My lore scrutiny of the first 2 episodes (no spoilers!) - The Fallout Show 

One thing I really appreciated that the show kept was the storytelling via corpses, and skeletons. Stumbling upon these tragic scenes that happened 200 years ago is key to the world.

My favorite of the "Little things I'd never thought about" moments, is Lucy adding her signature & date to the inside of the dress, following generations of her fore-mothers who had done the same thing at that same moment in their lives.

maybe the ghoul's "invincibility" is drug-induced. He just takes a shit ton of MedX and Psycho and he can't feel a thing.

Lucy‘s reason to leave the vault was very much in the spirit of Fallout. It was almost a crucial piece of the Fallout experience. Three out of five games started with a vault dweller, leaving the vault. It remains a very useful narrative technique to introduce viewers to the experience with the wide eyed naivety of someone to the environment outside the vault. Even though the primary producer said he wasn’t going to cater to the fans specifically keeping the show consistent with the lore pleases true fans.

The ghoul seems invulnerable because hes a main character, hes definitely taken perks like adamantine skeleton, fitness, life giver and probably has 10 in endurance

Sounds like ghouls are essential NPC's

I love how the power armor gets stuck in the floorboard -- just like in the games where your PA gets stuck. I don't know if that was an intentional nod to game bugs, but it made me laugh!

If you've ever actually spent time inside a fridge, you'd know that time stops until someone opens it.

The NCR has literally been built from the ground up since the first game, I really hope they don’t shit on them when the main focus of the show is in NCR territory

11:20 iirc someone in game mentions that ghouls need to use more drugs to feel the effect of them. Which is probablly why the tranquilizer doesn't affect him.

I don't think they made i clear in the first two but it's 3 connected vaults as Lucy's dad is from 31.

My biggest lore concern is how long that damn fusion core lasted in the power armour. I’d have gone through at least 7 in that time.

Honestly with the ghoul it makes sense that he could just be a freak of nature amongst freaks of nature. Raul also had some level of invincibility that fell under the ghoul explanation.

One thing that seems pretty consistent throughout the Fallout games that each Brotherhood of Steel group is different! So, it doesn't seem odd to me at all that this one is also different.

I am confused why you said we don't know the ghoul's name after the first two episodes. His name is said literally in the first scene of the show, unless he changed it after the apocalypse.

I can tell you why they ditched the jet pack. It's not meant to be lore breaking. It just means of getting the actor out to the costume more easy. In game I had a problem because while wearing the jet pack you can not get out of the armor.

Fallout tactics: Cancerous growth & Rad child. Ghoul specific perks that give HP regen.

Considering ghouls heal from radiation, I wonder if he takes certain drugs that combine with his physique to cause his “immortality”? As for the hibernation, it kinda seems that feral ghouls have at least done this, where we find them in the game exactly where they were when the bombs fell, sometimes under cars or such, wouldn’t surprise me at least

Saw the entire series in one go. And it isn't 2 Vaults connected, it is three. 31, 32, and 33. It is mentioned in the first 2 episodes.

That armor weighs way too much for those little jets.

Dont feral ghouls have a sorta hibernation? They will sit for decades still and waiting for prey.

yeah NCR is the biggest thing i'm been worrying about, it's going to be heart breaking if they just throw away all of it's unique story possibilities to have just another wasteland because "it's fitting to have a tv show in Hollywood". That and making the Brotherhood too 40k space marine-y, like the line there was already thin.

If you connect two vaults like that, you still end up with essentially one vault population. It's something that seems logical until you think about it for more than 30 seconds. It would work better as an experiment on how culture, language, and customs would diverge between the vaults.

I couldn't quit laughing during some of the vault scenes cause I couldn't unsee Lucy's brother as he was in Hannah Montanna as Rico Suave lol

My concern is that they just discard the NCR, and what we've seen in the trailers are just remnants or possibly a resurgence after the NCR was wiped out (which is what it looks like to me since they have various weapons and partially improvised uniforms) . It was too inconvenient to have an actual civilization in the Fallout universe, and rather than show the challenges of a civilization trying to rebuild and survive in the wasteland, they get rid of them to revert to the "everything is terrible everywhere" idea. Instead of re-using the vault-dweller story, it would have been nice if they centered on an NCR citizen forced out into the uncivilized wasteland. Someone who lived multiple generations deep in the NCR would be just as unprepared for life in the wastes.

