Like in the previous episode, 'The Past' features some plot, but it is secondary to the focus on the world and how the characters deal with it.
Last time, we had to watch Lucy MacLean survive the harsh treatment of the Ghoul and other deranged wastelanders. This time, she gets a much lighter experience when she reunites with Maximus. These two took an instant liking to each other previously, and their interactions in this episode show us that they mirror each other's characters quite a bit, despite coming from such different backgrounds.
They're both brave and capable people who aspire to heroism, but they're also both childishly naive in their own ways. And their attempts to be heroes tend to not work out.
Maximus gets off to a bad start in this episode because of his poor decision-making. After bonding with Thaddeus over their victory in acquiring the oh so special head, Max decides to reveal to Thaddeus that he's not Knight Titus, but the grunt he used to bully. When Thaddeus makes it clear he can't be trusted not to rat him out to the Brotherhood of Steel, Maximus tries to murder him but ends up getting trapped in his armor when Thaddeus steals his fusion core and makes off with the head. I love that, for as much as Maximus clings to the T-60 armor, it's mostly been a burden to him. A lot of his problems have been centered around either trying to keep it or keep it working. Getting trapped inside it and unable to move was almost like a karmic punishment.
He's saved from dying in the suit by the ever-trusting Lucy, and in turn saves her from dying of radiation poisoning, but he still lies about who exactly he is when they partner up. He's also probably lying when he says the Brotherhood will help Lucy get her dad back from Moldaver in exchange for retrieving the head.
We actually get some backstory for Max in this episode. When he and Lucy happen upon that giant crater we saw previously, we learn that it used to be a post-war city called Shady Sands. Max lived there as a child, before the place got nuked and he got adopted by the BoS. The fact that a major civilization had both developed and then got destroyed throws Lucy for a loop, since she was raised to believe that her Vault's mission was to be the one that restores civilization to the surface.
Back in Vault 33, Norm and Chet are quite disturbed by their findings in 32. But that's quickly overshadowed by the Overseer election, with wise old Betty winning in a landslide. Around this time, Norm does some digging and figures out that, over the past 200 years, every person elected Overseer for Vaults 33 and 32 has originally come from the as-yet-unseen Vault 31. Including Norm's dad, and Betty.
This becomes even more suspicious when Betty announces a plan to divide the population of Vault 33 in order to build up the desolate 32 again, and we see that she has had the horrific remains of 32's former residents removed and the evidence of their demise hastily cleaned up. I knew something was rotten with these Vaults; pretty much every Vault that appears in the games has some sketchy ulterior motive beyond what they were advertised as.
And we learn this just in time for the ending, when a deadly encounter leaves Maximus wounded and compels Lucy to enter a hospital to search for medical supplies. Maximus follows her in, where they happen to land in an entirely new Vault, one that appears to be very well-populated. Lucy's clearly excited, based on her rosy impression of what the Vaults are, but Norm's experiences lets us know that there's likely more to this place than meets the eye.
Caps and rads:
* I believe we got our first appearance of RadAway, used for reducing radiation levels. Along with the Stimpaks, these are probably the most frequently used items in the video games.
* No Walton Goggins this time around.
* The standoff on the train tracks is one of the show’s best scenes. I love the way it built tension while still being funny due to Lucy’s cute but ill-fated attempt to resolve things peacefully.
* I like how Max is wearing a red BoS jumpsuit to Lucy's blue Vault 33 jumpsuit.
* Shady Sands is an important location in the Fallout games; a lot of fans were taken aback by it being destroyed in the show. We also learn about the New California Republic, another major faction that rose up after the Great War. The NCR is (or was) a strong group trying to bring order back to the West Coast region, although they tend to wear themselves thin by trying to control so much of the Wasteland at one time. The implication is that the destruction of Shady Sands greatly diminished the NCR's power, opening the door for the Brotherhood and the Enclave to gain more ground; though I imagine the NCR's still around, considering how significant and widespread they had been previously.
* Little Maximus surviving a nuclear explosion by hiding in a refrigerator is straight out of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. And that's still a pretty lame idea, but it's hardly the most unbelievable thing to happen in this fictional universe. I'll bet Little Max was on a heavy dose of RadAway after that.
* Viewers might notice the big Vault-Tec symbol on the ground outside of the building that houses Vault 4 before Lucy and Maximus actually discover there's a Vault there.
* Music: “What a Difference a Day Made” by Dinah Washington, playing as Norm looks over the newly renovated Vault 32. Betty must have had help, because there's no way that old lady tidied up the bloody ruins of that place all by herself in such a short time. Steph is a likely suspect, since she was also from Vault 31, but she's busy taking care of a newborn baby. So I'm guessing there must be others involved in this mysterious conspiracy.
Quotes:
Maximus: “I had no idea people lived in those vaults.”
Lucy: “What did you think was in them?”
Maximus: “Monsters.”
Hmm, foreshadowing?
Lucy: “I get that trust doesn’t come easily up here. But you can trust me. I’m from a place where the worst someone can do to you is forget to say thank you.”
Maximus: “Sounds like a nice way to live.”
Lucy: “It is.”
Lucy: “So, like, Earth is round, Earth is flat. Where are you guys on that these days?”
Lucy: “So you guys use pre-war technology to find and collect pre-war technology to make sure no one has pre-war technology?”
Maximus: “I mean… yeah. Well, when you say it like that, I mean, yeah, it’s… it’s weird.”
Lucy: “Okay, uh, I think we’re all feeling some tension. Yeah? A little stress? Uh, so why don’t we all take a deep breath?"
Fiend: “… What the fuck are you talking about?”
Davey: “I voted for Betty.”
Chet: “By all accounts, Vault 31 has more resources, a better education system, and… you know, they got that phrase.”
Norm: “When things look glum, vote 31.”
Chet: (whispering) “Shh… It’s a powerful slogan.”
Norm: “You think 200 years of coincidence comes down to a slogan?”
Lucy: “What happened?”
Maximus: “It’s the same thing that always happens. Everyone wants to save the world, they just… disagree on how.”
Betty Pearson: “We must remember how good we have it here in Vaults 31, 32 and 33. Three democracies in three vaults. Separated to prevent the spread of threats, but connected to aid one another in times of need. We are the lucky ones. We are the light burning in the darkness. And we will carry on until the day we bring that light to the surface.”
Four out of five subterranean elections.
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