At a look
Skilled’s Score
Our Verdict
Fallout’s second season retains the appeal, motion and pacing of its first season, deepening the lore of the video games and introducing us to new places and characters. Even whether it is barely overstuffed, it’s a enjoyable time within the wasteland.
Fallout proved a sensation for Amazon when it first launched in 2024. With the sport sequence delighting followers since 1997, throughout a number of console generations, there have been (in fact) nerves about whether or not the franchise may make a clean transition to the small display.
Showrunners Graham Wagner & Geneva Robertson-Dworet proved doubters flawed, delivering one of many best online game diversifications of all time. It honoured the legacy of the video games with loads of references for eagle-eyed followers, whereas increasing the post-apocalyptic world and introducing us to a string of latest, well-rounded characters, together with Ella Purnell’s Lucy Maclean and Walton Goggins’ scene-stealing Ghoul, who had been the display star Cooper Howard in one other life.
With such an enormous success for the primary season, the query is now whether or not the present’s sophomore season may stay as much as the hype, notably drawing from New Vegas, one of the crucial beloved entries within the sport sequence. Learn on for my spoiler-free ideas on the season.
It makes for a gripping, tense watch that by no means skimps on its bloody violence
Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins
Welcome to New Vegas
One of many primary variations between this season and the primary is the introduction of New Vegas, one of the crucial iconic locales within the sport sequence. It actually provides an additional dynamic and introduces additional mysteries. The aesthetic provides a welcome change from the remnants New California Republic of the primary season. On Lucy and The Ghouls’ journey in pursuit of her father Hank (Kyle MacLachlan), we encounter loads of memorable characters and organisations which are consistently stunning and harmful in equal measure. The wasteland has actually not change into any safer between seasons.
Whereas we discovered the solutions to a few of the lingering questions throughout the primary season, there are many additional puzzles teased right here round Vault Tech’s origins and the way Cooper Howard grew to become The Ghoul in the principle timeline. There are quite a few flashbacks as soon as once more to his life earlier than the titular fallout. Alongside Lucy’s journey we additionally sustain with Vault 33, together with her brother Norm. The Brotherhood of Metal are additionally by no means too removed from focus, given extra prominence right here than within the first season, with Maximus (Aaron Moten) getting the highlight.
Admittedly, there are a lot of ongoing storylines – maybe dialling again a couple of would have made this season even stronger.
Aaron Moten
Tensions begin to escalate
Whereas the primary season did an excellent job introducing us to this world on the small display, with a lot of the world-building and groundwork in place, the second season takes issues up a notch. There may be fixed motion throughout the a number of storylines and places as tensions start to rise and several other factions put together for battle. It makes for a gripping, tense watch that by no means skimps on its bloody violence.
Despite the fact that the present is darkish in tone and the wilderness lethal, there may be loads of humour to chop by means of the bleakest moments and provides it a unusual sense of appeal. Lucy specifically stays a lovable hero, delivering some virtually Coen-Brother degree quips that basically assist the present to be greater than only a massacre.
There may be as soon as once more a pleasant mix of 50s and 60s needle drops from Sam Cooke to Roy Orbison and Invoice Haley and The Comets, providing each well-known favourites and deeper cuts.
Profitable additions to the ensemble
The forged as soon as once more do some heavy lifting – Purnell and Goggins are a delight collectively, sharing electrifying chemistry. In the meantime, MacLachlan will get given extra materials than ever earlier than. Along with characters launched within the first season we’re handled to a number of good visitor stars, particularly Kumail Nanjani as a member of The Commonwealth and Macaulay Culkin in a unique form of position for him.
Ella Purnell shines as soon as once more as Lucy, altered by her new discovered information on the finish of the primary season, stuffed with dogged willpower to do the appropriate factor and catch her father. Goggins once more has to shift gears between enjoying Cooper, a suave Hollywood star and the unpredictable Ghoul. He effortlessly slips between the 2, generally inside the similar scene.
The brand new additions in each visitor stars and the supporting forged assist to maintain the present contemporary and develop the universe, deepening the lore of the present and video games.
Purnell and Goggins are a delight collectively, sharing electrifying chemistry
Walton Goggins, Frances Turner
Do you have to watch Fallout season 2?
Fallout’s second season deepens the world launched within the first and, as with one of the best diversifications, feels accessible to each newcomers and people accustomed to the supply materials.
It could be a tad overstuffed when it comes to the variety of ongoing plots however there may be a lot to admire from a visible standpoint and when it comes to world-building that it’s exhausting to not be swept up within the scale of it. The performances proceed to ship and lend it loads of appeal and humour, amidst the chaos.
Given the success of the video games and the primary season, there are loads extra tales to inform on this universe about Lucy, Hank, Cooper and extra and little doubt the present will proceed to run and go to extra beloved areas of the gaming universe, introducing it to a brand new legion of followers.
Fallout season 2 drops on Amazon Prime Video globally on 16 December 2025 at 6pm PST, which is 17 December 2025 at 2am GMT. New episodes will launch weekly after that on Wednesdays.