The Ghoul just gets more and more intriguing, though Lucy and Maximus have no idea. Meanwhile, who’s up for a grisly game of Capture the Flag?

Let’s discuss Fallout (with big ol’ spoilers if you haven’t watched it!).

So. Lucy took Wilzig’s head, in order to potentially bargain for her father’s freedom from Moldaver. Lucy promptly lost the head because she can’t resist cute animals (who can?). Maximus, now posing as his dead former Knight and saddled with a squire of his own as a result, finds the head (and an irradiated monster made of fingers) while in pursuit of The Ghoul. In all of this gag-inducing chaos, though, the real story is a lot quieter. At least, quiet for now, while no one knows it.

I had my suspicions early on about who The Ghoul used to be and what he represented, and upon watching this episode I learned I was right. Our former all-American hero was, apparently, the face of Vault-Tec – at least before said face became a little cartoon guy. The reference to the “thumbs up” in episode one was what tipped me off – I’ve never played the games but pop culture is a beast, and I knew of the Vault-Tec mascot before now. The result of all of this is that I am now more intrigued than ever by The Ghoul, and I’m dying to know how such a golden boy became… this guy. I suspect a lot of tragedy and some deeply infuriating betrayals, but really I’m just fascinated. This show is teaching me that I really am a sucker for a good guy gone bad, but it’s the journey that really hooks me here. It’s one hell of a fall from grace.

Meanwhile, Maximus has apparently learned nothing from the ugly unmasking of his former Knight. When faced with the prospect of discovery, he uses the mech suit to pose as Titus after essentially faking his own death, which gets him saddled with a squire of his own – and it’s none other than Thaddeus, the guy we see beating him up in the first episode. Oh, how the tables have turned – and indeed, Maximus wastes no time in getting a little petty revenge.

But that’s the problem. Bullying does not build heroes. It certainly doesn’t build admirable character. I think Maximus could be an admirable character! But he needs to learn better ways. And there’s hope for this pair, as their encounter with the Irradiated Finger Monster (a gulper, apparently?) and the recovery of Wilzig’s head (which got swallowed, poor Wilzig) leaves them celebrating, jubilant over their mission success AND the fact that they avoided a messy death. It’s a reminder that these are two young men trying to do what they think is right; the fact that their environment is a toxic one hasn’t entirely negated that. When they’re left to their own devices, that goodness gets a chance to shine.

The wasteland is lawless, boys. Enjoy. (But for goodness sake be careful.)