Much like the rest of the season, the season 2 finale of Fallout, “The Strip,” juggled an often-overwhelming handful of plotlines and character arcs. At its best, the finale was refreshingly heartfelt and provided engaging twists (especially for those unfamiliar with the games). However, the episode had various pacing issues and smaller questionable moments throughout. First of all, the smaller plotlines of Norm’s crew and Vault 32 are resolved in brief, fun scenes sprinkled throughout the episode. The bulk of the episode, as usual, is dedicated to Lucy, Maximus, and the Ghoul. The Ghoul and, by extension, Cooper, are tied with mysterious monologues from Robert House as the Ghoul searches for his family. Maximus picks up right where he left off in the previous episode, brawling with Deathclaws while the residents of Freeside put wagers on his fate. Finally, and most significantly, Lucy spends the episode struggling for control with her father in the wake of her discovery in emotional scenes filled with captivating reveals.
The strongest aspects of Fallout, especially during this often disjointed season, are the characters and the twists. On a scene-to-scene basis, the plots of individual episodes often play out predictably until various overarching twists are uncovered. This is a notable strength of the finale—being able to remain compelling throughout thanks to overarching plot points and information that both recontextualizes the series and sets up future plotlines. Additionally, the highlights of this episode lie in its character moments. While having the highest peak of the episode, though, Lucy and Hank’s dynamic has various issues. The episode frequently bails Lucy out of difficult situations from a story and filmmaking standpoint. Without broaching major plot points, Lucy has a handful of opportunities to be violent, angry, or otherwise make a morally complicated choice. In all of these instances, another character makes the would-be tough choice for her, or the camera bails her out, as her violence is cut away from or shown from a distance. On its own, this is not a major issue, and the emotional moments with Lucy still shine through. However, it feels counterintuitive to have a season that insists on how much the Wasteland has changed her through its brutality, only to suppress her violence when it mattered most.
Various characters being bailed out of certain tough decisions is not exclusive to Lucy, though, as Maximus has a similar scene that ebbs and flows aggressively between excellent peaks and disappointing lows. While fighting the Deathclaws, Maximus stands his ground sans armor, and it seems like the residents of Freeside might help him. However, the Freeside assistance is used more for comedic beats, and Maximus is bailed out by an entirely separate group. Despite being a tantalizing progression of the episode, what could have been a beautiful moment was juxtaposed with basic humor and concluded prematurely. Still, despite the various issues, it is significant to note that the finale was extremely successful in setting up future storylines, leaving its characters in extremely compelling places, ripe with twists and emotional moments.
Rating: 6/10