‘Fallout’ Season 2 Episode 8 Review - Cliffhangers and Radroaches

With Episode 8, titled The Strip, Fallout Season 2 has finally ended. I can't say I'll be eagerly waiting for the next season, especially if it's once again released in a weekly format. After the finale, it becomes evident that this release strategy was applied to Season 2 because it has little to say. I would, in fact, label it filler. The episodes mainly set the table for a war teased toward the end. On one side are the Romans, led by their new Caesar, determined to occupy the holy land called Vegas. On the other hand, Steph has requested the Enclave to initiate Phase 2, which, of course, sounds ominous. Given how dull this season has proved itself to be, I don't think I really care about these threats. They feel more like teases—playful winks meant to raise the audience's excitement meter. "Look, we have something dark and exciting for you in store. Just wait," the season says, without actually earning our interest.

The tricks it employs to hook viewers—ending almost every scene on a cliffhanger (there's a cut, for instance, when radroaches enter a room, and another when Lucy is about to be injected with a control chip at the back of her neck)—are pretty lame and reek of desperation.

Season 2, then, is standard TV with a high budget. Its strengths are minor, but they still manage to put a smile on my face. I'm referring to the scene in which Lucy assures the severed head of Congresswoman Diane Welch that she can be patched up, thanks to modern scientific miracles. Thank God for Ella Purnell, who oozes enough charm to help us sit through many, many dull patches. I mean, simple words like "Okey dokey," in her voice, sound sweet and innocent. There's also some appeal in the bravery Thaddeus displays with just one hand. While Maximus fights the Deathclaws and people place bets, this ghoul-in-the-making rests a sniper on his leg and uses the hand he still has attached to his body to pull the trigger. What's more, he has good aim.

Fallout's heart, I suppose, leans toward optimism. Sure, it can be cynical at times—by showing us people who ignore the Ghoul's cry for help while he's impaled, or by having Norm overpowered by a prick like Ronnie, who evokes nothing but disgust. But at the same time, this is a show where two good, kind characters, Norm and Claudia, survive a radroach attack. I'm still not convinced by the latter's survival. How did she, in that tight, closed room, save herself from death? Claudia is injured and unconscious, but she will return next season. As far as this viewer is concerned, I'm not sure I have any enthusiasm left. Maybe I'll tune in, maybe I won't. Maybe I'll encourage myself because of Ella Purnell. Did I tell you she's a charming actor? Well, some things deserve to be repeated.

Final Score- [4.5/10]