I disagree with the criticism for Lucy's Impetus to leave the vault, yes it's familiar to the games but you have to accept that this show isn't strictly FOR players of the games, it's going to attract attention from new viewers of the franchise and it's a good way to introduce them to it. On top of that the show already does so much to bring in the people who ARE fans, in a way that makes you feel like the passion and care to keep the show authentic is there. I had absolutely no problems with it

When you construct a jump pack in FO76, it becomes clear that they almost certainly weren't standard issue - even those soldiers who were armored infantry didn't have jump packs in Operation Anchorage, and the why of that would be how resource-intensive they are. Other hand, you can literally jump off the top of a massive skyscraper in downtown Boston, say from the deck of the _Constitition_ after its flight, and land safely in power armor, even without a jetpack. I'd say that the arm jets, which are similar to the only stable flight suits we've built irl, are probably used for those safe landings, as the armor itself doesn't seem to be padded much at all. As for the NCR, I'd definitely wait until we see their POV. After all, from the BoS' POV, the NCR _is_ a lawless mob - why, their hierarchy is upended every time there's an election!

That airship IS the prydwen! If you pause, you can see “prydwen” on the side of the ship!

So regarding the Enclave, I saw a video depicting and explaining very well how there would still probably be Enclave bases in the US. For example in 76, we know that there are plenty of bases probably out there and that they can be hidden pretty well. And while it is unlikely that any 1 of the bases have enough resources to be any humongous army threat on the scale of the legion or NCR, but probably enough to manipulate certain things behind the scenes. If I find the video I will link it here for people to see:

God I hope they don't ruin the NCR that is my biggest concern.

The power armor is designed to make a soldier more effects in battle, You cant shoot a weapon if you're using your hands to fly hence the jet pack.

I binged the entire season in a single sitting. Every episode left me wanting more and by the end of the final episode I had to give it a sturdy round of applause - hyped up for the promise of season 2. My primary interest was the characterization, whether they would be able to make me care about the three mains and they succeeded in doing that as well as making each one so complex of character that you could really empathize with the issues they were confronted with. And as for that Maximus Power Armor Glitch . . . it wouldn't be a Bethesda Game without one of those now would it?

Man I hope it isn't like the halo show and just completely trashes ALL THE ESTABLISHED LORE.

Based on the scene of the trailer, the hand-jets looks more as an excuse for the "negates falling damage" from the power armor. Without this, falling from a building and not becoming a raw burrito inside a metal armor is almost "magic" and maybe the producers opted for the hand-jets as a more "realistic" solution.

Honestly I e always had some resentment to how Bethesda changed Fallout - I’m old and I played Fallout 1 multiple times when it was shiny and new. I don’t dislike Fallout 4, but I always felt like the 200 years ahead was not handled well. How is it that in 200 years nobody has found some of the items we get? How is 200 year old paper still on a desk in perfect condition in regular houses? Why is it that 200 years later I can’t build a wall that isn’t full of holes and broken windows?

Beyond all else, I’ve been most anxious about the NCR portrayal. I don’t care as much about power armor masks flipping up or the Iron Man esq boosters, I care about the NCR. If the NCR is different than they were in New Vegas, I hope they explain it and give a convincing reason. I am not opposed to the idea of the NCR being weaker than we last saw them, but please god explain it. If they don’t, it’s a good way to anger the fans.

"The Ghoul" didn't bother me because ghouls are pretty resilient in game and there are Ghouls that are killed in the show. I was bothered by those vials to stop them from going feral though. I don't recall that being a thing.

