The end of the world gets strange in the quirky, clever adaptation of Fallout | Prime Video TV/Streaming

Of course, the surface is a very different place than the idyllic vault, populated by monstrous creatures and genuine madmen. Someone who falls into both categories is a gunslinger named The Ghoul, played to slimy perfection by the great Walton Goggins. The ghoul has survived the two centuries since the bombing and is a bounty hunter with secrets (arguably too many) that tie him not only to Lucy's storyline, but to everything to do with “Fallout.” He's the Man in Black of this series, the Ed Harris character in Westworld who became something of a thematic fulcrum for the entire endeavor. Finally, there is a soldier from the faction known as the Brotherhood of Steel named Maximus (Aaron Moten), who is thrust into a hero role for which he is clearly unprepared. However, the writers are wise to never make him Lucy's savior. If anything, despite growing up underground, she's more street-savvy than he is.

There are several direct references to the Fallout games, but it's the general tone that best suits the television. The first few episodes recreate the unpredictable terror of an open-world game, where Nightmare Fuel can attack you at any time. The games feature a unique combat system that often results in body parts being ripped from their proper place in slow motion, and that's the case here too, although the show wisely doesn't rely too heavily on these mechanics. There's a phenomenal Wild West shootout at the beginning that's very reminiscent of the game, but the writers don't resort to something like that in every episode. As a fan of the games, what I like most about the overall aesthetic is how much it expresses the unpredictability of the world, which always keeps you on your toes.

However, that can be difficult to sustain for an entire season, and “Fallout” stumbles about halfway through when two of the protagonists embark on some kind of side quest. Again, the willingness to break the predictability of the narrative is admirable, but it somehow hurts the momentum, making the eight-episode season feel longer than it is. Plus, it takes a long time for a performance other than Goggins to have an impact. In the end I liked what Purnell did. But this really is The Walton Goggins Show, through and through, to the point that it falls off when he's not on screen, be it in ghoul form or in extended flashbacks that are some of his best dramatic work Career includes.