By Jon Scarr
Fallout Season 2 is almost here, so I figured this was the right time to go back and give Season 1 a proper refresher. It came out a while ago, and with how much happens in this world, it felt smart to jump back in before the new episodes land. Once I started rewatching it, all those Fallout feelings came rushing back. The oddball humour, the wasteland grit, the way every corner feels like it could hide something useful or completely unhinged, it hits pretty fast.
What I liked most during this revisit is how quickly the show puts you back into that classic Fallout mindset. A Pip-Boy beep here, a weird little sight gag there, and suddenly you remember the hours spent wandering around Fallout 3, New Vegas or 4. Even if you never played the games, the show is easy to follow, but if you’ve spent any time in the wasteland, there’s this extra spark that makes the world feel familiar in a good way.
It also works well as a warm-up before Season 2. The eight episodes fly by, and I ended up catching details I completely missed the first time. It reminded me how many small touches the creators packed in without slowing things down.
If you plan to watch Season 2 right when it drops, giving Season 1 another run is worth it. It’s an easy binge and a solid way to get your head back into the wasteland before diving into whatever chaos comes next.
Life Above and Below the Wasteland
Fallout Season 1 sets things up with a clean hook. Two centuries after the bombs dropped, the world is split between the people who hid underground and the survivors who learned to live through every nightmare the wasteland throws at them. The show leans into that divide right away. You follow Lucy, a vault dweller who has spent her whole life believing in Vault-Tec’s perfect system, until one moment pushes her into the irradiated ruins above. Watching her take those first steps outside still hits hard. It reminded me of stepping out of Vault 101 in Fallout 3 for the very first time.
The show doesn’t stick to just one viewpoint. It jumps between Lucy, Maximus of the Brotherhood of Steel, and the Ghoul, a gunslinger with a long history and an even longer list of enemies. All three perspectives help the season feel bigger without ever getting confusing. Lucy gives you the hopeful outlook, Maximus shows the fanatic side of the Brotherhood, and the Ghoul brings the grit and chaos that only a long-lived wastelander can pull off.
What I liked most during my rewatch is how quickly the story clicks into place. Even if you haven’t touched the games in years, the world feels familiar. Bottle caps, Pip-Boys, ruined towns, old tech running on fumes. It’s all here, but the show doesn’t rely on nostalgia to carry it. Each episode moves things forward with a mystery that ties all three characters together, and it’s paced well enough that you always want the next piece.
It’s a strong setup for anyone jumping in before Season 2 lands. And yeah, it still has that Fallout vibe we all know.
The Flow of the Wasteland
Watching Fallout again reminded me why this adaptation caught so many people off guard when it launched. It doesn’t just bring the world of Fallout to TV. It feels like the showrunners actually understood how the games move, how they jump between tones, and how they let you get lost in side stories without losing the main thread. That’s not easy to pull off, especially with three leads who all demand screen time.
The writing settles into a rhythm that Fallout fans will recognise pretty quickly. One minute you’re dealing with a heavy moment, and the next you’re thrown into something weird or darkly funny. It’s the same kind of jump you get when wandering the wasteland in the games. That loose, slightly chaotic feeling works because the show never forgets who these characters are or what they’re chasing. Lucy brings the optimism, Maximus brings the uncertainty, and the Ghoul brings the grit.
Balancing those perspectives should have made the story feel scattered, but it never really does. Each thread builds toward the same bigger mystery, and you start to see how the pieces link together long before the characters do. On my rewatch, I noticed how cleanly the show cuts between storylines. Even when an episode slows down, it still has purpose. It’s easy to follow, even if you forgot half the plot since last year.
The pacing is steady overall. A couple of moments take their time, but nothing drags. It actually felt smoother the second time through. Knowing where the story was headed made it easier to follow the smaller character beats tucked between the louder scenes.
Fallout doesn’t try to copy the games beat for beat. It captures the feeling instead, and that’s what makes the writing work as well as it does.
Three Journeys One Wasteland
Rewatching Fallout Season 1 reminded me how smart the show is about juggling three completely different perspectives. You spend time with Lucy, Maximus, and the Ghoul, and each one gives you a different read on the wasteland. On my first watch, I mostly followed the plot and just went with the chaos. Coming back to it before Season 2, I noticed how much these viewpoints actually shape the entire season.