The posters in the Vaults said "Don't lose your head!" Well, Lucy 'lost her head'🤷

Hey Oxhorn! I binged the whoooole thing before I hit the internet to see others' take on things. Personally I am SO pleased they produced something that tasted JUST like the game universe. One thing that caught my attention was your dismay at the repeat of the vault-dweller origin theme from the games. Now to me, the first two shows in the series seemed to me to be an introduction for folks not familiar with the games- so the 'repeat' of the Vault dweller exodus theme was more an homage to the games and a welcome to new fans. I loved the familiarity! You have undoubtedly finished watching the entire thing by now- can't wait to see what you have to say!

11:40 The Ghoul is a drug addict and got just another shot. He said something like: "Just a tiny drop in a bucket of chems" and he was hit several times but he weares a metalplate under his coat, in some camera angles you can see it.

Personally I really really really hope that NCR Group is NOT all that remains of them, and is NOT the general composition of their forces. Rather, i think they are what you described, terrorists. Specifically, Bipartisan Fighters and Civilian Militias who chose to stay in Los Angeles after the real NCR had to leave due to BoS attacks. God, I hope we see a NCR Ranger in that iconic trenchcoat armor, and a proper standing NCR Soldier with their uniform, and finally, please please let us see a NCR Heavy Power Armor Trooper.

Somehow, the Enclave returned. Lol

I don't think the ghoul has been in that grave for 200+ years, since the bounty hunters that say something along the line that he's been put into hibernation multiple times and used when needed at the behest of their boss. So he has years of activity broken up by years of hibernation. It would explain why he's so skilled and familiar with the Wasteland, which wouldn't be explanable if he'd been hibernatiing for 200+ years.

One of your morning news shows here in Aus had an interview with the actors of the ghoul and the overseer. The ghoul actor said that his character plays a sort of guide for both the audience and the dweller lady into the fallout wasteland world. This could be something to explain some discrepancies due to the fact that the ghoul may be an unreliable narrator. Idk how they'll portray this, but some food for thought definitely. So hyped for this show, and your opinion has been helpful for me in my engagement with the trailers and such

This show drops at a time in my life when I am desperate for some positive news. No matter what happens, I am grateful to have something to look forward to!

I think the war with Cesar had stretched the NCR thin, and with his death leading to the complete collapse of his legion might of lead to the NCR taking full advantage of the schisms, expanding their territory, but with the cost of further thinning out their already thinned out lines. The core regions might of been depleted of their national guard forces as more and more troops were needed for the forever wars the NCR put themselves in leading to desperate attempts to bolster the security once the brotherhood returned. They might of had to conscript less than savory types or hire mercenaries that just 10 years ago they would of been trying to kill off.

Can explain a lot pretty easily Ghouls are a category of evolved people due to a common cause. Their adaptations can vary as radiation effects aren’t necessarily streamlined. Brother of Steel: strategies change. Organizations evolve with time. They still focus on technology but may have realized some level of order helps them fulfill that need. Power armor: bos engineer could have customized hand jet packs rather than backpack through individual innovation process. Maybe found new version less prone to damage in combat

I do like what you said about the NCR, but you forgot one faction in their military that is the exception of their rules. The NCR rangers. Even though they loosely work together they are, by nature, loners, and mostly do their missions alone. Rangers only usually meet up with others between mission at special bunkers, like where you get your ranger armor in new Vegas, she legitimately maybe a NCR ranger, and their authority can surpass most of their military officers, but if she was I would've loved that classic rangers helmet. Not armor, now that I mention it, vaguely resemble the rangers armor.

Incredibly excited for season 2, especially about where it's hinted to take place.

It wasn't just Vaults 32 & 33 who had the spouse exchange: Vault 31 was also a part of it! Also, it looks like it was still considered acceptable to marry within your own vault, if you were willing to take the risk. You had to pass some sort of fitness test/interview process to be considered a good enough specimen to enter into the spouse exchange program; not everyone qualified.

