Fallout: Season 1 Episode 3 – Review/ Recap (Spoilers)

Spoiler Alert: This post may contain spoilers. Additionally, some images and text may include affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission or receive products if you make a purchase.

Plot Recap

Life Before The Bombs Dropped – Barb, Cooper, Janey

Once again, we find ourselves in the past, but now we see Cooper when he wasn’t doing kid’s parties; he was a notable actor on a lot. He was playing a sheriff, and a new fear of communism was starting to affect Hollywood, but with his wife Barb having him pivot towards commercials, he was working one way or another.

In fact, we learn that one of his last commercials was for Vault-Tec. It’s something that seems to make Ghoul Cooper really sore, considering neither Barb nor Janey are around anymore. But hey, at least he knows they modeled their mascot after him.

Real Life Hardens You – Cooper, Lucy, Norman, Chet, Betty, Reg, Woody

Back in Vault 33, Betty, Reg, and Woody are beginning to issue punishments and assert their newfound authority. Chet, everyone’s favorite cousin, loses his position as Gatekeeper after Lucy’s escape, and Norman? Well, it is far harder to punish him.

As Lucy noted, Norman isn’t interested in much or finds anything worth becoming enthusiastic about in the vault. Nothing stimulates him, whether it is low-level tasks like trash, the kitchen, or his current role in computers and information maintenance. So how can Betty, Reg, and Woody punish someone who doesn’t care about life in general? They have him put up with the captured raiders and give them food.

Which is another issue altogether. What to do with the Raiders? The answer that is come up with: Reeducate them over the years and then integrate them. Norman doesn’t like this; he is for execution, and while many vocally oppose this, some whisper in agreement.

Switching over to Lucy, she has Dr. Wilzig’s head and even puts a tracker up his nose, just in case. Proving that while she might be a vault dweller and may not know the ways of the Wasteland, she isn’t an idiot. However, she is ignorant of abominations, and this leads to her losing the head. Unlucky for her, Cooper finds her and decides to not only use her as bait to get the abomination to come out of a lake, but when they can’t get the head back, he seemingly is ready to force her back home – at minimum.

Breaking The Cycle – Maximus, Thaddeus

After being embarrassed by Cooper, Maximus finds himself having to repair his power armor, and foolishly, he leaves his suit out in public, where anyone could get to it. So, while he looks to repair a part and has to sell some teeth to get the caps (a currency used in the Fallout series), eventually, he gets the part needed.

However, when he returns to his suit, people, everyday people struggling to make ends meet, are ready to snatch up his suit and beat him up to keep him from stopping them. Luckily, Maximus is used to getting jumped, so he is able to make a comeback and gain enough control over the suit to crush someone’s head in.

But taking on some random people and dealing with the Brotherhood of Steel are two very different tasks. With that in mind, Maximus destroys his communications module after babbling about him dying as he steals Knight Titus’ identity. This leads to Thaddeus, one of Maximus’ bullies, being assigned his squire, and while Maximus is hard on him at first, as he explains why he bullied Maximus, and he has nothing bad to say about him, Maximus warms up to Thaddeus.

In fact, it is because of Thaddeus that Maximus doesn’t end up dying like Knight Titus when attacked by an abomination, and working together leads them to not only take out the abomination but also get Dr. Wilzig’s head. But, without any means of communicating with the home base, while Maximus may have the target, he doesn’t have any way but to walk to get the glory.

Review

Notable Performances or Moments

Maximus Bounces Back

For a minute, it seemed like Maximus was going to be the weakest link. With him being cowardly, conniving, a liar, and the kind of opportunistic person who, at best, could be someone you’d love to hate, it seemed like the character would experience an uphill battle. Thankfully, to me anyway, he took the easier road of just being one of the many in the Brotherhood who seemingly only knew status, respect, and maybe admiration through power, so that is what he sought and pursued making others feel small to feel big.

Yet, with Thaddeus, we see a softening of Maximus. We get an idea of who that kid was who saw a member of the Brotherhood of Steel and decided he wanted to become like them. Essentially, Maximus is becoming the hero he wanted for Thaddeus, and while you know his lie has to be revealed eventually, hopefully, the truth is willingly given and not found out.

Highlights

A Rebellion Brewing In Vault 33

It’s clear power can’t remain split in Vault 33. With three potential people who could be overseer and a lot of smiling passive-aggressive attitudes, things could shift. Norman’s take on how to handle raiders clearly is going to gain consensus and with many feeling silenced by those who feel they should be educated and resources used, things will be tense. Now, whether that will mean how to treat the raiders becoming a political position that tears things apart or maybe someone releasing them or someone poisoning their food or the room, we’ll find out soon enough.

On The Fence

Cooper and Lucy’s Relationship

The main benefit that can come from Cooper and Lucy’s relationship is Cooper toughening up Lucy and Lucy asking Cooper questions that could help flesh out his backstory. But, with that feeling like the simplest and obvious way to handle their relationship, I feel torn about this being the direction of these two.

Yes, with Cooper somehow being alive for over 200 years and Lucy’s knowledge being limited, him giving her the hard truth about the world could lead to some excellent world-building. However, while the two could be wonderful catalysts for one another, at this junction, they would stunt each other if put together in the long run.

Background Information

Episode Title	The Head
Release Date	April 11, 2024
Network	Prime Video
Director(s)	Jonathan Nolan
Writer(s)	Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Graham Wagner
Previous Episode	Season 1/ Episode 2
Series Page	Fallout
Character Guide

Cast Guide

Character’s Name	Actor’s Name
Barb	Frances Turner
Cooper	Walton Goggins
Janey	Teagan Meredith
Lucy	Ella Purnell
Maximus	Aaron Moten
Thaddeus	Johnny Pemberton
Woody	Zach Cherry
Reg	Rodrigo Luzzi
Betty	Leslie Uggams
Norman	Moises Arias
Chet	Dave Register

New Character Description(s)

Barb

Barb is Cooper’s wife, and a killer in the marketing field who transitions from working in the entertainment industry to working with Vault-Tec.

Chet aka Chester

Chet, government name Chester, is the gatekeeper of Vault 33 and is deeply in love with Lucy. However, they are cousins so while they may have messed around in the past, she doesn’t think it is a good idea for them to be married or procreate.

Thaddeus

Thaddeus is Maximus’ new squire, who also was one of Maximus’ bullies in the past.

• The actor is also known for their role in “I Feel Bad: Season 1/ Episode 1.”

Janey

Janey is Cooper and Barb’s daughter.

Woody

Woody is a member of the advisory committee of Vault 33.

• The actor is also known for their role in “You: Season 1.”

Reg

Reg is a member of the advisory committee of Vault 33.

Betty

Betty is a member of the advisory committee of Vault 33 and former Overseer.

• The actor is also known for their role in “American Fiction.”

How To Watch

Watch Fallout Season 1 via Prime Video.