Fallout – Season 1 Episode 7 Recap & Review

The Radio

Episode 7 of Fallout starts with two wanderers using metal detectors to find gear in the sand. These are lead farmers, and unfortunately, when they return home they find The Ghoul eating in the kitchen. The father of this house is not happy but he does agree to answer Cooper’s questions.

It turns out Tommy, the farmer’s son, is mixed up with Moldaver and her crew. He strongly believes in her mantra of fixing up the world. Unfortunately, he’s also enticed his older brother, Roofus, into this too. He’s dead now, thanks to The Ghoul. Tommy reluctantly reveals that Moldaver is up at the Observatory but given his strong beliefs, and itchy trigger finger, gets a bullet to the stomach for his troubles. 

Back in the past, Cooper ends up clashing with Moldaver, who brings up that she actually knows Barb. This gets his attention and they walk together. As they do, Barb explains that America has been locked in a resource war for over a decade. Vault-tec bought the means to end that war and she wants his help in getting back at Vault-tec and, by extension, Cooper’s wife. She also explains how those who aren’t communists are “insane”.

Now, Cooper does actually bug the Pip-Boy when he heads home and decides to figure out exactly what his wife may be hiding. Moldaver’s words certainly resonate with him and he keeps a close eye on Barb from here on out.

Meanwhile, Lucy is handcuffed inside Vault 4. They show her the tape of the scientists, including Overseer Hawthorne, who are all under attack by one of the gulpers, which ends up getting loose. Now, it would appear that what they’re doing is hybridizing humans with radioactive resistant species to try and make them capable of withstanding high radiation. However, these experiments went horribly wrong when the creatures ended up killing the scientists.

It turns out the Vault is actually taken over by the creatures and they ask about the experiments taking place in Vault 33. When Lucy says there isn’t one, it’s enough for her to be arrested. As she’s taken away, they pass Maximus’ room, and he stops munching popcorn and gets to work freeing her.

Lucy isn’t hard to find though, given she’s brought before the entire Vault and sacrificed for causing harm. As she’s sentenced to death… she’s banished to the surface and the sword presumably used to decapitate her by the Overseer, is used to cut her binds rather than slicing her head off. They even hand over two weeks of supplies too.

While Lucy asks for Maximus to stay in the Vault, Maximus is unaware of this and instead, he shuts down the fusion cores (using one for the armour) and bursts in with his Brotherhood armour and begins smashing up the place. Lucy does stop him midway and he awkwardly apologizes, eventually leaving after stealing the core. Lucy is not happy with this and eventually convinces him to give the Core back. Maximus feels naked without the armour but he reluctantly agrees.

Lucy gives him a pep-talk and they decide to head out and find Wilzig’s head. Elsewhere, Thaddeus finds a nearby petrol station where he decides to leave CX404 inside a Nuka Cola box. With the dog left behind, Thaddeus listens to the radio (another lovely nod to the games) and ends up at a pharmacy where a doctor agrees to fix him up, in exchange for a Fusion Core of course.

The doctor grins maniacally and those who have been watching closely, may recognize him from earlier in the show when he passed Lucy in Filly. Anyway, Thaddeus gets his foot healed back up again, reversing the mangled damage. He also gives him the direction toward Shady Sands. As the doctor scampers off, The Ghoul manages to find CX 404 and uses him to track down Thaddeus. He does call the mutt dogmeat (a nod to Fallout 4) and off they go.

Thaddeus manages to use a radio but while waiting for his ride, ends up impaled through the neck, just as Lucy and Maximus show up. Now, remember the concoction from the doctor? It turns out it’s turned him into a Ghoul so while he can recover from seemingly life-threatening wounds, he’ll now need the vials to top up too.

Maximus agrees to give him some time to leave, and he ends up kissing Lucy as the pair part ways. Maximus intends to slow them down, and Lucy rushes off as she says she’ll be over in Vault 33.

Back in Vault 33, things take an unexpected turn. The raiders have all been killed with rat poison and unfortunately, the orderly is arrested for this. Of course this is Betty’s doing, and right afterwards the assignments are dished out for repopulation and changing the Vaults. Chet and Sandra are heading to Vault 32, while Norman is staying in 33.

After the new Dwellers are shown (see: forced) into their new Vault, Norman breaks into the Overseer’s office and decides to figure out what’s happening. He uses the computer (with the clever hacking minigame from the games for good measure) and sends a message to the Overseer of Vault 31. He gets a reply back instantly and manages to head over there after saying the mission has been compromised. As he stands in front of the Vault door, 31 opens… and Norman steps inside.

As Norman heads deeper inside the Vault, he’s shocked by what he sees. And what is it? Well, we’ll have to wait for the finale!

The Episode Review

Fallout sets everything up for a very intriguing finale to follow. All roads appear to be leading toward the mystery of Vault 31 and what may actually be inside. This sets everything up nicely for what should be a dramatic final chapter.

The drama involving Wilzig’s head, the shelters, and how all our characters tie into this is poised on a knife-edge here, and we’ll have to wait and see whether this show gets a conclusive ending or not.

Either way though, Fallout has been a rip-roaring adventure and the ending certainly hints at a dramatic crescendo to this tale.