The "hand-jets" is what we have currently. Ironman's suits use them because of stability. In our current understanding it is really the only way we have gotten suits to work. You balance with your hands. I think it is a meshing of our reality with fallouts. It's a good midway. It looks kind of silly and don't run long on standard fuel, but it is accurate as per our reality. The backpacks would literally explode if shot or were so heavy you couldn't wear them. They experimented on them in WW2 and as recent as the 2000's. A private citizen made them about 10 years ago and has refined them over and over until the military took interest and I believe he has sold them to various militaries (although in an old interview he stated he wouldn't) but if the government throws enough money at a topic or steals it, well let's say he is better off just selling it or helping them make their own. Some of the videos are cool but they are loud, so very loud. It's like flying 20 drones right next to you. Now if you are on the ocean (where they have shown how they work) it's so loud that you may not hear it on the water. Anyway, maybe eventually backpacks (jetpacks) would work but I don't see a plausible way currently. NOW again it is just a show based off of a game, that was originally based off of a board game so we will take what we can. Did you ask TODD about the next fallout game? I would like the ghouls to finally be clarified. Do they eat because they have to, or do they eat just to taste food or because it is an old habit?

I view Lucy's motivation to leave Vault 33 also as an Easter Egg, a nod to that which has come before. I haven't seen your Kid in the Fridge video, and I will do so soon. But, I did watch another video, I think it was from TheEpicNate315, that posited the idea that Billy really wasn't in there for 200 years but rather only a few relatively short months. The theory was that he was a native of contemporary Quincy Ruins, not Pre-War, and that the explosions he heard were actually from the Quincy Massacre mentioned by Preston Garvey. As for The Ghoul... I think he is just a really high level. He has a lot of perks, high HP, good armor, awesome weapons.

Instead of the jet pack he could’ve just jumped off the roof and done a superhero landing Like in the game

I didn’t get the impression that he can’t be killed I think he’s just a tough bastard, you see multiple ghouls being killed in the show

I'm keeping an open mind about the ghoul. Right now, I've only seen the first ep, although I've got the rest of the season at my fingertips--waiting for the husband before I start watching it!--but going just by that first ep, I can see ways around the seeming invincibility. Remember that glowing fluid they fed into him? It seems reasonable that being pumped full of radioactivity (and whatever else was in that) did have a healing effect for him, like getting shot while a stimpack is in the process of kicking in! He might not normally be so invulnerable. And we all know that syringers are disappointing weapons.... As for his fighting capabilities, well, we already knew he was a TV/film cowboy. Judging by those amazing lasso skills--that display was NOT easy--it seems in character for him to have amazing gunplay skills as well! It happens: if you know guns, and have ever seen Keanu practicing at the range, you know it happens.

1) The ghoul is clearly a heavy chem user with high E and probably a perk, the fact that he got shot and lived is understandable, diesnt need ghouls to be immune to harm. 2) The Brotherhood wouldn't have briefed mete aspirants ad to what was going on, their surprise at the airship isn't surprising.

After watching the series i have only 3 unpleasant things to point out: first of all lets adress the elephant in the room, The NCR. I get it Shady Sands is gone but yet that doesn’t means the whole state apparatus would desintegrate even more since we’re speaking of arguably the most advanced society in the wasteland. The final scene hints to probably the Mr House ending being canon or that the city remained with much autonomy until the collapse of the NCR. Anyways House probably isn’t dead so he has somehow persevered. My 2nd point would be about the BoS like chill they’re too op even more when we compare their status in the games in the western chapters its as absurd as the collapse of the NCR. Last comment is regarding the last scene where we see a closeup of New Vegas, it was pretty underwhelming since considering the many years house is supposed to be active the city should be shown as thriving and bigger. Unless it has become a ghost town and vault tec personnel is buried in the areas covered with cement (who knows)

Ah, so Lucy leaves because dad dies or needs help.

Definitely feels like I'm watching with the Bloody Mess Perk 😅I'm really enjoying it so far (4 eps in) and think they nailed the aesthetic and feel of the universe

I always thought that Billy was referring to the War with the Minutemen and the Gunners. Because his house is south of Quincy, he is found north of Quincy, plus its the player characters that says 200 years initially, Billy agrees but says “its been so long” or something along those lines, and his parents are roughly on the same choice of words. I don’t think he was in the fridge 200 years, but maybe like 2 weeks max.

I think that individual BHOS members can be a source of good or evil. But as a whole they are well meaning but misguided.

