In Fallout, nuclear bombs are dropped. The Earth is turned into a wasteland. In the first scene, the setting looks like the 1950s because of the styles and cars, and music. Yet this is an alternate history story. It's really 2077. We see the characters at a child's birthday party. They see a mushroom cloud and run for their lives.
Then the story jumps ahead to the year 2296. Some people are now living in vaults while others struggle to survive on the surface.
Yes, it sounds depressing. That’s one reason I’m not into post-apocalyptic shows where most of the characters get killed off. I see these shows as something that could happen in real life, something I don’t want to ever see. However, I like this show because it's different.
For one, none of the main characters have been killed off. Fallout also has some humor in it, and it works. It helps ease the bleakness of it all. The vintage hits they play (from the 40s and 50s) are ironically funny. For example, I’ve heard the song: “I don’t want to set the world on fire.” And “Orange colored sky." As you can see by the song titles, they tie into something they were never meant to tie into. Just listening to words with a pleasant tone makes me laugh. It’s sort of like a moment where the producers are giving you an ironic/not so serious moment.
Lucy lives in an underground vault with a community of other people who wear blue uniforms with the number 33 on their backs. Their goal is to someday repopulate the planet when radiation levels are low enough. This means having babies. Lucy is excited she has been chosen to get married and have a baby.
When things go wrong, Lucy makes the decision to go outside and into a world she knows little about. Like the other vault dwellers, she’s innocent to the outside world. Her people have laws, values and ethics while those on the outside have no laws or morals. To some extent, this is some of the humor. She’s the perfect main character because through her we learn about this world as well.
I also find the anti-hero cowboy character interesting. Cooper Howard. He was a normal human, but is now what they call a Ghoul. In many ways, he’s the opposite of Lucy. At first, you see him as if he’s an unkillable monster, but slowly you learn more about him and his past. Of course, I want to know how he became that way. This is the classic way to do an anti-hero. You can’t go wrong with it.
In the finale, Lucy discovers brutal answers to things she had no idea about. Some of these truths came across as twists. Lucy struggled to comprehend it all because she'd believed in so many lies. The finale was spot on because it answered questions, while leaving enough for more.
If you’re wondering what to watch next, try Fall Out on Amazon Prime.
Lincoln, Grant and George Washington demonstrate what happens when you refuse to give up in three documentaries currently on Amazon Prime.
Abraham Lincoln's life was rough. If you ever look closely at pictures of him, you can tell that being president took a big toll on him. Yes, presidents seem to age faster than normal. Lincoln had a good reason. States were leaving the union and a horrible war began.
Before becoming president, he started out poor. His mother died when he was still young. His father sort of raised him on a farm in the middle of no where. Abe was interested in getting an education, but his father had no interest in it. They had nothing in common and didn't get along.
He ran for President once and lost. This caused him to become depressed at times, but somehow he pulled himself together and ran again.
When he was elected, he had to hide because many people wanted to assassinate him. The south didn't like him, of course, because they didn't want to give up slavery. Lincoln was not an abolitionist at the time, but he opposed the expansion of slavery, which the South saw as a threat. As the war went on, Lincoln became more determined to end slavery, which made him a target.
I can't say too much more without giving out spoilers, but in general, he was always struggling with something. He showed a lot of patience. Inch by inch, he put an end to the war. No wonder he is famous and widely admired today. Sadly, his life was cut short just as he finally put the country back together. He never got to see anything beyond it.
Ulysses S. Grantalso grew up poor. Other kids made fun of his name, but one thing made him happy. He loved horses and became an amazing rider. This led to him joining the military.
Drinking was common in the military at that time. Grant resorted to drinking when he was bored or missing his family. One time he ended up too drunk and was forced to resign. He ended up a farmer struggling to make ends meet because, other than being in the military, he had no other skills. The farm didn't do well. He was often desperate and hungry.
Yet, through everything, he ends up back in the military and becomes a general. He even meets with Lincoln and becomes one of his most trusted men. Grant had to witness horrific battles and fields covered in dead bodies. All the while, chain smoking cigars. The South was tough and stubborn, but so was Grant. People overlooked his bad habits because they needed him to win the war.
As for George Washington, he certainly was a noble person. Yet, he came from an era that was brutal. I knew he had great military success, but I didn’t know how harsh he had to be with disobedient soldiers. At times, he ordered his own soldiers to be whipped for being lazy. Deserters could be shot. Another time, some soldiers were doubting him and trying to rebel. He had the leader of the rebellion shot by his own followers. If they didn’t shoot him, they were going to be executed.
Originally, he was hired by the British military who taught him how to handle disobedience. Although, they didn't treat him very well. They looked down on Americans, finding them crude and backward. That's one thing that led to Washington wanting independence.
Eventually, he was tasked with putting together an army with Americans who tended to be undisciplined and needing a lot of training. Then he had to face a massive, intimidating British army. In one scene, he went to a harbor and saw hundreds of British ships heading his way. His expression said, "How am I going to fight them with THESE men?"
He didn't do well at first, and in one harsh winter his men nearly starved to death. Overtime, we know he succeeded. George stands out in history because of how he fought for an independent America. It wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for him.
Overall, these documentaries kept me interested, showing how these men over came so much, including their lives. It could be fiction, but even better, it’s real life.
