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Ross Bonaime is the Senior Film Editor at Collider. He is a Virginia-based critic, writer, and editor who has written about all forms of entertainment for Paste Magazine, Brightest Young Things, Flickchart, The Free Lance-Star, and more. Ross graduated from George Mason University with a focus in communications and journalism and a minor in film and video studies.
Ross is a Tomatometer-approved critic, a member of the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association, and a member of the Critics Choice Association. He has loved movies ever since he saw Cinderella in the theater as a kid, he can quote 10 Things I Hate About You and Wet Hot American Summer from memory, and is fascinated by all things Georges Méliès and Charlie Chaplin.
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Editor's note: The below recap contains spoilers for Fallout Season 2 Episode 4.At the halfway point of Fallout Season 2, the fourth episode, "The Demon in the Snow," sets up the pieces for the real meat of the story. Maximus (Aaron Moten) puts his foot down about what he will and won't do for the Brotherhood, while those still in the Vaults seem on the verge of falling apart — and now, Lucy (Ella Purnell) is addicted to drugs! As she and the Ghoul (Walton Goggins) finally make their way to Las Vegas, it's even clearer that there's still some humanity left in the latter, while the Wasteland is definitely leaving an impact on Lucy. While "The Demon in the Snow" is an episode that's largely setup for what's around the corner, it does an excellent job of building anticipation for the back half of Season 2.
Episode 4 starts with a flashback years before the bombs fell, with Cooper Howard (Goggins) back in his military days on the Alaskan Front, stuck in malfunctioning power armor. Despite the armor refusing to work for Cooper and Charles Whiteknife (Dallas Goldtooth), they’re told to keep pressing forward to look for a third raider. Cooper tells Charles to go back, promising he’ll be right behind him. Amongst the flaming wreckage, Cooper hears what sounds like a monster before he’s shot at by a trio of soldiers. His suit, which still isn't working properly, sends him to the ground as the soldiers mock his failing armor, but Cooper sees the monster coming up behind his enemies, a Deathclaw that makes quick work of the trio as Cooper watches, helpless. The Deathclaw gets in Cooper’s face but ultimately lets him live, retreating into the flaming wreckage. As Cooper lies there, stunned, he hears that the island has been secured and mutters that “It wasn’t us.”
Maximus Blows Up the Brotherhood in 'Fallout' Season 2 Episode 4
Image via Prime VideoBack at the cap factory, run by Thaddeus (Johnny Pemberton), in the moments right after Maximus has killed Paladin Xander Harkness (Kumail Nanjiani), Maximus realizes that he’s being tracked. He tries to convince Thaddeus to get into Harkness’s suit and pretend to be him; otherwise, those who have tracked him are going to either kill or enlist the kids who work at the factory. But with the Brotherhood incoming, Thaddeus agrees, awkwardly making his way around in the suit as he pretends to be Harkness, as they fly back to the base.
At the Brotherhood’s Area 51 base with an in-disguise Thaddeus and Maximus, only Dane (Xelia Mendes-Jones) has noticed that something is up. When asked, Max says he did the right thing, but Harkness is dead. Dane says the Commonwealth is going to kill them all and Elder Cleric Quintus (Michael Cristofer) is going to slit Max’s throat, but Max has a plan to stop all that. He asks Dane to take care of the kids, while Max reveals he's going to kill Quintus. Dane takes the children and hides them away, saying not to come out until the shooting stops, and heads to where the cold fusion is being kept.
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Thaddeus is doing a terrible job of hiding his identity, going around the cafeteria still in the Brotherhood suit, yet one of the Elders buys it and wants to talk with the man she believes to be Harkness. Soon after, another Elder also wants to make a deal with Thaddeus/fake Harkness, as they both offer to kill Quintus for his disrespect of the Commonwealth. As the Elders start to suspect something is off, another comes in to point out that the cold fusion has been taken. Thinking this means betrayal, this leads the three Elders to turn on each other with a shootout in the cafeteria.
Max makes his way to Quintus's office, where he admits he killed Harkness, and Quintus realizes he’s next. Quintus insists that he'll bring cruel and necessary order to save civilization, a change that will never come if he’s dead, as Max holds him at gunpoint. Quintus asks what Max’s plan is, but Max admits he doesn’t have one, that he keeps doing things that need to happen for survival. Quintus asks what happened, and Max admits he killed Harkness because he was going to kill children. But when Max reveals they were ghouls, Quintus turns, disappointed, and grabs his own gun, shooting at Max. Max locks a door between him and Quintus as the cafeteria fight rages on, and Dane brings Max the cold fusion, telling him to get it far away from here. Dane stays behind, saying they’ll survive, as Maximus and Thaddeus — still in the suit — make their way to the desert and away from the Brotherhood, which is now in a full-scale battle from within.
It's All "Overseer Stuff" Back in the Vaults in 'Fallout' Season 2 Episode 4
Now outside the Vault, Norm (Moisés Arias) is leading the group of Vault-Tec employees who have just been thawed out. In this group, Norm meets Ronnie (Adam Faison), who asks what the next phase of Norm’s plan is. Ronnie mentions that he was Bud’s personal assistant, and although he just received the lunch orders, he knows the plans for Vaults 32 and 33, and reveals that phase two of the plan is very important. Unsure how to proceed, since he's just bluffing his way through this escape, Norm tells Ronnie to lead the way.