So far I’m pretty impressed. It really delivers fan service. Very impressed that they cared about the details and sound effects. They used some of the same music too. I’m crying tears of joy while watching and have never been so excited for a show before. I just hope the lore and plot doesn’t disappoint after the second episode as well. I played over 1k hours of FO4 and just shout stuff out to my husband who has never played the games lol 😂

I just watched an interview where Walton Goggins said that, yes, ghouls can die, and many ghoul do die in the show. You can put your mind at ease with that part.

I don't care about the presentation of power armor. So what if the helmet opens? The entire fucking back opens for you to enter and exit. Hell, I imagine you could open the front as well in case of emergency. And the hand jets are still very much a jet pack. Sure it's smaller, sure it's now in the arms, sure it looks like another thing, but the function is the same, and it isn't a big deal. Maybe it could also be used as a flamethrower.

They hand jets dont seem like an issue they ĺook theyre meant to make the non fall damage realistic cause in this scene its used to get down from somewhere. Those did not look strong enough to lift the power armor very high if at all.

I don’t think the “hand jets” were to mimic iron man more so the jet pack in the games might have been hard to adapt to live action and with it being from a part of the brotherhood that has a massive airship and one of the most advanced power armor types making a new way to achieve flight isn’t out of the question

Maybe that is not a Jetpack. It could be a device to use it when performing springs from high positions, to avoid damage to the power armor and its surroindings, by gently and slowly landing it. I don't know about the rest of the episodes, but on the footage shown, it is used that way.

i certainly agree , the ncr was meant to represent some sort of surface recovery but vastly imperfect . Not having it all changes this quite drastically. No Kimble also doesn't provide a group to blame for the bureaucracy and the disconnect they would have from the smaller wasteland issues. i feel like it will be a study of all material together to parse our current direction.

Ghouls are like mummies. They can do whatever the hell they want

I figured that with the Enclave appearing in Fallout 4 creation club story, it meant that Bethesda isn't ready to let go of them

Man, you had me at the mentioning of The Enclave and Vault Tec. 2 of my favorite factions in Fallout because Vault Tec reminds me most of ONI from Halo and the Enclave was just cool in general. Some would be disappointed to see them again as a threat rather than remnants, while I’d appreciate it taking the same route the American Rising 2 quest mod for FO4.

I love hearing your takes on fallout. I hope you do another more expanded version of this, once people have had an adequate amount of time to watch the first couple of episodes.

for anyone that cant figure it out. he literally says "now that's a small drop, in a very very large bucket of drugs" after being shot with the syringer ..... you're welcome

Hey Ox! I think I'll watch the show first then come back. Looking forward to it though.

Thx Ox! Have you played the new Atlantic City Quests, and are there new lore stories you will show us? And what do you think about the Map expansion which is coming this year?

Lucy immediately reminded me of Amata in Fallout 3, who is also a dark-haired young woman whose father is the Overseer, and whose vault is also under siege in the early moments. When Lucy left the vault to find ______ , that is, of course, also the player's objective in Fallout 3.

I've watched the whole series now and they really did an incredible job. Can't tell you how excited I am for season 2 :)

The jet pack thing makes sense when you realize that was changed so he could actually fly. The hand jets is real world tech that exists. Jet packs from the games don't. They chose to be practical, so they didn't need cgi or some rig to allow him to look like he's flying. He just flies.

I don't mind that Lucy's call to action is the same as the games. As said in the video, there are very very few reasons to leave the safety of a vault. Also, that familiar call to action was still unique just like all the games were. I also want to point out this is only season 1 of hopefully a long show. You gotta start at the beginning and in the case of the games that is like the first hour of the game.

Guys Vault tec started the war

I'm worried about Bethesda's depiction of the NCR. I doubt they'll do it justuce.

Having seen the whole season, watching this is pretty frustrating because every time it's like "Why is this like this? They haven't mentioned this yet" I'm like, "THIS COMES UP LATER." I think I'm gonna hop out of this one and see if another video got made with the full-series perspective 😆

It's interesting to see how far you've come. From your days of World of Warcraft parody videos with a little undead mage saying "Roflmao" to a muppet song, to going to big hollywood screenings. Proud of ya, big man.

