themes like capitalism (which was never part of the original Fallout idea, despite what you may think – capitalism equals evil is a very modern theme and it’s no surprise that Hollywood is leaning on it for a big reveal).
In addition, the veteran gave his opinion on the main characters of Fallout (Cooper, Lucy, Maximus, Wilzig and Dogmeat), pointing out their strengths and weaknesses in terms of writing. He also discussed how the adaptation handles music and violence, and explored whether the series embodies the core narrative threads of the original Fallout or Bethesda iterations.
Chris Avellone, designer of Fallout 2 and New Vegas, discussed the Fallout series
Chris Avellone’s opinions on the Fallout series characters:
Ghoul (Walton Goggins)
Chris Avellone thought Cooper Howard/Ghoul was the best character, despite many scenes of him just killing people in a room. Avellone was impressed by Walton Goggins’ performance and was pleased that his character became an important part of Vault-Tec’s development. He liked the theme of Cooper’s internal struggle and reminders of his past. However, Avellone noted several problems with drugs and Ghoul’s characteristics, as well as the problematic use of the name “Ghoul” in a non-ironic way.
Dog
Dog turned out to be the character with the least development. Her backstory was complicated and often ignored. Chris Avellone was disappointed with how it was moved around and did not develop themes related to the past. He also noted that the scenes with Dogmeat and Michael Emerson (Wilzig) looked strange and their connection was not entirely clear.
Lucy (Ella Purnell)
Avellone liked Lucy and praised Ella Purnell’s performance, despite the controversial script. He noted the moments when Lucy reminded herself of her duty to the sanctuary and did the right thing. Avellone liked the scene where Lucy explains to Ma Jun the purpose of the shelters, showing the arrogance of the shelter dwellers. However, he also pointed out ambiguities in its operations and confusion over the entrances to the shelters.
Maximus (Aaron Moten)
Maximus’ behavior was incomprehensible to Avellone for most of the series. He noted that the acting and direction left much to be desired. Avellone also pointed out problems with Maximus’ emotions in important scenes. He appreciated the moral dilemmas Maximus faced, but found their implementation insufficient.
Wilzig (Michael Emerson) Avellone felt that Wilzig was not enough in the series and lacked the context to fully flesh out the character. He noted Emerson’s strong scenes, especially early in the series, but also pointed out moments when Wilzig’s actions looked ridiculous, such as sitting on a barrel of hazardous waste.
In a few days, Avellone plans to release the second part of the review, focusing on internal inconsistencies in the lore of the Amazon adaptation.
Previously, other “founding fathers” of the Fallout franchise also expressed their opinions on Amazon’s adaptation: Tim Kane, creator of the entire Fallout series, praised the show, and Josh Sawyer, director of New Vegas, expressed indifference, saying that the over-indulgence in something outside your control, unwell.