Fallout Episode 8 Review

Episode eight of ‘Fallout’ on Amazon Prime Video brings the show to a satisfying close in an
action-filled, emotional finale.

With the Brotherhood of Steel coming for Dr. Wilzig’s head, Maximus substitutes it for another,
allowing Lucy time to get to Moldova and rescue her father. The Brotherhood soon notice the
deception and Maximus agrees to lead them to the real one so long as his life is spared,
participating in an attack on Moldova’s base.

After the many hints spread throughout the show, the final Vault Tec conspiracy is finally
unraveled here, revealing that the company has been controlling everything from behind the
scenes.

In a flashback, we see Cooper listening in on a Vault Tec meeting involving his wife, where it’s
revealed that the company wants a nuclear war so they can fulfill their obligations to deliver
sustainable profits. The Vaults would ensure they could survive the conflict and wait as long as
required until there was no life left on the surface, giving them a monopoly on the future and
allowing them to build the kind of utopian society they want. That leaves the open question of
what, if anything, did Cooper do to try and stop the company from starting a nuclear war? When
we see him in the prologue, it looks like his Hollywood career has suffered, suggesting he might
have been blacklisted too.

There’s also an interesting twist with the reveal that Hank MacLean is a company man who’s
involved in the conspiracy. He was responsible for the destruction of Shady Sands and it makes
for an interesting subversion as he’s been the reason Lucy went on her journey in the first place.

Moldova kidnapped him because she needs a Vault Tec administrator to unlock the potential of
cold fusion energy, giving her settlement unlimited power. The fusion technology has been
injected into Dr. Wilzig’s head, making him one of the most inventive MacGuffin’s ever.

Meanwhile, Norm has entered Vault 31 and discovered it’s not a real Vault like the others, just a
place for storing Vault Tec management personnel in stasis so they can be revived and sent to
the other vaults when they’re needed, and the whole thing is run by a brain in a tank who locks
Norm inside.

All in all, this is a great end to the season, and it’s actually quite emotional in places. There’s a
risk with shows like this that the attempt to be darkly funny and irreverent can overshadow
actual emotional payoff, but it’s smart enough to know when to tone it down and allow the
characters to have their moments.

There’s plenty of potential for future seasons, with a lot of plotlines still ongoing. Where is
Cooper’s family? What will happen to Norm now he’s locked in Vault 31? Where will Lucy go

now? Hopefully these will be explored in future seasons, and considering how satisfying this
show has been right from the start, I can’t wait to see more.