Entertainment/Opinion/Movies

By Summer Lane

Photo: Deposit

“Okie dokie!” says a cheery Lucy MacLean, moments before powering up a good ol’ power saw with which to hack the head off a freshly dead companion in the ruins of what used to be California.

This is one of the most jarring scenes in the first few episodes of Amazon Prime’s newest series, “Fallout,” which is based on a series of video games by the same name. The story follows the adventures of a cast of post-apocalyptic characters in the wasteland of the United States over 200 years after a nuclear apocalypse has rendered the world pockmarked, irradiated, and savagely brutal.

The interesting twist here that piqued my curiosity was that, in this world, the apocalypse that destroyed Earth took place during the 1950s, at the peak of American culture. Therefore, even 200 years after the extinction-level event in the show, the culture still echoes the wardrobe, feel, and atmosphere of that era. The songs in the show are all retro, too, ranging from “Don’t Take Your Guns to Town,” by Johnny Cash or “Some Enchanted Evening” by The Castells.

It gives the entire show an otherworldly, vintage feel that I’ve not experienced when watching other post-apocalyptic shows, and I have to say, it works really well. And, with my husband having played the “Fallout” video games, I already had some context about the basis of the show heading into it.

Time to open the vault door! Prime Members, immerse yourself in the new Fallout series on @PrimeVideo and brace for impact with free games.

Check it out: https://t.co/trIs2qroy7 pic.twitter.com/TPyYua85iS

— Prime Gaming (@primegaming) April 11, 2024

The plotline bounces back and forth between “vault dwellers” (those who were lucky enough to survive in underground bunkers purchased by the rich and elite during the 50s to survive the fallout), Lucy (who leaves the vault behind to search for her father), Maximus (an embattled squire escaping a cult-like military guard), and “The Ghoul,” who is little more than a walking corpse (and who has some serious links to the past, the vaults, and the 1950s).

The character’s storylines all slowly begin to weave together in the first few episodes, and viewers get a chance to discover this post-fallout environment along with Lucy as she embarks upon her very first trip to the outside world – the first in her vault to do so in centuries. Or, so she thinks.

The thing about “Fallout” is that it’s unbelievably gory. The action results in hyper-ultra splashes of blood, decapitations, cannibalism, headshots, and beatings. Mutated and irradiated beasts provide nightmare fuel (one mutated salamander creature sprouts human fingers in its mouth instead of teeth), characters do terrible things to each other, and every episode carries a sense of dark and relentless foreboding.

There is sex in the first episode and a fair amount of profanity and vulgarity throughout the series. “Fallout” is rated MA, and for good reason. One episode is particularly graphic, and it includes a scene where vault-dwellers engaged in a sexually-charged religious ritual. At one point, two characters discuss have sex together and describe it in detail.

The violence throughout it unchecked, and aside from the scary monsters that roam the wasteland, the over-the-top murders, and the casual conversations about organ trafficking, the ghouls are also very freakish. Like zombies, they are irradiated humans who have lost their minds and literally will feed on human flesh.

Cheery, right?

Happy @falloutonprime day, Vault Dwellers.All episodes are available now! 👍 pic.twitter.com/V1ff2zu7Wq

— Fallout (@Fallout) April 11, 2024

“Fallout” is a fascinating story, but it’s a wild, hyper-violent, profanity-laced show that will not be appropriate for family viewing at all. The show hinges on its extreme violence, horror, and shock-factor, and while the story is much better than anything that’s come out of Hollywood in a while, it’s still filled with the same inappropriate content that makes it unwatchable for parents and kids.

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The opinions in this article are specific to its author, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the entire Counter Culture Mom team. This specific article was written by Summer Lane, and may not be reproduced, except to quote for reviews or interviews, without the express permission of the author. 

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Summer Lane is the #1 bestselling author of 30 books, including the hit Collapse Series. She is an experienced journalist and columnist who reports on news within the U.S. and abroad. She is the Associate Editor for Right Side Broadcasting Network. Additionally, she owns Write Revolution News, where she provides a rapid-fire feed of the nation’s most important America First news and events.

Summer is also a mom and wife who enjoys rural country living, herding cats and ducks, and reading fiction. She is passionate about writing on women’s issues, parenting, and politics from a theologically-grounded perspective that points readers to the good news of the gospel.

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