2 words to break all we knew abt fallout, BUD'S BUDS......

The trailer went beyond scribes wearing robes. There was one holding a thurible and wearing a priest's stole. That goes beyond anything I remember. It makes me think of being at church.

I think an interesting idea for a video would be you filling out the main characters S.P.E.C.I.A.L. skills. And maybe adding in some perks. For me, after one time watching: Lucy: S-4 P-5 E-5 C-8 I-7 A-7 L-4 Maximus: S-9 P-3 E-9 C-4 I-4 A-5 L-6 I tried to come up with one for The Ghoul, but always end up needing like 45+ points. S-7, P-8, E-9, C-5, I-7, A-7, L-5, 48 points and that feels like I'm not giving him high enough charisma. I really enjoyed the show, visually, they nailed it better than I think I've ever seen source material descriptions nailed. Props and costumes, sets and locations... It was all basically perfect. There's a shot of some sunken ruins and I got flashbacks to the commonwealth and the broken buildings. The use of derelict cars as part of walls. They did so much right with this show.

I have been watching your videos on Fallout 3, all of your videos show me more than I have ever seen before. The best thing that I admire about what you show is you show all of the player's choices. This time you showed me the most mind-blowing series. I don't have Prime video,so I am going to wait until the series comes to Blu Ray. From what you could show without spoiling it,everything looks great except for the NCR commander's laser pistol. Why doesn't it have a wire rail like the other laser pistols from other Fallout games. Could you tell me all about this NCR laser pistol?

Fallout Episode 1 actually nailed it. There may have been some artistic license but it was 100% congruous with Fallout lore.

As a structural repairman and foundation analysis professional, the first two minutes of this video evoked emotion in me

Bro I just binged all 8 episodes and my most anticipated RU-vid video of my life is your commentary about them. We have a great synergy, I get to kick back and relax by just playing the games (or watching the show) and have fun and I come to you to identify any inconsistency’s I may have missed because I know you leave no stone unturned and are my no.1 source for fallout lore verification. I would believe you over Tod Howard himself when it comes to this games lore. Keep up the fantastic work Mr.Oxhorn

I think the problems with Moldaver and the NCR are properly explained. Honestly my least favorite thing was the wrist jets. It could have just had a jetpack.

Brotherhood chapters do vary with their intent from chapter to chapter. So imposing order to the wastes isnt necessarily wrong especially when looking at fallout 3

About the "handjets", this is 9 yrs after Fo4 after all, its not entirely unthinkable that BoS has been tinkering with their tech a bit in that time.

I am so excited! Thanks for doing a spoiler free review for this Ox, I'll be watching it with my son so have to wait until he's home from school (sadly the show doesn't come out for another hour or so here in Oz)

It kinda makes sense if the reason she leaves the vault is tied directly to her personally instead of something that would affect the whole vault. If it was a case of "we need to get this or that to survive in the vault so we need to send someone out to find it" it would make little sense to send a woman out into the wasteland on her own. They would more likely choose a few guys to do the dirty and dangerous job.

Did anyone else notice the inaccuracy of the Pip-Boy She pulls it off her arm before she does the dirty and then slide it back on you want to be able to do that from the needle that goes in for the biometrics

Really enjoyed it so far, one thing that plucked a cultural nerve on this side of the pond was the Union Jack analogy on the Inside of the external vault doors. In the analogy of the 40's/50's, war and nuclear fear. The Union Jack had been out in the wasteland for multiple years before anyone dared exit the vaults. It may well get a few harsher comments.

I love Lycy's reason for leaving. I'm up to ep6, and her brother has found out something interesting while she was on the surface. And that's all I'm going to say about it. XD I was glad they mentioned the Enclave and what happened to Shady Sands. I hope they explain better what happened to the NCR, though.

Why does ghoul look like Red Skull in Captain America? Shouldn't they be more grotesque?

Just as in our universe ISIS has been completey wiped out and re-emerges again and again, the Enclave does in their universe. I am surprised that you didn't question Maximus coming out of the fridge not as a ghoul and being completely fine. It is sort of explained in later episodes but got to me at the at first.