Lucy’s sections hit differently when you already know what she’s walking into. Ella Purnell plays her with this mix of wide-eyed optimism and growing frustration that feels more intense the second time around. You see every moment where her vault mindset clashes with the real world, and her “okey-dokey” attitude slowly shifts into something sharper.
Maximus has the biggest jump on rewatch. Aaron Moten leans into that unsure, slightly awkward energy, and it fits the Brotherhood’s whole vibe perfectly. You pick up more of his small choices now that you know where his arc lands.
But it’s the Ghoul who ties the season together. Walton Goggins makes every scene weirdly fun even when things get brutal. He’s funny, cold, and sad all at once, which is basically Fallout in a nutshell. Knowing his backstory makes his scenes hit harder, and I caught details I missed the first time.
All three threads blend into something that feels bigger than a simple adaptation. Each character adds a different flavour to the wasteland, and revisiting them right before Season 2 makes the whole setup feel even stronger.
A Wasteland Built with Care
Coming back to Fallout Season 1 reminded me how much work went into building a wasteland that actually feels lived in. The games always throw you into a world that is broken in a strangely charming way, and the show gets that tone right pretty fast. On a rewatch, that mix of retro tech, busted towns and weird little visual jokes stands out even more. It feels like the team wanted every corner to tell a story, even if the camera only hangs there for a second.
Seeing the vaults again hit a bit differently this time. Vault 33 looks clean and cheerful on the surface, then slowly starts to feel off once you know what is coming. The contrast with the wasteland is still strong. You jump from neat hallways and perfectly plated food to dust storms, mutated creatures and makeshift towns that barely hold together. That shift has always been a big part of Fallout, and the show uses it well.
The overall production looks solid on a second viewing. The armour, weapons and outfits carry that handmade, slightly broken feel you would expect. The Brotherhood’s power armour still looks great, and the little touches around old stores and ruined neighbourhoods feel pulled straight from the games. Even the small background hints like Nuka Cola bottles and Radiation King TVs hit harder when you know where to look.
There were scenes where I caught myself pausing just to check out the details I missed the first time. Fallout’s world has always rewarded curiosity, so seeing the show capture that same feeling is nice. It makes the season hold up well as a warm-up for what Season 2 might bring.
Final Thoughts on Fallout Season 1
Rewatching Fallout Season 1 turned out to be a better idea than I expected. It still holds up as a strong adaptation on its own, but coming back to it with Season 2 right around the corner gives it a new spark. Once you know the larger reveals, the early episodes feel a bit sharper and the character choices make more sense. I ended up catching things I completely missed the first time, especially in the vault scenes and the smaller Ghoul moments tucked between the action.
Season 1 works well even if you are not deep into Fallout’s history. The story moves at a steady pace, the characters pull you in for different reasons and the world feels rich without needing to explain every corner. But if you have played the games, the extra touches hit harder on a rewatch. A Pip-Boy gesture, a background prop or a quick one-liner can bring back memories you forgot you had.
What surprised me most this time is how well the season balances its tone. It jumps between weird, violent and sincere moments without losing its footing. The showrunners clearly trusted the world they were adapting, and that confidence still shows a year later. Season 1 does not rely on constant twists or huge set pieces to work. It builds up characters you want to follow, and that is why the final stretch still lands.
If you plan to jump into Season 2 as soon as it arrives, giving this season another run is worth the time. It is eight episodes, it moves quickly and it puts you right back into that wasteland mindset. By the end, I felt ready for whatever comes next.
Fallout Season 1 Review Summary
Liked
- Lucy, Maximus and the Ghoul each give the wasteland a different feel.
- Plenty of Fallout details that reward fans without locking out newcomers.
- Strong mix of dark humour, sharp violence and quieter character beats.
- Vaults and wasteland locations look like they came straight from the games.
Didn’t Like
- A few story threads still feel a bit thin on a second viewing.
- Some CG creatures and action moments look rough up close.
- New viewers might miss a few references and small world details.