Fallout’s violence and bloodshed are part of its charm

Fans of the Fallout games won’t be shocked to hear that Amazon’s new TV show based on the franchise is brutally violent. This is a franchise known for its Mess perk, and for the VATS system, which allows players to target and blow off heads and limbs. But the violence of the Fallout TV series still have the power to shock; viewers can expect to see several severed heads and severed limbs in this post-apocalyptic world where mutated monsters feed on human flesh.

While the blood of Fallout can be uncomfortable to watch, it is rarely (if ever) unnecessary. Instead, it’s done in the service of world-building. In many cases it’s played for comedy and surprise, in the style of Sam Peckinpah or Quentin Tarantino films.

The first minutes of Fallout may give viewers the false impression that the show only treats violence with deadly seriousness. The first episode of the series begins with the nuclear destruction of Los Angeles. It’s a chilling scene, and since young children are involved, it sets a grim tone.

And yes, there are scenes in later episodes that are difficult to watch. Puppies are burned in a research facility. Innocent Vault Dwellers are killed casually. Body parts are sliced, crushed and made into human jerks. In the show’s above-ground post-apocalyptic society, extreme violence is presented as an everyday occurrence, and the society has the resources to address it. Drugs that can instantly heal wounds are as common as ready-made replacement body parts.

Some instances of violence in the show are nods to the games. One big gunfight plays like a VATS-fueled killing spree, where viewers watch in slo-mo as a bullet rips through multiple poor wastelands. The show’s creators emphasize that bodies are soft and life is cheap in this world, but its inhabitants have adapted accordingly. Death and violence don’t seem to matter much to anyone. Becoming a mindless zombie is seen as a kind of inconvenience Fallout‘s world.

Fallout also delves into body horror. One of the show’s most disturbing creatures, as seen in trailers, is a giant mutant axolotl covered in hundreds of human fingers. Adding an extra layer of grossness, we watch one of those creatures vomit the putrid contents of its enormous stomach before dying. It is extremely unpleasant! We see horrific examples of human-mutant experiments. Giant mutated cockroaches run rampant and burst with green gooey innards when stomped on.

All this is to say that violence in the Fallout show is fast, frequent and unrepentant. But it’s not bleak or humorless like other post-apocalyptic worlds are The living Dead or The last of us could be. Instead, it borrows a page from the Mad Max films. Just like the Fallout games, Fallout the TV series is not for the faint of heart. But for fans of black comedy and copious amounts of fake blood, it’s a hoot.

All eight episodes of Fallout season 1 is now streaming on Prime Video.