Back in Vault 33, the in-breeding support group run by Reg (Rodrigo Luzzi) is really taking off. As Reg goes to fill up the meeting’s water coolers, we hear that the Vault is undergoing water rationing. When Vault Overseer Betty Pearson (Leslie Uggams) brings up how much water Reg’s little group is taking up, Reg refuses to have the overseer take away his club. (Besides, the snack budget was baked into their charter!)
In Vault 32, Woody (Zach Cherry) is still getting his bearings. After making a wrong turn, Woody and Davey (Leer Leary) discuss their confusion, with Davey saying he’d love to return to his old Vault. Meanwhile, Betty and Stephanie (Annabel O’Hagan) are having a meeting about the Vaults. Betty reveals that Vault 31 is abandoned and Bud is dead, and asks Stephanie for help with their water crisis. But Stephanie says that would get in the way of Vault 32’s work: trying to survive. Betty says the company isn’t going to save them, and each other is all they have. Stephanie mentions that there’s a keepsake box from before the war that Hank brought with him to Vault 31, and if Betty brings Stephanie that box, she’ll consider giving Vault 33 access to 32’s water. When Betty asks what’s in the box, Stephanie merely says it’s something “personal.” As the meeting continues, Woody overhears Stephanie saying that the experiment is over and that they must make their own decisions now, even if it means that Vault 33 falls apart.
Later, Woody has a meeting with Stephanie at her home, where he admits that he believes she’s violated the Vault-Tec handbook. Stephanie calmly thanks Woody for bringing this to her attention, and that she’ll bring it to the attention of the Overseer — which is her. As Woody and Stephanie have their meeting, Chet (Dave Register) listens in from the baby’s nursery and finds a wallet hidden in the baby’s dresser, where he discovers Stephanie’s ID, which says that she’s Canadian. As Woody leaves, he mentions the experiments Stephanie was talking about, which she shrugs off as “Overseer stuff.”
Lucy Is Now an Addict, and the Ghoul Is Loving It in 'Fallout' Season 2 Episode 4
Image via Prime VideoLucy wakes up in what’s left of the New California Republic base after being brought there by the Ghoul, where Rodriguez (Barbara Eve Harris) has given her an IV of meds. Rodriguez and Biff (Jon Gries) say they’re from Shady Sands, and mention that they were told to burn it all down. Before they leave, the NCR tries to recruit Lucy, and when Rodriguez asks if she’s searching for a person she loves or hates, Lucy admits she’s looking for someone who hurt a lot of people, adding that she’s going to bring him to justice. As Lucy and the Ghoul head out, Rodriguez offers them plenty of firepower for their journey, and just when it seems like Lucy might stay with the NCR, she points out that all she sees with them is more matching jackets. It looks like Lucy now understands the benefit of doing things on her own or with a smaller team, rather than relying on a larger group.
As Lucy and the Ghoul continue on their journey, Lucy mentions that the air feels itchy and heavy, that she’s hungry, but not for food, and that she’s grumpy. The Ghoul points out that this is all because she’s now addicted to drugs after a steady two-day drip of Buffout. The Ghoul says Lucy can either fight out her addiction for 4-5 days, or embrace the alternative — the only way to go — and do more drugs. With the two making their way to the Las Vegas city limits, Lucy agrees to go for the latter, taking more Buffout from the Ghoul.
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In Las Vegas, the Ghoul notes that something is off after seeing plenty of broken robots and ghouls dressed like Elvis. The Ghoul suggests they take a half-day detour and take the safe route through Freeside, but the drugged-up Lucy isn’t hearing it. She decides to go right through the front door, and when the Elvis ghouls attack her, she starts blasting them away. Not only does the high Lucy like firepower, shooting her way through the ghouls, but the Ghoul seems to like this side of Lucy, too. Later that night, Lucy and the Ghoul are in Vegas with no one else nearby. The Ghoul says they should go to Freeside for answers, but Lucy throws caution to the wind and yells for anyone. As they look around, the Ghoul can hear the crackling of radiation, while Lucy finds a giant egg. The overly confident Lucy says they can take what it is, but that may not be the case, as a Deathclaw rips the doors off a nearby building, leaving them both stunned.
"The Demon in the Show" ends all of these characters' stories in great places heading into the second half of the season; especially seeing as Lucy and the Ghoul have finally made their way to Las Vegas, exciting things await in this final batch of episodes. While this is definitely an episode of table-setting, the storylines for Maximus, as well as Lucy and the Ghoul, are thrilling in their own right. However, by comparison, the story in the Vaults is starting to wane, even though it does seem all hell could break loose at any second. Nevertheless, "The Demon in the Show" is an exciting way to get viewers ready for the rest of Season 2.
New episodes of Fallout premiere Wednesdays on Prime Video in the U.S.
Release Date April 10, 2024
Showrunner Lisa Joy, Jonathan Nolan
Writers Lisa Joy, Jonathan Nolan
Franchise(s) Fallout
Pros & Cons
- Lucy on drugs = comedy gold!
- Fallout begins its Las Vegas portion with a hell of a start.
- Maximus and Thaddeus' adventures with the Brotherhood is a blast.
- This episode does feel like a lot of table setting for what's to come.
- The Vault's stories aren't nearly as interesting as the surface stories anymore.
English (US) ·