Season 2, episode 2 of Fallout begins with a flashback teasing a connection between the previous episode’s mind control implants and the nuclear bombs, tenderly capturing a moment of hope before the apocalypse. The storyline in the present finally starts following Maximus, as his team uncovers Area 51. His storyline follows both infighting with the Brotherhood of Steel and an impending struggle for power or unity. Lucy and the Ghoul begin the episode investigating a screaming woman in an abandoned hospital. The Ghoul reluctantly helps at the insistence of Lucy. Within, they fight scorpion creatures, and Lucy chooses to save the woman over the Ghoul, leaving without him. By the end of the episode, she runs into a new group of eerie survivors. Finally, Norm leads the recently awoken people of Vault 31 to the surface. 

One of this season’s greatest strengths and weaknesses thus far is its numerous plotlines and abundance of characters. On one hand, each main point of view character has a compelling story, with notable standouts in Norm and Maximus. On the other hand, some characters end up having disproportionately less to do, such as Lucy and The Ghoul. This is not a serious issue, as dividing screen time rigidly between plot lines would not lead to an engaging story, but the episode suffers from some storylines occurring too quickly, some working very well, and others existing only to set up future events. Again, while each plot line itself functions, it’s often jarring to jump from an exciting scene with Maximus or Norm’s compelling progress with the people he unfroze to a scene with Lucy that only serves as setup. The best example of a rich, singular storyline that felt complete this episode was with Maximus, as he was left out of the first episode and thus requires more catch-up. His authority being in flux and the gradual dissent brewing between him and his friends, with his lingering interest in Lucy, made this plotline the most compelling in the episode, especially with the introduction of a new character at the end. Despite some run-of-the-mill soldier conflict, the Brotherhood mostly manages to stay compelling, and the suits are always a marvel to look at. 

Norm’s story is also a highlight, with him experimenting with the responsibilities of leadership against his fears and the ethics of waking everyone up. However, some of these ideas could have been explored more, and a scene or two more of Norm dealing with the group’s confusion and anger before their escape would have made said escape much more satisfying. Finally, Lucy’s storyline started strongly with her forcing the Ghoul to go into the abandoned hospital. Against the dangers of their dynamic becoming stale or repetitive, Lucy is separated from The Ghoul for her very quick remaining scenes. While it was a shame that Lucy had such little to do and was made more interesting by her interactions with other characters, the episode left her off in an extremely compelling place. Overall, “The Golden Rule” was another solid episode of Fallout, featuring engaging storylines that remain interesting despite the characters’ physical separation.

Rating: 7/10