Season 2, episode 3 of Fallout, “The Profligate,” was far more focused than the previous one, following Lucy, The Ghoul, and Maximus, while giving less attention to minor characters, such as Hank or Norm. The episode begins with a tease of Thaddeus’ Nuka Cola factory, in which he employs both human and Ghoul children. Lucy’s plotline follows her getting introduced to The Legion before she is promptly captured. The Ghoul’s storyline follows him figuring out a way to save Lucy. He’s also given a substantial flashback storyline that explores the beginnings of Cooper’s secret mission. Finally, the most thorough plot in the episode follows Maximus and Xander. Their dynamic is extremely interesting, especially factoring in both of their secret motivations. While their interactions are enjoyable, they are made more compelling by knowing that Maximus wants to get to Lucy and, deep down, isn’t yet the hardened killer he appears to be. Similarly, Xander’s motivations become more dynamic when it becomes clear that he is using Maximus to get more information about Quintus. The episode reaches an exciting end, putting these three main characters in positions where anything is possible.
The highlight of “The Profligate” was the dynamic between Maximus and Xander, as Xander enlightens Maximus as to new details about the Commonwealth. Throughout the episode, it is unclear whether or not Xander is sniffing out Maximus’ true softness. Finally, even in a few dialogue interactions, Xander paints an engaging image of how the world might look if the factions of the Brotherhood were to have conflict. As for the plotlines with The Ghoul and Lucy, they had standout moments but nothing incredibly special on the whole. As for a minor highlight, The Ghoul rambles about the Ship of Theseus paradox in a gruesome, funny, and shockingly thought-provoking scene. Finally, Lucy’s plotline starts off strong, with her being introduced to the extremely compelling Ancient Roman-themed Legion. The episode utilizes her wide-eyed optimism, education, and life experience extremely well in her early negotiations with The Legion.
After Lucy’s unique introduction to The Legion, she is relegated to a captive. While this is not an issue for the interplay of her dynamic with The Ghoul, it erases her as a means to learn more about The Legion. Instead, The Legion, which is by far the most interesting group introduced in The Wasteland, delivers a chunk of exposition before becoming yet another roadblock for Lucy and The Ghoul. While it remains to be seen how intensely they will return, within the episode, it was a shame to see the promise of more major players become mere roadblocks. The Ghoul’s storyline ended up having the opposite issue, with both the flashback and present storylines being primarily concerned with setup and blatantly explained worldbuilding. Still, this episode introduced incredibly interesting bits of lore and character and provided, for the most part, a great, cohesive story.
Rating: 7/10